Goals of a Bates Education 2006-2007

In 2003-2004 the Bates faculty began a discussion of the General Education curriculum by considering the goals of a Bates Education.  This work culminated in a list of faculty goals and the decision to continue the process of reviewing our General Education curriculum in the 2004-2005 academic year through the work of a Coordinating Committee and Design Team.  During the 04-05 academic year, these Committees reviewed, developed, and presented to the campus a number of ways to organized a curriculum and articulated the rationale for each approach.  At year’s end, three models articulating different ways to approach the goals were presented to the campus.  Since then, faculty, students and staff have provided comments, observations and feedback which have served as the basis for the next draft of a proposed curriculum.

In the summer of 2005, the Bates Education Committee was created from a subgroup of members of the Coordinating Committee and Design Team to work with faculty and develop legislation to review our General Education curriculum. On March 6, 2006, the faculty passed the proposal entitled:  “General Education Requirement:  New Degree Requirements for a Bates Education.” Faculty will spend AY 06-07 developing the implementation of the new curriculum which will begin in Fall, 2007, with the Class of 2011.

Oversight of the development and implementation of the new requirements, is the responsibility of the Education Policy Committee. More specific development, implementation and oversight of the individual components of the curriculum are the responsibility of the following faculty committees:

• 4-course concentration:  Curriculum and Calendar Committee
• W-courses:  First-Year Seminar and Writing Committee
• S, L and Q courses:  new committee on Scientific Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy

The EPC will report on the progress of the curriculum and its implementation to the faculty by 2012.