As underclassmen prepare to sign into departments this spring, they will be weighing several factors in their choice of a major. Likely to be of chief concern are the core course requirements and prerequisites, which in many departments are seen as the foundation of the undergraduate program. Several of these requirements have been in place for years, and their rationale may seem obvious to professors and administrators. For students who may be choosing between several departments, however, more explanation of departmental requirements — and more student input in shaping them— would help to ease the search for a major.
This issue is particularly important with regard to smaller departments, which are making special efforts to attract students as part of a broader University initiative. Clarifying the underlying rationale for departmental requirements eases the search for a major and may make smaller departments more attractive to prospective students. The religion department's REL 222 course, for example, is required for all concentrators, yet no description of the value of this course is provided on the department's website or in the Undergraduate Announcement. Both this and the religion department's area requirements are merely stipulated, not explained. In contrast, the sociology department offers a thorough explanation of the undergraduate program and its underlying rationale, tying the program very directly to the discipline of sociology in both the Undergraduate Announcement and a handbook for sociology majors. This kind of clarity is extremely helpful for students determinating which concentration to pursue and offers an indication of the ethos of each department.
This issue also speaks to the need for close collaboration between students, administrators and faculty in the structure of the undergraduate program in each department. The University's "Rights, Rules and Responsibilities" manual already provides a mechanism for doing so in stipulating that each department can maintain an Undergraduate Departmental Committee. Departmental chairs are directed to consult these committees regarding any "major changes" in the undergraduate curriculum. Departments should take advantage of this opportunity by using the committees as forums to maintain strong ties with their undergraduates.
A greater degree of clarity in setting departmental requirements, as well as closer interaction between students and departments, would bode well for this year's crop of departmental inductees and the future of academic life at Princeton.
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