Bader pushes to make majors more flexible

Majors in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences have undergone a face change.

John Bader, associate dean of academic advising, has been working with Stephen David, associate dean of academic affairs, to make degree requirements more flexible and to give students the freedom to develop their own curricula.

Arts and Sciences students will also now be able to double-count classes for different majors. Over the next few years, students will begin to see changes within their own disciplines, which will likely result in more freedom when it comes time to choose their classes.

The most notable change so far has been in the international studies program, which recently dropped the cognate requirement, often nicknamed the "ologies." Previously, students were required to take four semester courses in anthropology, geography, psychology, sociology or philosophy. Beginning with the class of 2004, students will not be required to take these electives.

"It does open up your schedule to experience other classes," said Katie Juhashova, a sophomore majoring in international studies. "It's not really helpful to me because I was almost done anyway, but for incoming freshmen and anybody who is considering being an IR [international studies] major, it's a definite help."

The international studies program will serve as an example to other departments planning to revise their programs, Bader said. The idea of dropping requirements resulted from a series of discussions between Bader, David, and faculty members in the School of Arts and Sciences.

"One of the principles that Dean David and I would like departments to think about is the idea that departments don't need to manage the curriculum outside their discipline," he said. "When a student is given more freedom, they can use that to fulfill their educational ambitions and develop as an individual."

Bader said that although the administration is dedicated to improving the quality of instruction at Johns Hopkins, the responsibility ultimately lies with the student.

"One of the underlying principles of our curriculum is that flexibility is a good thing, that academic freedom and personal responsibility are intertwined," he said. "When a student is given more freedom, they can use that to fulfill their educational ambitions and develop as an individual."

So far, no other department has made changes to their curriculum, but Bader said that he expects many disciplines to reevaluate their programs over the next few years. Among other issues, they have discussed the availability of classes, the quality of advising and personal attention to teaching methods.

"I do think that there are legitimate issues to debate on the quality of instruction and the dedication to teaching and the kinds of courses we offer," he said. "We need to look at improving academic support for students."

Arts and Sciences students will now be allowed to double-count classes for different majors. While this is standard practice in the Whiting School of Engineering, Arts and Sciences students have not previously been able to double-count courses at the 300-level or above.

"The rationale before was that each major should stand on its own and have coherency and legitimacy as an academic endeavor," Bader said. "We didn't want double-counting to start watering it down."

There are only two exceptions to the new rule: public health majors and the "neuroscience cluster," which includes neuroscience, psychology and behavioral biology.

"Students can't double-count within this cluster, because the requirements are virtually the same," Bader said. However, these students can still double-count classes for majors outside the cluster.

David largely advocated the change to double-count courses, primarily because international studies majors are required to take courses in a variety of disciplines.

"[David's rationale] is that as long as you fulfill the requirements for my major, I don't care what you do for the other majors," Bader said.

Double-counting has been welcomed by many students, because it makes it easier to double-major in similar disciplines. Bader is quick to caution, however, that this is not always the best plan of action, and that students should think long and hard before taking on multiple degrees.

"We believe that students double major for all the wrong reasons -- they think that people outside of Hopkins hiring them or admitting them to graduate school will be impressed," he said. "While this may be true in some cases, students often double-major at the expense of trying to get a more liberal education."

Bader emphasizes that student satisfaction is the most important part of the equation.

"If students don't think they're getting everything they deserve, then we need to step up," he said.

Throughout this process, students have been involved, providing input and acting on curriculum committees to advocate undergraduate education.

"Student satisfaction and voices are very much at the forefront here," Bader said.

Over the years, these new rules will gradually change the shape of the Hopkins education, but Bader is optimistic about the process.

"What's so exciting about what's going on right now is a very sincere effort on the part of both departments and the administration to rethink the educational experience here, and to be sure that it's the highest quality in the world," he said.