Students often opt for higher-level coursesrather than the basic departmental classes,Blumstein says.
"They absolutely go for variety--if anything,they avoid the introductory courses for the moreexciting courses," she says.
But administrators say they arebasically happy with the core curriculum. Knowlessays core classes are better designed and moreclosely scrutinized than any other courses in thecurriculum.
And Dean for Undergraduate Education LawrenceBuell says he feels the present Harvard coresystem is "functioning very well."
But two-thirds of all students aren't happywith the status quo. In a Crimson poll of 341students, 51 percent said they would preferdistributional requirements to the corecurriculum, and 16 percent more said they wouldlike to have no requirements. Only 33 percentwould choose the core Harvard has now
"I have to say the core classes I've taken havebeen the biggest waste classes I've taken here,"says John W. O'Bell '94. They have been either"incredibly easy or incredibly irrelevant," hesays.
Hunt, a supporter of abolishing allrequirements says that when he came to Harvard, hethought the core was "a good idea."
"Since then," he says, "my opinion hasdegenerated."
What changed is mind?
"Taking the classes."Series at a Glance
MONDAY
The core curriculum, charged with making everyundergraduate a member of "the company of educatedmen and women," often fails in its missionstudents do little work for watered-down classesthat many feel need to be taught better.
YESTERDAY
The core's structure makes it difficult formany students to learn. Crowded sections and largelectures alienate undergraduates. And because ofthe limited number of classes available, studentssay it's hard to find a core they want to take.
TODAY
The core curriculum is supposed to offer"approaches to knowledge." But many teachers saytheir classes are not taught differently in thecore. The result is a patchwork education inspecific topics that most students find useless.