We've heard it time and again--a constant gripe with the Core Curriculum is that there are not enough choices within the 11 academic areas.

Despite nearly four years of sincere efforts to broaden the Core's offerings in response to student complaints, limited progress has been made.

In May 1997, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences voted that 12 courses be offered annually in each Core area, not including cross-listed Core classes or departmental alternatives.

This year, Foreign Cultures was the only area to surpass the goal with 14 offerings and a vast array of cross-listed Cores that count for credit.

Other areas, however, have lagged behind for years. This year, for example, Literature and Arts B and C offer 10 classes in total; Historical Studies A and B, and Literature and Arts A offer nine; Science A and B, and Social Analysis offer eight; and Moral Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning offer a paltry six.

Professors say they are willing either to allow their courses to count for Core credit or to teach actual Core classes. There is no good reason, it seems, that those responsible for overseeing Core offerings have failed to reach their target number of courses per year.

Becoming a Core

New Core classes can be created in two ways. Members of the Core subcommittees can solicit their colleagues, or individual teachers can independently propose courses.