<p>Frankly, I really don't like mandatory distribution requirements. It becomes like a Chinese menu. I keep thinking of the old line," A point in all directions is a circle."</p>
<p>Moreover, I don't see why having lots of distribution requirements really benefits students from a long term perspective. If I am taking a history course or science,but don't major in either one, I will forget the information within one year of the course.</p>
<p>To me, courses should only be required that build long term skills. Thus, I would certainly prefer schools to require at least two full years of writing/ English. I feel that philosophy might meet that requirement and can be substitute for some of the English requirements. </p>
<p>Kids that don't achieve a certain grade on math placement or SATs should take at least one basic math course to build up these skills. I would, frankly, prefer business math that hones day-to-day skills over calculus, unless kids are majoring in a mathematical or science major.</p>
<p>Bottom line: I would focus primarily on reading and writing courses, but would not require set courses other than English courses. I think that schools such as Brown and Carnegie Mellon have gotten the right idea.</p>
<p>I've never much understood the distributional thing myself. I went to a college which had them, and a p.e. class to boot. I remember virtually nothing from those classes, though I think I certainly helped aid the pre-med curve in a big weed-out class. I did learn, however, to hate skiing for a lifetime.</p>
<p>While I like the idea of writing-intensive classes, I'm shocked that the schools think they need them. You mean you get can go through four years at a strong liberal arts-based school without a single faculty member paying decent attention to your writing? Sadly, I know the answer to that question these days is yes, which is why the requirement. </p>
<p>At my d.'s school, where I believe the requirements are similar to Brown's, there is one intensive writing class required, and one has to take at least half one's credits outside the major. No double majors are allowed (minors are), because most students undertake some kind of thesis or similar senior project. But for Latin Honors of any kind, students have to fulfill some pretty hefty distributional requirements.</p>
<p>As far as core curricula go, I'm of mixed opinions, and think a fixed core is good for some students, and not for others. I like the one at Scripps by far the best, which involves all of the students in a common intellectual activity - both lectures and discussions - and hence the benefits of same, but is built around ways of seeing and knowing rather than around any fixed canon.</p>
<p>Vassar only has a couple of requirements. One year of college level foreign language, which can be satisfied with 4 or 5 on an AP exam. One "freshman course" of which there are a very wide selection. And one quantitative course, generally math of some type. Thats it. The only other required courses are for your specific major.</p>
<p>I think the open curriculum argument that only the students who want to be in a course take it is a tiny bit misleading. Majors must have requirements, and I'm sure not every student is happy about taking every class for that major.</p>
<p>I agree that a core curriculum is not for everyone. However, one attractive aspect of it that gets overlooked is the intellectual bonding experience: everyone in the first and second year is reading the same thing, pretty much at the same time. This makes, at the least, for good elevator and dining hall conversation.</p>
<p>I am in favor of distribution requirements, at least. Lots of students avoid classes because they think they won't like them, or to protect their gpas. I took three science courses in college, only because I was required to, and they ended up being three of my favorite classes. And, decades (won't reveal how many) later, I still remember something from all of them.</p>
<p>Under an open curriculum distribution is usually pursued out of necessity-- who wants four lit classed with 400 p of reading in each one and multiple papers? Evenutally a student figures out how to take a lab class, an exam class, a writing heavy class, a discussion class and spread the work load in a better way.</p>
<p>At Brown the lit major did not have any specific requirements. You had to do one of four or five formulae-- for example, a historical distribution(Beowulf through contemporary), a genre distribution (poetry, plays, novels)... but it was quite fluid and easy to satisfy via natural curiousity. I guess they wanted to make sure there was some degree of breadth, not all one's courses being '20th century novel.'</p>