The Grinnell

Scarlet 83’ Black

10/20/78
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

Vol. 87, No. 8

 

so.

energy inture oi the United States. t-ontrasting ~

Energy expe t speaks

Amory Lovins. one of the world‘s leading authorities on alternative

energy, spoke to a crowd oi students, proiessors. and townspeople on
Wednesday night. Lovins. u llannl‘d- and OxlortI-trained physicist
and publicist ior Friends oithe Earth, descri ed possible paths ior the

ard" energy

technologies such as nuclear and coal generated elcctrl 'ty to "soft"

energy schemcs such as insulation. design improvements
s presented a picture oi an America
.olt.” sensible approach. (Photo by Karl

biomas convc ii, Lot
incii ably turning to thc
i)ukstein.t

In 0 Focus

and

Curriculum Change debated

hy' 'l‘i't‘nii t‘lclallll

A grm ng concern among
academicians that liberal arts
colleges are not producing well-
rounded students has prompted
serious discussion in Grinnell's
Curriculum Committee on ways of
“strengthening general education"
at Gi'innell

The committee. which conSists of
seven iaculty members and tour
students, has come up with seven
possible nlcthodsione or more of
which may be implementedifor
encouraging or requiring students
to take a wider variety oi courses.

Till-I SUGGESTIUNS ARE i\S
follows‘

1. Increase or modify the scope
of the tutorial lo achieve more
commonality among different
tutorials:

2. Establish additional freshman
and sophomore general education
courses.

3, Establish distribution re
quirements within either present
divisions or new departmental
groupings, using present courses
or specially developed new
courses:

4 Rcinstitute a required core
curriculum.

5. Iielnstzite the Junior Liberal
Arts Exam.

i; Add a special pcriod oi study,
either in conjunction with New
Student Days or as a separate
interim session, which would be
used for some common academic
project:

7. Require or encourage in-
terdisciplinary minors.

OF THE PROPOSALS. only the
first has been dealt with at length
The consensus of the committee
regarding tutorials was that the
current program has met with
relative success and should not be
radically altered.

Limited discussion of the third
proposal has led to the passage oi a

Lectures enhance Women’s Study

by Marilyn Clark
The Women's Symposium, a
series of lectures by women in
academia. provides perspectives
on Women‘s Studies at Grinnell
this year.

The Second speaker in the series,
anthropology professor Judith
Brown of Oakland University in
Rochester, Michigan, will speak on
the study of comparative sex roles
In society at Grinnell House on
October 30 at 8 p.m,

FURTHER SPEAKERS are
planned ior this year in the spring,
Judith Romaley, a physiology and
biology professor, will speak on
“The Biological Basis oi Sex
Roles” or “Women in Scientific

Professions."
Dean Waldo Walker developed

the symposium and is responsible
[or its funding, A series of six
lectures has been scheduled,
Mary Gibson. assistant professor
cl history and iaculty co-
coordinator of the program With
Dean Walker, hopes that these
lectures \\ ill alter a new dimension
toward educating people about the
. role women have played insociety.
.‘Gibson also hopes'fhatthe lectures.

'campus.

 

which are directed 'toward a
general audience, will develop an
awareness on behalf of Students
about femaleroriented activities on
These lectures might
generate iurther interest in the
incorporation oi various aspects oi
Women's Studies into depart-
mental courses at Grinnell, Gibson
believes.

THE SYMPOSIUM Will bring
speakers in from around the
country. Speakers are planned
from the fields of sciences, social
sciences, humanities. fine arts and
administration. '

The first speaker on campus was
Catherine Stimpson, associate
proiessor of literature at Barnard
College, In her lecture she
discussed the directions and trends
oi Women's Studies courses today.
The upcoming iive speakers will
talk on more speciiic areas.

GIBSON emphasized the desire
oi many iaculty women to cooiz
dinatc other activities with the
students and administration She
tools that an cxchange of ideas and
thoughts will result in more
programs The implementation oi
regularly taught courses about

 

women would stimulate this
growth. She believes.

Women's activities on campus
besides the Symposium include the
,Women’s Group and Women's
Consciousness Raising Group.

THE WOMEN‘S Group has
planned November 12 through 19 as
Women‘s Week. This will involve
him, a sellrhelp presentation, a
possible potluck and a booth in the
post office distributing literature
on women’s issues. The group also
provides a shuttle service to the
Emma Goldman health care clinic
in iowa City. Other actiVlties may
include bringing women politicians
to campus to speak on their
positions as Women in a male-
dominated field.

in the Consciousness ltaising
Group, women discuss ways oi
enhancing their goals and
aspirations as women in today's
society of continually dism~
icgrating barriers between the
sexes.

All oi lhesc activities encourage
participation oi both sexes
Women's Studies. Gibson stresses.
involves the inter ‘tion of the
sexes in roles they play in society,

preliminary motion that students
he required to lake at least 12
credits in each oi ll‘lc three
divisions This proposal was
rejected by the
Curriculum Council, which is made
up oi one student representative
ii-om each departmental EPC The
proposal will now be rciincd hy the
committee The issue will then be
debated by the Council and. ii
approved. sent to the iaculty ior a
vote. Although the Council does not
have veto power, strong criticism

sociology or economics, and lour
credit ll’ine arts

The F'l'll IDI-‘i’t was dcemcd
inconsistent with Grinnell‘s
philosophy or education and will
almost surely be eliminated. The
second, sixth and seventh
propo ls have not been discussed

According tosenior Bob Aldrich.
Chairman of the (‘urrlculum
Counml and a student member of
the Curriculum Committee, the
opinions of studean are being
laken into Consideration,

It was tentatively decided

that the idea of

course requirements be dropped,

oi any proposal by the Council
would probably result in a
reconsideration oi the proposal by
the Curriculum Committee.

THE FOURTH proposal has also
been the subJect oi iniormol
discussion. It was tentatively
decided, in agreement with the
recommendation of the Council,
that [he idea or course
requirements be dropped

instead, a proposal by proiessor
A] Jones that a suggested core
curriculum be formulated is being
given attention, Such a program
would be outlined in the college
catalogue and recommended by
advisers but not required. initial
recommendations are that
students lakeat least 16 credits of a
foreign language; eight credits of
natural scuences; tour credits of
math eight credits of humanities.
history or philosophy; iour credits
oi political science. anthropology,

“THROUGH THEIR four
representatives on the Curriculum
Committee. Students are able to
have some voice in what‘s going
on Short of taking it to a school
Wide level . every effort is being
made lo include students inthe
process.” he said

Professor Kenneth Christiansen,
chairman of the Curriculum
Committee. predicted that the
committee Wlll not have a solid
proposal to present to the iaculty
until at least the end of Novembert
and that it would be “premature to
say what the final shape of our
recommendations will be,

"lT’S REALLY T00 early to say
what Will be decided, We are still
early in this discussion Although
the prevailing sentiment is not to
radically change the tutorial, none
oi the proposals has been iormaily
discarded." he said.

 

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