Running Head: Grades in non major courses in U.S colleges and Universities

Grades in non major courses in U.S colleges and Universities

Mohammad Rahman

In India, university students, even undergraduates, focus all of their studies on their major field courses. For example, engineering students take all of their courses, every term, in the school of engineering. However, every undergraduate student at the Strayer University is required to take many courses that have little or no relevance to their field of study. Although students graduates from the university with a broader education as a result of these courses, I believe that the curses should be graded other way, and that the grades for these courses for these courses should not become part of students’ GPAs. Anti-evolution, the rise of pseudo sciences, and the renewed interest in the occult, all masquerading as science, are symptomatic of the poor job that is done explicating science as a process and a way of knowing. Disciplinary teaching emphasizes fact over concept. (Brophy, D.A. (2004) Every science discipline should be taught with a process base pervasive from the first to the last day of the course. Science teaching needs be revamped to provide an integrated, non-redundant exposition of the discipline focused on principles of which the theory of evolution is only one. Science must to be related both to technology and society. Teaching has to be directed to elicit the desired ends of education and not be regarded simply as a system to deliver fragments of knowledge. The participation of zoologists in delineating the discipline of science and countering pseudo science is essential. Scientists must become involved in science education and participate in updating teachers and insisting on their subject matter competence. University scientists must be concerned beyond the training of majors to provide meaningful education for non-science majors as well. To ensure quality science education zoologists must become active in resisting incursions of scientific nonsense in science classrooms. (Braxton, J. M., Vesper, N., & Hossler, D. (1995)
Many United States universities and colleges award bachelor's degrees with Latin honors, usually (in ascending order) cum laude 'with honor/praise,' magna cum laude 'with great honor/praise,' summa cum laude 'with highest honor/praise,' and the occasionally seen maxima cum laude 'with maximal honor/praise.' Degrees without honors are awarded rite. Requirements for such notations of honors generally include minimum grade point averages (GPA), with the highest average required for the summa distinction. In the case of a few schools, a senior thesis for degrees in the humanities or laboratory research for natural science (and sometimes social science) degrees is also required. Three notable exceptions are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Evergreen State College, and Sarah Lawrence College which do not have a dean's list, Latin honors recognition, or undergraduate honors program or subjects. Bachelor's degrees in the United States are typically designed to be completed in four years of full-time study, although some programs (such as engineering or architecture) usually take five, and some universities and colleges allow ambitious students (usually with the help of summer school and/or high school Advanced Placement courses) to complete them in as little as three years. Some U.S. colleges and universities have a separate academic track known as an "honors" or "scholars" program, generally offered to the top percentile of students (based on GPA), that offers more challenging courses or more individually-directed seminars or research projects in lieu of the standard core curriculum. The students are awarded the same bachelor's degree as students completing the standard curriculum, but with the notation in cursu honorum on the transcript and the diploma. Usually, the above Latin honors are separate from the notation for this honors course, but a student in the honors course generally must maintain grades worthy of at least the cum laude notation anyway. Hence, a graduate might receive a diploma Artium Baccalaureatum rite or Artium Baccalaureatum summa cum laude in the regular course or Artium Baccalaureatum summa cum laude in cursu honorum in the honors course. (Cooper, E. J., & Franke, J. S. (2002)
If the student has completed the requirements for an honors degree only in a particular discipline (e.g., English language and literature), the degree is designated accordingly (e.g., BA with Honors in English). In this case, the degree candidate will complete the normal curriculum for all subjects except the selected discipline ("English," in the preceding example). The requirements in either case usually require completion of particular honors seminars, independent research at a level higher than usually required (often with greater personal supervision by faculty than usual), and a written honors thesis in the major subject. Graduate students are expected to read and study material outside of what is presented in lecture. Lectures for graduate classes are guides through field, highlighting important ideas and topics. They are, however, incomplete because the time required to gain the appropriate depth of understanding is beyond what is available in lecture. (Cooper, E. J., & Franke, J. S. (2002)
The college’s philosophy of a well-rounded education for every graduate requires no amendment. The problem, rather, is that the college often misses the mark on helping students turn coursework requirements into a liberal education. Or, less nebulously, distribution requirements are in many instances failing to translate into actual knowledge. The problem is that some classes offered to non-majors lack the rigor commonly associated with a Swarthmore education. While many of the classes intend to make students feel comfortable in classrooms they would otherwise avoid, accessibility sometimes comes at too high a price. The relative ease of many of these classes means that they fail to challenge students to think critically in disciplines other than their intended majors. Too often, students take introductory classes exclusively to fulfill their distribution requirements, without actually seeking to further their educational “versatility.” (Bray, C. S. (2005)
Some schools have attempted to avoid the predicament of filler classes by rejecting distribution requirements altogether. Amherst College, a school in many ways comparable to Swarthmore, has no distribution requirements. According to its website, Amherst has the same concern about graduating a versatile student body, writing, “Amherst’s liberal studies curriculum is based on a concept of education as a process or activity rather than a form of production. The curriculum provides a structure within which each student may confront the meaning of his or her education, and does it without imposing a particular course or subject on all students.” However, it continues, “Students are encouraged to continue to seek diversity and attempt integration through their course selection.” The idea, buried beneath layers of rhetoric, is that the best way to achieve versatility is to allow students to select courses unimpeded by pesky restrictions. As tempting as this approach may seem, it is hardly foolproof. If students are free to take whatever classes they want, conventional logic goes, they will elect to take exclusively what they, for whatever reason, arrive at college wanting to take. And that, needless to say, leaves behind the liberal arts mission of graduating students that are more “cultivated” than when they arrived. (Arendale, D. (2003)
People with graduate degrees are expected to be leaders in their jobs. They are expected to be self motivated and capable of directing others in their work. They can communicate effectively, and present arguments that will contribute positively to their organization or research group. They keep up to date with the latest trends in the field, and can share those trends with others. In order to be a leader, you must be capable of working independently. There will not always be someone around to tell you if your work is good or bad. You will not have someone else around to do work for you. Instead, you must make sure work is correct and complete on your own. You must make plans and recognize how to get from start to finish. (Arendale, D. (2003)
Problems transferring credit typically arise in connection with courses offered in programs abroad that are labeled as Economics though they are in fact courses in law, history, or political science; the department does not accept such credits as being within the domain of Economics. It is usually sufficient for partial credit transfer if the course is taught by a qualified economist and is largely analytical in content, as are nearly all courses in Economics departments in American colleges and universities. (Creamer, E. G., & Scott, D.W. (2000)
Normally, any student planning to major in Economics, whether in the course or honors programs, applies for the major by submitting a sophomore paper in the Spring of the sophomore year. (Except for students who have been granted advanced standing, applicants should have completed at least two Economics courses). A student who will be away that semester should submit the paper before leaving at the end of the Fall semester. In the sophomore paper, students should state their reasons for wanting to major in Economics along with any associated considerations, and they should indicate the courses and seminars essential to their plan of study. Through the paper, students are pre-registered for seminars offered over the following two years; thus, students are strongly urged to select their seminars carefully. Moreover, if a student decides to change seminars, the department’s Administrative Assistant should be informed as soon as possible, since entry into oversubscribed seminars is first-come, first-served, with seniors in the honors program having absolute priority.
Most importantly, graduate students should always be asking questions and pursuing the answers to those questions. They can recognize when an answer is well supported, and can synthesize ideas to answer their own questions. Ideally, breadth in a college education is obtained through general education and liberal arts courses, although students may never appreciate the ways these courses contribute to their education. Depth is normally acquired through the academic major, often a professional specialization. The minor is truly a lesser cluster. It functions as a student's second specialization and academic program of depth (the first is the major), while increasing the breadth of education. However, we have no data on the educational gains that result from having a minor; that is, we do not know what and how much is learned. The importance of intrusive advising at-risk college and university students (i.e., students who: are ethnic minorities, are academically disadvantaged, have disabilities, are of low socioeconomic status, and are probationary students) has been repeatedly emphasized in the professional literature. Intrusive advising strategies are typically used with at-risk students, and are special techniques based on prescriptive, developmental, and integrated advising models. Numerous benefits to using intrusive advising are noted, along with examples of strategies used with five at-risk groups. Recommendations for college and university advisors include the need for a comprehensive plan that addresses intrusive advising, adequate faculty and advisor training, web supports for targeted students, development of comprehensive databases for managing student data, and ongoing research to evaluate intervention effectiveness. (Creamer, E. G., & Scott, D.W. (2000)

References
Arendale, D. (2003). Understanding the supplemental instruction model. In D. C. Martin, & D. Arendale (Eds.), Supplemental instruction: Improving first-year student success in high-risk courses (2nd ed.) (pp. 3-10). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Braxton, J. M., Vesper, N., & Hossler, D. (1995) Expectations for college and student persistence. Research in Higher Education, 36, 595-612.

Bray, C. S. (2005). Early identification of dropout prone students and early intervention strategies to improve student retention at a private university (Attrition, staying environment, persistence, high-risk students, freshmen). Dissertation Abstracts International, 47(01A), 0095.

Brophy, D.A. (2004). The relationship between student development activities and rate of retention in a rural community college. Dissertation Abstracts International, 45(07A), 1990.

Cooper, E. J., & Franke, J. S. (2002). Advising under-prepared and transfer students: Integrating English assessment and academic advising. NACADA Journal, 12, 33-37.

Creamer, E. G., & Scott, D.W. (2000). Assessing individual advisor effectiveness. In V. N. Gordon & W. H. Habley (Eds.), Academic advising. A comprehensive handbook (pp. 339-347). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.