Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

Page 27 text:

The most recent revision of Brown's curriculum indicates the administrations continuing awareness of the changing complex- ion of students in the University. Embodied in the new per- missive plan is a liberalization of the curriculum designed to accommodate all types of studentsthose students who enter Brown with definite ideas as to their major field of interest can begin concentration immediately. Those who are unsure may wait until their fifth semester to choose their major. The pro- gram will yield greater breadth for some and an enriched con- centration for others. In the changes of the curriculum over the years lies a vital part of the dynamics of Brown.

Page 29 text:

independent studies O the average student struggling through his required quota of courses at Brown, it seems unlikely that there should be those who consciously seek more work. That a sizeable group of such persons does exist is amply demonstrated by the success of the University's several arrangements for individual study: the Independent Studies Program, the Honors Program, and the College Scholar program. All are essentially different routes to the same goal, intellectual independence and responsibility. This is accom- plished by permitting a greater degree of flexibility than is possible through formal course work. Each student, working under a faculty sponsor, is required to submit beforehand an outline of the nature and extent of the material he intends to pursue, his manner of procedure, a list of facilities to be used and a schedule for completion of papers. Outside of this he is on his own. The sponsor is responsible only for scrutiny of the proposal and the assignment of a grade on the basis of work submitted. Thus a degree of originality and creativity that is usually found at the graduate level is encouraged at the undergraduate stage. Naturally, the academic requirements are high, but the large number of students pursuing these courses testifies to the energy and the enthusiasm of the student body. These programs represent Brown University's recognition that most gifted people tend to have abilities in specialized areas rather than a well-rounded capability. They also repre- sent a first step in the providing of more academic opportunity for the tidal wave of talent which has surged into the campus with each class.