Harvard Poised To Eliminate Option To Take Gen Ed, QRD Courses Pass-Fail

Faculty of Arts and Sciences professors expressed broad support at a Tuesday FAS meeting for proposals to eliminate the option to take courses fulfilling the Harvard College General Education and Quantitative Reasoning with Data requirements on a pass-fail basis.

Elimination of Gen Ed Pass-Fail Will Not Affect Current Students, HUA Officer Announces

A proposal to phase out the pass-fail option for the General Education program will only go into effect starting with the Class of 2029, a Harvard Undergraduate Officer announced Tuesday.

Harvard Updates Gen Ed Guidelines to Curb Grade Inflation

The Harvard College Program in General Education updated its guidelines for Gen Ed instructors in an attempt to standardize grading across classes and mitigate grade inflation.

Harvard May Phase Out Pass-Fail Option for General Education Courses

Students may lose the option to count General Education courses toward their graduation requirements if they are taken pass-fail, Harvard College’s Program in General Education confirmed Wednesday.

How Intellectual Vitality Became Vital to Harvard

Three years ago, almost no Harvard students had heard of “intellectual vitality.” Now, they can’t escape it.

YouTubers Disguised as Harvard Students Crash Classes

A team of YouTubers disguised as Harvard students crashed some undergraduate classes Tuesday to the dismay of several professors and students.

Harvard Teacher Fellows Subsumed by New HGSE Master’s Program

Harvard Teacher Fellows — a teacher training initiative for students at the College — will no longer accept new cohorts of students as it is rolled into a new degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

UC Endorses Petitions in Support of Cornel West and Against Statements by J. Mark Ramseyer

The Undergraduate Council voted to endorse a pair of statements during its Sunday night meeting — one supporting a petition to grant tenure to Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy Cornel R. West ’74, and another to condemn statements made by Harvard Law professor J. Mark Ramseyer.

Allison P. Pao '21

Allison P. Pao '21 is one of the authors of a petition requesting that Harvard renew Gen Ed 1076 for the 2021-2022 school year.

Five Things Shorter than My Gen Ed Readings

So you've finally got your schedule set, books purchased, and go-to Zoom background prepared — now all that's left is to actually do your assignments, right? Except somehow that "gem" of a Gen Ed has decided that you and your peers are in need of eight articles, six book chapters, and three novellas-worth of reading each week. At this point, pretty much anything is shorter than your dreaded assignments, so why not spend some time reading the Declaration of Independence or journeying to your nearest water source instead?

Hundreds of Harvard Affiliates Petition to Renew Popular Education Gen Ed

In wake of the College’s decision to cut a popular education course from its fall offerings, undergraduates released a petition on Monday calling on Harvard’s administration to reconsider.

College Will Require All Fall Courses to Guarantee Students Two to Four Hours of Live Interaction

Though all courses will be virtual this fall, Harvard College expects professors to guarantee every student — regardless of time zone — between two and four hours of live interaction with course staff or peers each week, according to official College guidelines.

Dean Khurana on Lottery System

New Gen Ed Lottery System Marks 'Significant Improvement,' Khurana Says

Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana said he thinks Harvard’s new lottery system for General Education courses marks a “significant improvement” over the previous process in a Tuesday interview.

Gened Lottery Reax

During shopping week, students overflowed into the hallways of Sever Hall, as they attempted to shop GENED 1142.

Students, Professors Express Mixed Feelings Regarding New Gen Ed Lottery System

The College’s new enrollment system for its required General Education program rolled out this week to mixed reviews.

The New Gen Ed Lottery System, Explained

The new semester starts in a week — and with it, course shopping and enrollment. To help navigate the new Gen Ed lottery system, here’s a primer on how the process works.

Sciences Dean Stubbs Hopes to Improve Division's Gen-Ed Offerings

Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said in an interview on Friday that he hopes to help members of his division develop and improve their General Education offerings in the coming year.

CS50 Tops Course Enrollment While Popular Gen Eds Fall Short Due to Course Caps

Computer Science 50: “Introduction to Computer Science” retained the reigning spot as the College’s largest course this fall, a distinction held by the perennially popular Economics 10a: “Principles of Economics” up until 2017.

Gen Ed Office Creating New Lotteried Enrollment System As Faculty Criticize Course Caps

As students wrap up shopping week and faculty finalize course enrollments, several instructors in the College’s new General Education program say they are confused and frustrated by a rule capping their classes at 250 students.

Harvard Launched Sweeping Changes to Undergrad Education This Semester. Here’s What You Need to Know.

As returning students begin another year at Harvard, many will confront different requirements for completing their degrees than those in effect when the graduating class left last spring.

The Science of Happiness

Students crowd into a lecture hall in William James to shop GENED 1154: "The Science of Happiness."

Shopping Week To Stay — For Now

The Faculty also sparred over and ultimately approved a proposed Quantitative Reasoning with Data requirement for the General Education program. Students beginning with the Class of 2023 must now take a class that allows them to “think critically about data.”

Dean of Undergraduate Education Claybaugh Seeks to Improve Faculty Teaching, Advising

Claybaugh said one of her main priorities in the years ahead is to “do more” with academic advising, a request undergraduates have expressed to her since she took office. In particular, she hopes to pair students with advisers more tailored to their concentrations and focus on identifying common sources of academic stress.

Literature of Social Reflection Course

General Education 105: “Literature of Social Reflection” was taught by Dr. Robert M. Coles ‘50.