Word: exam
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...certainly sympathize with the seniors who have had to cope with both writing a thesis and taking a general exam. But there is a distinct difference between the research skills that a thesis requires and the breadth of knowledge that a general exam demands. They test two different aspects of the field: the thesis, one's ability to probe into a topic in depth and formulate an original argument, and the general exam, one's ability to synthesize three or four years of classes into cogent and intelligent essays...
...departments such as history and government, a broad knowledge of the field is crucial, because one must understand what happened long ago or in another system of government in order to understand today's world. Removing the general exam could encourage many students to avoid taking more than the required range of courses, causing them to cultivate only a narrow body of knowledge and then perhaps to think narrow-mindedly. It is bad enough that one can fulfill most of one's Core requirements with classes entirely about China; concentrations should not encourage a parochial focus as well. Requiring...
...History Department's phasing out its general exam does not represent the watering-down of the Harvard curriculum, the demise of Harvard College or the decline and fall of Western civilization...
...approved changes also eliminate the special fields component from the general exam for honors candidates...
Although they have not decided the figures positively, Metrick wrote in an e-mail message that a possible breakdown for students in the Advanced Course Track is approximately 70 percent for grades and 30 percent for the general exam...