The new scheme for courses for BA and BSc means that all courses must be approved at the outset. To avoid the approving of some thousand-odd courses individually, certain courses will automatically be approved. The Calendar does not, perhaps, make this sufficiently clear.

Courses for automatic approval are given there as types A, A (a), B and C, for BA degree, and notes are made on prerequisites for BSc.

For the former, the main effect that stands out is the inclusion of "a foreign language or a reading knowledge of two languages" as essentials for types A, B and C courses. Except in the special circumstances where a student feels he will be justified in appealing to the Committee (see later) students will need to include a foreign language in their courses.

The three courses mean something like this:

If you take type A course, then you do six separate subjects instead of the five which at present form the basis of the BA course. One of these is to stage in only one other to stage II, and therefore four other stage I subjects must be taken. The course must include (a) English, (b) Philosophy, (c) a science or Geography or Maths, (d) a foreign language or a reading knowledge of two, and (e) one of the following: Greek History Art and Literature; History, Political Science; Economics; Education; Anthropology; Psychology; Ancient History.

If you take type B course, then you do five subjects as you would under the old scheme, but while one subject is done to stage III, two other subjects only may be taken to stage II. You must include (a) and (d) from above. (By the way, two "reading knowledge" passes count as one unit.) Not more than seven units out of the nine can be language subjects (that includes English).

Type C course also includes five subjects, but it means taking two stage III subjects—naturally, plus three other subjects to stage I. The foreign language requirements, and the restriction on not more than seven units being language subjects, are as above.

During 1950, courses allowed by the 1949 regulation are approved; this means that these new regulations will Not come into effect this year.

When they do, all other cases where the student can plead that he would suffer hardship by having to stick to these courses will be referred to a Committee consisting of the Principal and the Dean of the Faculty, with the power to co-opt.

BSc courses

There is no need for us to repeat all the Calendar, gives on BSc courses. Its new features are that:

1. No stage II unit may be done until two stage I's have been passed; similarly, no stage II may be done until five other units have been passed. This would mean that you could not take a stage III in your third year, if you were a part-timer doing two units per year; you would not be able to start it until you had done five units, which would take you three years at that rate.

2. There are a series of prerequisites given in paragraph (g) on uage 122 which you should see.

3. Paragraph II on the same page would have had the effect of allowing a special nine units BSc (see the requirements).

To summarise, the main points are that only these courses would be automatically approved—all others would be referred to the Committee, which would have power to allow or disallow any course outside that, as necessary.

The Effects . . . . . . The Comments

We were still by no means certain that students generally were clear about the reason for the change, and it general effects, so the whole thing was discussed with the Principal. Several very important points emerged from this discussion, and we give them here. You should understand these clearly.

It is unfortunate that the Calendar does not give the clear statement that the courses are not compulsory. AUC has made a foreign language compulsory for BA: this move prompted the Senate to pass a resolution which asked Professorial and Academic Boards to note that injustice might be done to students and particularly to secondary schools by the sudden imposition of a compulsory language. Obviously, if a language is to be made compulsory—and the Principal did not think that VUC would be in favour of such a move—secondary schools should have plenty of warning to prepare their curricula beforehand. The Senate resolution doesn't really apply to this college so much as to AUG.

Any student who started under the old course will be able to complete under that course—there is the probability that five years from the time of commencing the degree will be allowed for this. Of course, if you want to change to the new one now, you may do so.

The whole thing at the moment is strictly "experimental," Sir Thomas said: the cardinal matter to be kept in mind in making the change-over will be that "no injustice must be done to any student at all, because of the new scheme." He thought that the sudden change to a compulsory language, as at AUC, was a mistake which penalised both students and schools. Therefore, the course had not been brought into operation in 1950, and students would not begin under the new scheme this year. It would probably come into force from January, 1951, but this was still to be decided.

Clearly, such a change-over meant the provision of facilities for teaching, for instance, the reading knowledge classes which would soon become large. This could not be done at once. The Board had, in fact, to decide first whether the language requirements would be insisted upon and if so, when the scheme would be enforced, so that schools could make provision for the change.

The Committee

The keypoint in seeing that no injustice is done in the new scheme is obviously the Committee. Probably the co-opted member will be the class teacher concerned: the Principal will have the job, as he put it, of seeing that "the scales of Justice are kept in, balance." If every course must be approved, then students who wish to take any course other than those laid down must put his case to the committee; this applies to BA and to BSc students.

It is more than probable that some students would start out under type A, say, and decide that they would sooner do B. Provision will be made for this change.

Mentioning type A recalls that the Principal was asked whether this course was only accidentally reminiscent of the "core curriculum" idea of the new PP syllabus. He answered that it is designed to give a general course which would, for example, be an excellent qualification for the general social studies teacher in a secondary school. In the past, English universities, have allowed far too great specialisation—knowing a great deal about very little. This course is designed to meet that objection.

But a move too far that way would raise the cry that one was learning; very little about a great variety of subjects. It would be possible to take five subject degrees automatically, and there is no reason (and this was clearly stated) why a four-subject degree could not be approved by the Committee in special cases—or even a three-unit degree, consisting of three stage III's: of course, you would have to have a good story for that one.

BSc notes

Of the BSc course, the most important point is that paragraph II on page 122 has not been allowed by the Senate: a nine-unit BSc would not be possible.

The arguments put forward in favour of not allowing stage II and stage III subjects to be done until a certain number of other units have been passed seem reasonable. A prior knowledge of other subjects outside is essential to advanced work in any field, and this applies most to stage III work. More important to some people would be that students' have in the past cut themselves out of Senior Scholarships by taking their stage III subject too early in the course.

A grouch—a remedy!

And we repeat, finally, that the Principal has insisted that no student must suffer injustice because of the change to the new course. The fact that he insists on this, and that he is on the Committee to see that the scheme does work fairly means that, if you have a grouch, then you will have a remedy. The language requirements may not come into effect even next year—but if they do, then you shouldn't suffer by it.