4-1-4

The 4-1-4 Curriculum


	Students head out on a January Term biology field trip

In spring 1967 CEPP [the faculty Committee on Educational Planning and Policy] called for a new calendar and new system of requirements to begin in September 1968. Chaired by philosopher Eric Weller, the committee this time around carefully built support for its plan, accumulating helpful evidence from other, similar colleges.

Under CEPP’s proposal, the academic year would consist of two thirteen-week semesters, separated by a four-week winter term. Students would take 4 courses in the spring and fall, and 1 in the winter, while faculty would transition to a lighter load by first teaching 3, 1, and 3 courses, and then 3-1-2 or 2-1-3.

In recognition of the better preparation of Skidmore students at this time, the freshman English requirement was reduced from two terms to one, and what had been forty-two hours (14 courses) of group requirements was now to be twenty-seven hours (9 courses), divided evenly among the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. (Two of these last were to be laboratory courses, at least for liberal arts students; the foreign language and physical education requirements remained the same.) ...

The centerpiece of the so-called 4-1-4 curriculum was the January term, in which each faculty member offered and each student took just one intensive, experimental course. Some students pursued independent study, while others worked at internships. Traditional grades were replaced by pass-fail grading, to encourage students to explore and experiment without fear of risking their grade-point averages.

Winter term was a way to explore a new language (one course focused on translating Goethe from German into English and was aimed at students who had not previously studied German), to delve into a specialized historical study (such as African history, not offered in the regular term), to carry out scientific research (such as a locally based course in lake ecology), or to explore the arts (weaving, ceramics, and photography were very popular options for non-art majors.) Students seeking courses immediately relevant to their lives found a rich menu of choices, and faculty who wanted to experiment with new topics and techniques found that their winter-term experiences enhanced their teaching in subsequent semesters.