Tufts professors say that the existence of "weeder" class --introductory courses that are extremely difficult and are designedto determine which students are capable of taking more advancedcourses -- is a myth.
Sophomore Laura Spring, a biology and community health doublemajor, said she feels that introductory courses at Tufts are"weeders" after having taken what she considers five introductoryclasses in the biology, chemistry and psychology departments. "The[introductory] classes are usually very difficult for most," shesaid. "The exams in the intro classes are sometimes more difficultthan upper level courses because they are more broad andgeneral."
According to Associate Professor of biology Ross Feldberg, 15 to18 percent of students who enroll in an introductory science coursein the Biology, Chemistry and Physics departments withdraw beforethe semester is out.
Nonetheless, Tufts professors disagree with claims thatintroductory courses at the University are designed to weed outless capable students.
"I bitterly resent the suggestion that we're trying to getstudents out," Feldberg said.
Feldberg teaches Biology 13: Cells and Organisms -- anintroductory course offered every fall and required of allpre-health and biology majors.
"I'd give all A's if everyone did well enough [but] the lastthing I want to do is play people along -- make them feel good withall A's and B's and then after four years they suddenly discoverthey haven't really learned what they needed to learn in order tosucceed," Feldberg said.
According to Associate Professor of political science JamesGlaser, introductory courses are not intentionally structured to bemore difficult. "I think that part of it is that they're real bigclasses so while the upper division courses tend to have peopleintensely interested in the subject, intro courses have a widevariety of students there for a variety of reasons who willobviously perform in a variety of levels," he said.
Johns Hopkins University political science professor MargaretKeck said the situation is very similar at her institution, wheregrades in her "Introduction to Latin American Politics" course tendto cluster in the B's.
"You end up with all sorts of people in these big intro classes.Some people have a great interest or fairly extensive background inthe subject while others take them because they fulfill adistribution requirement and it's at the right time of the day,"she said.
Assistant Professor of political science Jeffrey Taliaferro saidthat another reason why introductory courses may be difficult forsome students is simply because it is new material for many ofthem. "It's terra incognita -- especially for first semesterfreshmen," he said.
Taliaferro taught PS 51, "Introduction to InternationalRelations," last semester. The class is required of allinternational relations majors and 192 students were enrolled thispast fall.
"It's a myth that PS 51 is designed to weed out a certain numberof students," he said. "None of the three professors who teach thiscourse give grade curves but it is also not the purpose norobjective of the instructors and teaching assistants (TAs) of thiscourse to ensure that a certain number of students get A's, B's,C's, etc."
Despite their vehement opposition to the notion thatintroductory courses are weeder classes, Tufts professors and atleast one administrator agree that many introductory classes areespecially difficult.
Taliaferro's records show that in his PS 51 class last fall,only one of the 192 students received a straight A. Nine percentreceived an A- and 75 percent received B's. The remaining studentsreceived C+ or lower, but no one received D's or F's.
Eighteen percent of Feldberg's Bio 13 students last semesterreceived A's or A-'s. Forty percent got B's and 35 percent receivedC's. About six percent received D's. Though there were not any F'slast semester, Feldberg said there are usually one or two studentswho fail Bio 13.
According to Glaser, the University-wide grade point average(GPA) of students in the School of Arts, Sciences, &Engineering (ASE) is a B+, or a 3.33.
"Yes, intro classes definitely have lower grades," he said,citing the fact that although 30 percent of total Political Sciencegrades are A's or A-'s, only ten percent of Taliaferro's PS 51students last semester received A's.
In Feldberg's opinion, many students leave health scienceintroductory courses because of unrealistic expectations of wantingto be physicians. "Once they get here and do the science, theyrealize it's not what they're good at or it's not what they enjoy,"he said.
Taliaferro said that college is all about letting students findout what they like and are good at. "A liberal arts education islike a complicated Chinese banquet. You have to decide what youlike and how much you can handle," he explained.
Taliaferro and Feldberg said that many students arrive at Tuftsafter having led a straight-A and B high school career.
"My one major criticism of high school is that you don't getenough honest feedback," Feldberg said. "A bunch of students areused to getting nothing less than A's and B's. I think that a lotof high school science classes are just not taught at such a highlevel."
"A's are for exceptional work -- it means excellence. Justbecause you're at Tufts doesn't mean you deserve an A," Taliaferrosaid. "It also doesn't mean that you're doomed to fail in collegeif you get a C in an intro class. Many students who get C+'s in PS51 go on to write senior honors theses in InternationalRelations."
