Students are disappointed that many courses taken through the Experimental College cannot be counted towards political science major requirements, and have begun petitioning for change within the political science department.
In response, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is presently working on a resolution to encourage various departments to accept Ex College credit.
TCU Senator and senior Kate Drizos plans to draft a resolution on the subject to be voted on by the Senate in upcoming weeks.
Jeffrey Berry, political science department chair, defended the department's current policy, arguing that the nature of Ex College classes prohibits the department from accepting credits.
"The courses are public affairs courses, not political science courses ... and therefore shouldn't be counted towards a political science major," Berry said.
"[Ex College classes] are difficult to evaluate, we don't get much information and we don't get a good sense of what's going on in class."
Berry said that he was unaware that students were expressing discontent on the issue, however.
Freshman Noah Hellman is currently enrolled in the Ex College's Human Rights and the War on Terror class taught by political science lecturer Ronnie Olesker. He feels as though it should count towards a political science major.
"I understand why they might have qualms about not letting it be a political science credit, but this particular class is a political science class," he said. "There is no difference between offering it in or out of the Ex College, especially since the professor is also a political science professor."
The Ex College has long offered courses that are unaffiliated with any particular department. Ex College classes are often worth the same amount of credits as classes with similar course hours in other departments, but may have a smaller workload.
At present, few departments choose to allow students to take Ex College classes for credit towards their majors, even though some courses are taught by lecturers and professors in those departments.
Currently, a petition process allows students the possibility of counting courses towards a political science major. Berry said that to petition for political science credit, students must submit a list of class readings and papers assigned during the class to the political science department.
Then Berry, as department Chair, decides whether it would be appropriate to grant political science credit to the student.
Hellman said that he will petition for credit from his Ex College course towards a possible political science major.
"From what I hear, it's pretty easy to petition," he said.
Robyn Gittleman, Director of the Ex-College, said that the issue has very little to do with Ex College's policies.
"Any departmental major or minor credit is always up to the department," she said.
While Ex College classes often cannot be used towards majors, credits for these course can be used to fulfill graduation requirements, "so that they count for something," Gittleman said.
Neither the Ex College nor the Political Science department have any current plans to change the way in which credits are assigned.
"We plan to continue as we have for the past five years," Gittleman said.
Professor Berry agreed. "We never did accept credits. It's a long standing practice," he said.
