What kind of school is Harvard University? What does it study?

The history of Harvard University for more than 360 years is a history in which development and change advance each other.

Founded a century and a half ago, Harvard College has always been based on Oxford University and Cambridge University, aiming at training priests, lawyers and officials, focusing on humanities, and students are not free to choose courses. /kloc-At the beginning of the 0/9th century, the horn of higher education curriculum reform sounded in Harvard, advocating "academic freedom" and "lecture freedom". The stereotype of "fixed academic year" and "fixed curriculum" has been impacted, and the system of free elective courses has gradually emerged. Some people at Harvard College also advocate the implementation of elective courses. This demand for innovation was opposed by traditional conservative forces, and the initiative was not realized at Harvard.

However, the call for higher education to adapt to social development and students' individual needs is growing. 1839, Harvard University started the curriculum reform again. 184 1 year, Harvard officially implemented the course selection system, but it quickly regressed under the opposition of conservative forces.

From 65438 to the 1960s, a "civil war" broke out in the United States. The civil war paved the way for the development of American capitalism. The productivity is advancing by leaps and bounds, and the status of scientific and technological workers is gradually improving. Engineers, natural scientists and industrial technicians can keep pace with lawyers and officials. The change of the situation is very beneficial to the curriculum reform in colleges and universities, and the elective system has risen again, and Harvard has once again taken the lead in reform.

1869, Eliot became the president of Harvard University at the age of 35. After that, he served as president for 40 years, and he was the main commander of the electoral system. Under his leadership and promotion, Harvard University fully implemented the elective system. By 1895, only English and modern foreign languages are compulsory courses, and others are optional courses. Many colleges and universities in the United States have followed the footsteps of Harvard University, reducing or canceling compulsory courses and increasing elective courses.

According to the requirements of the free elective system, students can take 16 courses to pursue their degrees. As long as you meet the requirements, you can get the corresponding degree. This method breaks the fixed four-year academic system, and those with excellent grades can get corresponding degrees within three years, which can be called "eclectic talent reduction". Thanks to Eliot's efforts, Harvard University hired celebrities and scholars to teach, offering more elective courses than other universities, expanding students' knowledge and giving full play to their learning potential. Eliot's educational thought and curriculum reform have had a far-reaching impact on the development of American higher education. He stressed that colleges and universities should give students three magic weapons: first, give students the freedom to choose in their studies; The second is to give students the opportunity to display their talents in the subjects they are good at; The third is to change students' learning from passive behavior to independent behavior, and liberate students from dependence and subordination to teachers.

1909, Lowell became the principal. On the premise of retaining the advantages of free course selection system, he put forward a new teaching reform plan. From 19 14, the system of "centralization and decentralization" was implemented. The so-called "concentration" means that in 16 elective courses, six specialized courses of the department must be taken to ensure the key points; The so-called "distribution" means that two of the other six courses are selected from three different knowledge fields to ensure that students' knowledge is broader. The rest of the courses are freely chosen by students. This system can not only ensure the depth of specialized courses, but also broaden students' horizons and leave appropriate space for students' personal hobbies.

1933, chemist Conant served as the principal, and he made great efforts to set up a special Committee to study the curriculum reform of 1940. After five years of repeated research, a special report was put forward, which advocated strengthening general education. According to the recommendations of the special report, Harvard University conducted experiments for another five years, and formally implemented the "general education" system in 195 1. According to the provisions of the general education system, students in the first, first and second grades should take 6 specialized courses from their own departments, and then choose 1 general education courses from humanities, society and nature, with 3 courses and at least 3 courses from other departments; Second, there are also general education classes in the third and fourth grades. Those who have not studied general education in grade one or two may not attend general education in grade three or four. Third, students studying for master's degree and doctor's degree can take some general education courses in the third and fourth grades; Fourth, students are not allowed to take two courses belonging to the same examination group. In this way, general education and professional education are closely integrated, connected and developed in an orderly manner. This method absorbs the advantages of the former system and synthesizes them, forming a free course selection system based on exchange education and oriented to centralization and decentralization.

There are generally four grading methods for Harvard students' grades: First, according to the five grades of A, B, C, D and E, A is the highest score; Second, pass and fail; Third, satisfaction and dissatisfaction; Fourth, there are credits and no credits.

The curriculum reform of Harvard University has not stopped. They then study which courses are the core courses or basic courses in general education. They deeply realize that no matter what major they study, they must have profound basic knowledge. Harvard university's concept of "deep roots and lush foliage" is very clear.

Derek Bok became president in 197 1. He attached great importance to undergraduate basic education and took effective measures. At the beginning of the 20th century, liberal arts courses in American universities were set according to the principle of combining depth with depth, which not only allowed students to have a deeper understanding of a certain field, but also required students to have a wider range of dabbling in other fields. By the middle of the 20th century, students are required to have a general and basic understanding of humanities, social sciences and natural sciences in terms of knowledge breadth. In the 1960s and 1970s, the above curriculum model was challenged again. Due to the unprecedented expansion of human knowledge, the boundaries between traditional disciplines have been broken, which makes the traditional liberal arts curriculum structure in a situation of having to be reformed. 1973, President Bok appointed Henry Rosovsky as the dean of Harvard College of Arts and Sciences, entrusted him to study the goals of Harvard College of Arts and Sciences and various problems existing in undergraduate education, and called on teachers to make suggestions, brainstorm and reformulate the goals and methods of university teaching. Rosovski appointed Professor Wilson to study the same basic courses, and put forward a reform plan in 1976, namely "Wilson Report". This report advocates the compulsory basic course of * * *. After repeated discussion and revision, Dean Rosovski personally presided over the further revision. Results 1978 put forward a report on the basic course of * * *, and decided to put it into practice the next year.

From the above process, we can see that Harvard University is constantly adapting to the requirements of the times and constantly innovating. This reform is not carried out in a hurry with pure enthusiasm, nor is it carried out in isolation. These are of great significance to our educational reform.