Curriculum Reform

What will happen to HIST 515s?

HIST 515s will retain their current weighting of 6 units. In the new regulations, HIST 515 will no longer count towards your seminar credit (in 1C), but will count instead towards your lecture credit (in 2A). HIST 515s are a tremendous amount of work, but we did not feel that they merited re-weighting given the relatively small number of contact hours they involve. In practice, most students who take HIST 515s have taken them not instead of their seminar courses, but in addition to them. We decided that the optimal solution was to encourage students who take HIST 515 to continue to take the required number of seminars, and to let HIST 515 substitute for option units in place of lectures.

I took an upper level seminar before September 2012. Will it be re-weighted?

No, the new weighting applies only to courses that begin in September, 2012 and after. Upper level history seminars taken prior to September, 2012 will retain their previous weighting.

I am going on exchange next year. How will the re-weighting affect me?

We are committed to ensuring that our students continue to benefit from study abroad. We urge you to research the seminar courses available at your chosen institution and to consult with us to determine how many units you will receive. We will work out a plan for students on an individual basis to ensure that you are able to fulfill your seminar requirements by the time you graduate.