In fall of 2022, faculty and administration began revamping the General Academic Requirement (GAR) program as Muhlenberg, taking into account concerns voiced from students throughout the years. Now, in 2024, Pathways of Discovery has begun its first semester with the class of 2028.
Instead of focusing on specific disciplines, Pathways aims to expose students to a range of various core themes that speak to the liberal arts experience the college promises. The number of GARs has been cut down from eighteen to nine—a significant shift intended to allow students to focus on their selected field(s) of study. Each first year is still expected to complete their First Year Seminar (FYS), a Writing intensive for their chosen field of study and a Quantitative & Symbolic Reasoning (RG) credit. The required two semesters of a second language have been transformed into Intercultural Communication (IC), and the required two semesters of a science has become Natural & Physical World (NP). Representations and Creative Expression (CE) is an art credit, and Humans, Histories, and Social Structures (HS), Meaning and Value (MV) and Global Perspectives (GP) cover a variety of humanities courses. Race and Power in the American Experience (RP) is an entirely new addition, recognizing the influence of marginalized groups and the impact of white supremacy in America.
Brian Mello, Ph.D., acted as chair of the Academic Policies Committee (APC) in 2022 when the issue of transforming GARs was first brought forward and a task force was approved. In 2023, he was representative of the APC for the curriculum reform and revision task force, and now serves as associate dean for faculty development. Mello says, “The outgoing curriculum accomplished breadth primarily by exposing students to different modes of inquiry in the sciences, arts, social sciences and humanities. Pathways accomplishes this by foregrounding core thematic areas and questions that animate the liberal arts and which are addressed across disciplines and divisions.”
The task force’s work is not done, however. Micros, an optional facet of Pathways that focuses on durable skills, is still undergoing development as faculty deliberate what will be offered.
Lauryn Glass ‘28 weighs in: “As a first year, I don’t know much about how GARs work, but I think the concept of being well rounded in your education is a pretty good idea. Although I also see how it could be difficult for people who want to stick to their specific field of interest or study. But I think it’s important to recognize that the foundation of our school is a liberal arts education.”
However, upperclassmen are not entirely satisfied with the new requirements. Dina Maltser ‘26 shares, “Because Muhlenberg is a liberal arts college where a lot of students double major or pursue multiple academic interests, I think it makes a lot of sense to have the core curriculum based on broad themes rather than specific course requirements. That being said, as a student majoring in a foreign language, I was upset to see that foreign language classes were no longer required because I believe knowing a second language is important in the world we live in but not something many students will choose to do without the extra push.” Ultimately, according to Mello, these changes were made for the best interests of incoming students in order to prepare them for the world they will enter after graduation. Mello states, “I hope students understand the goals, purpose, even ordering of the Pathways curriculum better than previous students understood our older GARs. I hope it provides ways for students to understand the transferable skills they are developing while here. I hope they are more prepared for living lives of engagement and social responsibility. And I hope students will understand the power of experiential learning for preparing them as graduates to live up to our mission—to be prepared to live lives of leadership and service; to have that zest for reasoned debate and civil discourse.”
Alexandra Downey ’27 is an English & Creative Writing and Media & Communication double major. She is incredibly excited to be an assistant news editor! She enjoys playing tennis, rereading her favorite YA books, and showing off pictures of her dogs.
