Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo addresses a crowd at a Spotlight Interview event in the International Affairs Building on April 3, 2023 (Photo/Emily Muller)

By Kat Sewon Oh

What is the curriculum review?

To execute the five goals of her vision, Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo proposed a “curriculum review,” which would examine and change curriculum requirements for different degrees and programs. This may entail minor changes or a major curriculum overhaul.

When was the last time the curriculum was revised?

The last overhaul to the curriculum was in 2007 under former Dean John Coatsworth. This change dramatically reduced the number of concentrations, and some of the program directors not on the curriculum committee belatedly found that their concentrations had become specializations. For instance, Technology, Media, and Communications (TMaC) was changed from a concentration to a specialization and its enrollment then tripled, TMaC director Anya Schiffrin recalled.

What are the Dean’s proposed changes?

One major change proposed by the Dean is further differentiation of the requirements for the Master of International Affairs (MIA) and Master of Public Affairs (MPA) programs. As of now, the three differences between the two programs are as follows:

Core classes: The core class for MIA is “Conceptual Foundations of International Politics,” which consists of one large lecture. The core class for MPA is “Politics of Policymaking,” for which there are three options – Issues in Comparative Politics, American Institutions in Comparative Perspective, and Developing Countries in Comparative Perspective.
Management/Financial Management: MIA requires only one management or financial management course. MPA requires two separate courses, one in management and one financial management.
Foreign Language: The MIA has a foreign language requirement, while MPA does not.

It is unclear what further changes the Dean proposes to make the two programs more distinct. One possibility is getting STEM designation for one program but not the other.

In general, when faculty have asked the Dean what her goals are and what she has in mind, she has said that she can’t make a proposal until the curriculum has been studied in depth.

When will the curriculum changes take effect?

Task forces will need to be set up to look at different options. It goes without saying that at a university, multiple approvals are necessary, and all revisions to the curriculum would involve extensive faculty consultation. It will take at least two years, and possibly longer, for the changes to take effect. As mentioned earlier, the changes have not been decided on yet.

What work has been done so far and presented to the faculty?

The economists on the Academic Excellence Task Force (chaired by former SIPA Dean Lisa Anderson) spent months analyzing data to better understand student success at SIPA. The Task Force pored over GRE scores and GPA statistics (both core and overall), and they spent hours talking about other points such as STEM designation, job placements and admissions criteria. The Task Force findings were presented to the broader faculty on Thursday, April 6 and the forthcoming Task Force report will inform discussions about the planned curriculum review.

What does the curriculum change mean for faculty?

It is not yet clear. Faculty have noted that this is a long-term process and not something that can be decided on quickly. Many of the current faculty members will have retired by the time the new curriculum takes effect.

What does the curriculum change mean for students?

While the Dean has ambitious plans for curriculum changes, will these actually answer students’ concerns? Here are a few concerns fielded by a small sample of students:

Which concentrations and courses will receive STEM designations?
Are the economics and quantitative cores worth being mandatory requirements?
Should the degree core classes (Conceptual Foundations and/or Politics of Policymaking) be altered in any way?
Will there be changes to concentration and specialization requirements?

The Morningside Post is interested in hearing from the general student population to get a more comprehensive view of students’ opinions on the curriculum.

Kat Sewon Oh (MIA ’23) is studying Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy with specializations in East Asia and Technology, Media, and Communications.

CAMPUS NEWS: SIPA considers curriculum review