On Required Courses

Great letter, Dr. Smith. Reading the whole set online makes me see that something is missing from the pros and cons, however. Even those who grumble about his personality admit that Professor Jones loved his subject and taught it with enthusiasm.

So was it a drag to have the majority of his students start the course out of obligation? I’ve taught required courses and noticed that enthusiasm is often less than optimal compared to electives.

Most upper division courses at Princeton are (still?) taken by students majoring in that department, but I’d wager that Organic Chemistry had a majority of “I’m only here because I have to be. It’s a requirement for medical school. I’m not a chemistry major.”