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Month: November 2025

Professor David Armitage with Anne Sun ’29, Sarah Jiang ’29, and Yasmim Barros ’29 at Houghton Library.

First-years spend semester delving into 1770s texts

Professor David Armitage with Anne Sun ’29, Sarah Jiang ’29, and Yasmim Barros ’29 at Houghton Library.

First-year students in David Armitage’s first-year seminar, “Declarations of Independence: The Political Philosophy of the American Revolution,” examine the Declaration of Independence through its historical context, global influences, and early printings. Working with original materials at Houghton Library and the Museum of the American Revolution, they trace the document’s intellectual foundations and its evolving significance….Continue Reading First-years spend semester delving into 1770s texts

Harvard students think it’s unfair ‘when they work hard and don’t get an A,’ internal report says

The Boston Globe logo

Getting into Harvard is incredibly difficult. Getting an “A” in class once you’re there, on the other hand, is apparently so easy that an “A-” might as well be an “F.” For decades, Harvard administrators recognized that grade inflation is a problem that detracts from academic rigor at the Ivy League university. Now, administrators are making new grading recommendations…Continue Reading Harvard students think it’s unfair ‘when they work hard and don’t get an A,’ internal report says

First-Year Seminar Tackles Science’s Toughest Questions

Jeff Lichtman and Logan McCarthy teach the first-year seminar Genuinely Hard Problems.

Fifteen first-years are taking Genuinely Hard Problems, a new seminar developed by FAS Dean of Science Jeff Lichtman. The course challenges students to explore unanswered questions, such as the origins of life, the evolution of complex organisms, and the mechanisms of aging and mental illness, without relying on existing assumptions or easy solutions….Continue Reading First-Year Seminar Tackles Science’s Toughest Questions

We Need to Talk About Harvard’s Grade-Inflation Report

The Chronicle of Higher Education logo

In our latest episode of College Matters from The Chronicle, we dive into a fascinating new report on grade inflation at Harvard College, which houses the university’s undergraduate program. Prepared by Amanda Claybaugh, Harvard University’s dean of undergraduate education, the report lays out in stark detail how the awarding of A’s has skyrocketed at Harvard…Continue Reading We Need to Talk About Harvard’s Grade-Inflation Report