FIELD OF ROMANCE TONGUES ADAPTED TO READING PERIOD

Plans for the adaption of the Reading Period in the Department of Romance Languages were outlined to a CRIMSON reporter yesterday in interviwes with Professors J. D. M. Ford '94, chairman of the department, and Associate Professor L. J. Mercier, chairman of the Board of Tutors in the Division of Modern Languages.

The outstanding fact revealed in the interviews was that the Reading Period will be adopted in a thorough-going manner by the department of Romance Languages in all except the elementary courses. Both instructors and tutors are carefully outlining the Reading Period work to the students, and will not be available at any time during the Reading Period.

The Department of Romance Languages does not regard the Reading Period as an innovation, but rather as an extension of work which already plays a large part in the departmental instruction. Collateral reading has always been given in Romance Language courses, so that students in this department are in a measure prepared for independent study.

Already Use Recitations

Professor Ford pointed out that the work of the department is carried on for the most part by the recitation rather that the lecture method. For this reason the cessation of course meetings will not be so great a change of method in the those using the lecture system more exclusively.

French A, B, 1, and 2; Italian 1; and Spanish 1; will be the only courses excepted from the Reading Period respite. No scheduled meeting of any sort will he held in other Romance language courses. All tutorial conferences will also cease during the Reading Period.

In advanced Romance literature courses, which employ the lecture method, many professors are planning to outline the material to be studied during the respite, and will leave the students the task of filling in the details from reading done in accordance with a prepared bibliography. This outline will in most cases be a rapid survey of the period in the lectures of the week preceding the Reading Period.