NEXT CASE

Dean Hanford, in an article in a recent issue of the Alumni Bulletin, advocates a further extension of the study of source material in the field of government, where it has already proved successful in a limited degree. This system, he points out, has the disadvantage of not covering very much ground in a limited time, and therefore cannot be expected, at least under present conditions, to displace entirely the more common methods of teaching. But there are so few good lecturers, and stimulating text-books are so scarce, that the study of information at first hand has plenty of room in which to expand.

The Harvard Law School has been using the case system for years, and has found it an excellent way of stimulating independent thought. A few years ago, prospective business men went to law school in order to obtain training in scientific methods of research and unshackled thinking--prime requisites in any field of endeavor. Now the mountain has come to Mahomet, and the Harvard Business School uses the case method, with the three-fold purpose of exciting critical analysis, encouraging the use of scientific methods, and giving training in business procedure.

Something resembling the case system now exists in the departments of Psychology and Social Ethics. In some psychology courses the work contains visits to psycho-pathic clinics, and laboratory work in which various experiments are made; most social ethics courses include visits, to reformatories, almshouses, and other institutions. Students in these courses find most interest in the practical side of their work. In view of this fact, it would seem that an extension of concrete treatment in these fields, and in certain of the social sciences may be a natural and desirable result.