Confidential Guide to Courses

Government 13b

Government 13b, Professor Wright, Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11 o'clock.

To the student who is concentrating in History or Government, and has chosen for his correlation field American Constitutional History, Government 13b is of definite use but to the one who wishes to find a fourth course with which to fill in it will provide only boredom, Its whole organization sacrifices interest to utility.

Professor Wright gives a clear lecture full of good material. However, he cannot lighten it by anecdotes or any other touches which are not strictly concerned with the subject matter; for in one half a year he has to cover all American Constitutional History from the calling of the Constitutional Convention to the present time. The classes are relieved now and then by discussions of cases of the U. S. Supreme Court which are less boring if less enlightening.

There is a large amount of reading, all of which, except for some excerpts from the writings of American statesmen and politicians, is heavy and very slow. However, the lectures cover almost all the material that is in the reading, so with good lecture notes a student can pass the course.

Until the scope of this course is lessened, it can never be a great attraction to students. Nevertheless, its utility in the college curriculum cannot be denied.

Government 18b

Government 18b, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, at 12 o'clock.

The study of international government is the field covered by Government 18b, which was given last year by Mr. Herter, who was secretary to President Hoover when the latter was doing relief work in Belgium, before and after the war. The course discusses the various attempts at international government from the earliest times, including the schemes of Abbe Pierre and Sully. It concludes with the League of Nations, and the so-called World Court. The League is regarded from a critical point of view, with the action of the United States in not joining being analyzed. An interesting forecast is made of the future position of the United States as concerns its participation in European affairs and in attempts to establish some sort of control for the whole world.

History 5b

History 5b, Professor Schlesinger, Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11 o'clock.

The second half year of History 5, although treated as a unit, lacks completeness unless preceded by the first half year, with all the social and political developments with which 5a acquaints the student, and which play a considerable part in a thorough knowledge of the latter year of American histoy, however, the second part of the course does not cover very intelligenity and satisfactorily all the necessary ground, and from the student view-point is far more desirable than 5a when it is considered that no term thesis is required.

Those who enroll in this course must recognize that it is not easy, from the start, and that regular attendance at lecturos and conscientious work upon reading assignments are necessary for a satisfactory grade. In the face of the recognized difficulty of the cause, however, the well distributed enrollment in History 5 bespeaks a wide appeal, and rather full attendance to lectures indicates a consistently maintained interest.

History 56b

History 56b, Professor Haring, Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 10 o'clock.

In view of the recent revolutions in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, a course in the political history of the Latin American republics in the nine-teenth and twentieth centuries is especially important for an understanding of their background. While an intimate acquaintance with all of the periodical upheavals in some twenty states is not very interesting for the general student, the religious and agrarian policy of the Mexican government, the interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, and commercial relations with South and Central America are of international interest, and have been appearing frequently in the press during the last few years. Professor Haring's lectures and the assigned reading, though it is uneven in merit, are sufficient to give a general and somewhat superficial knowledge of the course of events below the Rio Grande during the past century. The absence of a required thesis may be an added attraction for some.

History 68

History 68, Professor Webster, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 10 o'clock.

History 68, under the able hand of Professor C. K. Webster of the University of Wales, provides a very interesting and instructive half year of work. It covers British Foreign Policy from the Congress of Vienna up to the end of the century, a chapter in international relations as engrossing as it is significant.

Professor Webster is admirably lucid and entertaining throughout; while his comprehensive and incisive insight enables him to present the giants of British diplomacy in a light which is peculiarly revealing. The character of the British nation comes in for close scrutiny, and those who take History 68 will find it useful for a great deal more than an understanding of foreign relations along. A better knowledge of all British lectures which give in turn something of the drama, humor, and thought which went into the external relations of the greatest empire in the world during the nineteenth century.

Philosophy 1

Philosophy 1, Dr. Wild and Dr. Miller, Monday, Wednesday Friday at 9 o'clock.

Philosophy 1 covers the Science of Logic, in a scholastic sense, both inductive and deductive. The consent of Professor Lewis is required. This course is taken by many with Phil, B to satisfy the requirements for Distribution, in place of a full course in the Philosophy or Math, departments. Though the course may teach thought and the development of Logic, the student may find himself paying more attention to the context of examples in Logic than to their syllogistic form.

Philosophy 3a

Philosophy 3a, Professor Lewis, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11 o'clock.

The Philosophy of Evolution is a course which offers to the student a systemized survey of the more important theories of Evolution, historical and modern. It covers a wide scope of information, but the main points, how-ever far reaching are linked together in an interesting way by the instructor.

Although somewhat above the average in difficulty, the course is interesting enough to be recommended. It is probably more beneficial to students interested in the sciences, rather than to those concentrating in Philosophy.

Psychology A

Psychology A, Dr. Beebe-Center and Mr. Chapman, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9 o'clock.

Like several of the elementary courses in Philosophy, this course has always suffered from poor organization. Last year the lectures were ably presented and by the far the most interesting part of the course, while the section meetings were for the most part poorly handled and even of definitely negative value. The section meeting discussions, instead of leading to a better understanding or wider knowledge of the subject, more often led to confusion. The section men were generally well-grounded in their subject, but more interested in their own research than in the course, and took little pains to correlate their own knowledge and ideas with the material presented from the lecture platform or in the reading. It is conceivable that smaller sections would have enabled the individual students to get whatever problems bothered them from their reading or lectures straightened out satisfactorily.

This year the course will be in new hands. Dr. Beebe-Center and Mr. Chapman are listed as the directors of the course, and it is to hoped that they will reorganize the course in such a way that some of the glaring defects will be removed. By the very nature of the subject, the course is extremely interesting and well worth taking. It is probable that one can draw more from this course in comparison to the effort expended than in almost any other course offered at Harvard. It is hoped, however, that the statement here of the ensiness of the course will not lead to an arbitrary stiffening of the requirements. The effort would be better expended on careful and intelligent reorganization of the course.

Philosophy 1

Philosophy 1, Dr. Wild and Dr. Miller, Monday, Wednesday Friday at 9 o'clock.

Philosophy 1 covers the Science of Logic, in a scholastic sense, both inductive and deductive. The consent of Professor Lewis is required. This course is taken by many with Phil, B to satisfy the requirements for Distribution, in place of a full course in the Philosophy or Math, departments. Though the course may teach thought and the development of Logic, the student may find himself paying more attention to the context of examples in Logic than to their syllogistic form.

Philosophy 3a

Philosophy 3a, Professor Lewis, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 11 o'clock.

The Philosophy of Evolution is a course which offers to the student a systemized survey of the more important theories of Evolution, historical and modern. It covers a wide scope of information, but the main points, how-ever far reaching are linked together in an interesting way by the instructor.

Although somewhat above the average in difficulty, the course is interesting enough to be recommended. It is probably more beneficial to students interested in the sciences, rather than to those concentrating in Philosophy.

Psychology A

Psychology A, Dr. Beebe-Center and Mr. Chapman, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9 o'clock.

Like several of the elementary courses in Philosophy, this course has always suffered from poor organization. Last year the lectures were ably presented and by the far the most interesting part of the course, while the section meetings were for the most part poorly handled and even of definitely negative value. The section meeting discussions, instead of leading to a better understanding or wider knowledge of the subject, more often led to confusion. The section men were generally well-grounded in their subject, but more interested in their own research than in the course, and took little pains to correlate their own knowledge and ideas with the material presented from the lecture platform or in the reading. It is conceivable that smaller sections would have enabled the individual students to get whatever problems bothered them from their reading or lectures straightened out satisfactorily.

This year the course will be in new hands. Dr. Beebe-Center and Mr. Chapman are listed as the directors of the course, and it is to hoped that they will reorganize the course in such a way that some of the glaring defects will be removed. By the very nature of the subject, the course is extremely interesting and well worth taking. It is probable that one can draw more from this course in comparison to the effort expended than in almost any other course offered at Harvard. It is hoped, however, that the statement here of the ensiness of the course will not lead to an arbitrary stiffening of the requirements. The effort would be better expended on careful and intelligent reorganization of the course.