Crimson Offers Seventh Annual Confidential Guide for Freshmen

With the treatment of the majority of the courses open to Freshmen in this issue, the Crimson begins today its seventh annual fall Confidential Guide to courses. Tomorrow the remainder of the Freshman courses will be discussed.

The object of the Guide in to furnish students with the frank opinions of other students who have taken the courses being offered. Where no one deemed capable of rendering a clear and unprejudiced opinion of a particular course could be found, that course has been omitted from the Guide.

In some instances a revision in the conduct of a course may have been effected without any notice being given. The Crimson cannot assume responsibility for errors arising out of such conditions and can only urge professors contemplating a change in the conduct of their courses to notify the Crimson.

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Biology A

The student who is majoring in science, can very likely do without Biology A, substituting for it more thorough courses in botany and zoology. The man who takes it in preference to seemingly easier alternatives as a means of satisfying the distribution requirement in science will find it a course, fairly well-conducted, quite capable of stimulating him to considerable thinking.

On the whole the first half, dealing with botany (for which the student is not held responsible on the final exam) is considerably better conducted than the second half. Dr. Woodworth, the lecturer, attempts to anticipate and amplify the work of the weekly section meetings. These three-hour afternoon struggles against the soporific process of digestion are carefully planned; the facts gained from the plants studied are interpreted; several main ideas are driven home; and something approaching a comprehensive picture of the plant kingdom is obtained. Several films of rubber plantations and botanical gardens are thrown in to make the first half year a fairly pleasant and profitable one.

The conduct of the second half year's work, in biology, exhibits to a higher degree the fault from which the course as a whole chiefly suffers. The statement in the catalogue, "Biology A is intended for students who plan to go no further in this subject" is one which the department could very profitably ponder at length. The implication is that the student is seeking a comprehensive picture of the world in which he lives, of the relation of living plants and animals to their surroundings. There is no implication that he desires, or can, learn and retain a mass of detail needed only by one who is to continue in the subject. In gaining a knowledge of the plant kingdom he can surely learn of phylogeny and phyllotaxy, and see evolution at work, without being bothered with quite the host of technical terms which are now fired at him in the laboratory, to be forgotten shortly.

In the same way, during the second half year, with Assistant Professor Wyman on the platform, a more rounded conception of the animal kingdom is sacrificed for lectures going into great detail regarding such matters as the chemical composition of the blood. The rounded picture is indeed provided in the reading, but the furnishing of too much detail in lectures, admirably scholarly and illustrative of the scientific method and well fitted for advanced courses as they may be, means opportunity lost to define more clearly the larger aspects of the picture, with the net result that the student is antagonized and confused.

Chemistry A

The distribution requirements of Harvard College have a most unfortunate result on almost any elementary course, particularly among the sciences. Could Chemistry A be cut to one third its size, with the resultant reduction of purely disciplinary quizzes and regulations, it would well benefit its students. With approximately 200 enrolled, however, the course suffers badly from lack of anything but the slightest personal contact, and spends too large a portion of its time ascertaining whether or not assignments have been properly covered during the previous seven days. It is indeed fortunate that the reported case of Biology A proves a strong drawing card.

The above consideration aside, however, Chemistry A has some things in its favor. Though some lectures must be devoted to copying down lists of formulae and such, yet others are fascinating, particularly to him who has but little chemical knowledge. And, also, there is much to be said for learning a few of the facts of Chemistry, just on general principles.

English 28

Of the four elementary English courses regularly open to Freshmen, this seems to offer the most obvious departure from the cut-and-dried methods of preparatory school education. It is to be regretted that English 28 adheres so closely to selected texts, and in this lies the weakness of the course.

The year's study covers the scope of English literature from Beowulf to Thomas Hardy, dealing with the general trends and characteristics of each phase in connection with its contemporary text. Lectures given by such men as Professors Kittredge, Lowes, Lake, Murray, and Greenough, bring the new student into closer contact with the department than is usually possible, while section meetings once a week provide opportunity for more detailed study. Occasional theses are required, but for these ample latitude is permitted.

English 28 is of such a nature that it furnishes the student intending eventually to major in English with an admirable foundation course, while for others it is an exit from the demands of distribution more agreeable than most.

English 79

For those whose schedules conflict with English 28, English 79 is a good alternative. Planned for the study of literature by types rather than by periods, this course has the advantage of including reading in no textbook of English literature. The study of classic selections from poetry, prose, and the drama is enjoyable and not difficult. It ought to be noted that English 79 has always been run as an elementary course. Anyone who already has a moderately thorough knowledge of English literature would be well-advised to attempt more advanced work in a special period. Although Freshmen may not ordinarily take more advanced courses, upperclassmen may usually do so without having had the introductory course.

English 22

English 22 is one of the few courses in English composition given in the college. It is strictly a technical or "workshop" course, it being the belief of Mr. Hersey, who conducts the course, that skill in writing is obtained only by writing. That is why the student listens to no cut-and-dried lectures on the art of writing or is burdened with no definite number of pages of a textbook to read. He attends two very informal lectures a week, at which Mr. Hersey discusses some "genre", the short story, poetry, one act plays, the essay, etc., not as short stories, poems, one-act plays, or essays but rather the mechanics of the writing of such "genres". Students who have an urge to write or are interested in writing will find in Mr. Hersey's course, not the opportunity for becoming writers, but rather the opportunity for doing much writing under excellent criticism and advice.

Interspersing Mr. Hersey's lectures are talks given by men prominent in the literary and dramatic world. Mr. Horsey also gives a few interesting illustrated lectures on scenes that are famous in great literary works, such as the Hardy country, the London of Dickens, etc.

As has been said, the course is a technical one. No textbooks are required, no examinations of any kind are given: the student writes a 1000 word theme every week, a 2000 word theme every six weeks, and a piece of literary criticism from time to time. The course should prove attractive to the student who would like the opportunity