Crimson Guide to Courses Continues With History and Fine Arts Reviews

History 40

History 40 under Mr. Doolin covers the history of France from the Wars of Religion to the eve of the French Revolution, with a liberal amount of attention paid to the political theorists of the period. The outstanding merit of the course is probably Mr. Doolin's ability to make the political events more understandable in the light of the political theory. The contributing causes of the Revolution are made to stand out vividly in the student's mind. Although his lectures are well filled with specific facts, Mr. Doolin has an enlightening habit of slipping in salient generalizations at the critical moment. His ability to put across the basic principles of an age or a series of events is developed to an extent uncommon in courses open to undergraduates.

History 10b

Although this course is not to be given by Mr. Morison this year it will be in capable hands, as Mr. Stanley Grey will give the lectures in this history of the United States during the American Revolution, and the formative period of the country.

Although there are some who may feel that the military history of the Revolution is treated in too hasty a fashion some justification for this omission may be given to them by pointing out that the time which ordinarily would be spent on the war is used in lectures upon the political history of the Constitution forming days.

For the undergraduate concentrating in American Revolutionary History this course is extremely interesting and contains much interesting reading and many enjoyable lectures.

History 2b

History 2b embraces that historical dilemma of continental Europe from 1871-1914. Even if the relation of subject matter of the course to the immediate present did not exist, History 2 would still be one of the choice courses at Harvard. Professor William I. Langer is a good lecturer, a phenomenon in any department, as well as an authority on modern European history and 19th century diplomacy. His lectures are artfully planned and carefully written down word by word. The opening sentence of each lecture usually connects the subject of the day with the roots of the problem presented in the welter of detail in previous lectures. As the chapel bell resounds at one o'clock, Professor Langer most certainly is droning out a dynamic conclusion, stating the essence of the lecture and raising the question for the next discussion. Revolutions and diplomacy are for the first time realities, instead of phantom monsters.

There is no great bulk of required reading in the course; the standard compendium of facts gathered by Hazen is reluctantly suggested for a more nearly satisfactory narrative. But usually four or five volumes in the diverse fields of political, social and intellectual history as well as biographies, memoirs and sources are required. The lack of compulsion very often stimulates individual searching out of material in whatever subjects the student is particularly interested, e.g. the rise of Socialism, the evolution of Nationalism.

The course is imbued with an atmosphere of historical skepticism but beneath which lie sound convictions. The all to familiar phrase "Some say this and some say that" is distinguished by its absence. The lecturer attempts to present history in its reality and succeeds admirably. The one blind spot in all this realism is that ideals and ideas are perhaps unduly deprecated to attain it.

Fine Arts 1d

The student who enjoys a phonograph record by Kreisler played twice as fast as it was ever meant to be played will enjoy Fine Arts 1d immensely. The only defect in the course is the tremendous speed at which it is given. One half year is all the time allotted to dashing through early Christian art to Medieval art through it to Renaissance art, through Renaissance art to modern art, and finally landing somewhat winded in the lap of a post-Impressionist. Professor Edgell strives nobly to make up for the shortness of the time by grinding out words and witty criticisms as if they were sausages coming out of the fastest sausage machine in the world, but interest in his lectures never fags. Although there are a thousand or so slides to be learned in the half-year, this work is quite pleasant and easy if done regularly. No one knows why the reading assignments are so long, but they are comparatively unimportant. The course is on the whole excellent and well worth taking either by the concentrator or by the general student, but there remains the crying need for it to be made into a full course.