Thesette

Last term's proposal that all Economics concentrators be required to write a thesis for some course in the field their Junior year unfortunately seems to be mouldering on some forgotten shelf along with the theories of the Mercantilists. Despite strong backing by Professor "Ski-more" Seymour Morris, genius overseer of Economics 41 which has required a course thesis from all but Seniors for several years, it now appears likely that the new requirement even if adopted will be too late to take effect on the Class of '43.

Only the additional cost of grading, a hurdle which should not prove insurmountable to economists conversant with Keynesian rabbit-out-of-the-hat economics, has been advanced against the proposal. Few students in Ec 41 have failed to feel that the experience of a dress rehearsal for the Senior thesis was worth while. Their sole complaint has been that the extra work was an unfair burden to impose on only part of the Juniors busy with review for divisionals. And there is the further gain that under the proposed plan not even sine cum laude candidates can slip out of Harvard without at least once having faced a lengthy problem demanding originality of thought and clarity of expression.

That there would be fairly widespread undergraduate approval of the new requirement is indicated by the number of voluntary theses written for Ec 1 where the course thesis is optional. And when students ask for more work which the faculty unanimously feels they need, the usual Harvard departmental approach of ten years of discussion before ten minutes of action might be slightly accelerated.