GE Committee Submits New 'Guided Distribution' Plan to Faculty Today

Recommendations for the permanent adoption of the General Education program will be presented to the faculty for consideration this afternoon, Benjamin F. Wright, professor of Government and chairman of the Committee on General Education, told the CRIMSON yesterday. The proposals will also apply to Radcliffe.

There will be no single required course for every undergraduate, Wright explained, although many other colleges have adopted such a plan. Instead, if the Committee's recommendations are approved, General Education will take the form of "guided distribution," he concluded.

The Committee does not advocate complete adoption of GE immediately, Wright stated. Instead, a two-year "adjustment period" is recommended.

Freshmen entering Harvard next fall will be required to take one GE course during their first two years in College, while members of the Class of 1954 will be expected to take two GE courses in the same period. In both cases, courses in General Education will count toward the distribution requirements.

Beginning with the Class of 1955, the Committee recommends that the full program take effect. Every undergraduate will then be required to take at least three GE courses, one each in Humanities, Natural, and Social Sciences, before the end of his sophomore year. (The "sections" of the present distribution program would be eliminated.)

In addition, three more distribution courses will be required, chosen either from second group GE course or from a list of approximately 70 courses given by the various departments and approved for distribution by the Committee on General Education.

English A Changed

Finally, the Committee recommends that English A be changed into a noncredit half course. Other shakeups in English A are anticipated, but there are no definite plans yet.

Wright explained that the emphasis on English composition will not be lessened; freshmen will write more than they do now, but instead of the usual English A topics, writing will be concerned with actual course work. The philosophy behind this change is to "end the notion that form exists for composition courses alone," Wright stated.

Distribution Inadequate So Far

Distribution has been in effect for just 40 years, and it has changed four times. Its purpose has, been to provide "breadth" in education, Wright explained, but since courses have not been designed for distribution, the program has not been too successful thus far.

GE was devised to correct this fault, Wright said, "It is a conservation step along the lines started by distribution 40 years ago," and Harvard has been behind many other colleges in adopting it.

The main distinction of Harvard's brand of GE is that "students are still allowed great freedom of choice," and the program makes provision for exceptions to the requirements.

The complete text of the General Education Committee's recommendations will be found on page four.