History 1 Goes GE Next Fall; Will Not Be Required for Concentrators

Abolition of History 1 and of the requirement that all history concentrators must take courses in both economics and government was announced yesterday by David E. Owen, professor of History and chairman of the Department.

Concentrators may now also by-pass United States history, Owen said.

The sweeping changes, to take effect next fall, will affect all present history concentrators.

Purpose of the new program is to give history concentrators a wider area of course selection, Owen explained. They now have two alternatives:

(1) Taking either five full history courses plus one full course in any of the other Social Science Departments, (i.e. Government, Economics and Social Relations) or

(2) Instead of a fifth history course, a related course in another field. Thus, the specializer in French history can take French 20, a survey of French literature.

Also dropped is the rule that a candidate for honors, if not planning to complete a full course in United States history since 1789 by graduation, must answer a question on the United States in his general exams.

A new course closely resembling History 1 will be added to the three existing Social Sciences GE courses, Charles H. Taylor, professor of History and head of History 1a, said yesterday. The revisions are still incomplete, he added.

Taylor will give the first half of the new course. The present instructor of Social Sciences 1, C. Crane Brinton '19, professor of History, will each the second half of the revamped survey of European history.

Designed for distribution purposes, the new Social Sciences course will deal with the topic of Western thought and institutions, covering the period from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West to the present time, Professor Taylor stated.

Though the course is not required, the history department will strongly urge all concentrators to take it, Owen concluded.