GUIDE TO FIELDS OF CONCENTRATION

Anthropology

Number of Concentrators: 45.

1951 Commencement Honors: Cum, 3; Magna, 2; Summa, 0.

Whether scrutinizing skeletal remains in Peabody Museum or selecting his courses in the department, the Anthropology concentrator is unlikely to discover any guts.

Chairman Earnest A. Hooton, nevertheless, year after year prepares some of the nation's leading anthropologists and graduates a larger group who never turn professional, but are interested in the field as a "cultural avocation." About four-fifths of the concentrators fall into the latter category and are far from neglected. With fewer students in the field, it is possible for individuals to get more attention, although there is no formal tutorial program.

Those who enter the department next year will find several revisions. Some of the courses will replace lectures with intensive readings and bi-weekly seminars. The department will endeavor to make all of the courses a little less detailed and more palatable to the average student. Only honors candidates and students on the border-line will be required to take oral exams in future years All concentrators will be given divisionals generals, however.

Students seeking degrees with distinction must also write thesis and take eight courses in the field. Only six are required for other students, and, in each case, two may be selected from a wide range of related subjects in the Social Relations, Biology, or Geology Departments.

Formerly divided into three sub-fields, the department will have but two in the future, Physical and Cultural Anthropology Regardless of the one the student picks, Anthropology 1 and 10 are mandatory: Physical Anthropologists must in addition take 102, reputedly the roughest course in a rough department. Cultural Anthropology is broken down into two other areas, Archaeology and Material Culture, and Ethnography, Ethnology, and Social Anthropology.

The popular Anthropology 1 and 10 courses are strongly recommended to non-concentrators for upper level General Education and distributional requirements. The 1a survey, formerly given by a whole battery of lecturers, will be better integrated next fall, when Hooton takes over by himself.

Short on Professors

Paucity of professors presents the biggest problem to the Department. There are only two full-time instructors including the Chairman, the majority of the staff dividing their time between the Peabody Museum, the Social Relations Department, or research activities, often administrational. Consequently courses are offered in alternating years only, and the concentrator faces the difficult task of adjusting his schedule accordingly.

Although the average man accepts his status as a human being and leaves well enough alone, the more curious, conscientious, and courageous delve into Anthropology and find it extremely rewarding.

Applied Sciences

Number of Concentrators: 56.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 5; magna, 2; summa, 1.

If you want to major in the sciences and at the same time sample some of the liberal arts courses in the College, do not concentrate in Applied Sciences.

An honor candidate in this field must take a minimum of nine courses in the field and 10 if he takes Chemistry 1 and Physics 1 and 10. In addition the class of '55 must take 3 GE courses and perhaps General Education A and a language. This means that some honor candidates will have to take 15 required courses; leaving one course for an elective. An ROTC program is virtually out of the question.

The field, which has been reorganized this year to include what were formally the Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Physics and the Department of Engineering, encourages students to go out for honors. This appears to be sound advice for many concentrators complain that the non-honors program is a hodge-podge of unrelated courses in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics with a few applied science courses thrown in.

There is no tutorial in Applied Sciences, but each student has an advisor. The amount of help a student gets from this system depends chiefly upon the individual advisor. No thesis is required.

Students usually do not begin taking the Applied Sciences courses until their junior year due to the heavy load of elementary science requirements. When the undergraduates do start to take these subjects, they find themselves out numbered by graduate students in a ratio of 2 to 1.

Design and Planning

The applied science courses are taught by men who are best described as adequate. The elementary science subjects, of course, are taught by all types of section men, ranging from good to terrible.

The chief advantage of concentrating in this field is that its firm foundation for work in the design and planning aspect of engineering.

Architectural Sciences

Number of Concentrators: 74.

1951 Commencement Honors: cumma 10, magna 2.

Architectural Sciences is only for the student who knows he is going to be an Architect. Hours are long and work is hard, but the general consensus of those among the concentrators is that it is valuable, interting, and well worth the time spent.

Students may elect the field of Architectural Sciences for their concentration only if they plan to be candidates for honors. This policy, although discontinued for the past several years, will be reinstated next year.

While the department tries to include many courses in outside fields when each student enters, they must select a specialized area and fulfill a host of required courses. Whether he wants to learn architecture, landscape architecture, or city and regional planning, the Arch. Sci. major must take a minimum of seven courses in his field to get his A.B. Architectural Sciences 201ab and 202ab. Humanities 114, and two other courses in the department are required of all concentrators, and two more courses may be chosen in related fields.

For those who plan to go to the Graduate School of Design, both Math Ia and 1b are required, and the department thinks it also is a good idea to take Arch. Sci. 112a and Physics 1a and 1b (or 11a and 11b).

Personal contact between students and instructors, and small classes are heavily stressed. There is no tutorial for Architectural Sciences majors.

Work for the Arch. Sci. concentrator is gruelling. Between 30 and 40 hours a week are spent by the average student, a majority of which are consumed over a drawing board. Examinations are either oral or drawn. As a senior, the concentrator must take a three-day exam to test his creative ability, and an oral exam covering his special field. Reason exams are not written: the department teaches Architecture, not about Architecture.

For a limited number of promising students whose records are good enough, opportunity of accelerating is granted. By intensive study in the senior year, these concentrators may complete the equivalent of the first year's curriculum of the Graduate School.

Astronomy

Number of Concentrators: 15.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum 2, magna 1.

For the man who likes to apply his mathematics, Astronomy can be a breeze, if he wants it to be.

But the gentleman who can not juggle calculus may find the going a little rough. The department requires seven courses for concentration--only three in Astronomy, two more in physics, and two in math. The gimmick, however, is that only two of the total may be courses regularly open to Freshman; the others must be chosen from the upper class levels, which in Physics, and Astronomy itself, can be rather intensive.

Asronomy I, the department's survey course, needs little application from the mathematically mined majors in the field; some of them skip it, in favor of more attractive course on the upper levels. Astronomy 3 is the basic half course in the practical mechanics of star-gazing, with plenty of mathematical and physical technicalities.

Astronomy I usually gets enough dabblers to make it the largest course in the field, but this year Astronomy 2 (Elementary Navigation, copped this honor. With over 20 members, Astronomy 140, Mathematical Astronomy, is also relatively huge.

The department has some of the most famous astronomy in the world on its staff; Fred L. Whipple, Bart J. Bok., Donald H. Mendel, and Harlow Shapley. But Shapley is retiring as Director of the University Observatory next year, and it is uncertain just how much teaching he will do for undergraduates. Whipple will be on Sabbatical leave, at least for the spring term; he says a visiting professor will probably come in to handle both his and Shapley's classes, but is as yet not ready to announce who this will be.

Got To Be Good

The typical major in the field is usually a person with a deep interest in the complicated workings of the solar system, although the department does not discourage the person who wants only a smattering of the science.

Even though Whipple admits the most of the opportunities in the field are for graduates, the undergraduates, if he is good, find the labs always open, and the professors willing to help on pet projects even to the building of a small telescope. Then, too, the advanced undergraduate gets to the excellent observing and research facilities at Agassiz Park, 25 miles inland.

Over 75 percent of the concentrators make a brave try for honors, but the department is somewhat chary of handing out magnas to everyone who makes the effort. No thesis is demanded, but most of the concentrators "just like to write one anyway," according to Whipple. An oral examination must be taken, however.

Tutorial in Astronomy is almost unnecessary, since the field is so small that professors and students are all on familiar terms. However, the last year says Whipple, there has been an attempt at getting a tutorial system organized; it should be available to all by next year.

Along with the department's tutorial plan, will come official status for another course in the field, "Introduction to Observing." Most of the concentrators have picked up their knowledge of observing technique as they become involved in research projects, according to Whipple. The new course, directed mainly at the undergraduate, will give everyone the opportunity to learn the hows and whys of peeking through a telescope, and making some mathematical sense of what one sees.

Biochemical Sciences

Concentrators: 215.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 13; magna, 2; summa 2.

This field is a haven for pre-meds who just want to satisfy their requirements. As a result, an influx of would-be doctors -- three out of every four concentrators are aiming for medical school--has swelled the department's size by 40 percent over last year.

More ambitious students who go out for honors will find this a tough but rewarding major. It is ideal for the man who wants a very fundamental, non-specialized preparation for post-graduate scientific research. The requirements permit wide latitude among the sciences and a chance to follow individual interests.

If you want an industrial job as soon as you get your B.A., you should major in Chemistry, for with Biochemistry further study after graduation is needed to open up opportunities in many fields. However, Biochem is your field if you're not yet ready to specialize.

Tutorial is the biggest reason for choosing this department over Biology. All non-honors concentrators in Biochemical Sciences receive group tutorial, while honors candidates get individual instruction. Concentrators are highly enthusiastic about this system which provides personal attention from top scientists.

Pre-Med Competition

Tutorial for credit is offered to senior honors candidates in conjunction with their thesis. Many seniors write lab theses, and students who receive a grade of B or better in Chemistry 40 may undertake individual research at the Medical School. For pre-meds this is a good opportunity to meet personnel at that institution.

In addition to writing a thesis, an honors candidate must take seven and one-half instead of six courses in the field and answer special questions on the general examinations required for all concentrators.

Non-honors concentrators take two and one-half courses in chemistry, usually Chem 1, 20, and 40. Along with these they generally take Math 1, Bio. 1, and Physics 1 or 11. As these are standard pre-med courses, the competition in them is fierce.

Among the highest courses in the field, George Wald's Biology 190, General Biochemistry, is a favorite. Students rate it as not especially hard, but extremely informative and well-taught.

Chemistry 60, Physical Chemistry, required for all honors candidates, is considered a rough course. Students this year found the first half which was given by George B. Kistiakowsky very good but were disappointed in Wilson's spring term.

A new lab course, Biology 191, will be given for the second time this fall. Taught by Wald and Robert C. C. St. George, it stresses biochemical lab techniques especially useful for those who plan to do post-graduate research.

Tutors in the Department are well-liked with Novelli and Scott especially praised for interest in their students.

Biochemical Sciences is such an obvious major for pre-meds that they swamp the department making it highly competitive for anyone else. Those who can brave this, however, are assured of a solid grounding in their field.

Biology

Number of Concentrators: 261.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 14; magna, 12; summa, 1.

Biology is one of the fields in which the phenomenon named the pre-med abounds. The prospective concentrator must beware of top competition, grinds, and the men with the four-day old beards.

But the pride and joy of the department is the group that is sincerely interested in research in Biology, and there are plenty of such men according to Edward S. Castle '25 Department head.

The field as such presents one of the finer sets of lecturers in the College. Well-known biologists such as William H. Weston, Alfred S. Romer, Kenneth V. Thimann, Frederick L. Hisaw, and George Wald handle many of the classes. Unfortunately, the resignation of Professor Wyman and the departure of Professor Spiess will take two good men out of the department. With Wyman's departure, Biology 182 and 184 will be removed from the lists of offered courses.

Honors

Honors requirements in Biology are relatively easy with no thesis examinations. All the grades are put into a little machine, stirred with a lot of instructor opinion, diluted with a bit of common sense on the part of the faculty, and dealt out with all the pomp and circumstance that great works have earned in other departments. But be not fooled by these standards. No man is considered for honors unless he has at least a B average in the seven-and-one-half courses in Bio and related fields that he has taken.

The present set up for the honors candidates is currently being evaluated. Some faculty men feel that with no tutorial theses, or generals, the field might not provide adequate goals for its students.

Concentration

Regularly there are six courses required for concentration. Labs come as heavy as can be conceived, but there are also a few courses that have no lab at all. Tops in the heavy lab department as a course is Romer's Comparative Anatomy, Bio 122, but most of the students who spent their fall days cooped up with their cat and dogfish thought it was worth while. Histology is another heavy course in which the light of day is rarely seen.

In the lowest level in the field is surveyish Bio 1, prerequisite to concentration. The number of lecturers in this course completely astounds the class, and many students are completely bewildered by some of their rapid here-today-gone-tomorrow tactics.

On the whole, the department is rather highly thought of by its students, and there is profound respect for the lecturers in general.

Chemistry

Number of Concentrators: 108.

1951 Commencement Honors: summas, 2; magnas, 1; cums, 6.

The Department of Chemistry at Harvard is one of the best in the country. The reason for this is essentially the same as that which gives the Chemistry Department an almost unique position within the University. The members of the staff, with but one exception, excell both as teachers and as scientists. As courses in chemistry are essentially lecture courses, students in even the most elementary courses are assured of instruction of the highest quality directed by these outstanding men.

While admittedly, the lack of a tutorial system in the department makes close student-professor relationships more difficult to attain than in other departments of the University. The advisor system is there for the student to use as he sees fit. Professor Paul D. Bartlett, chairman of the department, points out that the type of contact the student has with his advisor is entirely up to him. "We're not very agressive in sitting the student down and dragging things out of him."

The requirements for a degree in chemistry are quite straightforward. Four courses in chemistry if Chemistry 1 is elected or 3 1/2 with Chemistry 2, plus Mathematics 1a and 1b and Physics 11a and 11b (or 1a and 1b with a grade of B or better in both terms). Because of the highly quantitative nature of some of the more advanced courses, a student who plans to go on in chemistry past the elementary courses is only kidding himself if he thinks that the minimal mathematics requirement is sufficient. While they are not required for concentration in chemistry, Math 2a and 2b are very highly recommended. The following courses in chemistry are required.

Chemistry 1, a course designed for those who have never studied chemistry before, presents a broad, general picture of inorganic and some organic chemistry. This course was brought to its present, highly commendable state by Associate Professor Eugene G. Rochow. As Rochow will hold the Wallace T. Carothers Research professorship next year, Dr. Pierce W. Selwood, Northwestern University, will substitute for him.

Chemistry 2 may be elected instead of Chemistry 1. This course takes the meat of Chem. 1, throws in a good deal of mathematical seasoning, and wraps it up in a half year. Associate Professor Leonard K. Nash, producer of the three shows weekly, is a perennial contender for the title of "Harvard's outstanding lecturer."

Chemistry 20, Organic Chemistry, is the brute memory course. Some even find it interesting. More than any other course in the department, the grade in Chem. 20 varies directly with the amount of study time expended. Frequent hour exams keep the student up to date. The laboratory work which takes from six to eight hours per week is really quite interesting. Experiments range from synthesis of dyes to extraction of area from human urine. Professor Louis F. Fieser, a wizard in the lab, competently presents an unexciting subject.

Professor James J. Lingane will be back in Chem. 40a and b next year. These courses now combine in one year the essentials of qualitative and quantitative analysis, which were taught in a year and a half until two years ago. It is, no doubt, these two half courses which make the Chemistry department infamous for its labs. Although the course catalogue states that the Chem. 40 involves ten to 14 hours, students currently taking the course swear that 20-25 hours a week is a better estimate. However, a very good case can be made for this all-afternoon-every-afternoon headache. These labs almost force the student chemist to develop the manual skills which will later be expected of him as a professional chemist. Nevertheless, it is probable that this massive lab requirement will be eased in the future.

Perhaps the most sophisticated course which the non-honors concentrator will meet is Chemistry 60, Physical Chemistry. Its topics, ranging from thermodynamics to atomic theory, explain mathematically, and in a more detailed manner, much of the material covered by earlier courses, thus tying together many of the loose ends which exist. The laboratory work which consists mainly of the measurement of physical phenomena, while not particularly time-consuming tends to be tedious at times. The laboratory writeups required are often overlong.

Honors candidates must take all the above courses plus one course in the "100s" group and one either in chemistry or in a related field. These advanced courses bring into play the department's other fine teacher-scientists in courses which range from highly theoretical Statistical Mechanics to completely practical Industrial Chemistry. Unlike his colleagues in other fields, the chemistry honors candidate neither writes a thesis nor takes general examinations. He earns honors solely on the basis of his grades. For the degree cum laude, he must have a B average in the course he has taken for concentration.

Each year a number of questions are invariably raised by Freshmen debating Chemistry as a field of concentration. Among these are: Will I do well in more advanced courses? Am I really suited to be a chemist? How do I know I'll really like chemistry?

There seems to be an empirical answer to the first question. Those who have received high honor grades in Chem. 1 or 2 invariably seem to do well in later courses. The converse is not necessarily true. There have been students who after doing only average work in one of these elementary courses have gone on to do brilliantly in advanced courses.

The answer to the last two questions must come from the freshman himself. Is he really interested in chemistry? In science in general? In the words of Professor Bartlett, "Thought patterns involved in the study of Chemistry are not so esoteric; almost anyone really interested can do the required work."

Classics

Number of Concentrators: 54.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 3; magna, 4; summa, 1.

The Classics Department boasts one of the highest ratios of full professors to students in the College. There are nine professors to only 54 students in the field--a proportion which makes for much better personal relationships.

Most of the nine along with the five other department members give tutorial to concentrators in Group IV and above. In the past sophomores and juniors have received group tutorial with senior honors candidates doing individual work. The average size of each group is about four students, and this year 35 concentrators receive tutorial.

Classes in the department are also small except for beginning Latin and Greek which usually include freshmen trying to pass their language requirements. These elementary courses for the most part repeat the regular secondary lessons in Cicero. Virgil, Homer, and Caesar. Nightly reading assignments are given, and those in the courses find it almost essential to keep up with the work.

Upperclass courses in the department range all over the field of Classical poetry, drama, and history. Students who reach this level may also combine Classics with some other allied major such as Philosophy, History, or even English.

Only one major change is envisioned in the field for next year. Eric A. Havelock, professor of Greek and Latin, will substitute a study of the Growth of the Greek Intellect from Thales to Plato in Greek 108a for this year's half-term on Plato's Republic.

Classics concentrators are only required to take six courses in the field, with one more necessary for honors candidates. Two kinds of degrees are given at Commencement: In Linguls and in Litris. The former requires passing several composition courses in the language, though usually no thesis is required. Theses are usually mandatory for the latter degree. General exams are necessary in any case, and special exams may also be required.

Economics

Number of Concentrators: 398.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 28; magna, 18; summa, 2.

For the analitically minded who wants a top flight background in the theoretical and practical workings of the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth, Economics is his meat.

Although the department boasts a number of nationally known economists, undergraduates, unfortunately do not have much opportunity to meet them.

Tutorial will be extended to all sophomores and juniors starting next year. Its purpose is three-fold, according to Chairman Arthur Smithies: 1) to make specific things brought up in classes more concrete, 2) to tie the economics courses together, 3) to bring out the inter-relationships between economics and other areas such as government and history.

"All departments have to rely heavily on comparatively inexperienced teaching fellows," Smithies said. "It would be much better on the whole if tutorial could be handled by assistant professors, but, of course, the University can't afford to do that.

"Many of the tutors haven't either tutored before or even been tutored. We take pains to have frequent meetings of our staffs. They are getting on-the-spot training. The success of tutorial at Oxford and Cambridge is that it is done by very experienced people. We are trying to achieve the same results with less experienced men."

Economics I, required of every concentrator, is designed to ease students gently into the field. Some have criticized it as being much too general and elementary. For the non-concentrator, however, it is ideal.

Above the Economics I level are a number of more specialized, more comprehensive courses in the fields of economic theory, economic history, money and finance, market organization and control, and labor economics and social reform. Popular courses include Ec. 181a and b, Labor and Social Reform, Ec. 161, Marketing Organzation and Control, and Ec. 141, Money and Finance.

Non-honors men must take a minimum of four courses in Economics, honors candidates, five, although the latter group may elect Ec. 99 for one term only in order to work on their 40,000 word theses. Currently about 30 percent of the concentrators are honors candidates.

What Harvard Economics attempts to do is to develop the economic background to social and political issues, not to teach men how to make a mint by their mid-thirties.

Making an allusion to the current dispute over President Truman's Steel Seizure, Smithies said that this problem can be attacked from at least two angles. A Government major would be concerned with the political relationship between the Democrats and labor and industry, whole an Economic concentrator would study the rate of profits in the steel industry and the likely effect of a wage increase in the rest of industry.

English

Number on Concentrators: 486.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 25; magna, 7; summa, 4.

During the next few years the field of English may well experience a great increase in popularity. The reason for this is the Department's recent revamping of English 1.

This monstrous survey course, which raced through English literature from the "beginning" to the "present," proved too great an obstacle for many potential concentrators. Not only the vast expanse of material to be covered, but also the dullness of presentation caused students to turn towards History and Government instead.

But early this year, English 1 was scrapped for English 10, which is now required of all concentrators. Unfortunately, the nature of such an introductory course requires that it be rather a large survey. Professor Baker, well-known for his English 160 (drama since Ibsen), will lecture during the fall term of the new course, and Professor Bate will conduct the spring term.

The Department has divided the field into chronological periods and types of literature, which are poetry, drama, fiction, criticism, and philosophy. These chronological periods serve to guide the student through his distribution requirements within the department. One full course, for example, is required in either Chaucer or early drama; Professor Whiting's English 115 (Chaucer) is frequently used to satisfy this requirement.

These qualifications still leave the concentrator with a great deal of room in which to move around. The non-honors concentrator must take 12 half-courses, four of which may be in related fields. These related fields include Comp. Lit., English and American History, Philosophy, and Fine Arts.

On the other hand, the honors concentrator must take eight full courses, of which three may be in related fields. He must also have three years of high school Latin or Greek, or two years and the equivalent of Latin Ab. Almost forty percent of English concentrators are honors candidates.

Concentrators are permitted to take no more than one course in composition each year, and no more than three advanced courses altogether. English C. conducted entirely in sections, remains the most popular of the courses. Professor Guerard's English J. writing and criticism of fiction, Dr. Kempton's English L, the short story, and Professor MacLeish's advanced writing course, English S, are also offered.

Several Comp. Lit. courses enjoy a great deal of popularity among English concentrators. Professor Levin will give Proust, Joyce and Mann next spring, and Guerard will give forms of the short novel, and Hardy, Conrad, and Gide.

In American literature however, there is so such abundance or variety of courses to choose from. After Dr. Paul left last year, the number of advanced courses in the field began to decrease steadily. Professors Miller and Murdock unify the diverse reading matter of the survey--course, English 7, with entertaining lectures. Next year, Professor Jones will give both parts of English 170, American literature from 1890 to the present.

Far Eastern Languages

Concentrators: 1.

The field of Far Eastern studies has in the past two years assumed tremendous importance to this country. It is one of the most interesting of all social sciences fields, and Harvard has one of the nation's best departments. But if you're interested in the Far East, don't concentrate in Far Eastern Languages.

Serge Elisseeff, department chairman, definitely discourages undergraduates from concentrating in his field unless they already have a solid background in some Asian language. For the man interested in the area but with no previous background, there are sub-divisions in History and Government which are his best bet.

Fine Arts

Number of Concentrators: 72.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 2; magna, 1.

It takes a level mixture of guts and interest to major in Fine Arts. Whereas concentrators in the sciences, or in Government, History, and Social Sciences can alt--back after graduation and wait for the offers to roll in, the Fine Arts graduate must make his career without much help from his A.B.

Each year there are about seventy men and women who take courage in their hands and walk into Fogg Museum with the intention of majoring in Fine Arts. From then on they will leave the building only to eat and sleep, for the Museum and the Fine Arts department are bedfellows of long standing.

In an average year half of the concentrators in this department goes into professional work connected with the fine arts, while the other half generally finds work in television, interior decorating, theatre, and professions that require a background of practical and intellectual knowledge of art.

As in other fields of concentration, six full courses are required for an A.B., but two may be taken in related fields. The choice of related fields is large, since almost any course which offers material of an intellectual or historic-artistic nature is acceptable. There is also a wide variation of choices in the specific field of study within the fine arts. Only Fine Arts 13 is usually required, along with the suggestion that the concentrator choose a couple of courses which cover the major periods in the history of art.

Candidates for honors receive two and a half years of tutorial. Applications from men in the first three academic groups are generally accepted, and those in Group IV are encouraged to petition. The thesis required at the end of the honors program is an investigation of a significant situation in a field of art, or the study of an artist.

The faculty in the department is excellent, although it lacks depth in younger men. There are currently four professors and three associate professors on the staff, although there are no assistant professors, no instructors, and only five teaching fellows.

Geology

Concentrators: 54.

The fifty-four undergraduates majoring in Geology represent a "cross-section" of the College, according to Marland P. Billings, professor of Geology. The truth of Billing's statement of the diversity of the Harvard geologist a shown by the fact that students in this department spend as much time in labs as a chemistry major, yet at the same time are in the great outdoors many afternoons, looking for rocks.

An honors candidate in Geology must take five courses in the department itself and three from the related fields, chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. No thesis is required for honors. However, a candidate must be in Group IV or above, for his undergraduate years, and must take an oral examination at the end of the senior year. Non-honors concentrators are required to take only four courses in the field itself and two from the related departments.

Although there are several different divisions inside Geology, almost everyone takes certain courses. Geology 1a and 1b, Introductory Physical Geology and Introductory Historical Geology, are taken by all concentrators and many "general education" seekers. Pretty much of a "gut," they nevertheless constitute about the best of any department's basic course. Other virtually indispensable courses taken by most concentrators are Geology III, Billing's course on Structural Geology; Geology 113, a course in surveying that includes a full day in the field every week; and Minerology 102, an elementary course that includes five to seven hours of lab work a week.

Once in the department, however, a student has his choice of five separate special divisions: geophypsics, economic geology, paleontology, (the study of fossils, animals, and plants) geomorphology, and dynamic and structural geology.

No changes have been caused in the department's tutorial setup since the announcement of the new tutorial for all plan, principally because Geology doesn't have tutorial.

Germanic Languages

Number of Concentrators: 12.

Germanic Languages attracts fewer concentrators than most fields in the College, yet a majority of students polled say they think it's a good department. They also say the small concentration--12 men this year, with only one senior--leads to excellent person-to-person instruction.

In most years, 50 percent of the decentrators try for honors, and according to Professor Taylor Strack, the department chairman, only 1 in 25 falls. Half of the successful candidates get magnas, Requirements for nonors are 8 full courses with up to three of them in allied fields. For non-honors, it's six with up to two in allied fields. No courses are specifically required.

One dissenter among the approving majority claims that the department's teaching is over-scholarly, and says it shows little imaginative handling. He also feels the department has too little to say about modern German literature--particularly about Thomas Mans.

A second student disagrees with him violently. He says he has obtained a tremendous lot out of his three years with the department, and especially praises the student-instructor relationship:

"In what other department could you get full professors or associate professors to tutor you and teach you as individually as they do," he says.

Another student takes a middle ground. He thinks the close supervision may be good for some people, but it's too close for him. He calls the weekly tutorial for honors candidates (bI-weekly for non-honors) a "little to much of a good thing".

A fourth man sides with him cu-tutorial, but otherwise thinks the department excellent, and vastly underrated by other students in the College:

"There just aren't enough students to exploit the great faculty we have," he says.

Starck thinks, though, that his faculty has suffered this year from the death last June of Karl Vietor, one-time world authority on Goethe, German literary romanticism, and the German baroque period. Starck predicts though that Vietor's successor, whom he'll announce shortly, should bring the department up to strength again.

Another comment of Starck's is that German in common with other languages has passed the post-war low in student concentration. He points encouragingly to the seven juniors he's training now, as compared to his solitary senior.

Government

Number of Concentrators: 596.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 44; magna, 20; summa, 0.

Grind or dilettante, any student feels at home in the Government department; how hard a concentrator works almost entirely depends on which course he tackles.

The offerings range from the very difficult to the superficially easy -- from Robert G. McCloskey's "American Constitutional Development" (124) to Bruce Hopper's "Russia and Asia in World Politics" (186). Concentration in this field can mean endless free weekends, or it can entail much midnight-oil burning.

Although by no means a "white buck haven"--about 40 percent are honors men--this has become the most popular field in the College. As Departmental Chairman Rupert Emerson said recently, "For some obscure reason it has become fashionable in recent years to concentrate in Government."

The department, which corresponds to what other instiutions call Political Science, divides itself into three areas: American, International Government, and Political Theory.

Concentrators must complete eight half courses in Government, Economics 1 or Social Science 115, and two half History courses (or one full one.) Two May written examinations are required of all--a three-hour general departmental exam, and a four-hour divisional in the area selected. Honors candidates have a thesis added, but have wide range of topics.

Under the new House Dean system all Gov. majors will have tutorial. The department hopes that Sophomores and non-honors juniors will have tutors in their own houses, with honors '54 men branching off into special topics.

Although the department is loaded with men famous in their fields, picking good courses is still a hard problem. The old axiom that a brilliant scholar is not necessary a good lecturer is only too true here.

Only additional course this year will be "Government and Defense", taught by Samuel P. Huntington.

Most popular section is American Government. Since one part of the divisional exam deals exclusively with Constitutional Law, usually everyone in the American field memorizes their way through an excellent term in McCloskey's 124. V. O. Key gives 135, "Party Government in the United States." An expert in his field he is known as a dry lecturer and seldom gives decisive statements. Exam questions are handed out weeks before the exam in Charles R. Cherington's witty, interesting, but light 153 and Arthur N. Holcombe, the grand old man of the department is not considered difficult. Arthur A. Masss' good convervation course has a long research paper, but limited reading assignments.

Very few students take 140, 141, or 142. State and Local Government, if you want that type of administrative material turn to John M. Gaus' courses.

Probably the toughest of the three divisions is Political theory. Nearly every senior takes Carl J. Friedrich's "History of Political Thought"; honors candidates are required to answer one question from this field. Samuel H. Beer is well liked in his basic 112, while Merle Fainsod's quiet eloquence makes Gov. 115 a gem, and a "box office success."

Smallest departmental enrollment is usually in International Law and Relations, where McGeorge Bundy leads the held with 130 and 135. Both are tough, but worth the effort in a field that needs strength badly. Inis L. Claude will take off-changing 170 this fall and Hopper's course are not noted for heavy material.

If he is not scared by William Y. Elliott profound, and at times obscure, harranges in Gov. 1a, a prospective concentrator will find ploddding through a tough Government schedule unusually revardise.

History and Literature

Number of Concentrators: 185.

History and Literature has always been the field. It has fairly stringent admissions requirements (Group IV at least requires regular attendance at tutorial meetings (once every two weeks sophomores and once a week for juniors and seniors.)

Ever since the department was founded by Professor Barrett Wendell at the turn of the century, its prestige has rested mainly on individual tutorial. But starting next year, History and Literature will no longer possess this distinction. For then all the five largest fields will require tutorial for all sophomores, juniors, and honor-bound seniors.

But the prestige of History and Literature will not be diminished, tutors in the field quickly point out. For one thing, it is still a very small field, admitting only 50 from Harvard and 15 from Radcliffe per class.

Within 11 special fields, students can specialize in such subjects as Greek, Roman, German, English, American History and Literature, or study the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and the Modern Period. Eight courses in the department are necessary for honors.

Besides the endless series of tutorial inations in the sophomore year with oral sessions, there are special tutorial exam-tests in the Bible and Shakespeare. Early in the fall of the junior year comes another oral exam on one ancient historian, such as Herodotus or Thucydides, and an Ancient author such as Sophocles. Besides this a tutorial conference is held in the junior's spring term on some modern author. Shortly after, juniors must undergo a qualifying examination for honors. Failure means a lost opportunity for a cum of any thing higher.

If the student turned scholar has survived all, then his senior thesis is due by March 1--the earliest deadline of any department.

But if this sounds arduous, the final result, most History and Literature students agree, still is worth the effort.

History and Literature may have lost its uniqueness now that the large fields have tutorial, but for the scholar, History and Literature with personalized tutorial, some of the best tutors in the University, and course flexibility still has much to offer.

History and Science

Number of Concentrators: 6.

1952 Commencement Honors: cum, 1; magna, 3.

Another mixed field for honors candidates only, History and Science appeals to pre-meds with academic interests beyond biochemistry, future secondary school, teachers, and students who want more than just science courses.

Requirements consist of four courses in History, five in the Sciences--though not more than two freshman-level courses may be counted--group tutorial during the sophomore and junior years, and History tutorial in the senior year. Concentrators must also take History divisional examinations and write a thesis. Though the total number of course requirements is relatively high, it is possible to count courses in related fields such as literature, philosophy, government, and economics towards concentration. Assistant Professor I. Bernard Cohen's courses in History of Science and a number of General Education courses can also be counted for concentration.

The most important criticism levelled at the department, that of lack of synthesis between History and Science, has been largely erased by the highly successful group tutorial program for sophomores and juniors run by Thomas S. Kuhn '44, recently appointed Assistant Professor of General Education and Physics.

Cohen explains that the major difficulties are those of any mixed field and that the student's interests and choice of courses play a large part in correlating History and Science. Senior theses can also be influential in integrating the two disciplines, though concentrators have sometimes written purely historical theses with little reference to science.

Concentrators generally agree that this field is difficult though highly rewarding to students whose interests lie in both History and Science.

History

Number of Concentrators: 484.

1951 Commencement Honors: cums, 34; magnas, 20; summas, 3.

Liberal concentration requirements mark the College's second largest department. Both honors and non-honors candidates alike need but six full courses to major in History, and two of these six courses may be from related fields. Even the term "related fields covers a broad area--Government. English, Economics, and Social Science courses may be used for credit in the field.

The wise concentrator, however, will do well to take a good deal more than the minimum number of courses, since when it comes time for evaluating one's grades for graduation honors, the department considers the six highest grades only. Thus the more courses one takes the better the chance to pile up six A's. Nevertheless History is an ideal field for a man who is not definitely sure of what he is aiming for after graduation. It also has a fairly large number of pre-meds who do not want to major in the sciences, but who can not meet the more rigid requirements of other fields.

History will also be able to offer the incoming sophomore an extensive tutorial program. Under the system going into effect next fall for the first time, every sophomore in the field will be required to take tutorial which will be given by a tutor in his House to a group no larger than six men. Chairman C. Crane Brinton '19 says that individual tutors will be allowed considerable liberty in specific assignments, but that the whole sophomore tutorial program will be based on some central idea, possibly the great historical writers from Thucydides on. In the junior and senior years concentrators will be allowed to follow their own interests to a greater extent, and non-honors men will not have tutorial at all. Honors candidates, about 40 percent of the field, also have to take general examinations at the end of the junior year, specials in the senior, and write a thesis.

Many Fields

History is sub-divided into a multitude of special fields, of which American History since 1789 is by far the most popular. Of the 170 concentrators in the present senior class, 72 are in that branch, 53 in Europe since 1789, 12 in American Colonial, and the rest scattered among the other groups.

So far as courses are concerned, the department requires none, although it does recommend Social Sciences 1. The big courses are well-taught by well-known men--Brinton, Taylor, Schlesinger, Owen, Fairbank, Merk, and many others are all stimulating lecturers. Next year's offerings seem particularly scant, however; especially in the two biggest fields. H. Stuart Hughes, Donald McKay, and Myron Gilmore will be away for at least a part of next year, and no completely new Modern European courses are being offered. In modern American History Assistant Professor Leuctenburg will be off to Columbia, and no new men will be added. Only in the field of Medieval History will the department have strengthened itself over the summer.

Linguistics

Number of Concentrators: 12.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 2; magna, 1; summa, 0.

Language for the sake of language is the watchword of the Linguistics department, which is headed by the nation's top authority in the field, Professor Joshua Whatmough. Whatmough feels that if one has learned the structure of a language, reading the great literature in it is a simple matter. Language as a science is of interest mainly to those thinking of an academic career, but diplomatic and business careers could also be helped by the solid language background the field offers.

Linguistics is open to honors candidates only; to enter it one must have had an intensive high school language course and there is tutorial for juniors and seniors. For concentration two courses labeled Linguistics, two straight language courses, and two more from related fields are required, but most men in the field take more.

Mathematics

Number of Concentrators: 100.

1951 Commencement Honors: cums, 2; magnas, 5; summas, 0.

Concentration in math appeals to two types of students. Those who like to take their thinking clear and cold enjoy the exactness and rigorous logic of the field. The more practically minded benefit from math's peculiar applicability to other fields -- especially, statistics, physics and the applied sciences.

The Math Department makes sure to cater to both types. The "math for math's sake" addicts can find a wide range of theoretical courses, and an excellent library in the department's own Vanserg building. The wide range of related courses the department allows to count for concentration are a boon to the more "practical" mathematicians, as is a new course in elementary statistics, Math 1c, to be given next year.

Concentrators must take a minimum of four courses in the department and two in related fields. Just about everybody takes Math 1, 2 and 105. A surprisingly large number of students pursue graduuate courses in their special interests.

Since there is a rather wide gap in difficulty between Math 1 and 2 and the middle group courses, students who don't garner honor grades in the introductory courses should think twice before choosing math for their concentration.

Thesis No Bugbear

Tutorial in the department is flexible. Any concentrator who wants to do outside work under the guidance of a faculty member can do so. Although the honors thesis can be begun as early as the sophomore year, decisions on whether to write the thesis (the main requirement for an honors degree) can be put off till the beginning of the senior year. Thesis work is not the bugbear some concentrators think, for the purpose of the thesis is not to make an original contribution to mathematics, but to get experience in self expression, and in individual working.

Instructors in the department are generally well liked but reflect in microcosm a tendency of Harvard faculty members in general: they rarely go out of their way to help students, but are willing to give aid when they are asked. A little initiative, then, can make Mathematics a most profitable concentration.

Music

Number of Concentrators: 46.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 6; magna, 1; summa, 1.

Music is one of the colleges's smaller departments, and according to Chairman A. Tillman Merritt, it will probably stay that way. The idea is to maintain close personal contact with each student. Only honors seniors receive tutorial, but intelligent and sympathetic advising is available to all.

All concentrators must take six music courses, and honors candidates have to write a thesis. Four specified theory courses are still required, but beginning next fall, candidates may choose their other two courses from anywhere in the department. Another innovation is that Music I--previously considered too elementary--will be acceptable for concentration credit.

Aaron Copland and his popular "Music of the Twenties" will be gone next year, but several new courses have been announced. G. Wallace Woodworth, long noted for his chatty, untechnical musical appreciation classes, will offer a half-course on Beethoven in the fall, and one on the Concerto in the spring. He plays records, tells anecdotes, and is well liked by practically everybody.

The perennial Archibald Davison will give, in addition to Music I, a new course in Choral History. He is an expert on the subject and his lectures are always informative.

Theory Stressed

Still, the emphasis remains on theory instead of history. Merritt justifies this by maintaining that a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of musical technique is necessary before the student can appreciate the importance of great music.

Even with the absence of Copland and Randall Thompson, the Department can still boast of a top-flight composer--Walter Piston. His course in orchestration (Music 153) was omitted this year, but will again be offered to advanced students next term. And Otto Gombosi, who made a very favorable impression in his first year here, will be back to give three graduate courses.

Concentrators should get Music 51 (Elementary Harmony) out of the way as soon as possible. The daily grind of harmony exercises may not be exciting, but few students found it difficult. As for Music I, it is one course that everybody enjoys. In addition to being a gut, for a music concentrator it takes a comprehensive glance at everything written since Gregorian chants.

Merritt believes that the Department should be more than a training school for potential professionals, and some of the courses definitely are slanted toward the non-professional. However, this is not a field for the casual music lover. Advanced courses will prove quite difficult for all but the most adept.

Philosophy

Number of Concentrators: 52.

1951 Commencement Honors: cums, 7; magnas, 2; summas, 1.

Although full of rather abstruse sounding courses like "Metaphysics: Substance & Cause" and "Relational Logic," the Philosophy department can make an interesting and useful concentration for many besides the professional scholastics.

A good field for students who are simply out for a "liberal education", Philosophy is also very valuable preparation for any profession which stresses either analysis or argument, such as the law and education.

Concentrators are required to take at least 12 half-courses in Philosophy. Of these, only four may be elementary, that is "Primarily for Undergraduates." Another four may be in related fields. The department has a very liberal policy in respect to these fields, which include political theory, theory of art, religion, psychology and sociology.

Condidates for honors may concentrate in one of a number of combined courses: Philosophy and Classics, Philosophy and English, Philosophy and Mathematics, Philosophy and Gevernment, and Philosophy and History.

Although there are no required courses, a student's schedule is somewhat determined by the rather demanding General Examination system. Each concentrator is required to take three three-hour generals in his senior year--one in modern philosophy.

In the systematic exam the student can choose between Metaphysics, Ethics and Logic. In the ancient and modern philosophy exams he has a choice of a long list of authors on which he will be intensively examined--one in each period.

The requirements for honors candidates are exactly the same, except for a thesis due at the end of the senior year. Tutorial is provided for all honors candidates in or above Group III in the Junior and Senior Years. Group III sophomores may have one term of tutorial.

There is no set order in which courses are to be taken. Most students either take the extremely popular Philosophy 1 or 2 and 3 as an introductory course, depending on whether they want an historical or systematic approach. Other important and popular courses in the department are 152, 130, and 164.

Nine courses--75, 3, 74, 110, 120, 122, 155, and 165--will not be given next year. While there will be four additions. President Conant gives the new 146-A Philosophy of Science. Professor I. A. Richards will give a course (146) in Modes of Meaning. Professor D. Wild will initiate a new course (171) in Ethics and Social Order. Philosophy 139 is a course in the Philosophy of Whitehead.

One of the major criticisms of the department is that too many courses rely primarily on regurgitation of memorized material instead of original philosophical thinking. This may or may not be remedied in the future.

Physics

Number of Concentrators: 138.

1951 Commencement Honors: cum, 7; magna, 2; summa, 6.

If you enjoy mathematics, you will enjoy Physics. If you are only a casual scientist, you should give Jefferson, Lyman, and Crufts Halls the widest berth possible.

Department Chairman Otto Oldenburg warns those who are just "interested in science" to stay away, or they will find themselves over their heads. Those who feel that they will be weak in the abstract quantitative thinking required in advanced courses might be better off in the Chemistry Department.

For those who merely concentrate in Physics, six courses are required. These are Mathematics 1 and 2, Physics 11 (or Physics 1 and 10), two courses in Physics more advanced than 10 or 11, and one course in Physics or a related field. Related fields include Chemistry, Applied Science, Mathematics, and Astronomy.

But almost nobody in Physics "merely concentrates." The department advises all who plan to enter physics as a profession, either in teaching or in research, to