Philosophy Dept. To Institute New Tutorial System

Juniors and Sophomores concentrating in Philosophy will enter a series of small seminars next year instead of receiving individual tutorial instruction, Roderick Firth, Chairman of the Department, disclosed last night.

The new plan will permit Honors candidates to choose from a number of specific seminars. After finishing the work in one of these courses, however, the student will proceed under distribution requirements to other seminars covering different material.

According to Firth, the student will make his choice after consultation with the senior tutor and will include the topics best suited to prepare him for his Generals Examinations and thesis.

"The aim of the seminars will be to supplement work in the regular courses," Firth explained. He added that "there is a certain stimulation derived from discussing philosophy in a group."

New Courses Offered

At the same time, Firth announced that Henry D. Aiken, professor of Philosophy, will conduct a new course investigating contemporary developments in philosophy at Oxford University. The method now used at Oxford deals largely with the examination of philosophical questions through the analysis of language.

Donald C. Williams, professor of Philosophy, will join Aiken in teaching another new Fall course, "Hume and Kant."

"Language and the World," a new course, to be conducted by Robert P. Ziff, assistant professor of Philosophy, will consider language in its relation to the things language describes. The Department also may offer a full course in European existentialism.