Dept. of Semitics To Require Orals For All Students

Beginning with the Class of 1960, all concentrators in Semitic Languages and History will be required to take Senior orals, Frank M. Cross, Hancock Professor of Hebrew and other Oriental Languages, announced yesterday.

The language requirements for both Honors and non-Honors students have also been changed, Cross added. Candidates for either degree must now have a reading knowledge of either Latin or Greek and of at least one modern language. In addition, non-Honors candidates must have one or more Semitic languages, Honors candidates two or more.

By dropping its old requirement for both Latin and Greek, the Department hopes to introduce greater flexibility, Cross said, and to "tailor the requirements better to fit available source material."

The addition of two new professors to the staff has enabled the Department to expand its total program quite substantially. Besides adding new courses in archaeology and cunieform, "we have set up a whole new field in northwestern semitic dialects," Cross explained.