HPC Lauds Linguistics 'Warmth' While Knocking Tutorial Program

The Harvard Policy Committee has issued an educational audit of the Linguistics Department which suggests that the department revise its tutorial program to integrate more effectively the different areas of linguistic study.

But the HPC report also praised the department for the "extraordinary personal treatment accorded to each individual." The audit expressed the hope that the small department--it has 16 concentrators this year--"never loses its warm personality."

Most of last year's seniors, the report said, feel the department has had limited success in tying together four major subdivisions of linguistics: the history of linguistic studies; and historical linguistics.

The department's tutorial program should integrate the four categories, the audit continued, but at present both sophomore and junior tutorial are too specialized and fail to put problems in perspective.

Sophomore Tutorial

The HPC suggested that sophomore tutorial, now non-credit, become a full course for credit, required for all concentrators, that would cover linguistic history followed by current theory and techniques. The audit also recommended that junior tutorial be changed from a half-course to a full course, individually given. It added a suggestion for a general set of readings to cover all tutorials.

Robert Underhill, instructor in Linguistics and chairman of the department's board of tutors, said yesterday that members of the department found the HPC's recommendations for sophomore tutorial "sound," but might not agree with the audit's proposals for junior tutorial.