Core Group Considers New Courses

The Standing Committee on the Core Curriculum began to review on Tuesday possible Core courses in the area of Foreign Languages and Cultures.

The subcommitte on Foreign Languages and Cultures recommended the Core program offer two to three courses on African culture under the heading of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Wendell V. Clausen, member of the subcommittee and professor in Greek and Latin, said yesterday.

The committee examined close to 30 other proposed courses recommended by the subcommittee. Edward T. Wilcox, spokesman for the standing committee said yesterday.

Kenneth O. Dike, Mellon Professor of African History, said yesterday he might teach a Core survey course on African civilization in the Foreign Languages and Cultures category in collaboration with several other professors. The course would take an interdisciplinary approach to African culture and would be taught by African historians, anthropologists and linguists, Dike said.

The subcommittee also proposed a course on African art and ritual, Clausen said.

Several courses on the Middle East might also be included in the Core offerings which will appear for the first time next year. Clausen said. William A. Graham, assistant professor of Islamic Religion, may teach a course on the Koran, Clausen said. Graham could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Clausen said he would give a Core course called "The Pastoral Tradition," if he receives the standing committee's approval. The course would cover Virgil, the Renaissance pastoral, Milton and Pope, and would be offered next spring.

Culture Shock

Emeka K. Ezera '81, student member of the Foreign Languages and Cultures subcommittee, said yesterday the committee may adapt several existing anthropology courses to fit in the Foreign Cultures category.

The subcommittee also considered reworking Anthropology 161, "Social Anthropology of the Middle East," to serve as a Core course, emphasizing Turkey and Iran, he added.

Ezera added that the subcommittee also proposed a course on the Middle East, tentatively titled "Modern Middle East Civilization: Problems and Perspectives."

Under the Core legislation, which will phase in the Core Curriculum over the next three years, the Class of '83 will take two Core offerings in place of two corresponding General Education courses.

The standing committee also heard a preliminary report yesterday from the subcommittee on Social and Philosophical Analysis.

James Q. Wilson, chairman of the subcommittee and Shattuck Professor of Government, named four to five possible courses which involve "investigations of moral issues," Wilcox said yesterday. Wilson declined to comment yesterday on specific proposals.

Committee members discussed whether the title Social and Philosophical Analysis properly identified the category, Wilcox said. He added that Wilson argued the category title implied that the courses would examine only philosophical issues, when in fact they are aimed more at studying "citizen choices."

Wilcox said that in the next few weeks he will begin to compile the proposed courses into a short title catalogue which the standing committee will then vote on in late March