Economics Dept. Changes Rules For Concentrators

Several major changes in the requirements for undergraduate concentrators in Economics were announced today by Lee E. Preston, head tutor in the department. The new program will apply to members of the Class of '59 and succeeding classes. Its effect will be confined principally to honors candidates.

The changes are designed to cope with problems which arise, almost inevitably, in the course of administering a field with as many concentrators as Economics. As Preston commented, "We are such a big field that many of our students tend just to go through the mill. The intent of our new program is to stimulate the honors concentrator to a higher level of work and more individual work, and, for both honors and non-honors candidates, to allow some increase in his range of courses."

The added stimulus for the honors man will apparently come chiefly from a compulsory seminar-type course, Economics 100. This course, given for the first time this year on an experimental basis, has been deemed such a succss that it will, henceforth, be required of all honors candidates in their junior year. It will meet in at least three groups of not more than 15 students each and will cover topics in the general area of labor and industrial organization. The work will be integrated with that of the regular junior tutorial.

Duesenberry to Supervise

James S. Duesenberry, associate professor of Economics and chairman of the department, will supervize the administration of the course. At least three members of the department faculty will be assigned to each of the seminar groups.

Although faced with a second required course in addition to the traditional Economics 1, the honors candidate will have a greater range of choice than heretofore in selecting his other three courses in the field. He will no longer be subject to any restrictions in this respect, save the sobering advice of his tutor. This new freedom of choice will not, however, apply to non-honors students, for whom the old requirements will in every case remain substantially unchanged.

More Related Fields

One final change, however, will apply to all concentrators in the field. Beginning next fall, courses in Mathematics above the level of Math 11 and any courses offered by the new department of Statistics will count as "related." Previously, only History, Government, and Social Relations have been considered related fields. This last change is in line with the department's desire to broaden the range of study of its concentrators.