English
How To Pick the Right Concentration
If you’re a sophomore, you’re probably freaking out about having to declare your concentration by mid-November (and by even earlier for some programs). To help you avoid picking the wrong one, Flyby compiled a cheat sheet detailing some possible areas of study.
Containing Multitudes
In the absence of a perfect formula for fostering future Pulitzer winners, the writing scene at Harvard is multi-faceted, varied, and as often as not, a collective rather than a solo pursuit.
Greenblatt and Vendler Weigh In: What if We Abolished English Tomorrow?
Attention sophomores thinking about concentrating in English: Stop reading op-eds. This summer, it seems like English—not to mention most disciplines in the humanities—have been denigrated and abused by columnists, cash-strapped universities, and graphs everywhere. Despite the fervor over this certain oncoming apocalypse, level heads still exist: In a recent piece for The New Yorker, Adam Gopnik points out that "If we abolished English majors tomorrow, Stephen Greenblatt and Stanley Fish and Helen Vendler would not suddenly be freed to use their smarts to start making quantum proton-nuclear reactor cargo transporters, or whatever; they would all migrate someplace where they could still talk Shakespeare and Proust and the rest." But where would that place be? Flyby decided to find out.
Introductory Humanities Courses Aim To Fill Gap
Introductory courses have long been the backbone of many a Harvard student’s undergraduate experience. But while science concentrators enroll in Life Sciences 1a and economics concentrators opt to take Economics 10, students interested in the humanities have not had the same opportunity to take a broad introductory course.
Scoped!: 15 Hottest Freshmen Class of 2013
Eager to see how they are doing three years later, FM checks in with a few of Class of 2013’s hottest freshmen.
Overall Satisfaction with Humanities Concentrations among Class of 2012
Graduating humanities concentrators in the Class of 2012 rated their overall satisfaction with their respective concentrations on a scale of one to five.
Concentration Satisfaction: Class of 2012
As freshmen enter the second week of Advising Fortnight, Flyby presents a complete set of data from the Class of 2012's concentration satisfaction ratings. For all freshmen looking to narrow down the list of potential concentrations, sophomores or juniors curious about their chosen concentrations, and seniors reflecting on their undergraduate careers, here are the stats from last year's graduating seniors on how satisfied they were with their respective concentrations. Check out our four interactive graphs showing overall satisfaction rates among Humanities, Natural Sciences, SEAS, and Social Sciences concentrators in the Class of 2012.
Joining the Ranks
“The ad hoc process is greatly shrouded in mystery; remarkably little is written about it,” says current Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Diversity and Development Judith D. Singer. She smirks wryly as she swigs coffee from her mug, as if this is something she’s explained a hundred times before.
In 1946, W.H. Auden Was Frightened by Harvard Students
Every week, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past.
In 1971, Harvard Students Seized a Building for International Women's Day
Every week, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past.
Preserving Humanity and Saving Harvard
Every week, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past.
5 New Courses for the Undecided Shopper
Despite all its pluses and perks, shopping period does present Harvard students with one potential problem: buyer's remorse. While students filing into course book mainstays like Ec10 and LS1b pretty much know what to expect from the semester, nothing screams caveat emptor quite like the words "New Course" (and the telltale lack of a Q score) next to a class names. But new courses aren't all bad and often offer students a chance to snag a gem of a class before words gets out and the whole shebang is lotteried the following year. So, for those daring students who are eager to plunge into the great unknown (or who couldn't get into Maria Tatar's fairy tales class), here are five new courses that you might want to check out.
Morrison Discusses Good and Evil in Literature
Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison discussed the divide between good and evil in 19th and 20th-century literature and her own writing in Sanders Theater Thursday afternoon.
Students Couldn't Understand This Sentence in 1956. Can You?
Every week, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past.
The Ink-smudged Diaries of Adrienne Rich
You can find Rich’s archives at Schlesinger library, in the same Yard where she attended class. Her many papers and diaries, ink-smudged, doodled-on, and worn, reveal a personal evolution as radical as that of her poetics.
In the 1930s, Calls for Less Alcohol and More Good Grammar
Every week, The Crimson publishes a selection of articles that were printed in our pages in years past.
Wendy H. Chang '12 Remembered for Artistic Spirit and Infectious Laugh
An accomplished artist and cherished member of many Harvard extracurricular organizations, Wendy H. Chang ’12 will be remembered for her infectious laugh and outgoing personality, friends and family said after her death on Saturday.
Above the Brim: Elocution in Practice
Each year the English Department hosts the Boylston Prize Competition for Elocution. Read more about it here, and watch the video above to see these students in action. If you're curious, Hana Bajramovic '13 came in first place, reciting Robert Frost's "Birches" and Michael R. Taylor '14 came in second with his recital of W.H. Auden's "As I Walked Out One Evening". Congratualtions to all involved.
James Wood Named Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Harvard English professor James Wood joined a list that includes writers Samuel T. Coleridge, William B. Yeats, and J. K. Rowling when he was designated a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature last week.
Russian Writer's Block Playlist
From the Arts Board, tips to help get you through that paper. Russia had its first influx of classical music in the Romantic period of the 1800s. Given the tourtured-artist motif that charactarized many Romantic writers and composers, including Tchaikovsky, it seems fitting to turn to the Russian repertoire as a response to crippling writer’s block. The somber and often harrowing moments of the music only add to the sublime, manic joy interspersed throughout the repertoire. The Arts Board hopes you enjoy indulging in Russian classical music while dealing with the the destabilizing mood of writer's block.
English Department Scores First in U.S. News Ranking
When people think of Harvard their minds often wander to red brick buildings filled with students eagerly studying to become future lawyers or politicians. But those thoughts may soon shift to include the likes of Shakespeare and Fitzgerald. U.S. News and World Report ranked Harvard as the number one university in the world to get an English degree. Rankings are based on data gathered by the QS World Survey, a company that gathers comparative data on universities and organizations.
‘The Swerve’ Named National Book Award Finalist
Some might argue that a Harvard education—Expos 20 and all—owes much of its conception of liberal arts to the Renaissance age. And while many have investigated the wealth of scholarship that the Renaissance produced, few have attempted to explain what sparked the period in the first place. Last week, The National Book Foundation recognized the product of John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities Stephen J. Greenblatt by naming his latest work, "The Swerve," a National Book Awards Finalist.
'The Picture of Dorian Gray' Gets a Little Wilder
It’s no secret that Oscar Wilde often pushed the limits of Victorian decency. So much so that 120 years ago Wilde's only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray," was edited to exclude material that might be deemed vulgar and objectionable especially to the innocent ears of Victorian women.
Pulitizer Prize winner Paul Harding speaks about writing
Pulitzer Prize winner and former Expos preceptor Paul Harding speaks about his award-winning book Tinkers and the writing process in Fong Auditorium in Bolyston Hall on Tuesday, March 29. Harding also discusses the long journey that he took to become a prominent author as well as offers valuable advice and insight to aspiring writers, poets, and other artists.