A Half-Step in The Right Direction

Back in the days when Lawrence Lowell ruled the University from his office in University Hall, the College maintained strict rules of distribution. When a student received his diploma it was foregone conclusion that he had under his belt at least one course in each of four groups of studies: Language, Literature, Fine Arts, and Music; Natural Sciences; History, Political and Social Sciences; and Philosophy and Mathematics.

A half dozen years ago the pendulum swung toward a less rigid system of distributional requirements. So long as a student took at least six courses outside of his field, it didn't matter what he chose in the way of subjects. No one had to take a science or a philosophy course if he didn't want to. While a good many students did vary their courses, a large segment stuck to their own particular type of study and method of approach, avoiding any other like a plague.

Last week the swing of six years ago was arrested and a Faculty vote sent the pendulum on its way back to the position which it occupied during the Lowell era. Mathematics and Philosophy have been divided and reclassified; so that now there are only three groups. The groups have been rechristened "areas," but essentially the new rules of distribution are the same as those of ten years ago. The interpretations of what constitutes science are, perhaps, more lenient, but on the other hand the requirements are more complicated. An alert set of Freshman advisers and tutors will be needed to keep the bewildered students from avoiding the hated science or despised lit. course. But the system should prove to be of some help in avoiding the over concentration which has become the danger of liberal education at Harvard in the last few years.

However, many of the disadvantages which prompted President Conant to abandon the old Lowellian requirement linger about this new scheme. Neither the large survey courses nor the more advanced specialized courses can convey to a concentrator in a different field the "academic discipline" of any given area. There will almost certainly be a rush, as there was in the 'twenties and 'thirties, into the notorious snaps in any of the given areas. Passing one of these unscientific sciences or "cultural" language courses will not contribute an iota toward the liberal education that is the ultimate aim of distribution. The only way to avoid these difficulties is to provide the broad area surveys which the Faculty has approved in theory but shelved indefinitely. No difficulties, either the piddling ones of content or the more potent one of finances, should be allowed to defer the setting up of the area courses at the soonest opportunity. Without them the distribution requirements, although headed in the right direction, will be a futile gesture.