Double Standard

A spirit of experimentation in basic courses has pervaded the College. Although most of this has been done in the General Education program, the Economics Department has come up this year with an interesting solution to a universal academic problem.

The leading motive behind these post-war changes was the realization that there are two distinctly different demands for an introductory course in every department. The concentrator in that department wants the basic tools for future study, and the non-concentrator wants a broad picture and general understanding of the field. At many points these demands conflict; the usual practice was to ignore the non-concentrator. The Economics Department's solution to the problem is to divide its elementary course into two different types of sections--for concentrators and non-concentrators. Non-concentrator sections have eliminated such subjects as analysis of theory by graphs and have added four weeks of "prospects for economic progress under capitalism." These sections differ from the General Education course, Economics for the Citizen, in that the latter emphasizes the application of economics to current problems.

The double demand setup applies to all basic courses. General Education has solved the problem for some departments, particularly in lecture courses. The Economics Department's plan is a valuable solution to this problem in section courses, and one which other departments--such as English and Mathematics--might well consider.