Pusey Backs CEP Veto Of Credit for Swahili

The Faculty's desire to avoid adding elementary language courses to the undergraduate curriculum was the chief reason for its veto of the proposal to teach Swahili for credit, according to President Pusey.

Pusey, who as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences presides over the committee on Educational Policy, said that the CEP has nothing against teaching Swahili, but felt that it did not belong among the 16 1/2 courses required for the A.B. The Faculty, said Pusey, teaches only languages which have a substantial literature or the study of which leads to a doctorate.

The course was suggested by a group of undergraduates, some of whom were connected with Project Tankanyika, which for the second summer will send students to Africa to teach English. Peter C. Goldmark '62, head of the Project, said that he had found 25-30 prospective students and an instructor.

Goldmark is now investigating the chances of offering the course for non-credit.

The CEP ruled that such "service courses" ought to be extracurricular, Pusey commented. He added that ideally there would be no elementary languages in the College curriculum; students would learn their languages in secondary school. This, he admitted, is "a distant dream."

Adding a new language to the course catalogue depends a lot on the availability of an instructor. Often a Faculty member is interested in teaching a new tongue to undergraduates; and, if he is able to maintain his departmental teaching obligations, the Faculty is glad to have him do so.

Because there is no Swahili teacher on the Faculty, the course would require considerable funds.