Hist. Dept. to Require Grad Colloquia

The History Department will require all first year graduate students in American and modern European history next Fall to take a new credit colloquium in their fields. The colloquia will replace 100-series history courses which are presently required for all first year students.

Although graduate students in American history will no longer have to take any undergraduate history courses for credit, modern European scholars will still be expected to take one 100-series course. Both are still required to carry one graduate seminar each semester, in addition to the colloquium.

Some students in American History may be asked to take a 100-series course, Wolff indicated, depending upon the background and program of each individual.

Robert L. Wolff, professor of History and chairman of the History Department, said that the new colloquia were intended to bring all the graduate students together, to expose them to the senior members of the department in their particular field, and to make them do substantial reading and writing.

Might Be Extended

The program is experimental, Wolff stressed, and, if it proves successful, might be extended to other fields within the department. Next year, it will be confined to the two areas of American and modern European history.

History 361, "Topics in the Interpretation of American History," will be taught by all the professors working in American history in the department. Course work will involve extensive reading and several short essays on the reading.

The modern European colloquium, History 332, will also include all members of the department who specialize in that field, and will be similar to the American history course except for one detail. H. Stuart Hughes, professor of History, will specifically direct the European colloquium.

Wolff said, however, that all the senior professors would not be present at every meeting of the colloquia, but would probably attend a good proportion of the time.

'Dandy Move'

J. Peterson Elder, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and 'Sciences, said yesterday "it was a dandy move in the right direction." He pointed out, however, that each department has wide discretionary powers and that all changes must originate with each department. The changes do not indicate any trend or general change, though he felt they might develop into a "reforming contagion."