English Dept. Will Revise Tutorials for Sophomores

The English Department has decided to drop sophomore tutorial and replace it with special sections in English 10, which will become a required course for sophomore concentrators.

This decision was one of several changes in the degree requirements approved at an English Department meeting Tuesday, David D. Perkins '51, the department's director of undergraduate studies, said yesterday. None of the changes will affect the present junior and senior classes.

Starting next year, all sophomore concentrators will meet once a week in a special tutorial section for English 10. Non-concentrators will be in other sections. In the past, sophomore tutorial has been a non-credit course, meeting about 12 times a year and independent of English 10.

"We haven't been satisfied with the use we've been making of sophomore tutorial," Perkins said. He feels that this change will give more structure to the tutorial.

The other degree changes are:

* A half-course on the Bible, to be started next year, will be required. The first question on the Junior General Examination, formerly requiring a broad literary essay, will now be on the Bible.

* The first part of the Senior General Examination, presently a general question on all fields of English literature, will be broken down into five periods: Medieval, Renaissance, 18th century, 19th century and modern, and American. The exam's required question on Chaucer will be dropped.

* Honors candidates will be required to take six full (or 12 half) courses for concentration, two of which may be in related fields. In addition, they must take junior and senior honors tutorials. At present, the honors course requirement is five full courses, three of which may be related.

* Students will no longer have to fulfill the historical distribution requirement. Formerly, six semesters of English courses evenly divided before and after 1700, were required.

* The sophomore tutorial essay will be waived, with the English 10 required paper taking its place.

'No Radical Reshaping'

"This does not amount to a radical reshaping of the program for undergraduates," Perkins said yesterday. "It will give more structure to the department and firm up the requirements for honors candidates," he added.

The changes were proposed by a review committee appointed last Fall by Walter J. Bate '39, chairman of the English Department.