Twelve Receive Fellowships To Study Law and Humanities

Eleven law professors and one law clerk, from nine states wee awarded the first Harvard Fellowships in Law and Humanities this week. The fellows will spend the next academic year studying how to include concepts of the humanities into the teaching of law.

The fellows will take special courses on "bridging the gap between law and the humanities" as well as undergraduate humanities courses, Roger D. Fisher '43, professor of Law and director of the program, said Tuesday.

None hope to see if we can relate the insights of history, philosophy and literature more directly to the life of a lawyer and to the many choices which lawyers and their clients face," Fisher said.

Many lawyers take only a mechanistic view of law, Fisher said. "Many act more like guns for hire than statesmen or wise human beings," he commented.

Share the Blame

"If lawyers become more concerned with process than values and purpose because these are irrelevant to the case, then law schools must share some of the blame," Fisher added. "Our problem is how can you teach law and still keep purpose in mind."

The fellowships are funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each fellow will receive full tuition in addition to a $13,500 stipend.