NEW RULES FOR ELECTIVES

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences, at its meetings on December 14 and 21, 1909, adopted the following rules for the choice of electives, which will go into effect with the class entering in 1910.

"Voted,

"1. Every student shall take at least six of his courses in some one department, or in one of the recognized fields for distinction. In the latter case, four must be in one department. Only two of the six may be courses open to Freshmen or distinctly elementary in character.

"2. For purposes of distribution all the courses open to undergraduates shall be divided among the following four general groups. Every student shall distribute at least six of his courses among the three general groups in which his chief work does not lie, and he shall take in each group not less than one course, and not less than three in any two groups. He shall not count for purposes of distribution more than two courses which are also listed in the group in which his main work lies."

The groups and branches are:

1. Language, Literature, Fine Arts, Music. (a) Ancient Languages and Literatures. (b) Modern Languages and Literatures. (c) Fine Arts, Music.

2. Natural Sciences. (a) Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Engineering. (b) Biology, Physiology, Geology, Mining.

3. History, Political and Social Sciences. (a) History. (b) Politics, Economics, Sociology, Education, Anthropology.

4. Philosophy and Mathematics. (a) Philosophy. (b) Mathematics.

The committee of nine appointed from the Faculty to prepare general rules for the choice of electives was granted authority to arrange the various courses under the different groups and sub-groups by agreement with the departments in which the courses are given.

"3. Prescribed work shall not count either for concentration or for distribution."

The committee was instructed in administering these general rules for the choice of electives by candidates for a degree in Harvard College to make exceptions to the rules freely in the case of earnest men who desire to change at a later time the plans made in their Freshman year, and to make liberal allowances for students who show that their courses are well distributed, even though they may not conform exactly to the rules laid down for distribution. In making exceptions to the rules, a man's previous training and outside reading are to be taken into account.

The committee is composed of the following members of the Faculty: President Lowell, chairman; Dean L. B. R. Briggs '75, Dean C. H. Haskins h.'08, Dean B. S. Hurlburt '87, Dean W. C. Sabine '88, Professor C. P. Parker, Professor E. K. Rand '94, Professor T. W. Richards '86, Assistant Professor R. B. Merriman '96.