PROFESSOR FERCUSON OUTLINES PURPOSE OF HISTORY FIELD CHANGE

The innovations adopted by the Department of History to take effect next fall, and by which the former 17 existing fields of specific concentration were subdivided into 25; have been summed up and explained to the CRIMSON by Professor W. S. Ferguson chairman of the Department.

In connection with the new plans Professor Ferguson outlined the change of conditions in the department which brought about the alteration of the fields of concentration.

Specific Fields Not Specific

"At first," said Professor Ferguson, there were only two divisional examinations given, one on the work in the division, that is, in History, Government and Economics, and one in the specific field of concentration chosen for the degree. As there was then no general examination in History, and the department did not wish to encourage too great specialization on the part of the students, the specific fields were made quite broad in their scope.

"But as the department progressed, it was decided to add the general History examination. As a result there was no longer any danger of a student's restricting himself to too narrow a field, as this general examination required him to have covered the subject as a whole."

Restriction Need Felt

Professor Ferguson then showed that so long as the entire subject was touched upon, the original fields of concentration were too broad to be covered minutely, and it was considered necessary to restrict them. This resulted in the new alignment recently issued.

The former plan of broad fields, encouraged men to choose those in which they could take the most courses, and thus cover the specific subject with the least individual research. A premium was thus placed upon those fields in which much instruction could be obtained, and which formed a large block of in general History examination.

Tutors Not Motive Power

"The tutorial phase is, of course, being emphasized to a greater extent," added Professor Ferguson, "but this was not a motive in the change. First of all, the department felt that students should get to know the field of their own special concentration better, and we found the old fields too broad to allow this. Also, under the new plan, men can choose more widely without paying a serious penalty for it on the general examination. The entire change was simply a corrective of the situation brought about by the institution of the general examination in History as a whole."