More Talk

Archibald MacLeish's public lectures have generated widespread interest and enthusiasm. The second lecture in a series of eight based on discussions in Humanities 136 completely filled Sanders Theatre, and the two lectures have attracted a total audience of over fifteen hundred people.

This reaction surprised MacLeish himself, but his success has pointed out that such public talks in connection with a popular course are a good idea.

Many courses in the University have a limited enrollment and must turn away a large number of students. The disappointed applicants may not be able to audit the course, and thus may miss it entirely. But they can attend a series of public lectures, especially if they are held in the late afternoon or evening when classes are not in session. Last year, for instance, Richard Poirier's afternoon lectures in conjunction with Comp. Lit 166 were very well attended.

Scheduling difficulties, distribution and concentration requirements can prevent students, especially science majors, from taking a given course, but such problems do not necessarily lessen his interest in the subject. More lectures, like MacLeish's, not requiring any specific preparation, would give the student a wider opportunity to participate in areas of concentration other than his own.

One of Harvard's big selling points is its imposing list of "great men." But it seems that the greater the man, the more unavailable he is to the undergraduate body. Harvard also points with pride to the infinite number and variety of the courses offered in the University. However, the student can take and audit only a very few. Public lectures based on the more general aspects of these courses and delivered by the eminent scholars themselves is a policy that should be continued and expanded. It would give a broader basis to the concept of "general education."