Jrs. Offered Grants For Summer Study In Latin America

Travelling fellowships for independent study in Latin America this summer will again be offered to four or five qualified juniors doing thesis work in that field, the Office of Latin American Studies announced yesterday.

Applicants must speak the language of the country in which they hope to work, and preference will be given to those working on honors theses. Candidates recommended by their tutors will be interviewed by William S. Barnes, assistant Dean of the Law School and director of the Office, and selected by the Faculty Committee on Latin American Studies.

Hopes to Improve Latin Studies

"We want students to find out for themselves instead of merely getting the material second-hand from courses." Dean Barnes said, discussing the grants. "A simple proliferation of survey courses is not the answer to improved Latin American studies."

This is the second year that the fellowships have been offered to juniors involved in Latin American studies. Last year five students did research in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina on such topics as the social problems of migratory Indians, the background of the 1952 Bolivian revolution, and topics in contemporary. Argentine literature. The grants are made possible through the gift of Albert Gordon and the Kidder, Peabody Foundation.

Participants in the program have no formal commitments, but are expected to keep journals of their experiences. The program hopes they will make contacts with South American universities which might prove useful to future Harvard researchers. The journals kept by the first five Fellows will be made available to help this year's group with problems of planning and methods of procedure.