Dean Ford Supports Ec Dept. Plan Permitting Juniors to Write Theses

Dean Ford said Wednesday that allowing qualified juniors to write theses "sounds like a very sensible thing for the Economics department to try," and Dean Monro agree.

The department is considering opening junior tutorial to sophomores and allowing juniors to write theses. Seniors would thus have time for additional courses or independent study.

Ford said he considered "the loosening up of the senior year" to be one of the "most attractive" features of the plan. He compared its effect to that of the advanced-placement program, which allows students to do specialized work if they decide to remain at Harvard for a fourth year.

Relieve Tutor Shortage

Although Ford said he knew of no other departments considering accelerated programs, he observed that eliminating some sophomore sections would help relieve the shortage of tutors in Social Studies and other fields.

Carl Kaysen, Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Political Economy, professor of Political Economy, proposed the Ec plan at the department's monthly meeting last Tuesday, but time ran out before it could be discussed.

As formulated by Kaysen's committee on Undergraduate Education, the plan would allow students who take Ec 1 as freshmen to enter Ec 98 in their second year. Regular sophomore tutorial would continue to be offered for students who come late to the department.