Vogt Plan Would End All Courses

If a new proposal to Dean May is adopted, all undergraduate courses will be abolished.

Evon Z, Vogt, professor of Anthropology and chairman of the Anthropology Department, proposed the change in response to May's November 24 call for revamping of the curriculum.

In a five-page letter to May, Vogt suggested that instead of giving courses, each professor deliver six lectures a year on "new concepts and methods, controversial issues in the field, and the latest insights for interpretation."

The remainder of Faculty and student time, Vogt said, would be spent in seminars, tutorials, workshops, and lab sessions to review relevant literature and to "learn about each field by doing it."

The lectures would be voluntary. Their schedule could be published at the beginning of the year in the Harvard Gazette as well as weekly, Vogt suggested, so that students might choose which ones to attend.

Vogt made no mention of grades in his proposal. He suggested "a check on progress" through student papers, lab reports, and exams given by individual departments and the Committee on General Education.

"With the aid of about the present number of graduate student teaching fellows," Vogt said, "I believe that such a program could not only be carried out, but that it would both improve the quality of our teaching and leave more time for the individual Faculty member to pursue his scholarly research and writing."

Vogt first made his proposal to Faculty members in the Anthropology Department and later at an informal meeting of Anthropology undergraduates on December 17. He said the reaction at both meetings was favorable. His proposal does not represent a department recommendation, however, since the Anthropology faculty has not yet voted on the plan.

Vogt said that as far as he knows the change could be instituted by individual departments before the Faculty approved it for the whole College.

The letter was delivered to May's secretary late yesterday afternoon. May was out of town and could not be reached for comment.