Male-Female Ratios Off Balance

Five of the ten largest classes at Harvard have enrolled about twice as many men as women, according to figures compiled by the Office of the Registrar.

Mathetics 21b, Literature and Arts C-61, "Rome of Augustus," and Philosophy 192, "Thinking about Thinking" all have male-female ratios over the 66-33 percent line.

Social Analysis 10, Moral Reasoning 40, "Confucian Humanism," have ratios of 63 to 37 and 59 to 41, respectively. The overall Harvard College ratio is 43 percent women to 57 percent men, according to the 1994 edition of Peterson's Guide to Colleges.

Professors and teaching fellows offer a variety of explanations for the gender disparities in their classes.

Literature and Arts C-61, "The Rome of Augustus," has an enrollment of 204 men and 93 women, according to the Registrar's numbers.

The gender disparity in the course is less this year than previously, Pope Professor of the Latin Language and Literature R. J. Tarrant Said.

Tarrant said the gender gap might be due to the course material.

"Although the image of the period

Gender Ratios

Enrollment of males and females in the ten most popular courses, spring semester 1994. Course  Female  Male Soc. analysis 10  327  562 Mor. Reason. 40  193  275 Bio. Sciences 1  201  195 Science B-29  178  197 Chemistry 27  139  160 Lit. & Arts C-61  93  204 Philosophy 192  83  203 Bio. Sciences 11  118  167 Hist. Studies B-42  107  183 Mathematics 21b  87  200 Source: Office of the Registrar of the Romans is male-dominated, we try to showthat there is quite a lot that can be studiedabout the images and treatment of women in theperiod of Augustus," he said.

David H. Goldbrenner '96, a student in theclass, agreed that the course's focus is connectedto its gender ratio.

"I guess if I were in the Women's StudiesDepartment, I'd say that guys are attracted to thepatriarchal glory of Ancient Rome," he said.

Taa R. Grays '94, a female student in theclass, did not feel there was any reason why womenshould avoid the class.

"I don't think there is any bias in the classand I don't know why women wouldn't want to takeit," she said.

The explanation for the enrollment disparity in"Thinking about Thinking" is not the coursematerial--which encompasses nearly all of humancognition--but the sex of the professors, one ofthem said.

"I'm surprised at the disparity and I wonder ifit's due to the luck of the lottery or to the factthat three male professors are teaching it," saidFrankfurter Professor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz,one of the three male professors who teach theclass.

Head Teaching Fellow Tamar Gendler, however,said the gender gap is partially due to thecourse's unstructured nature, which may intimidatefemale students.

"A course like `Thinking About Thinking,'Without realizing it, may ask students to evaluatethemselves along an axis that cuts differentiallybetween men and women," she said. "It may be thatwomen students are wary of courses in which theyhave to take a tremendous amount of responsibilityfor structuring things."

Professor of Chinese History Wei-Ming Tu, whoteaches Moral Reasoning 40, "Confucian Humanism:Self-Cultivation and Moral Community," called hisclass' gender disparity "a little unusual."

"We should encourage women to enter thiscourse," he said "The Confucian tradition is oftencriticized as male-oriented and authoritarian andI take this feminist critique absolutely seriouslyin my course."

Michelle M. Pinto '96, a student in MoralReasoning 40, said the enrollment patterns mightbe related to difficulty ratings.

Moral Reasoning 40 has a difficulty of lessthan 3.0 in the CUE guide, Pinto noted. "Forcores, the largest ones are usually the ones thelargest ones are usually the ones with the lowestdifficulty ratings in the CUE guide. Does it meanthat guys go for `guts' more than girls?" sheasked

David H. Goldbrenner '96, a student in theclass, agreed that the course's focus is connectedto its gender ratio.

"I guess if I were in the Women's StudiesDepartment, I'd say that guys are attracted to thepatriarchal glory of Ancient Rome," he said.

Taa R. Grays '94, a female student in theclass, did not feel there was any reason why womenshould avoid the class.

"I don't think there is any bias in the classand I don't know why women wouldn't want to takeit," she said.

The explanation for the enrollment disparity in"Thinking about Thinking" is not the coursematerial--which encompasses nearly all of humancognition--but the sex of the professors, one ofthem said.

"I'm surprised at the disparity and I wonder ifit's due to the luck of the lottery or to the factthat three male professors are teaching it," saidFrankfurter Professor of Law Alan M. Dershowitz,one of the three male professors who teach theclass.

Head Teaching Fellow Tamar Gendler, however,said the gender gap is partially due to thecourse's unstructured nature, which may intimidatefemale students.

"A course like `Thinking About Thinking,'Without realizing it, may ask students to evaluatethemselves along an axis that cuts differentiallybetween men and women," she said. "It may be thatwomen students are wary of courses in which theyhave to take a tremendous amount of responsibilityfor structuring things."

Professor of Chinese History Wei-Ming Tu, whoteaches Moral Reasoning 40, "Confucian Humanism:Self-Cultivation and Moral Community," called hisclass' gender disparity "a little unusual."

"We should encourage women to enter thiscourse," he said "The Confucian tradition is oftencriticized as male-oriented and authoritarian andI take this feminist critique absolutely seriouslyin my course."

Michelle M. Pinto '96, a student in MoralReasoning 40, said the enrollment patterns mightbe related to difficulty ratings.

Moral Reasoning 40 has a difficulty of lessthan 3.0 in the CUE guide, Pinto noted. "Forcores, the largest ones are usually the ones thelargest ones are usually the ones with the lowestdifficulty ratings in the CUE guide. Does it meanthat guys go for `guts' more than girls?" sheasked