Northwestern University - Syllabus Yearbook (Evanston, IL)

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language, and requiring at least one course to be chosen from both the physical and social sciences, as well as physical educa- tion. This constitutes, we believe, a curriculum which is liberal without being radical, which is modern without being modernistic, the dean said. Twenty-two departments are placed under the heading of the Liberal Arts school, including all social and physical sciences, English, classical and romance languages, literature, and correlation. The correlation courses are one of the most recent additions to the college set-up. Believing that, at some time in his college career, the student will want to bring together various attitudes and ideas on the nature of man, the world in which he lives, and the way in which man dealt with his environment in the past, into some conception of his own philosophy of life, classes, correlating the sciences, the arts, and philosophy were added under the chairmanship of the dean. These have proved valuable guides to the student. The department of Naval Science was added within the last three years to the college, and is now under the direction of Captain Andrew D. Denney, former cap- tain of the Mare Island, California, Navy Yard. Captain Denney has the title of professor of naval science and tactics in connection with the Naval R.O.T.C., in addition to commanding the Naval Radio school and the campus V-12 unit. His background includes graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1908, service in World War I, two assignments aboard the U.S.S. Arizona, which was sunk in the Jap raid on Pearl Harbor, and being awarded various medals for his service. Other department heads of the college include Melville Herskovits, professor of anthropology. In addition to his educa- tion in the United States, he has studied at the University of Portiers in France. Dr. Herskovits' research has led to the publication of various books on the relation of race and culture, negro problems, and folklore. Kenneth W. Colegrove, who heads the department of political science, taught at Mt. Holyoke College and Syracuse Uni- versity before coming to Northwestern. His research in the field of American foreign policy, comparative government, inter- -- - gf fr ,- - I -.'vf -Q41 s ' '7'?i f 5a,x T Q li., yt 1 Q rf ra f 1 U jf ,logic 13-IM -7 1-,-1-1 hx 'tl I iw. I it lk f Y, ,f N, J ' Q ' lplzy - - lk ' VI it .il I Q. ft 4955 XLR fl fl fl 5 l 1 N , hx jf , J f I 5 ' Nm X ,gf 1 1 4 l .lclx Wagg a - X 1 , wx? 1 'Za p - E . 2- ,ff - , i ' xnxai-f N X f H a f!-E' F15-,,,,. X f MT 4 l l an national regulation of aviation, and Japanese government and politics led to the writing of several books on these topics. Professor Colegrove was editor of the European Economic and Political Survey published in Paris 1929-30. Professor Oliver J. Lee, head of the astronomy department, is also director of Dearborn Observatory. He has published some 60 articles and other studies on stellar spectroscopy, astrometry, and solar physics. He was director of the school of navigation for the United States Shipping Board from 1917 to 1919. The present war has introduced many major changes into all fields of education, and the Liberal Arts college is no exception. Along with the traditional garb of corduroy slacks, argyles, and saddle-shoes, uniforms of V-12, Marines, and R.O.'s have taken their places in Northwestern's classrooms. It is generally considered, Dean Hib- bard remarked, that colleges of Liberal Arts are being undermined by Army-Navy programs of the universities. I am not of this opinion. The Liberal Arts system has 23

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of journalistically inclined Tech men have found time enough to publish a semi-tech- nical magazine, the Northwestern Engineer, which has achieved an important position among college publications and has been complimented for its professional appear- ance. VVritten for the layman, the Engineer includes historical articles, a news page, biographies, and, in keeping with under- gfaduate expression, satires and sketches in the lighter vein, in addition to the technical articles written by student and faculty authors. ak COLLEGE OE LIBERAL ARTS CC Liberal education is a broad mys- terious term, usually found cropping up guiltily from the pages of some decaying textbook or from the editorial columns of the Dezibf Northwestern, but never being finally and adequately defined. Liberal Arts, once associated mostly with diehard profs who forced Greek verbs, Latin nouns, and the glories of ancient history on bored students and said it was education, has now taken on an entirely different aspect. People wrote obituaries for that type of education long ago. Today, Liberal Arts colleges are more alive than ever. This new importance is largely the result of readjustments in methods and curricula so that the colleges might better meet the needs of students in a contemporary civilization. In the last analysis, it somehow seems clear that the true purpose of a college training is the development for oneself of a philosophy of life. In short, the end of education is to encourage the student to find himself, his individual capacities, and to discover his own powers and enthusiasms. Thus the formalized, stereotyped pro- gram, which in the past turned out every 22 graduate just like every other graduate, has been forgotten, and in lieu of it, in- dividualized college work has become the dominant development among the forward- looking colleges of America today. The ideas of the foregoing discussion were put forth in a bulletin by Addison Hibbard, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Northwestern, almost ten years ago. It can be seen now, by looking at the cur- riculum, that Northwestern has kept pace with this development since it began. In 1933, the system introduced into the college met the new conditions of increased enrollment and greater complexity of civilization, which were characteristic of the times. A few of these are included to give greater recognition to the individual capacities and interests of the student, to reduce the number of specifically required courses that the student might have more time to follow fields of learning particularly congenial and valuable to him, and to encourage students with special interests 'MTL' lzilfll 1 :fs lip it Ii - llw ,- lil N 1 ill il fl lf I E l I 5 I l at lla u -si M li A 'nil A M? ,I . , , lllll El gllllplll 4 q WJ ' Ill ll 7 I ,J .,... ' i f-I V. f , - -aa at . M' ,1.., ,f ,grzgff to begin work in these fields in their fresh- man 'yearff Although this curriculum was more liberal than the old one Cshades of Greek and Latin lj, certain broad principles have been retained by requiring him to become familiar with the culture of another civiliza- tion other than his own through foreign

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been enhanced by the advent of servicemen to the campus, because many of the courses required by the army and navy are in Liberal Arts. The government has requested that the servicemen be included in 17 of the 22 de- partments. This should be suHicient en- dorsement of the need for Liberal Arts colleges, even with the emphasis put on specialized training for these men. With such increased stress put on pro- fessional schools in recent years, there might also seem to be a tendency for liberal arts to slip beneath the notice of professors of those schools. But, on the contrary, these professional schools-journalism, speech, medicine, commerce-want a solid back- ground in the liberal arts courses for their students before beginning specialized work. Thus, not only the college itself, but service groups on the campus, professional schools, and students believe that upon an acquaintance with the general field of human endeavor the student should erect for himself an education of his own, fitted to his personal tastes, enthusiasms, and capacities. -ir SCHOOL OF SPEEC I f Robert L. Cumnock were to return to the School of Speech, he would hardly recognize the institution he founded as the School of Oratory in 1878. In the Speech lounge on the first floor, harried students from the five departments of the college practice their Stanislavsky, debate, and smoke c'garette after cigarette. The lounge is an oasis where re-ed majors escape from their laboratory in the base- ment of Mineralogy to listen in amazement to future Norman Corwins who, having staggered up from their radio studios, talk about being on the nose. In that small room, with its modern- 24 istic chairs and indeterminable wall seats, Alvina Krause's students read their lines in competition with public speaking majors determined to persuade someone about something. With hands vaguely describing arcs and lighting angles, Theodore Fuchs' disciples plan the production for the next University Theatre show. Bewildered freshmen, over- whelmed by Cornelius Cunningham's vo- cabulary, decide to concentrate on the dictionary and perhaps someday fully understand the meaning of aesthetic dis- tance. From his oHice on the second floor Dean James H. McBurney gazes in amused ap- preciation of his varied crew, and ably coordinates all the departments of the school. Students are introduced to him by the Tuesday Speech assemblies where they and faculty members as well as emi- nent guests present interesting and enter- taining programs. To those who love to hammer and paint, Fundamentals of Theatre Practice, fondly known as 1340, provides an opportunity to display their talents. To others, the two- hour labs and work on production crews for University Theatre shows are necessary evils. The School of Speech not only sets up universal requirements in its own curricu- lum, but asks for certain Liberal Arts subjects such as psychology and English. One of the strangest sights is to see some- one crouched backstage during a show, mouthing Chaucer While waiting for a light cue. Students in sequences other than theatre also have an opportunity to get practical experience. Those taking radio courses produce, direct, and act in their own shows, as well as broadcast weekly over WJJD. The culmination of this activity, which replaces a final exam, is radio day. Then the program for a day of broadcasting is carried out, with nervous students reading lines, signaling from the control room, and playing sound recordings.