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Harvard. Graduate Economic Theory, Scope and Methods. Carver, 1914-15

 

 

Thomas Nixon Carver was originally hired by Harvard as a theorist. His teaching portfolio grew to include courses in sociology, agricultural economics, and social reform schemes as well. This posting contains the course announcement for Carver’s graduate “Scope and Methods” course from 1914-15, enrollment figures, and the final examination questions. This information comes from three different sources, all of which are available on-line. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting corresponding material from the twenty economics courses at Harvard during the 1914-15 year for which the final examination questions had been printed and subsequently published.

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Course Announcement

Economics 121. Scope and Methods of Economic Investigation. Half-course (first half-year). Hours to be arranged with the instructor. Professor Carver.

Course 12 will examine the methods by which the leading writers of modern times have approached economic questions, and the range which they have given their inquiries; and will consider the advantage of different methods, and the expediency of a wider or narrower field of investigation. Methods of reasoning, methods of investigation, and methods of exposition will be considered separately. Selected passages from the works of a considerable number of writers will be studied, with a view to analyzing the nature and scope of their reasoning. [p. 67]

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics 1914-15. Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. XI, No. 1, Part 14 (May 19, 1914).

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Course Enrollment

[Economics] 12 1hf. Professor Carver.—Scope and Methods of Economic Investigation.

Total 2: 1 Graduate, 1 Radcliffe.

Source: Report of the President of Harvard College, 1914-15, p. 59.

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Final Examination

ECONOMICS 121

  1. How would you classify the problems of Economic method?
  2. Is the so-called ” Deductive Method ” a method of investigation or a method of exposition? Explain and illustrate.
  3. Discuss the possibility of prediction in Economics as compared with the possibility of prediction in such subjects as Physics and Medicine.
  4. Discuss the applicability of the Method of Difference to Economic investigation.
  5. Discuss the place of mathematical formulae in Economic investigation and in Economic exposition.
  6. Is there any logical connection between the Law of Definite Proportions and the Law of Variable Proportions? Explain.
  7. What is Cairnes’s position as to the relative merits of inductive and deductive methods? Do you agree? Give your reasons.
  8. What are the uses of statistics in Economic investigation?
  9. Does the value for investigational purposes of a business transaction vary with its size? Explain and illustrate.
  10. What are the reasons, if any, for subjective analysis in Economic investigations?

 

Source: Harvard University Examinations. Papers Set for Final Examinations in History, History of Science, Government, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Social Ethics, Education, Fine Arts, Music in Harvard College. June 1915, p. 55.

Image Source: Thomas Nixon Carver in Harvard Class Album, 1915.