Tag: Day

Harvard. Early Evolution of Behavioral and Social Science Departments. Mason Report.

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2015-11-04

Today I generate another posting from the Mason Committee Report The Behavioral Sciences at Harvard published in June, 1954. Here we have a quick trot through Harvard’s own history of behavioral and social sciences, the splitting of some of its divisions into departments and the creation of new departments and schools. It is an extremely convenient collection of names and dates to help us see where economics and economists fit into the larger academic community during the first half century or so following the emergence of political economy and government at Harvard College. You can tell an economist chaired the committee, it’s so much about us. I have added boldface to help readers of this blog find stuff they might (should) be interested in.

________________________

[p. 18]

HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AT HARVARD

The future historian of Harvard will note that a new term began to be prominent in University documents during 1953-1954. A reorganization of course offerings in the Graduate School of Education created the “behavioral sciences” as a prominent new rubric. Reports in the Business School allude to present and planned developments in the “behavioral sciences” and this survey utilizes the new term as an inclusive category to define the area of its inquiry.

If the term is of recent birth, Harvard’s activities in the area of the behavioral sciences certainly are not. Taking the loose definition of the behavioral sciences, which we have adopted (at least provisionally) for this survey, their cultivation at Harvard goes back at least to the emergence of Harvard as a modern university in the second half of the nineteenth century. At least some of the behavioral sciences shared in the rapid growth of Harvard to university stature at the end of the nineteenth century. The reorganization of 1890, establishing the system of Divisions and Departments of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, brought into existence a Division of History, Government, and Economics. Prior to this time there had been instruction in all of these fields, and Harvard could already point to distinguished scholars in some parts of them. History, after a “false dawn” in 1838 when Jared Sparks was appointed to the new McLean Professorship of Ancient and Modern History, was rapidly coming to strength under the inspiration of Henry Adams and the young men bringing new methods and standards from the German universities. Economics had begun its emergence from moral philosophy in the early Seventies when anxiety that sound currency doctrines be heard in Harvard College led to the appointment of Charles F. Dunbar as Professor of Political Economy. The study of government was comfortably developing in the work of a group of historians who were predominantly concerned with constitutional and institutional history.

Today the Division of History, Government, and Economics has been reduced to a shadowy holding company for three powerful and [p. 19] autonomous departments. In 1890-1891, the situation was different. Prior to the reorganization, the Harvard College faculty had indeed been subdivided into departments, but they were very loose and informal bodies, so casual in their operation that regular meetings were not held nor formal records kept. After 1891, a new structure of departments established itself firmly, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences quickly became the nexus of self-contained subdivision that it is today. History and government naturally fell together in a department first labeled that of “History and Roman Law” which in 1895 became the Department of History and Government.¹ The split of this joint department into the present Departments of History and Government took place considerably later, in 1911. A Department of Political Economy was in existence from 1879, and economics courses enjoyed a separate listing under this heading until the present Department of Economics became established in 1892.

Within this evolving framework, Harvard quickly pushed to a place of prominence in studies in this area. In history the dominant pattern of activity was clear:

“Institutional History was uppermost at Harvard in the last third of the nineteenth century. Maine and Stubbs in England, Waitz in Germany, Fustel de Coulangcs in France, initiated an eager search into the origins and development of political institutions, believing therein to find the true explanation of human progress. Henry Adams introduced the fashion to Harvard. To take a sample year, 1890-91, there was hardly a history course in the catalogue, save History I, and those given by Emerton, which did not smack of Verfassungsgeschichte. There was Constitutional Government (later Government 1), Constitutional History of England since George I, and Principles of Constitutional Law, by Professor Macvane; English Constitutional History from 1485 to George I, and Early Medieval History “with special reference to Institutions,” by Mr. Bendelari; French History to Louis XIV, with the same emphasis, by Dr. Snow; Constitutional History, Constitutional Development, and Federal Government by Professor Hart; Early American Institutions, by Professor Channing; and three more courses on English Constitutional History by Dr. Gross. Certainly no institutions in the United States or England today would offer so much constitutional history. . . “²

The doctoral dissertations accepted before 1900 in history and government reflect this concentration of interest. In a total of thirty-one accepted during the period 1873-1900, twelve were in United States national and colonial history, ten were in English institutional history, three were in “government and international law.”³ While Harvard initially lagged behind Johns Hopkins in its production of Ph.D.’s, it was early in the field, and its staff played a prominent role in the professionalization of historical study. They were active in the establishment of the American Historical Association (1884) and can claim [p. 20] to have been the prime movers in starting the American Historical Review. The intimate connection between political science and history which was fostered by the joint department and the nature of historical studies in this early period served to give the study of political science a strong historical cast. But instruction in political science extended beyond clearly historical courses, and Government 1 by 1900 was established as one of the great introductory courses with more than four hundred students.

After beginnings in the Seventies with the appointment of Charles F. Dunbar as Professor of Political Economy, Harvard’s work in economics quickly took on strength in the Eighties. The year 1886 is notable for two events: the establishment of the first professional economics journal in the English language, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, which has been continuously published under the auspices of the Department since that date; and the appointment of Frank W. Taussig, who became perhaps the central figure in a generation of growth in Harvard economics. As Professor Taussig modestly remarks in his own survey of department history, after 1886, the Department of Political Economy “was able to present a substantial offering.”⁴ From the first, the work of the Department showed a strong concern with contemporary issues of public policy, but it also reflected the late nineteenth-century concern with economic history in the appointments of William J. Ashley (1892) and Edwin F. Gay. Economics 1 took its place alongside History 1 and Government 1 as one of the famous introductory courses and like them attracted more than four hundred students by 1900.⁵ A temporary dip in activity occurred shortly after the turn of the century, but the foundations were laid for an exuberant later development.

The history of the other behavioral sciences in this early period is more varied, tentative, and uncertain. Anthropology got off to an early start with the Peabody bequest in 1866 establishing the Peabody Museum and the Peabody Professorship of American Archaeology and Ethnology. The terms of the bequest were such that part of it had to be left to accumulate until it had reached a specified level. The building which now houses the Peabody Museum was not begun until 1876, and the Professorship was not filled until 1887 (by Frederick Ward Putnam).⁶ The gathering of collections, however, began almost immediately after the Peabody bequest, and the first Report dates from 1868. By the Nineties the Museum collections had grown impressively, [p. 21] and the University acquired a major resource when the Museum became an integral part of it in 1897. Instruction in anthropology was almost lacking before 1890, there being no undergraduate courses and only a few graduate students. The reorganization of 1890 established a Division of American Archaeology and Ethnology, but no regular course in general anthropology was offered until 1894-1895. During the Nineties the Division shared in the general expansion of the University, increasing its staff and offerings so that by 1903 its old title was inappropriate, and it became the Department of Anthropology which still exists. The Nineties saw the beginning of a long series of archaeological and ethnological expeditions in the Americas and elsewhere which have enriched the collections of the Museum and the literature of the field. Studies and instruction in physical anthropology began at this time and have continued to the present day.

Psychology at Harvard is relatively old. Professor Boring when interviewed in the course of this survey has emphasized the point:

“America was very early in the development of experimental psychology, and the development was centered largely at Harvard. James had a very small laboratory as early as Wundt, actually — that is, in 1875. It is true that Germany led the world in experimental psychology in the 1890’s, but there was a great push in America to get psychological laboratories started, and I would say that they lagged behind Germany by less than ten years. In America there was a laboratory developed at Johns Hopkins in 1883, and ours here at Harvard officially began in 1892, although, as I said, there was a small laboratory before that.”

William James not only began experimental studies in psychology at an early date; in 1875 he offered a course in the Relations between Physiology and Psychology, and in the following year he presented another psychology course under the label of Natural History 2. His enthusiasm for experimental psychology led him to raise the necessary funds for the official establishment of the Psychology Laboratory in 1892. He did not, however, want to devote himself primarily to this work, and at his instigation Dr. Hugo Muensterberg was brought from Freiburg, first temporarily (in 1892), then after a brief interval, as a permanent Professor of Psychology in 1897. The early years of the new century saw important additions to the staff (in E. B. Holt and Robert M. Yerkes) and the availability of new space for the laboratories in Emerson Hall (1905). Instruction in psychology grew rapidly, but no independent department appeared. In 1913 psychology courses won separate listing, and the title of the sheltering department was expanded to become the Department of Philosophy and Psychology.

Sociology began its Harvard career in at least two places. The broad concern about social problems which swept over American society in the last third of the nineteenth century and did so much to establish sociology as an academic discipline had its representation at Harvard. The Reverend Francis Greenwood Peabody was giving a course in [p. 22] Practical Ethics in 1881, and from 1883 he offered another in Ethical Theories and Moral Reform. In 1905 it became possible, largely through the benefactions of Andrew Tredway White, to establish instruction of this sort more amply in a separate Department of Social Ethics. The early years of the new department saw expanded work in various types of social problems and a somewhat cautious venture in the direction of professional social work training.⁷

Not all of Harvard’s early sociology was contained in this lineal ancestor of its present work in sociology. The Department of Economics appointed an assistant professor of sociology in 1893, and after his appointment in 1901 Thomas Nixon Carver regularly gave sociology courses. There was further concern with sociology in connection with such subjects as labor problems, but in summing up the situation to 1929, Professor Taussig found cause to lament Harvard’s failure to “keep pace with the forward movement of economic science … in the field of the social applications or implications of the subject.”

Our sketch thus far has brought the account of the behavioral sciences at Harvard down to the years preceding the first World War. The subsequent years were crowded and active ones, but they have put their imprint so clearly on the present that we may hope to bridge them quickly, reserving details for the contemporary picture presented in Section B.

The organization of the behavioral sciences at Harvard has seen both fission and fusion in the twentieth century. We have noted the splitting off of Social Ethics in 1905 from its parent Department of Philosophy. The next fission was that between Government and History in 1911. In this, as in other organizational changes at Harvard, personalities and special local problems played their role, but the development of the fields themselves made the change a natural one. As Harvard developed rapidly into one of the major American centers of historical study, the heavy concentration in constitutional and institutional history yielded to more diversity. Many of Harvard’s great historians continued to write history in which political events and institutions bulked large, but the range of interests became increasingly catholic. In the history of religions George Foote Moore and others continued and ornamented an established Harvard tradition, Charles H. Haskins ranged over a vast field of medieval studies, Frederick J. Turner brought a sweeping perspective on American democracy, and by 1924 the University had a recognized practitioner of the “new” history in Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. An era arrived in which social and economic history took established positions among the common varieties of historical writing so that they now look like older trends in the 1954 picture. A glance at the list of doctoral dissertations submitted [p. 23] to the Department shows a steady and strong growth in American and modern European history paralleling the over-all growth of the Department to a commanding position in the production of the professional historians.⁸

Since its independent establishment in 1911, the Department of Government has shown continued loyalty to its older union with History. In Charles Mcllwain it had an inspiring continuator of the tradition in English constitutional history and thought. The new Department rapidly expanded its concern with political theory and made new ventures in constitutional and international law, American national, state and local government, comparative government, and international relations. The establishment of the Graduate School of Public Administration in 1937 broadened and strengthened work on matters related to contemporary public policy. A steady rise in the popularity of government as a field of undergraduate concentration brought the Department in the years after World War II into the demanding position of caring for more undergraduates than any other department.

The Department of Economics has continued to grow until it stands today among Harvard’s largest. The concern with the issues of the day which engaged Harvard economists from the first has persisted. The tradition of government consulting blossomed with the work of Taussig, Ripley, Gay and Day during World War I, and in the ill-fated Harvard Economic Service Harvard economists in the Twenties ventured predictions on the course of business conditions. Theoretical economics was pursued with distinction, and a rounded development of the field could be pointed to as a basis for a commonly recognized position of leadership. The Graduate School of Public Administration at its founding could draw on a department with vigorous interests in economic policy, and it in turn provided stimulus and facilities for such work.

Anthropology at Harvard during the early decades of this century continued activities on the wide front established in the Nineties. While Harvard could claim no single figure of such commanding leadership as Boas at Columbia, men like Dixon, Tozzer, and Hooton took major places in the development of American anthropology. A long series of Peabody Museum expeditions extended all over the globe and established Harvard’s position of leadership in Middle American archaeology, Southwestern archaeology, Old World prehistory, and other fields. The large-scale Irish expedition in the Thirties brought widely-known results, and it is perhaps less well remembered that the Yankee City study had its inception in the Department of Anthropology. The Forties brought an important organizational change in the establishment of the Department of Social Relations (1946). This move, which relocated part of the work in [p. 24] Social Anthropology in a new department, has resulted in a substantial expansion of the total numbers of anthropologists on the Harvard staff and of the range and quantity of anthropological investigation.

The chapter on psychology in an official history of Harvard published in 1930 was written by a philosopher, Ralph Parton Perry. Professor Perry notes at the beginning of his account: “Harvard is almost the only American university in which Philosophy and Psychology still constitute a single department.”⁹ This tardiness of Harvard in following the movement toward an independent status for psychology continued until 1934, when the Department of Psychology was established with Professor Boring as chairman. The lack of separate status had not meant inactivity. The work of the Psychological Laboratory begun under James and Muensterberg continued under the direction of Langfeld (until 1924) and later under Professor Boring. The range of work included that of Yerkes on animal psychology, Troland on physiological optics, and McDougall (after 1920) on social psychology. In 1926 a special bequest for work in abnormal and dynamic psychology led to the establishment of the Psychological Clinic, first under Dr. Morton Prince, and later under Professor Henry A. Murray. The appointment of Professor K. S. Lashley in 1936 brought new work in physiological psychology which was later transferred to the Yerkes Laboratories of Primate Biology, Orange Park, Florida. During the second World War, Harvard’s psychologists became heavily involved in work which led to the present Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory under the direction of Professor S. S. Stevens. Substantial uncertainty as to the ideal arrangements for psychology in the University persisted. A special commission was appointed in 1945, under the chairmanship of Dr. Alan Gregg to examine this question,¹⁰ but the work was overtaken by action from another quarter which issued in the founding of the Department of Social Relations in 1946. The consequences of this change will be evidenced at many places in this report; suffice to say here that work in clinical and social psychology was moved to the new department, experimental and physiological psychology remaining in the Department of Psychology.¹¹

Sociology at Harvard continued under the departmental label of Social Ethics until 1929. In the early years of this department (after 1905) the ethical and practical concerns of its founder marked both instruction and research.¹² Courses were taught in criminology and penology, radical social movements, juvenile delinquency, housing, immigration, and the typical range of “social problems” found in sociology [p. 25] curricula of this era. After World War I, when Dr. Richard C. Cabot was made Professor of Social Ethics and Chairman of the Department (1920), sociology extended its concerns into philosophical questions and some applied fields, while preserving the ethical orientation. As Professor Cabot’s retirement approached, the status of sociology was subject to a general re-examination. A new Department of Sociology was established under the direction of a committee drawn from various existing departments and including a new appointee, Pitirim A. Sorokin, as Chairman and Professor of Sociology. The new department continued through the Thirties, establishing a strong tradition in theoretical sociology and producing a small but distinguished group of Ph.D.’s. A need for further organizational change was felt by the beginning of the Forties,¹³ and when the Department of Social Relations emerged in 1946, it had absorbed the old Department of Sociology. Since that time, sociology has been without separate departmental status at Harvard, but it has been strongly represented in the new organization.

This rapid survey could include little more than the most conspicuous and central developments in the behavioral sciences within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard. It has neglected many interdisciplinary committees and degree programs, research organizations, area programs, and the growth of such indispensable facilities as the College Library. A great many of the most important special developments have appeared since World War II and are still in existence. As elsewhere throughout the country, much of the history of behavioral sciences at Harvard crowds onto the contemporary scene.

The history we have presented has been largely a history of departments, but we think this not improper. The departments have long been and remain the fundamental units in the organization of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The historical record of the growth of the behavioral sciences at Harvard seems to show a common pattern. Harvard has not been unresponsive to new needs and the development of new fields, but it has moved cautiously, making its first ventures under the shelter of established departments. Government, psychology, and sociology at Harvard thus began under older departments, only slowly winning autonomous status. Ultimately, fields like these have taken their place in an extended roster of the same type of organization which fostered them, namely, as departments on the established model. The record is doubtless a conservative one, substantively and organizationally, but it is perhaps in keeping with President Eliot’s aim of building “securely and slowly, a university in the largest sense.”

Thus far the growth of the behavioral sciences in the professional [p. 26] schools has gone largely unmentioned. Their development will be sketched briefly near the end of Section B, but, to avoid too much repetition, the more detailed historical developments are reserved for Part VI of this report, where each professional school receives a unified and comprehensive analysis. Unless the reader familiarizes himself with the trends in the utilization of the behavioral sciences in the graduate schools of Business, Education, Law, Medicine and Public Health, and Public Administration he will have only a partial image of Harvard’s activities in this field.

[NOTES]

1 Emerton and Morison, in Morison, ed.. Development of Harvard University, 1869-1929 (1930) p. 153, n. 1.

2 Emerton and Morison, op. cit., pp. 159-160.

3 Tabulation in Emerton and Morison, op. cit., p. 164.

4 In Morison, op. cit., p. 190.

5 A graph in Morison (between pp. 194-195) traces the rise in enrollment in these courses. They followed roughly the over-all increase in college enrollment.

6 A delay in the approval of Putnam’s appointment by the Board of Overseers deprived Harvard of the distinction of having the first professorship of American archaeology. (Daniel S. Brinton was appointed Professor of American Archaeology and Linguistics at Pennsylvania in 1886.) Dixon in Morison, p. 211, n. 1.

7 Ford in Morison, op. at., p. 225.

8 Cf. tabulation in Morison, op. cit., p. 164, and data below in Section B.

9 Morison, op. cit., p. 216.

10 Cf. The Place of Psychology in an Ideal University (1947).

11 A contemporary report on the nature and rationale of the split may be found in a joint article by Professors Allport and Boring, American Psychologist, v. 1, 1946, pp. 119-122.

12 Cf. the chapter by James M. Ford in Morison, op. cit., pp. 223-230.

13 The Report of the Visiting Committee to the Department for 1944-1945 remarks, “Obviously, the Department should not be allowed to continue as at present constituted.” Report No. 32, p. 219.

Source: The behavioral sciences at Harvard; report by a faculty committee. June, 1954.

Image Source: Faculty portraits of Professors Taussig, Ripley, Gay and Day from Harvard Album, 1916.

Tags Ashley, Carver, Day, Dunbar, Gay, Ripley, Taussig

Courses Economists Harvard Uncategorized

Harvard. Economics Dept. votes down course on Russian Revolution, 1919

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2015-10-07

An undergraduate student approached Frank W. Taussig to gain the latter’s support for a semester course in the second term of 1919-20 on “various phases” of the Russian Revolution before the latter left for the U. S. Tariff Commission in Washington, D.C. It appears that Taussig’s initial response was at least mildly encouraging and much activity to organize the course followed as reported in the undergraduate’s letter. The undergraduate went on to have a distinguished career as an economic historian and established the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago in 1941 that today bears his name, the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought.

In Taussig’s absence the Harvard economics department voted not to participate in such a course.

_________________________________

[Taussig to Day forwarding Nef letter]

United States Tariff Commission
Washington

December 6, 1919.

Dear Ezra:

The enclosed letter in the main explains itself. I’m willing to assume the responsibility provided that the department approves of the general scheme and of my participation in it. Bring this before the members individually or at a meeting; and I suggest that then you communicate direct with Neff [sic].

My first impression is that we secure for the lectures: (1) Foerster [Robert Franz, Ph.D. 1909] or Meriam [Richard Stockton, Ph.D. 1921], (2) Ohsol [Johann Gottfried, Ph.D. 1914]. I suggest that one of the first two give introductory lectures on Marx, Marxism, the International and post Marxian socialist developments. Then let Ohsol take up the development of thought in Russia and say something about the doctrinal position and the communistic scheme. I believe Ohsol would do the thing with full information and in a temperate spirit. By way of ascertaining possibilities, I shall find out whether Ohsol is still with the Federal Trade Commission and whether he is likely to remain in reach through next spring.

As between Foerster and Meriam, I am inclined, on the whole, to let Meriam have a try. Foerster has plenty of other work to do and Meriam’s recent residence abroad has probably put him in touch with the Continental situation.

[…]

Always sincerely yours,

[signed] F. W. T Taussig

Prof. E. E. Day,
Department of Economics,
Cambridge, Mass

_________________________________

[Nef’s Letter to Taussig: requests course on Russian Revolution]

19 Holworthy Hall,
Cambridge, Mass.
December 4, 1919.

Prof. F. W. Taussig,
c/o U. S. Tariff Commission,
Washington, D. C.

My dear Professor Taussig:

The Friday before you left for Washington, you will remember I consulted you as to the possibilities of offering a course on various phases of the Russian Revolution, during the second semester of the present academic year. Since that time considerable progress has been made. Prof. A. C. Coolidge is enthusiastic over the plan which he believes will work in well with the collection of all available documents and data on the Revolution for the Library. For this part of the work, he proposes, provided the funds can be raised and the demands warrant it, to employ a secretary who will have full charge of collecting the materials. He further plans to set aside a room in Widener Library, which will contain the most important books and documents to be consulted by students taking the course.

Professor Lord has expressed his willingness to take charge of the first part of the course, which would deal with the background of the problem and the narrative history up to the beginning of the Bolshevik regime. The second and third part would deal with the economic and political theories involved, and with the actual workings of the Soviet form of government so far as they can be ascertained. Fifield Workum and I went today to see Professor Ferguson, who thought the scheme feasible and proposes to bring it up before the history department for approval at a meeting on Friday, December 12th. First, however, he wishes to know whether you will be willing to take charge of the second part of the course. This would not mean that you would actually deliver the lectures, although we all hope very much you will be able to give some of them, but simply, as I understand it, that you will see that this part of the course is given.

The third part, Professor Coolidge proposes to arrange with Professor Ferguson. After hearing from you, Professor Ferguson will bring the plan before the history department.

We feel that undergraduate interest in the course justifies its being offered. Professor Ferguson thought it might be given at 2.30 o’clock on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the second term. This would enable a number of men who are now taking History A to take it. All the undergraduates to whom I have mentioned the possibility have immediately expressed a desire to enroll. Professors Ferguson and Coolidge feel that it will make the course both possible and successful if you could stand behind the second part of it.

Very sincerely yours,

[John U. Nef]

_________________________________

[Day’s Reply to Taussig: Time not yet ripe]

December 12, 1919

Dear Mr. Taussig:

At a meeting of the Department yesterday afternoon I brought up for discussion your letter presenting the proposal of J. U. Nef and other undergraduates for a course the second half-year on various phases of the Russian Revolution. The matter was discussed at length, with the result that a number of different grounds for opposing the plan were brought up. I need not go over these at length, as you can readily imagine most of them. Professor Ripley’s objection lay altogether against the method in which the course was to be administered; Bullock’s against the proposed subject matter of the course. The outcome was a unanimous vote that in the opinion of the members of the Department it is inexpedient for the Department to participate in the offering of the proposed course. If you wish further details regarding the opinions expressed, I shall be glad to send them to you. I may add that I should have voted with the other members had I been called upon to do so, as it does not seem to me that the time is yet ripe for academic instruction on the subject of the revolution.

[…]

Sincerely yours,

[Day]

Prof. F. W. Taussig

_________________________________

[Taussig’s Reply to Department Decision: Should have met students half way]

United States Tariff Commission
Washington

December 15, 1919.

Dear Ezra:

I have yours of December 12^th. I confess it is a matter of surprise that the Department should have voted as it did. My own strong inclination was to meet the under graduates half way, and to have joined in giving a course, not “on the Revolution,” but upon Russian history and Russian conditions, as leading up to the Revolution. I am sorry not to have been on hand.

[…]

Very sincerely yours,

(signed) F. W. Taussig

Professor E. E. Day,
Department of Economics,
Harvard University,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.

_________________________________

Source: Harvard University Archives. UAV.349.10 Department of Economics, Correspondence & Papers 1902-1950, Box 23. Folder: “Course Offerings 1913-1925”.

Image Source: Harvard Album, 1920.

Tags Bullock, Day, Nef, Ripley, Taussig

Harvard

Harvard. Readings Ph.D. Preparation. Banking, ca 1913

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2015-08-14

From the fact that E. E. Day last taught courses in money and banking in 1913 and based on the last dates of items of the reading list we can date this list to 1912 or 1913. Dates of publication have been added by me, as have links to the individual readings.

____________________________

(COPY)

E. E. DAY.

SUGGESTED READING IN PREPARATION OF PH.D. EXAMINATION.
SUBJECT: BANKING.

(Familiarity with the better texts—e.g., Dunbar [1901, revised], White [1908, 3rd edition]—is assumed.)

A. K. Fiske, The Modern Bank [1904, revised ed. 1919]

Holdsworth & Dewey, The First and Second Banks of the United States. (National Monetary Commission Publications)

D. R. Dewey, State Banking before the Civil War. (N. M. C. Pubs.) [1910]

O. M. W. Sprague, History of Crises under the National Banking System (N. M. C. Pubs.) [1910]

Report of the Indianapolis Monetary Commission [1897]

C. F. Dunbar, Economic Essays (those upon banking)[1904]

Noyes, Forty Years of American Finance [1909]

D. Kinley, The Independent Treasury of the United States (N. M. C. Pubs.)

J. G. Cannon, Clearing Houses (N. M. C. pubs.)[1910]

G. E. Barnett, State Banks and Trust Companies (N. M. C. Pubs.) [1911]

W. Bagehot, Lombard Street

H. Withers, The Meaning of Money [1909, revised 1916]

A. Liesse, Evolution of Credit and Banks in France (N. M. C. Pubs.) [1910]

Miscellaneous Articles on German Banking (N. M. C. Pubs.)

R. M. Breckenridge, History of Banking in Canada, (N. M. C. Pubs.) [1910]

J. F. Johnson, The Canadian Banking System (N. M. C. Pubs.) [1910]

(Candidate should have some acquaintance also with the other publications of the National Monetary Commission.)

____________________________

Source: Harvard University Archives. Department of Economics Records. UAV 349.10, Box 25, Folder “Suggested Readings”.

Tags Day

Courses Curriculum Harvard Regulations

Harvard Economics. Courses, Degree Requirements. 1911-12.

Post author By Irwin Collier
Post date 2015-05-22

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS
1911-12

FIRST EDITION

OFFICIAL REGISTER OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY
VOLUME VIII JUNE 15, 1911 NUMBER 23
Published by Harvard University
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

[p.2]

DIVISION OF HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

The Division of History, Government, and Economics is one of the eighteen Divisions of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It comprises the Departments of History, Government, and Economics. The administrative officers of the Division and its Departments are: —

Professor Charles Homer Haskins, Chairman of the Division of History, Government, and Economics. 23 University Hall.

Asst. Professor William Scott Ferguson, Acting Chairman of the Department of History. 17 Chauncy St.

Professor Albert Rushnell Hart, Chairman of the Department of Government. 5 Quincy Chambers.

Professor Frank William Taussig, Chairman of the Department of Economics. 2 Scott St.

Correspondence concerning the degrees of A.M. and of Ph.D. and the degree of A.B. with Distinction should be addressed to the Chairman of the Division; other correspondence should be addressed to the Chairman of the Department concerned.

[p.3]

INSTRUCTORS
(Arranged in each Department on the basis of collegiate seniority)

History

Ephraim Emerton, Ph.D., Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History. 19 Chauncy St.

George Foot Moore, A.M., D.D., LL.D., Frothingham Professor of the History of Religion. 3 Divinity Ave.

Edward Caldwell Moore, Ph.D., D.D., Parkman Professor of Theology. 21 Kirkland St.

Edward Channing, Ph.D., Professor of History. [Absent (hiring the first half of the year 1911-12.] 74 Sparks St.

Albert Bushnell Hart, Ph.D., LL.D., Litt.D., Eaton Professor of the Science of Government. [See below.]

Worthington Chauncey Ford, A.M., Lecturer on Historical Manuscripts. 1154 Boylston St., Boston.

Frederick Jackson Turner, Ph.D., LL.D., Litt.D., Professor of History. 153 Brattle St.

John Winthrop Platner, A.M., D.D., Andover Professor of Ecclesiastical History. 119 Walker St.

Archibald Cary Coolidge, Ph.D., Professor of History, and Director of the University Library. 4 Randolph Hall.

Charles Homer Haskins, Ph.D., Litt.D., Professor of History, Chairman of the Division of History, Government, and Economics, and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 15 Prescott Hall.

Robert Matteson Johnston, A.M., Assistant Professor of Modern History. [Absent during the first half of the year 1911-12.] 14 Appian Way.

Edwin Francis Gay, Ph.D., Professor of Economics. [See below.]

Charles Howard McIlwain, A.M., Assistant Professor of History.

William Scott Ferguson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History, and Acting Chairman of the Department of History. 17 Chauncy St.

Roger Bigelow Merriman, Litt.B., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History. 175 Brattle St.

[p.4]

Harold William Vazeille Temperley, A.M. (Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge), Lecturer on History.

Howard Levi Gray, Ph.D., Instructor in History. 17 Conant Hall.

Robert Howard Lord, Ph.D., Instructor in History. 27 Perkins Hall.

Government

Frederic Jesup Stimson, A.B., LL.B., Professor of Comparative
Legislation. [Absent during the year 1911-12.] 709 Exchange Bldg., Boston.

Albert Bushnell Hart, Ph.D., LL.D., Litt.D., Eaton Professor of the Science of Government, and Chairman of the Department of Government. [Absent during the second half of the year 1911-12.] 5 Quincy Chambers.

George Grafton Wilson, Ph.D., Professor of International Law. 38 Quincy St.

Charles Howard McIlwain, A.M., Assistant Professor of History. [See above.]

William Bennett Munro, LL.B., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of
Government. 21 Dana Chambers.

Joseph Warren, A.B., LL.B., Lecturer on Persons. 26 Quincy St.

Henry Aaron Yeomans, A.M., LL.B., Instructor in Government. 74 Trapelo Road, Belmont.

Arthur Norman Holcombe, Ph.D., Instructor in Government. 7 Exeter Park.

Economics

Francis Greenwood Peabody, A.M., D.D., LL.D., Plummer Professor of Christian Morals. 13 Kirkland St.

Frank William Taussig, LL.B., Ph.D., Henry Lee Professor of Economics, and Chairman of the Department of Economics. 2 Scott St.

Jeffrey Richardson Brackett, Ph.D., Instructor in Charity, Public Aid and Correction. 41 Marlborough St., Boston.

Charles Jesse Bullock, Ph.D., Professor of Economics. 1 Grays Hall.William Morse Cole, A.M., Assistant Professor of Accounting. 35 Langdon St.

[p.5]

Edwin Francis Gay, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, and Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration. 58 Highland St.

William Zebina Ripley, Ph.D., Professor of Political Economy. Newton Centre.

Thomas Nixon Carver, Ph.D., LL.D., David A. Wells Professor of Political Economy. 16 Kirkland Road.

Oliver Mitchell Wentworth Sprague, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Banking and Finance. 18 Sumner Road.

Bruce Wyman, A.M., LL.B., Professor of Law. 16 Quincy St.

Ray Madding McConnell, S.T.B., Ph.D., Instructor in Social Ethics. 5 Fuller Place.

William Emmanuel Rappard, Lic.-en-droit, J.D., Instructor in Commercial Organization.

Arthur Stone Dewing, Ph.D., Instructor in Economics. 469 Broadway.

Edmund Ezra Day, Ph.D., Instructor in Economics. 15 Perkins Hall.

James Ford, Ph.D., Instructor in Social Ethics. 35 Walker St.

Robert Franz Foerster, Ph.D., Instructor in Social Ethics. 71 Perkins Hall.

ASSISTANTS AND AUSTIN TEACHING FELLOWS

Harry Maxwell Varrell, A.M., in History 1.

Carl Stephenson, A.M., in History 1.

James Grover McDonald, A.M., in History 1.

Frank Erskine Crawford in History 1.

Robert Joseph Kerner, A.M., in History 2.

Samuel Eliot Morison, A.M., in History 13.

Oswald Ryan, in History 13.

Lloyd William Brooke, A.B., in History 17.

Henry Warren Cleary, A.B., in Government 1.

Charles Claflin Davis, S.B., LL.B., in Government 1.

Stuart Cameron McLeod, A.M., in Government 1.

Daniel Badger Priest, A.B., in Government 4.

Eliot Jones, A.M., in Economics 1.

Alfred Burpee Balcom, A.M., in Economics 1.

Joseph Stancliffe Davis, A.B., in Economics 1.

Harold Hitchings Burbank, A.M., in Economics 1.

Julius Klein, Litt.M., in Economics 6a and 6b.

[p.6]

HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, AND ECONOMICS

HISTORY

Introductory Courses.

I. Ancient and Oriental History.

II. Mediaeval History.

III. Modern European History.

IV. American History.

V. Economic History.

VI. Church History.

VII. History of Religions.

GOVERNMENT

I. Introductory Course.

II. Modern Government.

III. Law and Political Theory.

IV. International Law and Diplomacy.

ECONOMICS

Introductory Course.

I. Economic Theory and Method.

II. Economic History.

III. Applied Economics.

IV. Courses Preparing for a Business Career.

V. Sociology.

VI. Courses of Research.

_____________________

SOCIAL ETHICS

Introductory Courses.

Intermediate Courses.

Courses of Research.

_____________________

[…]

[p.57]

ECONOMICS

GENERAL STATEMENT

Course 1 is introductory to the other courses. It is intended to give a general survey of the subject for those who take but one course in Economics, and also to prepare for the further study of the subject in advanced courses. It is usually taken with most profit by undergraduates in the second year of their college career. It may not be taken by Freshmen without the consent of the instructor. History 1 or Government 1, or both of these courses, will usually be taken to advantage before Economics 1.

Before taking any of the advanced courses, students are strongly advised to consult the instructors. Courses 2, 4, 9b, 14b, 16, 18, 21, 23, 30 may not be taken without the previous consent of the instructors. It is advised that Course 1 be taken in all cases as a preparation for the advanced courses; but some of them may be taken without this preparation. The conditions of admission to the several courses are stated below in the detailed descriptions.

The courses of research are intended primarily for Graduate Students: but Seniors in Harvard College who have had adequate training in the subject may be admitted.

The attention of students who look forward to a business career, and who have already taken Course 1, is called to Courses 4, 5, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8, 9a, 9b, 11, 16, and 30. In addition, Courses 18 and 21 are offered with a special view to their usefulness in preparing for a business career. Of these courses more is said below, on page 67.

The courses preparatory to business, which are described in the pamphlet of the Graduate School of Business Administration, are open to Graduate Students in Economics.

[p.58]

INTRODUCTORY COURSES

Primarily for Undergraduates

Principles of Economies. Tu., Th., Sat., at 11. Professor Taussig, assisted by Dr. Day, and Messrs. Jones, Balcom, Davis, and Burbank. (XII)

Course 1 gives a general introduction to economic study, and a general view of Economics for those who have not further time to give to the subject. It undertakes a consideration of the principles of production, distribution, exchange, money, banking, international trade, and taxation. The relations of labor and capital, the present organization of industry, and the recent currency legislation of the United States will be treated in outline.

The course will be conducted partly by lectures, partly by oral discussion in sections. A course of reading will be laid down, and weekly written exercises will test the work of students in following systematically and continuously the lectures and the prescribed reading. Course 1 may not be taken by Freshmen without the consent of the instructor.

_____________________

I
ECONOMIC THEORY AND METHOD

For Undergraduates and Graduates

*2. Economic Theory. Mon., Wed., Fri., at 2.30. Professor Taussig. (VII)

Course 2 is intended to acquaint the student with some of the later developments of economic thought, and at the same time to train him in the critical consideration of economic principles and the analysis of economic conditions. The exercises are accordingly conducted mainly by the discussion of selected passages from the leading writers; and in this discussion the students are expected to take an active part. The writings of F. A. Walker, Cairnes, Clark, Marshall, Bohm-Bawerk, and other recent authors, will be taken up. Attention will be given chiefly to the theory of exchange and distribution; but other subjects, such as international trade, and free trade and protection, will also be considered.

*4. Statistics. — Theory, Method, and Practice. Tu., Th., at 11. Professor Ripley. (XII)

This course is intended rather as an analysis of methods of research and sources of information than as embodying mere results. A brief

[p.59]

history of statistics will be followed by an account of census and other statistical methods in the United States and abroad, with the scientific use and interpretation of results. The main divisions of vital statistics, relating to birth, marriage, morbidity and mortality, life tables, etc.; the statistics of trade and commerce, such as price indexes, etc.; industrial statistics relating to labor, wages, and employment; statistics of agriculture, manufactures, and transportation, will be then considered in order. Laboratory work, amounting to not less than two hours per week, in the preparation of charts, maps, and diagrams from original material, will be required. Course 4 is open to students who have taken Economics 1.

14a¹hf. The Distribution of Wealth. Half-course (first half-year). Tu., Th., at 1.30. Professor Carver. (XIV)

This course begins with an analysis of the theory of value. The attempt is then made to formulate a positive theory of distribution helpful in explaining the actual incomes of the various classes of producers. Finally the question of justice in distribution is considered. This course is open only to students who have passed in Economics 1.

*14^b2hf. Methods of Social Reform. — Socialism, Communism, the Single Tax, etc. Half-course (second half-year). Tu., Th., at 1.30. Professor Carver. (XIV)

A study of those plans of social amelioration which involve either a reorganization of society, or a considerable extension of the functions of the state. The course begins with a critical examination of the theories of the leading socialistic writers, with a view to getting a clear understanding of the reasoning which lies back of socialistic movements, and of the economic conditions which tend to make this reasoning acceptable. A similar study will be made of the Single Tax Movement, of State Socialism and the public ownership of monopolistic enterprises, and of Christian Socialism, so called.

This course is open only to those who have passed satisfactorily in Course 14a.

29¹hf. Socialism and the Social Movement in Europe. Half-course (first half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 10. Dr. Rappard. (III)

A careful examination is made of the theories of the chief social reformers and of the leading socialists, both “Utopian ” and “scientific.” There follows a study of those revolutionary outbursts of the nineteenth century which were primarily economic in their origin and social in their aims. The course concludes with a summary of the positive political and institutional achievements of the social movement of the nineteenth century.

[p.60]

Primarily for Graduates

Methods of Economic Investigation. Hours to be arranged with the instructor. Professor Carver.

Course 13 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.

Course 13 is designed mainly for students who take or have taken Course 2 or Course 15; but it is open to mature students having a general acquaintance with economic theory.

‡15. History and Literature of Economics to the year 1848. Mon., Wed., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Fri., at 11. Professor Bullock. (IV)

The purpose of this course is to trace the development of economic thought from classical antiquity to the middle of the nineteenth century. Emphasis is placed upon the relation of economics to philosophical and political theories, as well as to political and industrial conditions.

A considerable amount of reading of prominent writers will be assigned, and opportunity given for the preparation of theses. Much of the instruction is necessarily given by means of lectures.

No undergraduates will be admitted to the course who are not candidates for distinction in economics.

German and French Economists of the Nineteenth Century. Two consecutive evening hours per week, to be arranged with the instructor. Professor Gay.

In this course selections from the works of a number of the more important German and French economists will be read and informally discussed. The influence of the English classical school will be traced, together with the criticism directed against this school by the socialists and the historical economists. Attention will also be given to the question of methods in economic investigation.

A moderate reading knowledge of German and French will of course be necessary.

[p.61]

II
ECONOMIC HISTORY

For Undergraduates and Graduates

6a¹hf. European Industry and Commerce in the Nineteenth Century. Half-course (first half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 9. Professor Gay, assisted by Mr. Klein. (X)

Course 6a undertakes to present the general outlines of the economic history of western Europe since the Industrial Revolution. Such topics as the following will be discussed: the economic aspects of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic regime, the Stein-Hardenberg reforms, the Zoll-Verein, Cobden and free trade in England, labor legislation and social reform, nationalism and the recrudescence of protectionism, railways and waterways, the effects of transoceanic competition, the rise of industrial Germany.

Since attention will be directed in this course to those phases of the subject which are related to the economic history of the United States, it may be taken usefully before Economics 6b. It is open to students who have passed in Economics 1, and, with the consent of the instructor, to students who have taken or are taking Economics 1.

6b²hf. Economic and Financial History of the United States. Halfcourse (second half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 9. Professor Gay, assisted by Mr. Klein. (X)

The following are among the subjects considered: aspects of the Revolution and commercial relations during the Confederation and the European wars; the history of the protective tariff policy and the growth of manufacturing industries; the settlement of the West and the history of transportation, including the early canal and turnpike enterprises of the states, the various phases of railway building and the establishment of public regulation of railways; banking and currency experiences; various aspects of agrarian history, such as the public land policy, the growth of foreign demand for American produce and the subsequent competition of other sources of supply; certain social topics, such as slavery and its economic basis, and the effects of immigration.

It is open to students who have passed in Economics 1, and, with the consent of the instructor, to all students except Freshmen who are taking Economics 1.

[p.62]

Modern Economic History of Europe. Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 10. Professor Gay and Dr. Gray. (XI)

At the outset a survey will be made of economic and social conditions in the chief European countries at the close of the Middle Ages. The history of agriculture, industry, and commerce in the succeeding periods down to the beginning of the nineteenth century will then be treated in some detail. England will receive the emphasis due to its increasing importance during this period.

Course 11 is open to students who have passed satisfactorily in Economics 1 or History 1.

Primarily for Graduates

[10²hf. Mediaeval Economic History of Europe. Half-course (second half-year). Mon., Wed., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Fri., at 2.30. Dr. Gray.] (VII)

Omitted in 1911-12.

After a preliminary examination of early economic and social institutions, this course aims to give a general view of the economic development of society during the Middle Ages. Among other topics, the following will be considered: mediaeval agriculture and serfdom; the manorial system and the economic aspects of feudalism; the beginnings of town life and the gild-system of industry; and the Italian and Hanseatic commercial supremacy.

It is essential that students should possess some reading knowledge of Latin.

[26¹hf. The Economic Development of Antiquity. Half-course (first half-year). Asst. Professor Ferguson.]

Omitted in 1911-12.

A series of lectures upon the agrarian, commercial, and industrial relations of the chief peoples of antiquity. Discussions of labor, money, banking, prices, transport, guilds, monopolies, and their economic, social, and political bearings.

_____________________

[p.63]

III

APPLIED ECONOMICS

For Undergraduates and Graduates

5¹hf. Economics of Transportation. Half-course (first half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 10. Professor Ripley, assisted by Dr. Dewing. (XI)

A brief outline of the historical development of rail and water transportation in the United States will be followed by a description of the condition of transportation systems at the present time. The four main subdivisions of rates and rate-making, finance, traffic operation, and legislation will be considered in turn. The first deals with the relation of the railroad to shippers, comprehending an analysis of the theory and practice of rate-making. An outline will be given of the nature of railroad securities, the principles of capitalization, and the interpretation of railroad accounts. Railroad operation will deal with the practical problems of the traffic department, such as the collection and interpretation of statistics of operation, pro-rating, the apportionment of cost, depreciation and maintenance, etc. Under legislation, the course of state regulation and control in the United States and Europe will be traced.

Course 5 is open only to students who have passed in Economics 1.

7a¹hf. Introduction to Public Finance. Half-course (first half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 9. Professor Bullock. (II)

This course covers the general field of public finance exclusive of taxation. After a brief survey of the history of public finance, the following subjects are studied: public expenditures, public revenues other than taxes, public debts, financial administration, and financial legislation. Attention is given both to the theory and to the practice of various countries.

A systematic course of readings is prescribed, and most of the exercises are conducted by the method of informal discussion. Candidates for honors will be given an opportunity to write theses. The course is open only to students who have passed in Economics 1. Graduate students are advised to take Economics 16. Course 7a is not open to students who in the year 1910-11 elected Economics 7, but such students may be admitted to Economics 1b with the consent of the instructor.

7b²hf. The Theory and Methods of Taxation. Half-course (second half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 9. Professor Bullock. (II)

[p.64]

In this course the theory of taxation is first examined; then the tax systems of the United States and leading countries of Europe are studied. Finally proposals for reforming the methods employed in the United States are considered historically and critically.

The course will be conducted in the same manner as Economics 7a, and admission is subject to the same conditions. Students who do not elect this course at the beginning of the year will be admitted in February only with the consent of the instructor.

Money, Banking, and Crises. Mon., Wed., Fri., at 1.30. Dr. Day. (VI)

This course aims to analyze the principal problems of money and credit. An examination is first made of the more important existing monetary systems. This is followed by a careful review of the more instructive chapters in the monetary history of England, Germany, France, the United States, Austria, British India, Mexico, and the Philippines.

The nature, origin, and early growth of commercial banking are considered. A thorough investigation of present banking practice in England, France, Germany, and Canada is followed by a study of banking history and present banking problems in the United States. In this connection foreign exchange and the money markets of London, Paris, Berlin, and New York are examined.

Finally attention is turned to those problems of money and credit which appear most prominently in connection with economic crises. Though emphasis is thrown upon the financial aspects of the trade cycle, the investigation covers the more fundamental factors causing commercial and industrial fluctuations.

Short papers upon assigned topics will be required of all students. The course is open to those only who have passed in Economics 1.

9a¹hf. Problems of Labor. Half-course (first half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 1.30. Professor Ripley, assisted by Mr. ——. (XIV)

This course will deal mainly with the economic and social relations of employer and employed, with especial reference to legislation. Among the topics included will be: collective bargaining; labor organizations; factory legislation in the United States and Europe; strikes, strike legislation and legal decisions; conciliation and arbitration; employers’ liability and compulsory compensation; compulsory insurance with particular reference to European experience; the problem of the unemployed; apprenticeship, and trade and technical education.

[p. 65]

Each student will make at least one report upon a labor union, from the original documents. Two lectures a week, with one recitation, will be the usual practice. This course is open to students who hare passed in Economics 1 and to Juniors and Seniors of good standing who are taking Economics 1 at the same time.

*9b²hf. Economics of Corporations. Half-course (second half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 10. Professor Ripley, assisted by Dr. Dewing. (XI)

This course will treat of the fiscal and industrial organization of capital, especially in the corporate form. The principal topic considered will be industrial combination and the so-called trust problem. This will be broadly discussed, with comparative study of conditions in the United States and Europe. The development of corporate enterprise, promotion, and financing, accounting, liability of directors and underwriters, will be described, not from their legal but from their purely economic aspects; and the effects of industrial combination upon efficiency, profits, wages, prices, the development of export trade, and international competition will be considered in turn.

The course is open to those students only who have passed in Economics 1. Systematic reading and report work will be assigned from time to time.

*23²hf. Economics of Agriculture, with special reference to American conditions. Half-course (second half-year). Tu., Th., at 2.30. Professor Carver. (XV)

A study of the relation of agriculture to the whole industrial system, the relative importance of rural and urban economics, the conditions of rural life in different parts of the United States, the forms of land tenure and methods of rent payment, the comparative merits of large and small holdings, the status and wages of farm labor, the influence of farm machinery, farmers’ organizations, the marketing and distribution of farm products, agricultural credit, the policy of the government toward agriculture, and the probable future of American agriculture.

This course is open to students who have passed in Economics 1, and, with the consent of the instructor, to Juniors and Seniors of good standing who are taking Economics 1 at the same time.

*30¹hf. The Financial Aspects of Combinations. Half-course (first half-year). Tu., Th., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Sat., at 12. Dr. Dewing. (XIII)

The course considers the financial aspects of combinations in the United States, giving attention, however, to the economic rather than to the

[p. 66]

business or legal problems involved. Examples of financial history and policy will be considered in some detail. The psychological as well as the economic conditions that determine the market price of railroad and industrial securities will be described with the purpose of formulating general principles. Each student will select a typical episode in the history of some combination and some general subject, such as promotion, minority rights, effect on prices, and will present reports at conferences which will sometimes replace the lectures of the course. This course is open only to those who have passed in Economics 1.

Attention is also called to the following courses :—

Government 32a¹hf. Public Ownership and Control. Dr. Holcombe.

Government 32b²hf. Selected Problems in Public Ownership and Control. Dr. Holcombe.

Primarily for Graduates

*16. Public Finance (advanced course). Mon., Wed., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Fri., at 10. Professor Bullock. (III)

The course is devoted to the examination of the financial institutions of the principal modern countries, in the light of both theory and history. One or more reports calling for independent investigation will ordinarily be required. Special emphasis will be placed upon questions of American finance. Ability to read French or German is presupposed. Undergraduates are admitted only by consent of the instructor.

_____________________

IV
COURSES ESPECIALLY PREPARING FOR A BUSINESS CAREER

Among the courses described above, those on the industrial and financial phenomena of modern times are useful for students who propose to enter on a business career. Such are the courses on Money, Banking, and Crises (8), Economics of Transportation (5), Problems of Labor (9a), the Economics of Corporations (9b), the Economic and Financial History of the United States (6b), and European Industry and Commerce in the Nineteenth Century (6a). In addition, the following courses are designed more particularly to aid in the understanding of the problems likely to be met in business

[p. 67]

life, and are arranged with special regard to the needs of those looking to such a career. They are primarily for students who have reached or approached the close of their general education.

*18. Principles of Accounting. Mon., Wed., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Fri., at 11. Asst. Professor Cole and assistants. (IV)

This course is designed to show the processes by which the earnings and values of business properties are computed. It is not intended primarily to afford practice in book-keeping; but since intelligent construction and interpretation of accounts is impossible without a knowledge of certain main types of book-keeping, practice sufficient to give the student familiarity with elementary technique will form an important part of the work of the course. The chief work, however, will be a study of the principles that underlie the determination of profit, cost, and valuation. These will be considered as they appear in several types of business enterprise. Published accounts of corporations will be examined, and practice in interpretation will be afforded. The instruction will be chiefly by assigned readings, discussions, and written work.

Course 18 is not open to students before their last year of undergraduate work. For men completing their work at the end of the first half-year, it will be counted as a half-course. It is regularly open only to Seniors and to Graduates who have passed in Economics 1. Students intending to enter the Graduate School of Business Administration are expected to take this course in preparation for the advanced courses in accounting.

*21¹hf. The Law of Competition and Combination. Half-course (first half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 12. Professor Wyman, assisted by Mr. —— . (V)

Course 21 is not open to students before their last year of undergraduate work, and is only open to those who have passed in Economics 1.

The course considers certain rules of the law governing the course of modern trade and the organization of modern industry. As the course deals with adjudication and legislation on questions of first importance in the economic development of modern times, it is of advantage to all those who wish to equip themselves for the intelligent discussion of issues having both legal and economic aspects. In 1911-12 four principal topics will be discussed: competition; combination; association; consolidation, — some very briefly, some with more detail. The conduct of the course will be by the reading and discussion of cases from the law reports, which are contained in an edited series of case books.

[p. 68]

Attention is also called to the following courses : —

Botany 5. Outlines of Economic Botany.

Engineering 4a. Surveying. Asst. Professor Hughes.

Engineering 4d. Railroad Engineering. Asst. Professor Hughes.

Engineering 11a²hf. Steam Machinery. Professor Hollis and Messrs. Markham and ——.

Geology 9²hf. Geographic Influences in North America. Asst. Professor D. W. Johnson.

Geology 2¹hf. Geography of South America. Professor Ward.

_____________________

V
SOCIOLOGY
See further the courses in Social Ethics.

For Undergraduates and Graduates

Economics 3. Principles of Sociology.—Theories of Social Progress. Mon., Wed., and (at the pleasure of the instructor) Fri., at 1.30. Professor Carver, assisted by ——. (VI)

An analytical study of social life and of the factors and forces which hold society together and give it an orderly development. The leading social institutions will also be studied with a view to finding out their relation to social well-being and progress.

Spencer’s Principles of Sociology and Carver’s Sociology and Social Progress will be read in full. Students are expected to take part in the discussion of the books read and of the lectures delivered.

Course 3 is open only to students who have passed in Economics 1.

Anthropology 12²hf. Primitive Sociology. Half-course (second half-year). Mon., Wed., Fri., at 1.30. Dr. Tozzer. (VI)

This course deals with the early history of such institutions as marriage, the family, property, government, law, and ethical standards. The social organization of primitive peoples will be examined. Totemism in its various phases will also be considered.

Attention is also called to the following courses : —

Philosophy 4. Ethics. Professor Palmer.

Philosophy 6a¹hf. Philosophy of Religion. Professor E. C. Moore.

[p. 69]

Philosophy 3²hf. Philosophy of Nature, with especial reference to Man’s Place in Nature. Asst. Professor G. P. Adams (University of California).

Philosophy 20d. Seminary in Ethics. Professor Palmer.

History of Religions 2. History of Religions in Outline. Professor G. F. Moore.

Anthropology 1. General Anthropology. Dr Tozzer.

Anthropology 5. American Archaeology and Ethnography. Asst. Professor Dixon and Drs. Farabee and Tozzer.

Anthropology 7¹hf. Ethnography of Oceania. Asst. Professor Dixon.

Anthropology 11²hf. Ethnography of Asia. Asst. Professor Dixon.

_____________________

VI
COURSES OF RESEARCH

The following courses indicate those fields within which the members of the Department ordinarily undertake to guide students in research: —

Economics 20a. The Economic History of England. Professor Gay.

Economics 20b. Economic Theory. Professor Carver.

Economics 20c. Principles of Corporation Finance. Professor Ripley.

Economics 20d. The Economic History of the United States, with special reference to Tariff Legislation. Professor Taussig.

Economics 20e. American Taxation and Finance. Professor Bullock.

Economics 20f. Currency and Crises. Asst. Professor Sprague.

Economics 20g. Banking. Asst. Professor Sprague.

Economics 20h. Mediaeval Economic History. Dr. Gray.

The Seminary in Economics. Mon., at 4.30.

Meetings are held each week by instructors and advanced students for the presentation of the results of investigation. At intervals, other persons are invited to address the Seminary on subjects of theoretic or practical interest, giving opportunity for contact and discussion with the non-academic world. All graduate students of economics are expected to attend.

[…]

[p. 75]

GENERAL INFORMATION

_____________________

ORGANIZATION

The Division of History, Government, and Economics comprises three departments: History; Government; and Economics. The Division has charge of the administration of the degree of A.B. with Distinction in History, in Economics, and in Political Science, and of the degrees of Ph.D. in History, in Political Science, and in Economics. The recommendation of candidates for assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships is in the hands of the respective Departments; and each Department has charge of all matters relating specially to its own instruction.

DEGREE OF A.B.

The degree of Bachelor of Arts is conferred usually after four years of residence, although a student who enters college without serious deficiency may complete the requirements for the degree in three years or three years and a half. At least one year of residence is required. Graduates of other colleges and students of the higher classes of other colleges are admitted to advanced standing in Harvard College, without examination, on presenting testimonials of scholarship and character, and satisfactory evidence of work well performed in the institutions previously attended.

THE DEGREE OF A.B. WITH DISTINCTION IN HISTORY, IN ECONOMICS, AND IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

In the opinion of the Faculty every undergraduate of superior ability should look to a considerable amount of advanced work in some subject or related subjects as a natural part of his undergraduate career; but it is not to be imagined that the Faculty intends to call for anything like original research on the part of undergraduates, or for the passing of examinations similar to those required for the higher degrees. The Degree with Distinction, it is believed, is so planned as to be within the reach of every student of good ability.

[p. 76]

General Regulations. — The candidate for the degree of A.B. with Distinction in History, Government, and Economics shall make application, not later than November 1 of the year in which he expects to receive the degree, to the Division of History, Government, and Economics; he shall, at the same time, record his name and purpose at the office of the Dean of Harvard College. Students intending to become candidates are urged to put themselves, as early as the beginning of their Sophomore year, under the guidance of the Division.

The requirements for the degree cum laude and magna cum laude are the same. The grade of distinction depends on the excellence of the student’s work, as determined by the Division. If his work be judged unworthy of distinction, but worthy of a degree, the Division may recommend him for a degree without distinction.

Special Regulations. — Not later than November 1 of his final year of preparation, the candidate must present, for approval by the Division, a plan of study, which shall comprise at least seven courses, selected from those offered by the Division, and not including more than two from the courses regularly open to Freshmen. This plan of study may, however, with the approval of the Division, include related courses offered by other Departments of the University, and also, by special vote of the Division, suitable work done outside of regular courses. If four or more of the seven courses are courses in History, the candidate, if successful, will be recommended for the Degree with Distinction in History; if four or more of them are courses in Economics, he will be recommended for the Degree with Distinction in Economics; if less than four of them are courses in History, and less than four are courses in Economics, he will be recommended for the Degree with Distinction in Political Science.

Besides this minimum requirement, the candidate may indicate in his plan of study any additional work done in History, Government, Economics, or in related subjects. The character and range of this work will be taken into account in determining the recommendation for the Degree with Distinction. The winning of a University prize in any of the subjects represented in the Division, such as a Bowdoin, Toppan, or Sumner prize, may, at the Division’s discretion, be accepted as evidence towards establishing a candidate’s qualification for the Degree with Distinction.

[p. 77]

Not later than May 1 of his Senior year, the candidate will present to the Chairman of the Division a thesis; and he will be required to pass an oral examination on the general field covered by the courses he offers, or on such portion of the field as the Division may determine. Successful candidates at the oral examination will be excused from the final examinations in their Senior year in the courses offered for the Degree with Distinction; and unsuccessful candidates at the oral examination may be recommended by the Division for the ordinary degree without taking the final examinations in such courses.

In the award of the Dillaway Fellowship preference will be given to the most successful candidate for the Degree with Distinction in History; and the Philip Washburn Prize is offered for the best thesis, of sufficient merit, on an historical subject presented by a successful candidate for the Degree with Distinction in History.

[…]

[p. 78]

Degree with Distinction in Philosophy and Economics

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences have established a degree with distinction in Philosophy and Economics, intended to represent special attainment in the study of social problems, theoretical and practical. This degree is to be administered by a standing committee of three under the following rules : —

As early as possible in his college career, and not later than November 1 of his final year, the candidate must present a plan of study to the Chairman of the Committee on Degrees with Distinction in Philosophy and Economics.

Such a plan must comprise at least eight courses, of which at least two must be in (1) Philosophy, (2) Social Ethics, and (3) Economics, respectively. Of these courses at least one in each of these

[p. 79]

groups and at least six in all must be of the grade not open to Freshmen. The courses in Economics and Philosophy which form a part of the plan must be approved by the Committee as suitable to the general purposes of the degree.

Not later than May 1 of his final year, the candidate must submit a thesis on some topic in social theory or practice. The subject must be approved by the Committee not later than the beginning of the second half of the candidate’s final year. This thesis may, with the instructors1 permission, replace the regular thesis work connected with the courses which the candidate is taking.

At some date after May 1 of the candidate’s final year, he will be examined on the field covered by the courses which he offers in his plan of study. With the consent of the instructors concerned he may be excused from the final examinations in those courses of his programme which fall in his final year.

DEGREE OF A.M.

The ordinary requirement for the degree of Master of Arts for a graduate of a college of good standing consists of at least one year of residence and study devoted to advanced work approved by the Administrative Board of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences as affording suitable preparation for the degree and completed with distinction. Graduates of colleges whose requirements for admission and graduation are considerably below those of Harvard College, or of colleges whose standing is not well known to the Administrative Board, and graduates of any college who have not sufficient preparation for advanced work in their particular subject of study, are ordinarily required to devote at least two years to their study for this degree. In special cases this period may be shortened to one year or one year and a half for students whose work in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences shows unusual excellence.

The programme of study for the degree of Master of Arts must form a consistent plan of work pursued with some definite aim, whether it lies wholly in a single department or field of study or in more than one; this work may be done either in, or in connection with, the regular courses of instruction, or independently of them. Programmes should he submitted early in the academic

[p. 80]

year, and no programme will ordinarily be approved that is received after January 15 of the academic year in which the degree is to be taken. All applications should be addressed to the Secretary of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

All candidates must possess an elementary knowledge of two modern foreign languages, ordinarily French and German.

DEGREE OF PH.D.

For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy not less than two years devoted to advanced studies, approved as affording suitable preparation for the degree, are required of graduates of colleges of good standing. This degree is not usually taken in less than three years after the attainment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Harvard College, or an equivalent. A graduate of another college may ascertain by writing to the Secretary of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences whether any special conditions will be imposed upon him. In order to be admitted to the degree the candidate must show a general training in the whole field of study, firm grasp of his special subject within the field, and independent research in some portion of that subject. He must present a thesis, showing original treatment or investigation, and must pass such examination or examinations as may be required by the Division. The degree is given on the ground of thorough study and high attainments. Appropriate studies carried on in the graduate school of another university may be recognized as a part of the candidate’s preparation for the degree. The minimum period of residence at Harvard University is one year.

The University confers the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History; in Political Science; and in Economics. Candidates for the degree under any of these heads are subject to supervision and examination by the Division of History, Government, and Economics. In order to indicate the grounds on which it is prepared to recommend candidates for the degree, the Division has adopted the following statements and suggestions.

All communications relative to the doctorate should be sent to the Chairman of the Division of History, Government, and Economics.

[p. 81]

General Preparation

Every candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is required, at an early stage in his preparation, to submit to the Division, through its chairman, evidence of the extent and quality of his general studies. A command of good English, spoken and written, the ability to make free use of French and German books, and a fair acquaintance with general history are expected in all cases. On the evidence presented, the Division will decide, provisionally, as to the sufficiency of the candidate’s general training. No set examinations will be held at this stage, but before he is admitted to the general examination each candidate must present a certificate from some member of the Division stating that he is able to make free use of French and German books. Such a certificate may be given on the basis either of a special test or of the candidate’s use of these languages in connection with the regular courses of instruction. Candidates may be required to make up deficiencies by pursuing specified College courses, or in such other way as the Division may designate. The provisional acceptance of a candidate, as regards this portion of his preparation, does not preclude the Division from rejecting him later, if, in the examination on specific subjects, it shall appear that his general education is insufficient.

Candidates must ordinarily pass two examinations: the first general, the second (after the acceptance of the thesis) on a special field, defined in each case by vote of the Division.

I. General Examination

The first examination will be held not later than the beginning of the last year of study for the degree, and candidates are recommended to present themselves for this examination in the course of the preceding academic year. The object of this test is to ascertain the applicant’s attainments within a considerable range of subjects in the field of History, Political Science, or Economics. He will ordinarily be examined in six subjects in all, chosen from the groups defined below under the respective departments of study, but the ground of his special field will not be covered in the general examination. Candidates are not required, however, to follow the details of these plans. They may present, for the consideration of the

[p. 82]

Division, reasonable substitutes for any of the topics named, and may offer appropriate combinations of parts of the separate subjects. They are advised, in all cases, to submit their plans of study for approval at an early date. In judging of the candidate’s fitness for the degree, regard will be had to the general grasp and maturity shown, as well as to the range and accuracy of his attainments in the specific subjects of examination.

II. Thesis

The thesis must be in the hands of the Chairman of the Division on or before April 1 of the year in which the degree is sought. It must be accepted as satisfactory before the candidate can be admitted to the final examination. It must show an original treatment of the subject, or give evidence of independent research, and must also be in good literary form and suitable for publication.*

_____________________

* A list of the theses which have been accepted for the Ph.D. in the Division of History, Government, and Economics will be found in the list of Doctors of Philosophy and Doctors of Science who have received their degree in course from Harvard University, 1873-1909, published by the University in 1910.

_____________________

III. Special Examination

The second examination will be on a single limited subject agreed upon in advance. It is intended that each candidate should have, as far as possible, freedom of choice in selecting his subject, but it is expected that he will submit, for approval, an outline of work to be presented in satisfaction of this requirement. It is desirable that this outline should be submitted a year in advance of the examination. Ordinarily the ground covered by the special examination will not be greater in extent than one of the subjects offered by the candidate at his general examination, and may be identical with one of these subjects. Or the candidate may limit his more special preparation to an approved portion of this field, which will regularly include the period or topic within which the thesis lies. At the final examination, the candidate will be expected to show such a mastery of his special field, and such an acquaintance with the literature, general and special, bearing on it, as would qualify him to give instruction to mature students.

[…]

[p. 85]

THE DEGREE OF PH.D. IN ECONOMICS

General Preparation

Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics must meet the general requirements stated on page 81. They should also be well grounded in the main outlines of European and American history, and should have had a general view of the nature and growth of political institutions and constitutional law.

[p. 86]

General Examination

This examination (the general conditions of which are stated on p. 81) will include six subjects, chosen from the following list. Of the six subjects, at least one must be taken from each of the groups A, B, C, and D, the first three of these groups being purely economic, while the fourth, more general in character, is intended to secure a somewhat broader basis of preparation. In all cases at least one of the subjects chosen must be historical in character, either economic history under group B or one of the historical fields defined under Group D.

Group A

Economic Theory and its History.

Group B

Economic History to 1750.
Economic History since 1750.
Sociology and Social Reform.
Statistics (Literature, Methods, and Results).

Group C

Money, Banking, and Commercial Crises.
Public Finance and Financial History.
Transportation and Foreign Commerce.
Labor Problems and Industrial Organization.

Group D

Selected topics from one or more of the following fields : —

History of Political Institutions in Mediaeval Europe, including England.
History of Political Institutions since 1500 in Europe, including England.
History of American Institutions.
Modern Government and Comparative Constitutional Law.
Jurisprudence.
Philosophy.
Anthropology

In the case of a candidate whose special subject is in the Department of Social Ethics, the six subjects for examination will be chosen

[p. 87]

from the two following groups. The candidate will be examined in all four of the subjects in Group E, and is expected to be proficient in the history of one of them. He will select two subjects from Group F.

Group E

Ethical Theory.
Economic Theory.
Poor Relief.
Social Reforms.

Group F

Sociology.
Statistics.
Economic History.
The Labor Question.
Criminology and Penology.
Problems of Municipal Government.
Anthropology.

FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

About $50,000 is distributed annually among undergraduate students, in amounts ranging from $40 to $450. About thirty-five fellowships and ninety scholarships are also annually assigned to graduate students, the former varying in amount from $400 to $1150, the latter from $150 to $400. Many of these appointments are open to persons not already members of the University. Some of the fellowships permit the holders to study abroad as travelling fellows; others require residence in Cambridge. There is also a special endowment of $350,000, the Frederick Sheldon Fund, for Travelling Fellowships. Non-resident appointments are awarded only to persons who have been resident students in some department of the University.

Eleven of the fellowships and scholarships have special reference to historical, political, and economic studies, namely: the Bayard Cutting Fellowship (income $1150), for the study of History; the Woodhury Lowery Fund (income $900), for research in Historical Archives; the Robert Treat Paine Fellowship (income $600), for the study of Social Science; the South End House Fellowship ($600), for the study of Social Problems; the Henry Lee Memorial Fellowship (income $525), for the study of Political

[p. 88]

Economy; the Henry Bromfield Rogers Memorial Fellowship (income $525), for the study of Ethics in its relation to Jurisprudence or to Sociology; the Ozias Goodwin Memorial Fellowship (income $525), assigned to students of Constitutional or International Law; the Charles Wyman Scholarship in History (income $450); the Adams Woods Fellowship ($400), for the study of heredity in American History; the George W. Dillaway Fellowship (income $250), “in favor of the graduate from year to year who passes his examination with highest honor in Modern History”; and a special fellowship of $600 in Social Ethics.

Applications for graduate fellowships and scholarships should be made upon a special form which may be obtained from the Secretary of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 24 University Hall, Cambridge. Applications must be in the hands of the Committee on Fellowships by March 15. Full information concerning the various fellowships and scholarships will be found in the University Catalogue or in the announcement of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Through the liberality of the École Libre des Sciences Politiques of Paris, Harvard University has the privilege each year of nominating a scholar for membership in the school without payment of fees.

PRIZES

The following prizes are open to competition by students of History, Government, or Economics: three Bowdoin Prizes for Undergraduates ($250, $100, $100) for dissertations upon any subject approved by the Chairman of the Committee on Bowdoin Prizes; a Bowdoin Prize for Graduates ($200) for essays within certain special fields of learning, open for the year 1911-12 to students of History and Political Science; the Philip Washburn Prize ($75) for the best thesis on an historical subject presented by a successful candidate for the degree of A.B. with Distinction in History or in Political Science; the Toppan Prize ($150) for Graduates “for the best essay (of sufficient merit) on a subject in Political Science”; the Sumner Prize ($100) open to any student “for the best dissertation on a subject connected with the topic of universal peace and the methods by which war may be permanently superseded”; the Bennett Prize ($40) open to

[p. 89]

Seniors and third or fourth year Special Students “for the best essay on some subject pi American governmental domestic or foreign policy of contemporaneous interest”; the Ricardo Prize Scholarship ($350) open to those who are Seniors or members of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1911-12, and awarded after a special examination; the David A. Wells Prize in Economics ($500) open to Seniors in the College and Graduates of any department of the University of not more than three years’ standing “for the best thesis embodying the results of original investigation” upon a subject within the field of Economics. The successful thesis will be printed by the University from the income of a fund likewise provided by the will of the late David A. Wells.

Further details concerning these prizes may be found in the University Catalogue.

[…]

[p. 90]

The Department of Economics publishes the Quarterly Journal of Economics, now in its twenty-fifth volume. It also publishes the Harvard Economic Studies, of which the following volumes have appeared:—

The English Patents of Monopoly. By William Hyde Price, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Economy in Yale University.
The Lodging House Problem in Boston. By Albert Benedict Wolfe, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Sociology in Oberlin College.
The Stannaries. A Study of the Early English Miner. By George Randall Lewis, Ph.D.
Railroad Reorganizations. By Stuart Daggett, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Economics in the University of California.
Wool-Growing and the Tariff. A Study in the Economic History of the United States. By Chester Whitney Wright, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Economy in the University of Chicago.
Public Ownership of Telephones on the Continent of Europe. By Arthur Norman Holcombe, Ph.D., Instructor in Government in Harvard University.
The British Post Office. By Joseph Clarence Hemmeon, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Economies in McGill University. (In press.)

Source: Division of History, Government, and Economics: 1911-12 (1st ed.). Official Register of Harvard University, Vol. VIII, No. 23 (June 15, 1911).

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