An Orientation Course
T HE occasion for this report is a letter from one of the editors of this JOURNAL in which it was said that persistent rumors were coming in to the effect that the course, The Nature of the World and of Man, at the University of Chicago was proving a failure and that its abandonment was under consideration. As the organizer and director of this course, I was asked to make a statement concerning this rumor, and at the same time to give an account of our experience with the course up to the present. Perhaps the best method of dispelling the rumors above mentioned is to quote unbiased statements by two prominent officials of the University of Chicago. Mr. Frederic Woodward, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculties, says: "The Survey Course in the Natural Sciences which we call 'The Nature of the World and of Man' has established itself as a valuable feature of our freshman curriculum, and far from discontinuing it, we hope to introduce courses of a similar character in other fields." Mr. C. S. Boucher, Dean of the Colleges of Arts, Literature, and Science, writes: "We still receive many reports from students long after they have had this course (The Nature of he World and of Man) that it was one of the most stimulating intellectual experiences which they have encountered in the University. Instead of contemplating abandoning this experiment, President Hutchins and I and several others who are vitally interested are contemplating the introduction of even more orientation and survey courses in other fields." My guess is that these rumors originated in connection with a companion survey course, started at about the same time, called "Man in Society." This course endeavored to do for the social sciences what our course does for the natural sciences. Unfortunately, either because it lacked a centralizing and integrating concept or because of lack of leadership and co-operation, this experiment proved a failure and was abandoned. Another effort in this direction is, I understand, being planned. Since these two courses were entirely independent in conception and administration, the failure of one should not in the least be charged up to the other. With this preliminary statement may I now proceed with a general description of this course, with the request that it be considered at all times