The Crimson today commences publication of its eleventh annual Confidential Guide of Courses. The Guide appears this year at this time in view of the fact that course cards for next year must be filed at University Hall on or before Thursday, April 27 by all members of 1934, 1935, and 1936.

The object of the Guide is to furnish students with frank opinions of other students who have taken the courses that are being offered. Where no one deemed capable of rendering a clear and unprejudiced opinion of a particular course could be found, that course has been omitted from the Guide.

In some instances a revision of the conduct of a course may have been effected without any notice being given. The Crimson cannot assume responsibility for errors arising out of such conditions, and can only urge professors contemplating a change in the conduct of their courses to notify the Crimson.

Anthropology 1

If a man is interested in no particular subject but has a craving for a smattering of almost anything there is one course in the University that is perfectly able to cope with such a vast intellectual search. That course is Anthropology 1.

Economics has its recognized limits, Government has definite restrictions, even the "science of left-overs," Sociology, is not allowed full away. But in Anthropology there are no restrictions except a rather insignificant one of time. Economics, Government, Religion, Law, History, all have their place and Anthropology is competent to deal with them. The time limit restricts Anthropology to "man's beginnings" and the material is of two kinds. First, the study of archaeological deposits, and, secondly, the study of atrophied civilization found in primitive societies.

The year in Anthropology 1 is divided into several parts for convenience in covering the material. The first half-year concerns itself with Physical Anthropology, corresponding in some degree with a brief survey of human evolution, and in the latter part of the semester with pre-historic archaeology. For a short time after the mid-year period the course deals with racial distribution, and the rest of the year is spent with cultural anthropology, or Ethnology. The ethnology itself is divided into its departments of Religion, Sociology, Marriage and the Family, etc.

The textbook used has been Kroeber and Waterman's "Source Book in Anthropology," with some work in Professor Tozzer's "Social Origins and Social Continuities." There are bi-weekly tests covering the reading and the material in the lectures is taken care of at November, Mid-years and Finals. Numerous slides are shown in the lectures and there are walks through the Museum with a section-man to correlate Professor Tozzer's lectures and the exhibits.

Astronomy 1

Though the catalogue describes this course as one open to qualified Freshmen, only with the consent of the instructor, still it may fairly be said that as a general rule, it is inadvisable to take this course after the Sophomore year. This is not because of the intrinsic simplicity of the subject, for Astronomy is

One of the most difficult of modern sciences, but it is due rather to the fact that the work must be tempered to the capacities of the many Freshmen who take the course. Any subject purposely made so simple as to be placed within the grasp of Freshmen is not fit work for the necessarily more mature minds of upperclassmen. In addition, the Freshmen environment cannot help but produce a deadening effect upon the efforts of the Junior or Senior.

The course is divided into two distinct parts. During the first half year, the time is devoted to studying the Earth itself, and the Sun with its other planets. In the second half, the course soars to inter-stellar and inter-gallactic space, and far surpasses the first half in interest. Much attention is here paid to Spectroscopy which is the most powerful implement of modern astronomical research.

All of this work is covered by means of tri-weekly lectures, weekly laboratory periods of two hours, and occasional night observations. Each laboratory session must be written up in a report of two or three pages in length. Occasional reports on specially assigned topics complete the work of the course. There is a reading period in this subject, and here too, a written report is required.

The teaching staff deserves much praise, especially for its ever-apparent effort to improve the features of the course, and make them more interesting, as well as more comprehensible. The laboratory instructors are both competent and extremely patient and sedulous in their efforts to make clear the details of this very complicated subject.

There are few criticisms of any importance to be made in the present handling of the course in general, the first half year moves at a little too slow a pace, even considering the abilities of the Freshmen The lectures, while clear and interesting, parallel too closely the text book. A judicious choice of the more difficult problems for exposition in the lectures might help considerably. Finally, the night observations, except the one in which the constellations of the sky are learned, are of doubtful value.