Tutorial instruction has always been considered a key part of a Harvard education, the perfect balance to the formality of the lecture system. Because of the extent of tutorial before the war, no one could accuse the College of divorcing the student from his teacher. It was not until after the war, with the curtailment of tutorial, that everyone began to talk about impersonality as a problem of Harvard education. As the Poskanzer Report pointed out, an education based entirely on lectures has many disadvantages.
Every advance of tutorial toward its former position is therefore a welcome sight. The Economics Department, which once was forced to abandon tutorial completely, is now expanding its present program to include both honors juniors and seniors. The department also promises to increase the effectiveness of senior tutorial, for too many students writing Economics theses have complained that they can only catch their tutors as the latter race through Littauer on the way from Washington to Paris.
The tutorial regained by Economics concentrators is a healthy sign. As the College's enrollment declines, it is hoped that other departments will find similar ways of combatting the formality of the lecture system and bridging the gap between student and instructor.
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