In general, courses meet--as at most colleges--three hours a week, morning and afternoon. Some seminars are ball once a week and last for two hours; others three times a week, lasting one hour. In order to add spice to his two-hour session in Democracy and Dictatorship. Professor Sigmund Neumann calls for coffee at "half time," and cups and cauldron are passed around the table.

One student, who is working for his M.A. in Law and Diplomacy, said after a sip, "Neumann is a fascinating man, but if it wasn't for that coffee I'd be dozing now." Taking four courses in the three divisions of Law, Economics, and Diplomacy, writing a long thesis and preparing for written and oral exams left him little time, even for sleep.

"The courses here are very good, but we rarely get a chance to leave on weekends...Especially the foreign students. Many don't know English well and have trouble understanding the lectures and reading. So they live almost a monastic life and never really get a chance to see what American life is like. Their main impression is that we have big houses, flashy automobiles, and golf courses."

Student Tours

"We are well aware of this difficult problem," Stewart says. "At present, we are making plans for students to visit the United Nations and their embassies in Washington. The greatest need, though, is to get students into American homes...Many foreign students here don't carry a full load of courses in order to get around and come to know the country and people."

One Japanese student, who is working for his Ph.D. said, "Last year I spent my time going to burlesque shown with the idea that I could work this year. But I don't know. There's so much work that maybe I should see more burlesque shows."

Another student from Japan found that neither International House in Cambridge not social activity centers in Boston provided enough contact with Americans during the few hours he could spend at them. Many foreign students preferred to see movies in their precious leisure hours.

Broad Curriculum

From the faculty point of view, Halm asserted, "All the students here are well qualified. But you often get a high-grade student who has had little training in economics, for instance. Then I have to allow for these deficiencies and that slows down the class or puts a great load on some people."

But Fletcher students are quick to agree that their school is an excellent training ground. One man, who was sent to Fletcher by his government in Thailand, hopes to continue his studies for four or five years. "My government first wanted me to go to France for training", he explains," but I realized that the center of diplomacy has changed from Europe to the United States. I wanted to learn international diplomacy, so I finally advised them to send me here...

Foreignere Baffled

"When I arrived in this country I knew very little grammar. So I spent the three months of the fall of '49 learning English at Syracuse University. And when I came to Flether, I found that our methods of teaching are much different. I can read well now but I still have difficulty speaking to and understanding people.

After classes, students often congregate in a green-cushioned lounge on the basement floor of Gordon Hall. Bull sessions there cover the usual subjects, but women and wild parties are rarely mentioned. Since 14 of the students are married and most are well over 20 years old, they tend to discuss individual problems and current affairs.

An American brought up the "ludicrous and embarassing" pictures of Truman in Palm Beach sport shirts which were appearing currently in newspapers and magazines. "It certainly must make a poor impression on people in other countries," he said. But the foreign students present were inclined to disagree. A Pakistani commented." Well, the British would sneer, the French might chuckle, but after all--he's a family man and a human being and entitled to some relaxation."

Vital Discussions