In the early 1870's, James Bryce visited Harvard and described it as "no real university, but only a struggling college with uncertain relations to learning and research." Today, Bryce would eat his words, for 80 years has performed a miraculous--change, transforming the small provincial college of 1873 into a great university, offering opportunity for study in almost every conceivable field.

Three fundamental revolutions in the curriculum, one introduced by President Eliot, one by President Lowell and one by President Conant, have been completed in a scant 80 years. First the elective system, then concentration and distribution, and finally General Education, made a Harvard education in 1953 far more different from 1873 than 1873 was from 1642.

In 1642, the three-year college course was a strictly confined, minutely planned curriculum. In his first year the student of 1642 took Logic and Physics on Monday and Tuesday, Greek Grammar on Wednesday, Hebrew Grammar on Thursday, Rhetoric on Friday and Divinity Catechetical, History and Nature of Plants on Saturday. In his second year he studied Rhetoric, Divinity Catechetical, Ethics and Politics, Greek Grammar and Aramaic and in his third year, Rhetoric, Divinity Catechetical, Syriac, Arithmetic and Geometry, Astronomy and Greek composition. No deviation was allowed from this course of study.

Electives

For more than 200 years the college curriculum varied little. As late as 1775 a fine was imposed for speaking anything but Latin, Greek or Hebrew within the confines of the Yard. The first elective course was introduced in 1825, but it remained for President Eliot to develop the elective system to its full degree.

In 1868-9, the year before Eliot's inauguration all Freshman courses were prescribed. They were Greek, Latin, Mathematics, French Elocution, Ethics, History and lectures in "Integral Education." In the Sophomore year the student of 1868 was required to take Rhetoric, History, Chemistry, Elocution, Philosophy and German. In addition he had to choose "eight hours a week" or three courses from among the electives offered--Latin, Greek, Italian, English, pure Mathematics and Applied Mathematics.

An 1868 Junior was required to take Philosophy, Physics, Rhetoric and lectures in Chemistry. Besides these he was required to choose two or three electives from among a list composed of the Sophomore elective subjects plus Chemistry, German and Natural History. Seniors were required to study Logic and Philosophy, Physics, History, Rhetoric, Religious Instruction, and two or three electives from a list similar to the Junior's.

Influence

The elective system as introduced by Eliot has been called the most influential single contribution to American education. It certainly was the most radical change in the history of Harvard curriculum up to that time. It was not, of course, introduced all at one time. But in 1873, four years after Eliot was inaugurated, the elective system had progressed far beyond its status in 1868.

The catalogue of courses for the year 1873-4 is arranged in a significantly different manner from the catalogue of 1868-9. The latter was organized, as had been the practice for 200 years, under the name of the class. Subjects were taught not in open courses, but as Freshman Mathematics, Sophomore German, Junior Greek or Senior Rhetoric. But starting with 1873-4, the required and elective courses were no longer listed under the class, but under eight departments: Classics (Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Sanskrit), Modern Languages (English, German, French, Italian and Spanish), Philosophy, History, Political Science, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Natural History (geography, Botany, Anatomy and Physiology, Zoology, Geology), and Music.

Also for the first time in 1873, course were numbered, for example, as Classics 1, History 2, or Physics 3. Although no longer listed under classes a limit was set to the number of students from each class permitted to take a course, i.e. 44 seniors, 43 juniors, 3 sophomores. In 1872 for the first time the courses were listed with the names of the professors.

New Freedom

The abolition of prescribed courses and the enrichment of the elective program was on of Eliot's primary aims. Bit by bit required courses become electives. In 1874-5 all required studies were in the Freshman year except for Rhetoric, History, Philosophy and Political Economy. In 1883-4 the elective system was extended to Freshmen and all courses were made elective except for Freshman English and French or German, Chemistry and Physics, and certain themes and forensics in the upperclasses. Prescribed Physics was dropped in 1890 and Chemistry in 1894 and sophomore themes and junior forensics in 1894.

In 1884-5 Eliot lashed out at violent critics of his elective policy among the faculty. "To fetter this spontaneous diversity of choice by insisting that studies shall be taken in certain mixtures or groups. . .is as unnatural as it is unnecessary. . .Groups are like ready-made clothing cut in regular sizes; they never fit any concrete individual."

Eliot carried his elective system to such an extent that in 1886 the B.A. degree was given for passing grades in 18 completely unrelated courses. These rather lax requirements resulted in many students earning their degrees in three rather than four years by taking more than the necessary courses each year and by taking courses in summer school. Although violently opposed by a large part of the faculty, this practice was encouraged by the administration. In 1889 Dean Briggs declared, "We continue to feel the uncompromising notion that college studies are to be counted off as rapidly as possible."