Amy E. Forker '96 walked into the first class of History 10b this semester expecting the traditional European history survey described in her course catalogue.

But instead of a lecture on the Medici dynasty or the War of the Roses, she found the professor using drawings of human genitalia to show that body image is a changing historical construct.

Forker did not take the class. She wasn't the only one: The revamped History 10b drew only 13 students, though 50 took the more conventionally-taught History 10a this fall.

The unexpected method of teaching introductory history that Forker encountered is not an isolated occurrence.

Throughout the Faculty, debates over foundational texts have led professors to reexamine how they teach survey classes. The scrutiny has produced both changing approaches and staunch adherence to tradition.

And in some departments, faculty reluctant to teach the traditional surveys have eliminated or altered popular courses which usually attract both concentrators and students from outside the department.

Like Forker, most undergraduates seem to prefer the traditional approach. Broadly-based canonical surveys such as the former Fine Arts 13 courses are usually departments' largest student draws.

"I needed a survey course where I could learn the nuts and bolts of history," Forker says. "It [History 10b] had nothing to do with history."

"Social history without political history is worthless," says Benjamin A. Auspitz '95, who is a Crimson comper.

Auspitz is taking English 10b, the EnglishDepartment's introductory survey. "You can't doany theoretical work without knowledge of thetraditionals," he says.

The introductory classes often attractinterested undergraduates from other departmentsas well and can serve as an entry point forprospective concentrators.

Anne E. Eelkema '96, who took History 10a lastfall, calls the traditional course "white Europeanmale history." But she liked the class so muchthat she switched her concentration from Classicsto History.

And after Fine Arts eliminated its popular arthistory surveys, the number of concentrators felldramatically.

Students say broad introductory courses cansupplement a lack of high school training notaddressed by Harvard's Core Curriculum.

Though the Core introduces students todifferent "approaches to knowledge," it does notteach the important basics of a field, studentssay.

"The purpose of being here is to get a broadeducation," Alison A. Hill '94 says. She took thenow-defunct Fine Arts 13 and liked it, she says.