For some professors, however, thethematic survey History offers is not the best wayto step away from the old-line survey class.

Instead of stressing a change in format, somecourses differ from tradition mainly throughincluding voices left out of the canon.

Women's Studies 10: "Roots of Feminism" is asurvey of such absent voices.

In fact, the field of Women's Studies is inpart a reaction against the standard classics,says Lecturer in Women's Studies Andrea Walsh,who teaches the introductory class.

But the anti-canonical discipline now has itsown classics, she says. Women's Studies 10: "Rootsof Feminism" includes such foundational works as"The Feminine Mystique" and "Diary of a SlaveGirl."

In more traditional departments as well,individual professors have worked to revamp theirsurveys to include diverse perspectives.

Assistant Professor of Romance Languages andLiteratures Jann Matlock calls her French Studiescourses "a radical rethinking of survey courses."

Rather than simply "doing the traditional worksassumed to be Top 40 hits," she chooses worksthat have been recently debated in the field soher students can participate in the currentdiscussions.

She includes non-canonical works such as textsfrom French Senegal. "I try to be cutting edge,"she says.

"Cutting edge" is not the descriptionmost people would offer for the EnglishDepartment's introductory surveys, English 10a and10b: "Major British Writers I and II."

The department is one of the Faculty'sstaunchest hold outs for the traditional surveyformat.

All English concentrators are required to takeEnglish 10a and 10b, which rely heavily on thetraditionalist Norton Anthology of BritishLiterature.

"We're not pretending it's a thematic course,"says Professor of English and American LiteratureLeo Damrosch, who chairs the department and isteaching English 10 this year.

The department has begun to experiment withgenre-based surveys such as English 5,"Introduction to Literature: Poetry." But theseare not replacing English 10, and they remaincanonical in topic.

And according to department Head Tutor JeffreyA. Masten, English 10 will not disappear any timesoon.