According to the University's general catalog, the program was designed "to assure that [students'] total program at Harvard includes not only depth in one field but also knowledge of the modes of thought in others."

Professor of Government Michael J. Sandel, who heads a subcommittee on Moral Reasoning, attributes the high average moral reasoning course size to a lack of faculty interested in that area.

"Ideally, there should be more courses in moral reasoning, and we, as a subcommittee, have worked hard to find more such courses," Sandel says. "Our problem is that there aren't enough faculty in the University teaching in the areas of moral and political philosophy."

But Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. '53 attributes the high enrollment in moral reasoning courses to a lack of similar departmental courses, saying many of the students in moral reasoning courses are not fulfilling concentration requirements.

"The core gets more customers than are required to come there," he says. "Moral reasoning is especially attractive because I think there's a yearning for big questions studied by reading great books."

Mansfield, who teaches Moral Reasoning 13: "Realism and Moralism," says large courses also allow students to "be lost in a mass."

"It's much easier to relax and let someone else carry the ball," Mansfield says. "It would be nice for every student to ask a question at least once during a course."

But Sandel, who teaches Moral Reasoning 22: "Justice," which drew 859 students last fall, says large lecture courses have both advantages and disadvantage.

Sandel says that having a large number of students reading the same books and debating the same question encourages discussion of course issues outside the classroom.

Still, Maier says it is difficult to "track the work of individuals" in his large lecture courses.

"It's clear I won't be reading the material," Maier says.

Small Sciences

While hundreds of students fill humanities core classes, science core courses tend to be smaller.

This semester, Science A and Science B classes have average enrollments of 64 and 75, respectively--the smallest averages of any core area.

According to records of core enrollments over the past nine semesters, science core areas are unique in having average enrollments frequently under 100.