Call it a demand shift.

Social Analysis 10, more commonly known as "Ec 10," topped the charts this semester with the highest enrollment in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences--981 students, up from last year's 866.

And, in a demand shock, the second-most popular class has seen a dramatic surge in enrollment. Literature and Arts C-37, "The Bible and its Interpreters," drew 970 students, up from last year's 670.

James L. Kugel, the Starr professor of classical and modern Jewish and Hebrew literature, credits his class' popularity to its timeless subject matter.

"The Bible is really the book of Western civilization and of Eastern culture as well. I think it's a subject which everyone really ought to know about," said Kugel.

More and more students are agreeing with him. The class' size has increased more than ten-fold in little more than a decade, Kugel said.

Louis A. Wharton '98 thinks that the large enrollment in the class is an indication of changes in society.

"A lot of scientific discoveries have caused increasing interest in the Bible. I think students want to know how credible the book really is," said Wharton.

Most Popular Courses

Courses with the most students enrolled, spring semester 1995. Course  Enrollment Social Analysis 10  981 Literature and Arts C-37  970 Historical Studies A-18  478 Science B-29  396 Biological Science 1  336 Chemistry 7  311 General Education 103  286 Literature and Arts B-33  286 English 10b  279 Foreign Cultures 62  269

Source: Office of the Registrar

Roy E. Bahat '98 says that Ec 10 tops the listnot only because it satifies the basic requirementfor any social sciences class, but also because ofthe professors' renown.

"It's not a subject that's really taught inhigh school and here you get to be taught byFeldstein and other prominent figures in thefield," said Bahat.

Sometimes, classes are popular for less noblereasons.

Moore Professor of Biological AnthropologyIrven DeVore, who teaches Science B-29 along withAssistant Professor of Anthropology Marc D.Hauser, said that many students "erroneouslyperceive it as a gut."

DeVore's "Human Behavioral Biology", morepopularly known as "Sex," addresses "male andfemale mating strategies in the animal kingdom,"the professor said.

Currently, the class has exactly 197 male and197 females enrolled, which DeVore terms an"uncanny" demonstration of the fact that both menand women are deeply interested in the subject.

But while the number of students in mostcourses has climbed steadily over the past tenyears, Science B-29's enrollment has actuallydeclined. The class has not been filled tocapacity--500 students--for some time.

DeVore attributes the decline to the increasein science concentrators and students who can skipthe science core courses because of advancedplacement exams.

In fact, the main reason he cited for studentsto choose B-29 these days, the quality of theteaching staff, has little to do with science. Ofthe class's 12 teaching fellows, two-thirds havereceived awards from the Derek Bok Center forTeaching and Learning.

"We have worked very hard on the teaching ofthe ninety-minute sections. There is a very highmorale in the course," DeVore said. Head TeachingFellow Jay Phelan draws many students, he added.

For the top ten classes, quality teachingfellows are particularly important, according tostudents and professors.

"More rests on the section leader and his orher abilities to explain the material," said JanosZahajszky '98.

Kugel admits that he used to read everystudent's paper when his classes were small. Butwith 970 students under his tutelage, it's nowimpossible, he said.

"There's a certain rapport that's lost when youget to that size," said Kugel.

On the other hand, some students are willing toaccept the lack of interaction.

"I'd rather have this size of a class than toprevent many students who wish to study with thisprofessor from having the chance to do so," saidThomas Cheung '95.

Cheung should know: he is currently takingHistorical Studies A-18. with 478 students, andForeign cultures 62, with 269