EDITORS' CORNER
OPINION: All hope is not lost
Harvard University students are clamoring to secure one of a handful of spots in a class described as “brutal” by the Wall Street Journal.
The class, Humanities 10, requires students to read difficult texts each week, including “The Wealth of Nations,” “Ulysses,” and the “Inferno.”
While other students may use AI to cheat their way through a course, that is going to be hard with this class.
“Students read a hefty book a week and write regular essays,” the Wall Street Journal reported. “There is no pass/fail option. Digital devices are verboten, and attendance is taken in every lecture (pink slips for those who arrive late).”
The class has become so popular, with 180 students vying for 90 spots this year, that some are calling for greater access. Notably, students have to write short answers to qualify to even be admitted to this class. And remember, these are students who have already been judged qualified to attend Harvard.
The scarcity of spots is compounded by the fact students generally take Humanities 10a and Humanities 10b over a full year, satisfying a writing requirement. In other words, this class is really only offered at the beginning of the school year, and extends over two semesters.
Two opinion writers for the student newspaper argue the school should find a way to offer more spots. If academia is concerned about a declining interest in the humanities, it follows that those who are interested should be given a chance in this famed course.
Ananya Gautam and Anniyah Rizvi argue in The Crimson:
Hum 10 can be a flagship course at Harvard for those who get the chance to take it. But for those who don’t, it is an early signpost of the University’s culture of artificial scarcity. And at a time when meaningfully engaging with writing and art matters more than ever, unnecessary exclusivity in the humanities is self-defeating.
Small course sizes, meant to promote discussion and close contact between the professors and students, means it is inefficient compared to other classes. “Each professor who teaches Hum 10 may forgo a course in their home department, meaning Hum 10 can cost other departments several courses per year,” the opinion writers note.
On the other hand, Harvard’s endowment generated billions of dollars this year.
One thinks they could find some money to expand their most popular class and a bright spot on campus.
