ELECTIVE COURSES and ELECTIVE STUDIES. Terms that have come into common use during the lint thirty or forty years ill and to some extent in other educational establishments, to indicate the stud ies NN hieh may he elected Or chosen by under graduate students. in earlier days there was a required curriculum which must be followed by all candidate, for the degree of bachelor of arts. At a later period, to meet the special needs or wishes of individuals. certain studies were made 'Optional'—modern languages. for example, the higher branches of matlamiaties, botany, surveying. and other scientilie or tech Meal branches. The rapid growth of science and the enlarged resources of the college, were naturally folboved by enlargement of the teaching forces, and by provision for instruction in sub ject, before neglected. Choice becanie impera tive. To a considerable extent this necessity was recognized and satisfied by the foundation of technical or scientific schools. depart of or annexes to the old colleges, some , tittles independent establishments. I:radually the old curriculum, often called the regular college course, yielded to the same influences. A few institutions still adhere, with commendable io-i le. to the theory of a liberal edueation based Upon the classics and mathematics—antecedent to the time-honored baccalaureate degree. Yet the American generally offer in these days a very considerable freedom in the selec tion of subjects to which the student may devote his time There are certain inherent dangers in this freedom. The love of ease may lead to the selection of courses—which are called 'soft' in college parlance—exacting but little mental effort or the ignorance and inexperience of youth may lead to selections which will he regretted in mature life. To obviate such dangers, it is
common to lay before the students 'groups' of subjects which form a good combination. With more or less emphasis these 'group,' are com mended to students. As a further guide to the wise selection of subjects. members of a faculty are always ready to give advise. and in some places those teachers who are most interested in pedagogics are officially recognized as 'ad visers'—a term which seems to have been intro duced to that of tutors. who were re garded rather as disciplinarians than as coun selors. On the whole, the establishment of elec tive marks a propitious advance in high er edueation. The sy.tom works well wherever due care is o.xereised by the authorities to secure application, and •oncentration. The 'niversity of Virginia was a pioneer in the pro of vIvet Most of the State univer sities are now thoroughly committed to the principle. The older colleges. led by Harvard. have adopted it to a greater or less extent. The new foundations—Cornell. Johns llopkins. Chi cago, and Leland Stanford, Junior—have never felt the fetters of a traditional curriculum.
The exact position of any college eau be ascer tained only by reference to its latest announce ments, for changes frequently oeenr in the sub jects offered and in technical requirements for degrees. Consult rattler. Ed/fru/km in the (*piled N Albany: I 900) ; Eliot. Educational 11•form (New York. I 1IS Th. Educational 1;c rig ic I New York, 1`1111, et seq.). See CoLLEGEs, ANIllucA:N ; t :NIN'EttlsITY : and the various institu tion•.