This post provides a 1939 students’ eye view of the graduate program in economics at the Columbia University Faculty of Political Science. Milton Friedman’s course on neo-classical economic theory gets very favorable mention and statistical methods are completely overlooked (the German proverb “The farmer only eats what the farmer knows“ probably captures the sentiment).
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All four students became professors
WYLLIS BANDLER: b. July 3, 1916 in White Plains, N.Y.; d. December 22, 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida.
B.A. (1937), M.A.(1938) in economics from Columbia. Ph.D. (1962) in mathematics from the University of Zurich. Professor of Computer Science at Florida State University, 1984-1995.
DICKSON RECK: b. April 13, 1904 in Rockford, Illinois; d. April 10, 1955 in Berkeley, California.
B.A. (1927) University of Illinois, Ph.D. (1951) in economics from Columbia University. Associate Professor of Business Administration, University of California (Berkeley), 1954-55.
VAN DUSEN KENNEDY: b. October 4 in Darjeeling, India; d. May 28 2015 in Santa Cruz, California.
B.A. (1935) Swarthmore College. Ph.D. (1945) in economics from Columbia University. Assistant Professor to Professor of industrial relations at the University of California (Berkeley), 1947-1977.
FRANK COOK PIERSON: b. November 4, 1911 in Denver, Colorado; d. November 30, 1995 in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania.
B.A. (1934) Swarthmore College. Ph.D. (1942) in economics from Columbia University. On the Swarthmore College faculty from 1940 to 1979.
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Cover letter to Dean McCrea
from the students
Columbia University
May 9, 1939
Dean R. C. McCrea,
Columbia University,
New York City.
Dear Dean [Roswell Cheney] McCrea:
As we agreed at luncheon with you and Professor [Frederick Cecil] Mills the other day, we are sending you the typed notes of student suggestions to the Department of Economics. We believe that these represent the concurrence of general student opinion, plus the thought we have given these matters.
Hoping that the notes will prove useful to you,
Sincerely yours,
WYLLIS BANDLER
DICKSON RECK
VAN DUSEN KENNEDY
FRANK PIERSON
________________________
Notes on some student suggestions
for the operation
of the Department of Economics, Columbia Graduate Faculty.
5/7/39.
The suggestions concern chiefly gaps that are felt to exist in the offering of the department. There are also a few notes on the method of conducting various types of courses, and on the requirements placed on students, and on the allotment of credits.
1) History of Economic Thought. Intrinsic interest in this subject is amplified by a) Oral requirement, and b) the fact that many students feel that they will some day be called upon to teach it. Some feel that the subject is already overemphasized. In any case, there is the feeling that students should not be held responsible for so large a topic unless it is offered.
Various treatments are possible. a) A mere recital of doctrines. b) A tracing of current ideas. c) A combination with Economic History, concerned with the influence of the times on the theories, and vice versa. Treatment (c) is that followed by Professor [Wesley Clair] Mitchell in his former course, and in the extremely useful Lecture Notes made from it.
Student feeling la against being held for “all the doctrines, man by man, and all the men, doctrine by doctrine”. A combination of (b) and (c) above would probably be well received.
2) Economic theory. Statements in the first paragraph under (1) above hold here. This topic is understood to include (a) Systematic presentation of current schools of thought, and (b) in particular, the structure of Neo-Classical (and derivative) Theory. The material under (b) is very well handled by Milton Friedman’s Extension course. Convenience would be served by bringing this into the Graduate Catalogue, so that it would count, without special action, for the 15 central points for Master’s candidates.
Further particular large branches include c) Socialist Theory and d) Institutionalism. Student objection to the existing offering of Socialist Theory falls under two heads. First. It is claimed that the subject matter is not covered adequately in class, that the treatment is diffuse, incomplete and wandering. Second, it is protested that the treatment is not either so fair or so sympathetic as that given, say, Neo-Classical Doctrine.
Institutionalism is handsomely handled by Dr. [Joseph] Dorfman. There is some feeling that the materiel might be expanded to cover modern Institutionalists and their work and problems more intensively.
3) Economic History. Dr. [Louis Morton] Hacker’s treatment of American Economic History is very popular, as is Professor [Arthur Robert] Burns’s course in modern capitalism. A course in Modern European Economic History, from the breakdown of Feudalism, would be very well received in addition, although the Burns course could be expanded to fill this need.
There is dissatisfaction with the existing Seminar. Auspices that would concentrate more closely on the material are rather widely held to be desirable. Professor [Archibald Herbert] Stockder’s seminar might fill this gap were it admitted to graduate economics standing. A suggestion for procedure should this prove impossible is included under “Catalog” below.
4) Labor. This may be discussed under two heads, a) Offering for the student specializing elsewhere, and b) Specialization in Labor Economics.
a) A General Survey Course in Labor Economics under capable, sympathetic auspices will be subject to very wide demand. Students whose major interest is elsewhere seem to feel quite generally that so important a branch of economics should not be left blank in their education. A large demand will also be forthcoming from first-year students who have not previously studied labor, either at all or adequately, whether or not they intend to specialize here. Such a course is of necessity a large lecture type, and requires in its instructor the specific technique relevant.
A counter-suggestion by the Faculty is that Professor [Leo] Wolman expand the subject-matter of his course. A very wide and almost unopposed sector of student feeling would prefer bringing in an outsider more cordial to the material and more tolerant of the viewpoints and questions of the members of the class.
b) A Seminar in Labor Relations for the specialist would find many applicants. Student desires as to the auspices are in agreement with the above comments. No university adequately specializes in training labor economists, and it is suggested that Columbia might consider filling this more than local gap.
5) Public Economic Policy. It is safe to day that no subject arouses wider interest among students. At present, public policy is dealt with piecemeal among the several courses, with by no means all the most important aspects being covered at all. (The most thoroughly considered section is monetary policy, both existing and proposed.) It is submitted that this is an important need which Columbia is well fitted to meet without much extra trouble.
Suggestions on this score represent the fusion of two streams of thought; a) The proposal of a joint seminar to explore specific areas of planning and policy, and to be conducted by academic experts in the various fields ([James Waterhouse] Angell, [James Cummings] Bonbright, [Arthur David] Gayer, [John Ewing] Orchard, [Arthur Whittier] Macmahon, [Robert Staughton] Lynd, etc.); b) The feeling that contact with people actually engaged in forming and executing public policy would provide a realistic knowledge of problems actually faced (economically, politically, administratively, etc.), as well as valuable personal relations. The suggestion under (b) would involve the invitation to Columbia for one, several, or all meetings of the seminar such men as [Adolf Augustus, Jr.] Berle, [Mordecai] Ezekiel, [Lauchlin] Currie, [Rexford Guy] Tugwell, [Lewis?] Mumford, [Schuyler Crawford?] Wallace, etc. etc.
Experience with the more importation of outside lecturers, as is an instance in the Public Law Department, seems to show that a course so built lacks continuity and depth in grappling with such problems would be considered under (a) above.
Yet to define the benefits of (b) to the membership of a seminar of manageable size would be wasteful and otherwise undesirable. Two solutions have been advanced, which are not mutually exclusive. The first involves the holding of “public” and “private” meetings in the manner of the Banking Seminar. This could be assisted by co-operation with the Economics Club, that is, the visitors could partially be drained off into luncheon meetings. This solution suffers from several difficulties including the discontinuity of having each outsider only once. The second solution is embodied in the suggestion for Panel Seminars below.
Students would greatly like to co-operate in the organization of this seminar.
6) Agricultural Economics. While this is already a subject of inter-university [sic, “intra-university” is almost certainly meant here] specialization, a survey course is part of a rounded general offering.
7) Population. Students do not feel that this is ably handled. The suggestion has been made that Professor [Carter] Goodrich’s course in Internal Migration could be expanded to cover this, and also Regionalism (see under (8) below).
8) Economic Geography. The offering in the School of Business is excellent, and needs only to be given graduate economic status. See also under (7) above and “Catalogue” below.
9) Method and Techniques of Research. This includes a thousand little troublesome maters that each professor assumes that the student learns elsewhere. What are the Journals in economics and related fields? How do we keep up with current developments in economics? What are the basic sources in various branches? Where are all these things scattered in the library? How do we begin the investigation of a new topic? How do we prepare a bibliography? And many others.
The suggestions here fell under three heads. First, it is felt that a booklet answering the above and related questions would prove extremely helpful. Second, instructors should keep this need in mind, and clarify the portions of techniques and bibliography that fall in their sphere. Third, careful bibliographies already existing for various courses, and others that may arise, could be assembled and sold at cost.
10) Panel Seminar. This refers to a method of conducting seminars that shows promise of solving the dilemma of the unwieldiness of large numbers on the one hand, and the wastes of exclusiveness on the other. The discussion is conducted by a panel, consisting of one or more instructors and visitors and a carefully selected small group of students. Where student reports are to be presented, the selection is keyed to guaranteeing excellence and pointedness. An “audience” of students interested in the topic may ask occasional questions from the floor, but does not act to lower the tone of the discussion nor to encumber its progress. The “audience” may be regularly enrolled, receiving attendance credit, or may vary with the particular meeting’s content. Large and varying “audiences” are probably too much for this structure to carry.
It is felt that this method would meet the need in several situations. It should operate to raise the quality of the reports, doing away with the boredom and consequent loss of enthusiasm and tempo that so often assails large seminars now. But at the same time, it would avoid the narrow exclusiveness that operates to keep interested students from an organized study of subjects offered only in seminars.
The seating arrangements suggested by the above description seen rather stiff and stilted and disruptive. In point of fact, they are not a necessary corollary of this division of labor. Ordinary seminar seating can be used, the only requirement being that there is a staff of students who are considered capable, intelligible and interesting, and who do the reporting.
The panel seminar method is especially suggested for the discussion of public economic policy advocated in (5) above, where it le felt that side student interest would be aroused and should be encouraged.
11) Doctor’s Oral Examinations. Under existing conditions, orals engender a period of rather heavy strain in most students. This period is of the order of two weeks or so, and is not related to the quantity of work being done, but rather to the crisis quality of the examinations. No useful purpose is served by this strain, in fact it is generally considered a hindrance to efficiency.
The remedy seems to be a removal of some of the critical focus upon orals. This may be accomplished, with no loss of academic standards or relevant rigor, by the process of having the true examination take place informally with each of the professors involved before the formal oral is taken. The formal assembled examination then assumes the character of a more official formality, in which passing is nearly certain barring a strong reason to the contrary. This division between the investigation of proficiency and ability on the one hand, and the ceremonial opportunity to forbid the banns on the other, should not only relieve most of the strain on the candidate, but also afford the faculty a more intensive chance to satisfy itself as to the student’s competence.
There are some indications that the present situation approximates this suggestion more closely than appears on the surface. Insofar as this is true, all that is necessary is to let this true state of affairs become clear to the candidates. In any event, more could be done along these lines with benefit and relief to all concerned.
12) Training for Careers. It is Important periodically to review the types of career for which students in economics at Columbia are acquiring training, and at the same time to survey the curriculum with respect to the kind of training it chiefly affords. The student body is divided in proportions unknown at present [Footnote: One of the questions on this year’s questionnaire will be directed to this problem.] mainly among those preparing for teaching for research, and for government service. The curriculum is skewed in the direction of training research workers. This fundamental educational divergence is worth noting, and worth investigating in its effects upon the value of the Economics offering to the students.
Many of the curricular suggestions above are directed as much to the problem “what kind of work” as to the problem “research in what field”, and are worthy of reconsideration in this light.
13) Catalog. The arrangement of the catalog, and the standing given by it to various courses, can prove a powerful aid in broadening the area of endeavor for which preparation may be secured here, as well as filling many of the lesser holes mentioned above.
In regard to the standing given courses in other departments, particularly in the School of Business, the effort has been made above to mention fields in which benefit would accrue to Master’s candidates if Graduate Economics Standing were given to certain courses. Particularly does this apply to the offerings of [Paul Frederick] Brissenden, [Archibald Herbert] Stockder, perhaps Morgen, and to the advanced courses in Economic Geography. Where this is not feasible, something can be done by way of the advisory committee, see below.
Positive encouragement rather than permission can be given to students to broaden the scope of their studies if the catalog, or if necessary a separate printed or mimeographed announcement, would list as fully as possible all courses in related fields, or isolated courses of interest, that would be profitable to economists. In this way many gaps that the Economics Department cannot hope to fill itself would be plugged, and the benefits of intra-University division of labor would be received.
14) Advisory Committee. This has proved itself useful this year, and should certainly be continued. Its mention here is in connection with the potentialities of cooperation between it and the administration and faculty.
Many of the suggestions in these notes that may prove impossible of fulfillment, particularly those which come together under “Catalog”, may be aided by the unofficial action of the Advisory Committee. If the committee is in possession of information concerning related courses, for instance, then even in the absence of official action the broadening of courses of study can be advanced. In this and many similar cases, the worthwhileness of the Department to new students can be increased.
Source: Columbia University Libraries Manuscript Collections, Columbiana. Department of Economics Collection, Box 1, Folder “Committee on Instruction”.
Image Source: Alma Mater, Columbia University. Columbia College Today, Winter 2017-18.