Diggin' In The Mudd: Course Offerings 1921

The classes of '11 to '13 are in the process of choosing courses for next year. As we pour over the course guide trying to find fun and required classes, it's interesting to look at how past Princeton students went about this process. In 1921 choosing courses was, just a little, different. Courses like "Sewage 410" and Latin requirements under the cut. Plus, was your department part of 1921 Princeton?

First of all there were tons more requirements:

Second of all, there were less departments. The departments (majors) were divided into three big divisions:

-Division of Philosophy Literature and Art:

• Philosophy
• Classics
• Modern Languages: Germanic
• Modern Languages: Romanic
• English
• Art And Archeology

-Division of History Politics and Economics

• History and Politics
• Economics and Social Institutions

- Division of Mathematics and Sciences

• Mathematics
• Physics
• Astronomy,
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Geology
• Psychology

A Department of Military Science and Music were listed separately, as were technical courses.
You could take many courses (once you got done with all those requirements). Here are a few interesting ones:

• PHI 401: Present Philosophical Tendencies- A critical and comparative survey of such tendencies such as idealism, realism, pragmatism and phaenomenalism in their relation to science, religion, history and art.
• 404: The Ethics of Christianity- A statement and philosophical examination of the Christian doctrine and its application to practical life.
• Sewerage 410: Studies in the design of sewers and the treatment and disposal of sewage.
• BIO 304: Bacteriology- Lectures on the...relations of bacteria.
  
• CHEM 404: Metallography- The metals and alloys
• AST 404: Practical Astronomy- Observations of the sun and stars
• ECON 407: Corporation Finance- The development of legal characteristics and financial relations of corporations; corporate securities; capitalization and valuation;...anti-trust legislation.
• ENG 405: Wordsworth and Coleridge- ...their service in renovating English poetry
• CLA 413: Tacitus- The Annals and Histories
  

Some courses haven't changed much. They offered intros to all the sciences as today. Courses like Elements of Poetry and Ancient Art, still sound familiar. The Literature of American Ideals reminds me of a course offered this term, The Idea of America. And French 102, 104, and 106 are still the same as always.

So, when you pick your courses for fall, remember the class of '25 and be thankful for the choices you have (and the lack of a Latin or Greek requirement.)