Correspondence WHAT SHALL WE TEACH OUR CHEMISTRY MAJORS?
T k ~ sJOURNAL has urged that the teaching members of the chemical profession air their difficulties and problems through a common clearing house. I have often encountered many differences in opinion as to the requirements for a major in chemistry in the liberal arts college. The men who direct research in the universities are impressed by the differences in training of the men who come to them. The Chicago Bulletin recently carried an article by DR. NOYESin which he deplored the training in chemistry given in the average small college. In a measure I believe he is right. The chemistry departments are somewhat handicapped by the fact that the enrolment of students in the department is often taken by both college and university administration officials as an index of the department's importance. A rigid standard may even work a hardship for that reason. I t becomes necessary then to try to strike a happy balance between requirements and popularity in many cases. It has occurred to me that it would be of value to the younger department heads to have a better idea of what the leaders in the profession consider an adequate training for a major study. I confess I do not know. A study of college a'nd university catalogs will show what courses in chemistry and sometimes what"eourses in other departments are required, but that is hardly enough. At Coe, a typical midwestern college, I am attempting to enforce the following schedule. It may be too strict, not allowing the undergraduate enough latitude in his choice of subjects or it may not be rigid enough. I do not know. At any rate the schedule is: Chemistry: General, 8 hours; Analytical, S hours; Organic, 8 hours; Physical, 8 hours. Physics: Courses in General Physics, Light; Magnetism and Electricity; Vacuum Tube Phenomena and Radioactivity; Heat and Thermodyuamics. Mathematics: College Algebra and Trigonometry; Analytical Geometry; Differential and Integral Calculus; Differential Equations; Theory of Errors and Least Squares; and Analytical Mechanics. At least one course in a Natural Science; a reading knowledge of French and German; Public Speaking; Economics and the usual college requirements of English, History, etc. This sounds and looks rather formidable as a college schedule. 177
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
JANUARY.
1930
A specific question comes up immediately. Is it necessary to insist on so much mathematics and physics if a student is interested in physiologicalor organic chemistry? If you think such problems are worth discussion I vould be a most interested reader. BEN H. PETERSON COPCOUEGE CEDARRmms, IOWA
