FDR's Harvard Course of Study by Year

Compiled by research associate Justin Roshak from FDR: His Personal Letters, Vol I, 1947; Edited by Elliott Roosevelt.
Note: Linked ½ year courses are indicated by a letter (A, B, C, etc.) and a number indicating either first half (1) or second half (2).

 

1900-1901
Course
Instructor
Summary
Meeting time

French 2-C

Prof. P.B. Marcou;
Dr. J. D. M. Ford

French literature and Prose

Mon, Wed, Fri - 10:00 AM

Latin B

Prof. Morris H. Morgan;
5 teachers assisting

Latin Literature

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 12 AM

English 28

Dean Briggs; B. Wendell, Kittredge; George Baker

English Literature

Tues, Thurs- 10 AM, (Sat “at pleasure of instructor”)

History I

Prof. Coolidge

Medieval and Modern European History

Mon, Wed, and Fri- 9:00 AM

Government I

Prof. Silas MacVane, Abbot Lawrence Lowell assisting

Constitutional Government

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 9 AM

Geology 4
(1/2 year A1)

Dean Shaler

Elementary Geology

Wed, Fri, some Mon-12 AM

Geology 5
(1/2 year A2)

Dean Shaler?

Elem. Field and Laboratory Geology

“afternoon classes”

 

1901-1902
Course
Instructor
Summary
Meeting time

English 22
(1/2 year A1)

Various

English Composition

Tues, Thurs- 1:30

English 10
(1/2 year A2)

Messrs. Winter and Hall

Public Speaking

“various hours”

Economics I

Assistant Prof. Abram Piatt Andrew; Gilbert Holland Montague (instr)

Outlines of Economics

Mon, Wed, Fri- 9:00 AM

Geology 14
(1/2 year)

Dean Shaler

General Paleontology

Wed, Fri, most Mon- 10 AM

History 10
(1/2 year B1)

Mr. Hiram Bingham, Jr.

American History to 1783

Mon, Wed, Fri- 11 AM

History 24
(1/2 year B2)

Mr. William Garret Brown

U.S. Constitutional and Political History 1783-1865

Mon, Wed, Fri- 10 AM

History 12
(1/2 year C1)

Silas Marcus MacVane

Eng. History 1688 to the Reform of Parliament

Tues, Thurs- 2:30 PM

History 12
(1/2 year C2)

Silas Marcus MacVane

Eng. History from the Reform of Parliament

Tues, Thurs- 2:30 PM

 

1902-1903
Course
Instructor
Summary
Meeting time

English 18

George Pierce Baker

Public Address

Mon, Wed, Fri- 12 AM

English 34

Charles Townsend Copeland

English Letter Writers

Mon- 11 AM

History 13
(1/2 year A1)

Prof. Edward Channing

Constitutional and Political History  of U.S, 1783-1865

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 12 AM

Government 4 (1/2 year A2)

Mr. Albin L. Richards

International Law

Mon, Wed, Fri- 1:30 PM

Governmant 16-A (1/2 year B1)

Charles Sumner Hamlin

Administration of the Government of the U.S.

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 9 AM

Government 16-B (1/2 year B2)

Frederic Jesup Stimson

Tendencies of American Legislation

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 9 AM

Philosophy 1-A (1/2 year- 2nd year uncompleted)

Josiah Royce

General. Intro to Psychology

Mon, Wed, Fri- 2:30 PM

Fine Arts 4

Prof. Charles H. Moore

Fine Arts of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

Mon, Wed, Fri- 9 AM

Thanks to advance studies completed at Groton, FDR entered Harvard with sufficient credit to complete his undergraduate degree in 3 years. (Commonplace in FDR's era under President Elliot, this practice of 3 year undergraduate studies was later discouraged by President Lowell.) FDR stayed on for a fourth year enrolled as a graduate student in history, principally to complete his tenure as president of the Harvard Crimson. He never obtained an advanced degree, and maintained his affiliation with the class of 1904.

1903-1904
Course
Instructor
Summary
Meeting time

English 11-A (1/2 year)

Assistant Prof. Fred Norris Robertson

Bacon

Mon, Wed, Fri- 11 AM

History 11

Dr. Roger Bigelow Merriman

English History, Tudor and Stuart periods

Mon, Wed, Fri- 12 AM

History 10-B (1/2 year A1)

Prof. Frederick Jackson Turner

Development of the American West

???

History 27 (1/2 year A2)

Dr. R. B. Merriman

History of Germany from the Reformation to the Thirty Years War

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 10 AM

History 16-A (1/2 year B1)

Prof. MacVane

History of Continental Europe, from Peace of Utrecht to Fall of Napoleon I

Mon, Wed, Fri- 9 AM

History 16-B (1/2 year B2)

Prof. MacVane

History of Cont. Europe since the Fall of Napoleon I

Mon, Wed, Fri- 9 AM

Economics 5 (1/2 year C1)

Prof. William Zebina Ripley

Economics of Transportation

Tues, Thurs, Sat- 10 AM

Economics 9-B (1/2 year C2)

Prof. W. Z. Ripley

Economics of Corporations

Tues, Thurs, Sat- ???

Economics 8-B (1/2 year D1)

Dr. Oliver M. W. Sprague

Banking and History of Banking Systems

Mon, Wed, Fri- 10 AM

Economics 8-A (1/2 year D2)

Abram Piatt Andrew

Currency Legislation, Experience and Theory

???