The Brutal Harvard Class That Suddenly Everyone Wants to Take.

From the Wall Street Journal:

“On a Tuesday morning in October, Samantha Matherne paced as she marked up on a white board explaining the philosophical underpinnings of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” with segues into Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant.

The philosophy professor posed big questions to the 90 students gathered in Boylston Hall: ‘Why did Austen create such an unlikable heroine?’ she asked. ‘Why read novels at all?’ And finally, as the 75-minute lecture ended, ‘What will become of Emma—and what will become of you?’

The students burst into applause.

Hum 10, as it’s commonly known, has become the surprise hit of Harvard’s academic lineup and something of a campus institution. Demand to get into the class has surged, fueled by word-of-mouth from ‘Hum Alums’ who talk it up on social media. Applications (essays required) shot up 40% this fall with 180 incoming freshmen vying for 90 spots.

. . . The class is definitely not for padding the GPA. Students read a hefty book a week and write regular essays. There is no pass/fail option. Digital devices are verboten, and attendance is taken in every lecture (pink slips for those who arrive late).

. . . In their applications and in interviews, students expressed the urge to be forced to tackle classics they otherwise wouldn’t read, the need to combat frayed attention spans and the desire for an antidote to The Machine. Several mentioned with disdain that people who aren’t in the class wondered why they didn’t “just Chat the books,” i.e., use AI.”

Be still my beating heart.