106 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



RErOET OF THE DEPxVRTMENT OF HISTORY AND POLITICAL 



SCIENCE. 



President F. S. Kedzie, College. 



Dear President Kedzie: In accord with the practice of former years, 

 I am presenting to you a brief report for the Department of History and 

 Political Science. For tlie first time since the United States entered the 

 war, this department has found itself back to normal work. Each year, 

 for some time, has demanded of the department special activities in 

 some way relating to the war. For the year 1919-20, we have devoted 

 ourselves to the established courses of the department. 



There is little in the way of detail that needs comment in this report. 

 Tlie election of our courses by the students has been large, a fact that 

 may be attributed to the fact that interest in matters of this kind has 

 been stimulated by the world experiences of the recent years. 



For the first time the department gave courses in History and Political 

 Science to freshman engineers. These courses came during the spring 

 iei-m. This, with the large elections of the winter term, made it necessai^ 

 to engage an additional teacher for two terms. Fortunately we were able 

 to secure the services of Miss Dorothy Brown for the remainder of the 

 year. Miss Brown's broad training and exceptional experience in teach- 

 ing and world travel, made her acquisition of inestimable value to the 

 department. Would that one of her ability and experience might be 

 found for the years to come. 



Suffrage has aroused interest in government. During the spring term 

 more than one hundred juniors and seniors elected a course devoted to 

 elections, suffrage and political party organization. This same subject 

 matter brings many calls from the outside for assistance from this de- 

 partment. Mrs. Mary Hendrick, Assistant Professor in the department, 

 in addition to giving a series of lectures before a Woman's Club in Lan- 

 sing during the past year, has gone out to various localities in response 

 to requests of AVomen's clubs, to discuss matters of citizenship and polit- 

 ical organization. Many requests of this nature have been denied by the 

 department because of the inability of the present force to perform the 

 service along with the classroom work of the College. These calls are an 

 indication of the healthy interest in public affairs prevailing over the 

 State, and the possibilities of service Avhich might be performed in this 

 direction, providing adequate means could be found for handling the 

 work. 



Finally, I want again to record the proper recognition of the very high 

 class order of service performed by Mrs. Hendrick as class instructor, 

 and in her work throughout the State in public lectures. Special men- 

 tion should be made of her service in the organization of a Woman's Con- 

 ference here at the College in June, in cooperation with Dean Edmonds. 



Respectfully submitted, 



E. H. RYDER, 

 Professor of History and Political Science. 

 East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1920. 



