The course described represents an attempt to lead freshmen not specializing in physics to an understanding of the nature of scientific endeavor which may provide an adequate scientific foundation for twentieth-century citizenship.Holton's admirable general education text was employed to organize the study and define its semihumanistic approach. Equal attention was directed to a tightly integrated core of technical physics and to the interplay between science and the social environment. Technical material was organized about Newton's synthesis in mechanics and Bohr's in atomic structure. For the role of physics in human affairs subject matter was drawn from outside reading in selected historical and philosophical expositions and brought into the course through written papers and symposia. The customary laboratory curriculum was modified to provide a gradual increase in pace and difficulty throughout the semester.Departures from conventional techniques are described in detail and their merits and shortcomings evaluated. Most of the innovations appear to have been successful in some degree.