REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

Pass 32 semester courses
Pass 4 Winter Study Projects
Complete a major with at least a C- average
Complete 4 physical education activities by the end of the sophomore year
Complete the Distribution Requirement

WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT

Four parts to requirement – DIVISIONAL, EXPLORING DIVERSITY INITIATIVE, WRITING & QUANTITATIVE/FORMAL REASONING

DIVISIONAL DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT

The departments are divided into 3 divisions: (1) Languages and the Arts, (2) Social Studies, (3) Science and Mathematics

Must pass 3 graded semester courses from each division; 2 of the courses in each division must be passed by the end of the sophomore year

No more than 2 courses in each division used to satisfy the divisional distribution requirement can have the same subject/prefix, e.g., in Division 1, no more than 2 could be in English

EXPLORING DIVERSITY INITIATIVE DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT

Courses that comprise the Exploring Diversity Initiative may fall under a variety of categories, including (but not limited to) the following:

1. Comparative Study of Cultures and Societies. These courses focus on the differences and similarities between cultures and societies, and/or on the ways in which cultures, peoples, and societies have interacted and responded to one another in the past.

2. Empathetic Understanding. These courses explore diverse human feelings, thoughts, and actions by recreating the social, political, cultural, and historical context of a group in order to imagine why within that context, those beliefs, experiences, and actions of the group emerged.

3. Power and Privilege: These courses link issues of diversity to economic and political power relations, investigating how cultural interaction is influenced by various structures, institutions, or practices that enable, maintain, or mitigate inequality among different groups.

4. Critical Theorization: These courses focus on ways scholars theorize the possibilities of cross-cultural understanding and interaction; they investigate the ways that disciplines and paradigms of knowledge both constitute "difference" and are reconfigured by the study of diversity-related questions.

5. Cultural Immersion: In various ways these courses immerse students in another culture and give them the tools with which to understand that culture from the inside. They include those foreign language courses that explicitly engage in the self-conscious awareness of cultural and societal differences, traditions, and customs as an integral aspect of language study.

All students are required to complete ONE course that is part of the Exploring Diversity Initiative. Although this course, which may be counted toward the divisional distribution requirement, may be completed any semester before graduation, students are urged to complete the course by the end of their sophomore year. Courses used to fulfill this requirement may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

Courses designated as exploring diversity initiative are marked with D in catalog

WRITING REQUIREMENT

Must pass 2 graded semester courses which are writing intensive; 1 by the end of the sophomore year and 1 by the end of the junior year

Courses may also be used for Divisional, Peoples and Cultures, Quantitative/Formal Reasoning Requirements and/or major

Courses designated as writing intensive are marked with W in catalog

QUANTITATIVE/FORMAL REASONING REQUIREMENT

Must pass 1 graded semester course primarily concerned with quantitative or formal reasoning by end of junior year; passing

Quantitative Test or MATH 100/101 is a prerequisite

Course may also be used for Divisional, Peoples and Cultures, Writing Requirements and/or major

Courses designated as QFR are marked with Q in catalog

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MAJORS NOW

You will declare your major during the spring of your sophomore year but you should think about majors when choosing your courses

The catalog describes requirements for each major

To be eligible for a major, must have at least C- in each course in major taken in first and second years

EARLY CONCENTRATION RULE - GOLDENROD PETITION

Must understand difference between course subject/prefix and department - usually same, but not always

Art Department, but prefixes ARTS & ARTH; Romance Languages Dept., but prefixes RLFR, RLIT, & RLSP

The Rule: First-year students may take no more than 1 course with the same prefix nor more than 2 in one department in a semester

There are additional restrictions for sophomores - check with advisor

For waiver, file GOLDENROD PETITION with Committee on Academic Standing - approval is not routine

WHAT IS THE COMMITTEE ON ACADEMIC STANDING

Ten person faculty committee that can waive academic rules; also reviews student records after each term

ADVANCED PLACEMENT CREDITS

If we received AP scores for you, you got an AP Report in your packet; if lost, Registrar's Office has another copy

Read Report and discuss with advisor; shows if eligible for placement

AP CREDIT MAY NOT BE USED TOWARD THE 32 SEMESTER OR 4 WSP COURSES REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION OR TOWARD THE DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENT. With permission from the appropriate department or program, AP credit may be used for placement and/or toward major or concentration requirements.

WHAT IS THE NORMAL COURSE LOAD FOR A SEMESTER

You must take 4 regularly graded courses each semester

Although not usually recommended for first-term students, you may take an extra course which will not count toward graduation; register for this extra course on a pass/fail basis at the beginning of the semester; at mid-term, you will receive a form which allows you to drop this extra course from your record, stay in it on a pass/fail basis, or change it to a regularly graded course so it will count in your average and toward distribution requirements and/or the major. THESE OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE ONLY FOR THE EXTRA COURSE

If you remain in the course on a pass/fail grading basis, the course may NOT be used toward the distribution requirements or the major.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO CONTINUE IN SCHOOL

First-year students must receive 3 grades of C- or higher and no failures each semester and pass a Winter Study Project

Sophomores and above must receive 4 C- or higher grades each semester and pass a Winter Study Project

HOW DO I CHANGE MY SCHEDULE

All course changes must be made using SELFREG, the on-line registration system

Complete instructions provided at Registrar's Office web page

ACADEMIC WARNINGS

Late October and March faculty report first-year students whose work is unsatisfactory

Warnings are issued to students, academic advisors, and junior advisors

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW AND REMEMBER

Some courses are "year-long" and are hyphenated in catalog; must pass both semesters to get any credit

Your grades will be sent only to you; it is up to you to share them with others, including parents, as you see fit

WHERE CAN I FIND INFORMATION ABOUT COURSE CHANGES, FINAL EXAMS, ETC.

The Registrar’s Office web site includes an up-to-the-minute on-line catalog and handbook, academic calendars for three years, SELFREG documentation, the final exam schedule and much more

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Ask your advisor; come to the Registrar's Office; come to the Dean's Office -- Don't hesitate to ask