Students must plan ahead if they are to meet the goals of a liberal arts education.
The first step toward planning is to become aware of the range of Lawrence’s
curricular offerings and programs. The course catalog contains this information,
and students should become thoroughly familiar with it. Students
should then discuss their academic programs regularly with their faculty advisors
and, as needed, with advisors of programs or instructors of courses in which
they have an interest.
Upon entering Lawrence, each student is assigned a faculty advisor to give
advice and perspective on developing an educational program.
Students who build strong relationships with their advisors will benefit
most from a Lawrence education. If necessary, students may switch advisors
as they
develop a close working relationship with another faculty member. Students
need not, however, have an advisor in their major field of study until
the beginning of their junior year.
Over the academic year, freshmen most often enroll in seven courses
in addition to the Freshman Studies sequence.
They will take courses in
their general
area of intellectual interest and explore new areas as well. Lawrence’s
General Education Requirements should be considered in making these
choices. Other considerations also should figure in this planning.
For example, Bachelor of Music students have fewer choices in the first
year since they must
also take
music theory and private lessons. Some majors and preprofessional programs
may require that specific course sequences be started in the freshman
year. Students also may want to consider off-campus programs. They
should learn when these programs are offered and what,
if any, coursework
is required for participation in them. Finally, students may want to
think ahead to postgraduate study.
Most students select a major during the sophomore year and certainly by the
beginning of the junior year, after they have had an opportunity to sample
coursework in a variety of disciplines. Once they
have determined a major, they consult with a faculty member in that
department
and plan their future academic program. This planning should take into
account not only the requirements of the major but also courses in
other areas that
might complement the major or other particular interests. Again, postgraduate
plans may be important considerations.
Planning is essential, but it need not be rigid. Initial interests
students have on arrival at Lawrence usually change dramatically as
a result of exposure
to new and different areas of study.
The Structure of the Curriculum
The curriculum of the university is structured into three parts. For the Bachelor
of Arts degree, students take approximately one-third of their coursework in
general education, another third in their major course of study, and a final
third in elective areas of study. Bachelor of Music students take approximately
one-third of their courses in general education and the other two-thirds in
music-related study.
General Education
To ensure that Lawrence students gain familiarity with the principal academic
disciplines and with the modes of thought and expression appropriate to each,
approximately one-third of the coursework required for the bachelor’s
degree is in general education.
The general education component of each degree program consists of three parts.
The purpose of the distribution requirements is to ensure that students graduating
from Lawrence experience the breadth of study central to a liberal arts education.
The purpose of the diversity requirements is to prepare students for positions
of leadership within an increasingly diverse American society and an increasingly
interconnected world. The skills represented by the competency requirements are fundamental to the study of the liberal arts and prerequisites for success
in any discipline or profession.
Distribution: Divisions within the University
Lawrence University organizes its curricular programs and offerings into divisions
that are further described in the degree requirements. The
divisions are as follows:
Humanities: Chinese, classics, English, French and francophone studies,
German, history, Japanese, philosophy, religious studies, Russian, and Spanish.
Natural sciences: biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics and computer science,
and physics.
Social sciences: anthropology, economics, education studies, government,
and psychology.
Fine arts: art and art history, music, and theatre arts.
Interdisciplinary programs, such as biomedical ethics, East Asian studies,
environmental studies, ethnic studies, gender studies, and linguistics are
usually non-divisional. However, such non-divisional courses, as well as education
and university courses, may be assigned divisional affiliations when appropriate.
Diversity and Competencies
Certain classes offered during particular terms have been designated as addressing
the diversity and competency requirements that are part of the General Education
Requirements of each degree program. These classes are structured to meet specific
guidelines determined by the faculty of the university and reflect a dimension
of the curriculum not captured by course subject and number.
Diversity requirements call for at least one course with a global perspective
focusing on an area outside Europe and the United States and one course exploring
dimensions of diversity in contemporary American society.
Competency requirements specify courses that improve fundamental skills
central to a liberal arts education, courses designated as writing intensive,
speaking intensive, emphasizing quantitative reasoning, and leading toward
proficiency in a foreign language.
Classes identified as meeting diversity or competency requirements are identified
in the class schedule published each term on the registrar’s
website.
Freshman Studies
Entering students enroll in Freshman Studies, a two-course sequence specifically
designed to acquaint students with the modes of inquiry characteristic of intellectual
discourse at Lawrence and to increase their reading, writing, and speaking
skills. The program does more than develop these basic academic skills, however.
Through the study of classical works of systematic thought or creative imagination,
it also raises for discussion and analysis important ideas of abiding concern.
Freshman Studies is both an introduction to
and an important part of a Lawrence education
.
Majors
Liberal learning calls for depth and focus as well as for breadth of knowledge.
The academic major gives students the opportunity to master a subject, while
providing the challenge and pleasure of learning something thoroughly.
Lawrence provides its students with an opportunity to work in the major academic
areas in ways that best suit their interests, talents, and plans. Most students
choose to major in a single discipline. Some students design their own majors.
Others pursue double majors. All Lawrence major programs, however, share as
their foundation the commitment to a schedule that is substantially integrated
and methodologically as sophisticated as the discipline allows.
Minors
Minors provide an opportunity for students seeking the Bachelor of Arts degree
to do organized and focused work in a field outside the area of their majors.
Some students will combine majors and minors in closely related fields — biology
and chemistry, for instance, or English and history — while others will
use minors to explore subjects very different from their major areas. Minors
are offered by almost all curricular departments of the
university.
Interdisciplinary Areas
The rigor of a major is still the best method of guiding, coordinating, and
integrating a student’s advanced scholarly work in a liberal arts college.
But knowledge does not come boxed in disciplines and departments, and students’ interests
and needs often cross the boundaries of their majors into many related areas.
Interdisciplinary areas at Lawrence allow students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts
degree to cross departmental or disciplinary boundaries and address issues
from several perspectives. Every Lawrence student still chooses a major and
fulfills its requirements, but students who satisfy the requirements of an
interdisciplinary area of concentration may have the area listed on their transcripts
along with the declared major.
Each interdisciplinary area constitutes a field of study that allows students
to explore particular themes, topics, or problems from the perspective of several
disciplines. Lawrence has established interdisciplinary areas in biomedical
ethics, international studies, and neuroscience.
Performance Areas and Areas of Emphasis
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in performance must select a performance area for their studies (piano, organ, harpsichord,
voice, strings, classical guitar, winds, or percussion).
Performance majors may choose to complete an optional area of emphasis in
piano accompanying, piano pedagogy, or jazz and improvisational music.
Majors in music education must select from five areas of emphasis (general,
choral/ general, instrumental, instrumental/general, and choral/general/instrumental).
Theory/composition majors may elect to complete an area of emphasis in jazz
and improvisational music.
University Courses
University Courses deal with subjects of interest
and importance that are outside the purview of any given department. Usually
interdisciplinary, University
Courses call upon students and faculty to integrate ideas from sometimes
disparate
fields of knowledge. Alternatively, they provide opportunity for faculty
to present material of specific scholarly interest or expertise. Students
from all disciplines may enroll in University Courses
.
Individual Courses of Study
Student-initiated options for study are
a long-standing feature of the Lawrence curriculum. Most often, students
elect tutorials or independent study in
order to pursue topics of special interest in depth. Lawrence students usually
participate
in at least one of these two options during the four years. Most often, students
pursue tutorials or independent study in the department of their majors,
but they may, when qualified, undertake such work in other departments.
Additional opportunities for individual courses of instruction include student-designed
courses, student-designed majors, writing for credit, and academic internships.
Off-Campus Study
Lawrence University encourages students to extend their program of study
by choosing to participate in the challenging educational and cultural experiences
offered through its portfolio of off-campus
study programs. Lawrence operates
three programs of its own, including the London
Centre, and also offers programs
operated by other organizations, such as the Associated Colleges of the Midwest
(ACM) and the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES),
which have been evaluated by the faculty and
approved for Lawrence affiliation.
It is best to plan ahead for an off-campus experience when considering options
for major and minor programs of study. With that in mind,
it is strongly recommended that students interested in off-campus study make
an appointment with the off-campus program advisors as early as the freshman
year to explore the range of possibilities for including off-campus study
in their degree program.
Lawrence also engages in cooperative
arrangements with certain professional
schools that allow students to combine two or three years of study here and
subsequent enrollment at the professional school toward the attainment of
two degrees. Students may contact the designated advisors
for
further information and guidance.
Course Numbering and Course Credit
During the 2001-02 academic year Lawrence implemented a new course-number
system and a new credit scale. The information presented below references
the new formats.
100-199: Introductory courses generally do not require prior study unless
they are part of a sequence, such as introductory language or mathematics
courses.
This level includes courses introducing students to the discipline as well
as any topical courses aimed at non-majors.
200-399: Foundation/gateway courses represent the second tier of work in
each discipline and might include methods courses and introductions to
sub-disciplines. Typically these courses are not appropriate for entering
freshmen, but in
some
departments they might be appropriate for continuing students with no prior
experience in the subject.
400-599: Advanced courses include seminar series, special-topics
courses, and advanced work in sub-disciplines. Students enrolling in advanced
courses are expected
to understand the basic methodology of the discipline.
600-699: Capstone courses include the culminating work in a discipline
and are not appropriate for students who are neither majors nor minors
in the discipline.
A standard course at Lawrence is valued at 6 units. A normal course load
for a term is three standard courses, or 18 units. For more information about
course loads and how to translate
Lawrence
units
into semester or quarter hours, please see Three Term System and Course Loads.
It is the responsibility of the student to satisfy any prerequisites listed
for specific courses. Faculty members may refuse to admit to their classes
any student who has not satisfied listed prerequisites.
Career Planning
The Career Center offers a wide
range of services to all Lawrentians — undergraduates
and graduates alike. These include individual career counseling to assist
in identifying career interests and skills, as well as assistance in developing
internships, summer employment, and reference files. The Career Center also
sponsors job and internship fairs and on-campus recruiting opportunities.
The center offers workshops and seminars to increase career awareness and
to
improve job-search skills. It also collects and publicizes information on
specific job opportunities.
Graduate Study
Students can discuss options for postgraduate study with any faculty member.
In addition, students interested in graduate and professional schools
will find a variety of valuable resources in
the Career Center.
Students
can
research
information
on specific schools and programs, on graduate and professional school entrance
examinations, and on financial aid. The Career Center also offers computer-based
practice tests for students interested in honing their testing skills before
taking a graduate school exam. Lawrence serves as a center for the administration
of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) subject tests, the Law School Admission
Test, the Foreign Service Examination, and the Medical College Admission
Test (MCAT).
Teacher Certification
Lawrence offers certification at the secondary level in most subjects
and at the elementary and secondary level in music, foreign
language, and art. Students generally student-teach
during their senior year, but, to encourage students to pursue this certification,
a 13th term of student teaching is available without normal tuition charges
in the fall following graduation. Those interested in student teaching
should
consult with the education department at
the earliest opportunity.