SI allows you the opportunity to experience academics at Lawrence without managing a full course load. During SI, you will take two courses that will prepare you for common class settings at Lawrence such as a discussion-based seminar (with 15 students or fewer) and an elective course based on your interests. Students who successfully complete SI courses will earn six units that can be applied towards graduation.
Please see below for additional information on the courses offered during SI.
Summer Institute Seminar (required)
The SI Seminar is modeled after Lawrence's distinctive First Year Studies Program, a multidisciplinary course in liberal learning taken by all Lawrence first-year students in the fall term. An important goal of the seminar course is for students to practice observation, analysis and communication skills in classroom discussion and in written assignments.
As a result of this course, SI students will acquire confidence to serve as leaders in the Lawrence classroom, enhancing the learning experience of all Lawrence students.
2024 SI Tentative Electives offerings below (Students are required to take one elective course):
Road Trips and American Culture (3 units)
In this course, students will explore novels, poetry, memoirs, and films centered around the American fascination with car travel. While the focus will be on various topics such as the history of automobiles, road trips, roadside architecture, and themes like gender, family, sexual orientation, and race in the United States, the course also aims to equip you with essential tools for your journey at Lawrence University. Through engaging discussions, immersive reading experiences, and activities like creative writing, digital humanities projects, and film analysis, you'll develop the skills needed to succeed in your Humanities courses.
Starting STEM Savvy (3 units)
STEM career paths require quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This course helps potential STEM majors cultivate skills to better prepare for success in STEM courses, while exposing students to broad STEM topics. Required activities include engagement with course readings, group discussions from popular science articles, and reflective activities to help students foster learning new and helpful study skills.
Physical Practice: Movement for Wellness (3 units)
This SI elective course explores tactics for growing compassion, endurance and resiliency in our physical bodies as we travel through our Lawrence undergraduate career. Each class, we will explore movement and wellness through a specific lens: yin and hatha yoga, meditation, labyrinth and river walking, gentle resistance training, fascial care and stretching sequences as well as writing/drawing practices. We will strengthen our posture, alignment, and range of motion necessary for all students participating in athletics, the Conservatory, Theatre Arts, and Dance departments, necessary for being a performative human in our greater campus community. There’s no experience with movement, physical activity or dance needed for this class, rather a desire to explore how to practice our chosen fields of study and care for ourselves along the way.
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