Students in the
College of Arts and Sciences, working closely with faculty advisors
and following the general guidelines below, design an educational
program appropriate to their particular interests, needs, and
long-term goals. Taking responsibility for their education in
this way, students derive the most benefit from Oberlin's many
resources.
Students decide
upon a major by the end of the second year of study. This allows
time in the first two years to attend a variety of classes, to
discuss areas of interest with faculty members and majors, to
rediscover a forgotten interest, or to explore a new field. Individual
majors are available to students who develop interests not encompassed
by a single department.
In order to earn
an Arts and Sciences degree, major, minor, or concentration, a
student must be enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences.
General Education
Intellectual depth
and breadth characterize liberal education. Depth is realized
through intensive training in a major. Breadth results from the
assimilation of the content, approach, and insights of several
different disciplines. Oberlin's general education requirements
encourage students to seek breadth in their education, while the
major requirements help them to achieve depth.
The liberal arts
curriculum is divided into three broad divisions: humanities,
social sciences, and natural sciences. Although new fields have
emerged and the boundaries between disciplines are becoming less
distinct as knowledge expands, the traditional divisions retain
sufficient coherence to provide the basis for Oberlin's general
education requirements. The descriptions of departments and programs
that follow allow students and faculty advisors to make informed
judgments about majors and individual courses.
To meet Oberlin's
general education requirements students are required to complete
at least nine credit hours of college-level work in each division.
Students also must take courses in at least two departments or
programs within each division. Beyond this minimal expectation
Oberlin College encourages students to explore other fields of
study by taking courses outside areas of primary interest.
The undergraduate
course of study should include non-Western, minority, and women's
studies as well as European and American studies. It should provide
experience in the creative and performing arts and familiarity
with humanistic and historical inquiry. And it should provide
an appreciation of the tools of investigation and analysis as
applied in the natural sciences and technology as well as in the
social and behavioral sciences. The faculty also encourages students
to achieve proficiency in a foreign language at the second-year
college level.
Though not part
of the three divisions, courses in the Athletics and Physical
Education Department allow participation in physical activities
and the study of physical education. Students are encouraged to
take advantage of these opportunities.
