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In
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General Information
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Academic
Life
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Catalog
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Other
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Academic Life
The academic year (see the Academic
Calendar) is
divided into two 15-week semesters and a four-week Winter Term.
Each semester consists of approximately 13 weeks of classes (not
including a one-week break in each), a three-day reading period
and a four-day evaluation period. During the reading period there
are no classes; it is a time in which term papers can be finished
and work reviewed in preparation for examinations.
The Honor System
helps maintain a high standard of integrity in all academic work,
under the basic assumption that all work submitted is the sole and
original product of the individual student. The System respects
the student's ability to maintain this standard and encourages the
further development of this ability.
The System, which
is supervised by the student Honor Committee, applies to all work
submitted for academic credit, such as examinations, quizzes, papers
and laboratory assignments. The system also applies to destruction,
hiding and improper removal or retention of library materials with
the intent of denying others access.
The administration
of the Honor System requires the collective and individual cooperation
of the entire Oberlin College community and is fully explained in
the document Student
Regulations, Policies and Procedures.
Oberlin provides
a Winter Term of four weeks in January to encourage and enable students
to discover the value of self-education. This term affords students
an opportunity to devise and pursue programs of independent study
or research and to undertake, individually or with a group, on or
off campus, other projects of educational value that the structured
curriculum during the academic year cannot accommodate easily.
Winter Term provides
an opportunity for variations and supplements to the usual course
offerings, with an emphasis on experimentation and creativity, intellectual
independence, and personal responsibility. Projects may be proposed
by faculty, students and occasionally by members of the administrative
and professional staff and alumni. Many departments offer individual
and group projects; students often devise their own projects.
Students who pursue
their projects on campus can take advantage of the facilities and
opportunities that Oberlin offers. Many concerts, theatrical productions,
films, lectures, forums, and discussion groups that enliven Winter
Term are part of on-campus projects. Typical off-campus projects
include (but are not limited to) career exploration, internships,
and community service.
Each fall the Winter
Term Committee issues the Winter Term Handbook, a detailed description
of Winter Term procedures and deadlines, and the Winter Term Supplement,
a listing of publicized projects. Both Handbook and Supplement appear
online, at www.oberlin.edu/~wintertm/.
Winter Term Credits
and General Information
Winter Term Credit
Requirements:
* In order
to graduate from Oberlin, students pursuing a bachelor's degree
are required to earn three full Winter Term credits.
* Transfer
students must earn one credit in each Winter Term during their enrollment
at Oberlin, unless this would result in more than three credits.
* Credits are
earned by completing a project, either individually or as part of
a group. Individual projects require a written proposal, final report
and a positive assessment of the project by the sponsor. Winter
Term projects are evaluated as "completed" (Y) or "not completed"
(N); no letter grades are given. Winter Term project titles and
credit earned are recorded on student transcripts.
* Winter Term
projects are rated as half or full. Students may participate in
one half, two halves, or one full project each Winter Term.
* The time
commitment for a half-time project is three hours per weekday; the
commitment for a full-time project is five to six hours per weekday.
* The required
three credits may be earned on or off campus, in any combination.
* Students who
plan to take a leave of absence for study abroad for a n entire
academic year should plan to complete Winter Term projects during
each of the three years in residence, since they may not register
for Winter Term while on leave for the entire year. Students on
leave for one semester may register for Winter Term if they are
enrolled at Oberlin for the other semester of the year and if their
courses of study elsewhere do not overlap with Winter Term.
* Winter Term
credits are not the same as semester credit hours, i.e., the Winter
Term credits are not included in the required 112 Arts and Sciences
or 124 Conservatory semester hours.
* [This requirement
affects students entering Oberlin in fall 2000 or later]. Students
may propose Winter Term projects from one of the following categories:
1. Academic
Study: a faculty-sponsored, academically-focused research, study,
or performance project that can be conducted on- or off-campus,
individually or as part of a group project.
2. Field Experience:
a learning activity that could include career exploration, social
or political action, community service, or an internship.
3. Personal
Growth and Development: an opportunity to learn a skill, try something
new, or pursue subject matter outside of traditional academic disciplines.
* Only one
full project (or two half projects) may be earned from category
three. All three Winter Term credits may be earned from categories
one and two. Student and sponsor together must determine the most
appropriate category for a proposed project.
* A student
registered for Winter Term credit may not be paid for work associated
with his or her project.
* Questions
about Winter Term requirements should be directed to the appropriate
academic associate dean.
Sponsor.
Every project must have an on-campus sponsor. Faculty members and,
under some circumstances, members of the Administrative and Professional
Staff, may serve as a project sponsors. Finding a suitable sponsor
is largely a matter of matching student and faculty or staff member
interests.
Fees. There
are no additional tuition or room fees for Winter Term. Students
may purchase (or use their Oberlin College identification cards
to charge) individual meals at Stevenson during Winter Term. Students
may also use flex dollars that remain in their account from the
fall semester to purchase meals at Stevenson during Winter Term.
Some on-campus projects,
especially those directed by an invited specialist, require a fee
from each participant to help defray expenses. This fee typically
ranges from $10 to $40 or more.
Winter Term Planning
and Advising. Students should discuss their Winter Term plans
with their academic advisors and potential project sponsors in October
or early November. Early planning is especially important for students
who choose an individual project.
In this catalog,
many departments list information about the 2003 Winter Term. For
students interested in a career-related or community service project,
advisors and numerous resources are available to assist them in
identifying opportunities. Please see the Winter Term Handbook for
detailed information.
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Special
Academic Programs
For the student who
wishes to pursue topics outside the normal course offerings of the
College of Arts and Sciences or the Conservatory of Music, two important
alternatives are available:
Experimental College
(ExCo) is a student-run
organization that sponsors courses (for limited academic credit)
taught by members of the Oberlin community: faculty, students, administrators
and townspeople. Each year a list of subjects not found in the regular
curriculum is offered. Students can receive up to five hours credit
toward graduation from ExCo courses. Courses are typically offered
for one credit. Experimental College catalogs are distributed shortly
before ExCo registration, which takes place in the first week of
each semester.
ExCo also invites
applications from individuals who wish to coordinate an ExCo course.
The Experimental College Committee approves applications for courses
in advance of the semester in which the course is to be offered.
Student instructors may receive the number of credit hours listed
for the course, plus one additional hour. More information is available
at the ExCo office in Wilder Hall.
Private Reading.
For the student who wishes to pursue individually and in-depth a
topic not covered in the regular curriculum, the option of a one-to-one
tutorial is available. (For further information please refer to
the College of Arts and Sciences and Conservatory of Music sections
of this catalog. For information about independent, off-campus study,
see the Enrolled-Not-in-Residence section of this catalog.)
Study Off-Campus
and Abroad
Oberlin College
recognizes the desire of students to supplement their Oberlin experience
through a program of study off-campus for credit. By providing exposure
to new perspectives, participation in quality off-campus programs
enriches the educational experience. Students on financial aid should
consult the Office of Financial Aid before planning to participate
in an off-campus program, because not all types of financial aid
can be applied to off-campus programs.
Programs Sponsored
by Individual Departments
The Danenberg
Oberlin-in-London Program
runs each semester and involves two or three Oberlin faculty members
and about 30 students each semester. The curriculum varies semester-to-semester
and year-to-year, according to the academic disciplines of the instructors,
but it seeks to take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded
by the cultural and historical setting. Prerequisites and details
of the curriculum for 2002-03 are listed in this catalog under the
London Program.
Studies in Spain
at the University of Córdoba. Students of Spanish language,
literature and culture may participate for fall, spring or both
semesters in the Programa de Estudios Hispánicos en Córdoba
(Spain). This program is sponsored by a consortium comprised of
Wheaton College, Oberlin College, Smith College, Trinity College,
Wellesley College and the College of Wooster. Córdoba, one-time
capital of Roman Spain and seat of the Caliphate, offers a unique
opportunity for on-the-scene study of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian
influences on Spanish culture. Courses are offered in literature,
history, art, architecture, music, economics and social and political
reforms. (Please consult the catalog section on Spanish under the
Department of Romance Languages.)
Oberlin-in-Italy
is an intensive summer program in Italian language and culture sponsored
by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Based in Urbania, Italy, the
month-long program includes intensive language study and the study
of Italian culture, including art history, Italian opera history,
literature, ceramics, drawing, and other fields. For singers and
pianists the program includes musical, vocal and dramatic coaching,
and performances of a chamber opera and opera scenes, and other
concerts. Auditions are required for performers. Application deadline
is early February. The program fee includes tuition and accommodations
(choice of family or apartment). For information and applications,
contact Anna Hoffman in the Conservatory Outreach Office (440/775-8044).
Daune Mahy is the faculty sponsor. No financial aid is available
for this program.
Oberlin-in-Europe.
The Euro Summer School is a seven-week intensive and multicultural
program offered through a partnership with the Center for European
Studies at the University of Maastricht, The Netherlands, and the
International Studies Center of the Wirtschaftsuniversitat, Vienna,
Austria. The program provides a unique opportunity for Oberlin students
to mix and study with students from across Europe while experiencing
firsthand the life and business cultures of Austria, Belgium, France,
Germany and The Netherlands, and visiting several of the most vibrant
cities in Europe. Fully credited courses by Oberlin College, offered
in English, explore the economics, institutions and business practices
shaping Europe today. As minimal preparation for the program students
need to have completed introductory economics. David Cleeton, professor
of economics, is faculty sponsor for the program. More complete
information and application forms can be found at the web page located
at: http://www.oberlin.edu/~oeurope
Great Lakes
Colleges Association Programs
Through its membership
in the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA), a consortium of
12 midwestern colleges, Oberlin College allows its students to participate
in certain off-campus programs in the United States and in foreign
countries. Each program is administered by a member school. Information
on these programs is available from the campus liaison for each
program and from the Student Academic Affairs Office in Peters Hall.
Through its membership in GLCA, Oberlin offers students the opportunity
for academic leaves of absence to participate in the following:
Overseas Study.
GLCA recognizes one-semester or year-long programs in Scotland,
the Czech Republic, Russia, Japan, China, India, Nepal, Kenya, and
Senegal.
American-Based
Programs.
In the United States, GLCA recognizes the following off-campus study
programs:
-- The Urban Center
in Philadelphia combines work-study in a community organization
with a seminar in urban affairs and an independent study project.
-- The Oak Ridge
Science semester places students with research scientists working
on intensive investigations and provides advanced course work in
the natural and social sciences.
-- The Newberry
Library Program in the Humanities, based in Chicago, provides an
opportunity for seminars and independent study with the Newberry's
rich collection of books and manuscripts.
-- The New York
Arts semester provides both seminars and placements in a variety
of arts areas.
-- The Borders Program
based in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico,
is offered each fall semester. It explores the cross-boundary relationships
and encounters that now shape the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Other Off-Campus
Study Options
Inter-college
Exchanges. Students may be selected each semester to participate
in an exchange with Gallaudet University, the nation's only liberal
arts school for the deaf, or Fisk University, a predominantly black
university in Nashville, Tennessee. Sophomores and juniors in good
academic standing and an interest in intergroup relations are eligible
to apply. Application for these programs should be made through
the Office of Student Academic Affairs.
National Theater
Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center is a one-semester
program that combines the liberal arts philosophy of studies in
a wide range of disciplines with exposure to professional production
standards. The National Theater Institute's program has two components.
For the major part of the semester students participate in classes
in acting, directing, design, movement/improvisation and playwriting,
as well as adjunct courses and special workshops led by guest artists.
The remainder of each semester is devoted to workshops focusing
on one or more specific theatrical exercises. Oberlin students wishing
to attend N.T.I. must first be nominated by the theater faculty.
Applications should be made in consultation with the Theater and
Dance; final admission decisions are made by the N.T.I. staff.
Tisch School
of the Arts' special semester at New York University features
courses on film production, film studies, and musical theater. Available
spring semester. For information see William Patrick Day, Associate
Professor of English.
Additional Programs.
Off-campus study is not limited to the programs described above.
The Student Academic Affairs office maintains a list of other Oberlin-Affiliated
Programs, as well as an extensive list of other programs approved
by departments at Oberlin. Students should consult with the Associate
Dean for International Student Affairs in planning their studies
off-campus.
Center for
Service and Learning
In keeping with
Oberlin's historic commitment to thoughtful social action, the Center
for Service and Learning promotes the linkage of intellectual inquiry,
artistic development and community involvement.
Each year, an estimated
1,000 Oberlin College students volunteer their services to the surrounding
communities. This involvement allows students to explore issues
of personal and intellectual concern while becoming active members
of their community.
The Center for Service
and Learning links students with community organizations providing
educational service opportunities that satisfy community needs.
Students interested in opportunities for socially relevant research
or in developing community-service programs receive consultation
and assistance. The Center also offers several programs that enable
participants to better understand how their efforts can contribute
to long-term, systemic solutions to social problems.
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