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IM Handbook
Overview
If you are a student in the College of Arts and Sciences,
the Individual Major (IM) offers you the chance to focus your
academic work on an interdisciplinary topic outside the framework
of an existing department or program major. In an Individual
Major, you define your own major program of study, drawing
on courses from two or more disciplines within the College.
In certain cases, you might apply to work toward a degree
with Honors in your Individual Major.
The major as part fo the Oberlin BA
Oberlin’s College of Arts and Sciences sees the depth
of study that a major ensures as one of the two poles of a
liberal education. To quote from the current Course
Catalog "General Education" section:
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.
In a departmental major, you would pursue depth through intensive
training in a discipline represented by a department or program,
for example, Biology, History, or Creative Writing.
Requirements for such majors are published in the Course Catalog
and on departmental websites; it can be useful for you to
study these in order to understand the depth and intensity
(for example, the level of advanced work) expected in an Oberlin
College major.
The process of the IM
The Individual Major is created in collaboration between you
and two faculty advisors, who work together to define a common
topic for the major and to articulate how it fits with the
liberal arts goals of the Bachelor of Arts degree at Oberlin.
The process usually begins in the sophomore year (and no later
than first semester of the junior year). With faculty
advice, you name and define the major, propose the relevant
coursework for it, and present a coherent rationale that explains
its focus, purpose and viability as an Oberlin liberal arts
major. Your written proposal and faculty recommendations
go before The Individual Major Committee, a faculty committee
which either approves it or suggests changes. Often,
students meet with the IM committee in person to discuss their
proposals, but it's not required. Most proposals have
to be revised at least once. If approved, the major
becomes a contract between you and the college, though of
course changes are often necessary as faculty go on leave
or courses are changed: these changes are made in consultation
with your advisors and the IM committee. After the proposal
is completed, you may return to the IM committee to propose
an Honors project in your IM. When completed, the title of
the IM is recorded on your transcript.
Some sample IM topics
The topic of an IM is by nature interdisciplinary, drawing
on the coursework, methodologies and resources of at least
two departments. It is not a broad "liberal
arts" major, but has a specific focus connecting the
disciplines on which it draws. Area studies (such as "Sub-Saharan
African Studies"or "South Asian Studies") are
popular in Individual Majors, created by analogy with existing
area-study majors such as Latin American Studies, and drawing
on courses in departments such as History, Politics, Sociology,
Art, Religion, etc. Some IMs focus on a medium of expression
and artistry, such as "Poetry" or "Digital
Arts" or "Narrativity in Film". Other
IMs follow social issues, placing the student's individual
concerns in relation to the disciplines that help to analyze
those concerns: some recent majors in this area are
"Community Based Education","Liberation Struggles
Studies" and "The Sociology of Women in Sport".
A number of Individual Majors take advantage of the resources
of the Conservatory of Music, drawing on the pre-professional
study of music to create a liberal arts major in the college
- for example, "Music Production: Creating African-American
Music in the Present", "Music Education for South
Asia", or "Psychomusicology".
A list of past and current IM titles and students is available
here. We recommend that you
study the range and nature of these IM titles.
The IM and the College
The Individual Major has historically been a way in which
the college has defined emerging disciplines. Before
the creation of programs in Women's Studies, Environmental
Studies, and Cinema Studies for example, students were creating
their own majors in those fields, drawing on the expertise
present in the college faculty and forging the ways in which
those fields were to become the strong programs that they
are today at Oberlin, now offering their own majors.
Currently, a number of Individual Majors in multi-media studies,
ethnomusicology, and cultural studies may be pioneering similar
evolutions in the structures of knowledge and disciplines
at Oberlin.
Conservatory Individual Majors
Although many Individual Majors draw on the resources of the
Conservatory, the major as described in this document is only
offered within the College; that is, it is available as a
way of fulfilling the major requirement only within the Bachelor
of Arts (B.A.) degree, not the Bachelor of Music (B. M.) degree.
For information about the Conservatory Individual Major, consult
the Conservatory Dean's Office.
Pros and Cons of the IM
The Individual Major is not for everybody: it's a challenging
process to define the major, bring faculty and courses together
from different disciplines to create a strong proposal and
course list, to write up the proposal and see it through the
consideration process to approval. Successful completion
of the IM takes a student willing to stay well on top of the
details of his or her program, flexible and resourceful when
classes get cancelled or plans change, and above all willing
to consult advisors and other faculty on a regular basis.
Furthermore, you should be aware that in choosing to pursue
an IM, you will be going a route that may be isolating: there
won't be significant departmental support for the majors as
there is in some regular departments; there's little crossover
in interest or topic among the IMs working on campus at any
given time; and the IM itself may look strange to employers
or graduate schools looking at your resume or transcript.
But for certain students it is a wonderful opportunity to
forge a personalized focus for the liberal arts major and
to take a special role in how Oberlin can contribute to his
or her individual education. The IM does signal
-- to others in the college, to the world beyond Oberlin,
and to you yourself -- a thoughtful and challenging approach
to liberal arts education.
The IM Committee
The IM is overseen by the IM Committee, which is appointed
by the College Faculty. Membership in the Committee,
and its chair, change year-by-year, but it is normally staffed
by faculty from many different areas of the college, with
an interest in interdisciplinary work and knowledge of college
procedures and resources.
The chair, a faculty member, serves as the principal liaison
with the Committee for IM students. The name of the
chair can be found by contacting the Office of the Dean of
Studies in Peters 205 or online at http://www.oberlin.edu/dstudies/im/.
The IM Committee holds meetings approximately monthly. Proposals,
changes or other information for the Committee should be submitted
to the chair no later than one week before the next scheduled
meeting (materials received after that date will not be considered
until the next meeting). Times and dates of upcoming meetings
are available from the chair or online at http://www.oberlin.edu/dstudies/im.
Proposing an Individual Major
Most IMs are planned in the sophomore year. You should
begin the IM process early in the year, with the goal of completing
a proposal for the IM Committee in the second semester of
sophomore year. Occasionally, proposals may be considered
by the Committee in the first semester of the student's junior
year, but no proposals will be considered from seniors or
second-semester juniors.
For the purposes of explanation, the process is divided below
into two stages, planning the IM and writing the IM.
In practice, of course, these will overlap. As you plan,
you'll be writing drafts of your proposal and getting feedback
on them from your advisors and the chair of the IM Committee;
as you write the proposal, you'll realize that you need to
consult and plan further.
Planning the IM
How to start planning an IM? One step is to read through
this and related descriptions of the IM to get an overview
of the way the College thinks about the major. There
are materials available for you to look at in the Office of
the Dean of Studies, Peters 205, or under downloadable documents.
In Peters 205 you will also find samples of approved IM proposals.
Study the Course Catalog including:
• Statement of Goals and Objectives for Oberlin
College
• College of Arts and Sciences: Major Study
• Major programs as described in several departments
or programs related to your proposed IM
• Course offerings in the disciplines from which
you hope to draw your IM course work.
If your proposed
major relates to majors at other undergraduate colleges or
universities (for example, South Asian Studies), get to know
the shape and rationale for those majors as a way of articulating
the idea more clearly in the context of an Oberlin education.
Draft some notes for yourself:
•a number of alternative titles for the IM
•some phrases indicating the nature of the interdisciplinary
field you are proposing
•the departments and programs you might draw on
•the courses that you believe are central to your field
•the names of faculty members whose teaching and scholarship
have some connection with your field
Consult with faculty and students:
• The chair of the IM Committee will have experience
with IMs in many fields and at many stages: it's important
both to inform him/her of your plans and to consult at various
stages in the creation of a proposal.
• Even more centrally, it's important to find the right
faculty advisors for your IM. You will need at
least two advisors, in different departments, but you might
start with one in the first stages of planning. For
IMs that cross divisions (college and conservatory), one of
the advisors will probably be from the conservatory.
These advisors should be faculty members with good knowledge
of the resources and workings of the college (faculty in their
first year of appointment at Oberlin are not encouraged to
take on advisees). They will be your academic advisors
once your IM is approved and takes effect, and their help
will be essential as you pursue the IM and negotiate the almost
inevitable changes that it will go through. If advisors
go on leave during the IM, you need to find a replacement
and inform the Office of the Dean of Studies by completing
the Change-of-Advisor Form.
• Other students who have gone through the IM process
are an excellent resource in helping and encouraging you to
sharpen and focus your work, and to suggest faculty resources.
Writing the IM Proposal
The forms for the IM proposal are available online, or from
the Office of the Dean of Studies, or from the chair of the
IM Committee. When completing the forms, be sure to follow
the instructions for each form. Keep your materials available
for re-writes while the planning and consideration process
goes on; most IMs are rewritten several times before being
approved. The IM Committee strongly prefers receiving
the forms as e-mail attachments.
Specific Requirements for the IM
• At least 30 hours in the major
• At least 18 hours in advanced courses above the introductory
level (generally this means courses with prerequisites)
• One course of at least three hours serving as Topic
Course, taken in the senior year, focusing on the specific
theme of the major (see below)
• Some work at the seminar level, involving in-depth
research or performance
• At least 12 hours of major work not begun at the time
of submission, including the Topic Course
• No more than 2/3 of the total major hours in any one
department or program
• No more than 15 hours of major work counting toward
your other major, if any
• No more than 1/3 of the hours for the major taken
off-campus
Key Elements of the IM Proposal
• Title of the IM
• Primary Rationale
• Course Grid Sheets
• Course Rationale
• Topic Course Description
• Advisors' Recommendations
Title of the IM
The title should be appropriate for entry on your official
Oberlin transcript. The title needs to describe in brief
the interdisciplinary field that you are proposing as an equivalent
to one of the existing disciplinary majors at Oberlin.
Avoid proposing titles of the form "X and Y" (for
example, "English and History"), which indicate
a double major rather than an interdisciplinary one (one recent
IM, for example, was titled "The Sociology of Women in
Sport", naming a more precise relationship between the
key disciplines than the vague linkage of "Sociology
and Athletics"). Be sure that you are prepared
to define and explain key words in your title: an IM titled
"Community Based Education", for example, needs
to go on to explain the particular nature of "community"that
is implied in the title.
In addition to the title, please include:
• your OCMR number, your local phone number, and
Oberlin email address
• your current class year
• your expected date of graduation
• any other major(s) and minor(s) you are pursuing
Once the IM Committee has approved your IM proposal, the committee
reserves the right to share it with other interested students.
Primary Rationale
The primary rationale expands on and explains the title, defining
the academic field of the proposed major. This should
be a carefully written essay, up to three pages long (not
exceeding 750 words), indicating the focus, direction, and
purpose of the major, as well as its viability and suitability
as an undergraduate field of concentration. The IM Committee
will expect the primary rationale to do the following:
• Explain the topic that you propose to major in.
Explain what disciplines it draws upon (departments and programs,
usually) and how they will interact to create an interdisciplinary
area. If appropriate, describe parallels to this area
of study as majors at other colleges or universities, or in
other IMs at Oberlin.
• Show how the proposed IM will fulfill the goals of
a liberal arts major at Oberlin, primarily that of depth,
"realized through intensive training in a major"
(Course Catalog, "General Education").
• Articulate the viability of the IM, showing that the
resources for completing it (particularly faculty and coursework)
are available at Oberlin or through an off-campus study program
(see Off-campus Limits section below).
• Address the ways in which your proposed IM is distinct
from existing majors at Oberlin in related fields, and why
those majors would not fulfill the goals you propose for your
IM.
• Speak to why this area of study is important to you,
how it fulfills your own goals for a liberal arts education,
and what it may lead to after graduation.
Course Grid Sheets
The courses that constitute the major are a crucial part of
the proposal, and should be submitted in the form of a set
of grids (see grid sheets accompanying the proposal form on
paper or on the website). The course grid sheets constitute
a contract for the IM that the Registrar will expect you to
adhere to (on the other hand, changes may be made in the major
after the proposal has been accepted; see Changes in the IM
section below).
To help the IM Committee understand the course list, the column
called "TYPE" should include codes as follows (more
than one code may be used for any given course, if applicable):
• INT = Introductor
• ADV = Advanced
• TOP = Topic Course
• ALT = Alternative to the course listed just above
it in the grid
In some cases, EXCO courses are relevant to the IM, and may
be listed in the course grid sheets. Since EXCO courses
are not listed in the Course Catalog, you should include further
information about the EXCO course in the Course Rationale,
namely, the title, description, instructor's name and credentials,
and rationale about the appropriateness to the proposed IM.
Course Rationale
The proposal should explain the relevance of the courses in
the Course Grid Sheets to the major. This rationale
should categorize the courses as appropriate: that is, rather
than following the chronological listing of the grid sheets,
you should list courses by theme. In many cases, that
involves discussing the courses by department, listing, for
example, all the English courses, from introductory through
advanced, and explaining the function of each in the major.
In other cases, it may be helpful to use your own categories
of theme to organize this list (an IM dealing with issues
of education, for example, might use a category of courses
directly referencing education even though Oberlin has currently
no education department or program). The course rationale
normally gives only a few lines to each course, and does not
need to reproduce the course catalog description in most cases.
Topic Course Description
The Topic Course will form the capstone of the IM in the senior
year. Its focus is the specific theme of the major.
It should provide an integrated overview of the different
components of the major and the interdisciplinary field defined
by the major.
In most cases, the Topic Course will be a Private Reading,
but a seminar or other advanced course may in some cases serve
this purpose, especially if you and the instructor agree that
your work for that seminar could be directed towards the field
of the IM.
You should discuss the Topic Course with the instructor and
agree on a description of the material to be covered in the
course. If the instructor for the Topic Course is not one
of your IM advisors, ask him/her to send an email approval
of the Topic Course Description to the chair of the IM Committee.
Advisors' Recommendations
You should review the written IM proposal with both faculty
advisors and obtain their approval before submitting it to
the IM committee. Furthermore, you should make sure
that both advisors complete the Recommendation of Advisor
form, which they should send electronically to the chair of
the IM Committee. (Advisor signatures will not be required
because of the electronic submission.)
Submitting the IM Proposal
Send all IM materials to the chair of the IM Committee. The
IM proposal cover sheet should be hand-signed by you and your
two IM advisors, therefore it should be submitted as a hard
copy. The accompanying materials ( primary rationale, course
rationale, course grid sheets and topic course description)
should be forwarded as email attachments. The committee will
accept hard copies of materials but electronic ones are strongly
preferred. You should also make sure that the two advisors
have forwarded their recommendations to the chair of the IM
Committee, as the proposal cannot be considered without them.
The IM Committee will discuss your proposal at a regular meeting.
If you are interested and able to attend, the Committee may
invite you to discuss the proposal with committee members,
particularly if there are issues that you can clarify or concerns
that the Committee wants you to consider.
In any case, you will be notified by letter from the chair
of the IM Committee soon after the meeting. If the proposal
is not accepted, the chair will outline problems and concerns
as identified by the Committee, and will send the advisors
copies of this letter. You should be aware that few
proposals are accepted as first submitted. In most cases,
the Committee hopes that if your proposal is not accepted,
you will meet your advisors, consider the feedback of the
Committee, and revise the proposal for resubmission.
Implementing the Individual Major
When a proposal is approved, you need to fill out the standard
Declaration of Major Form (available in the Office of the
Registrar and the Office of the Dean of Studies) and submit
it to the chair of the IM Committee for a signature as "Department
Chair" and to each of your faculty advisors for signatures
as "Advisors". Both advisors will then be considered
by the college as your academic advisors and will receive
RAP numbers, grade reports, and other advising materials about
you.
The approved proposals, as well as this Declaration of Major
form, will be kept by the Registrar. The IM becomes,
therefore, a contract by which the Registrar will certify
the successful completion of the IM when the course work has
been completed.
Minor Changes
The IM committee recognizes that some changes in the course
work proposed may be necessary as you implement the major.
Faculty may go on leave, courses may not be offered as planned,
or the very nature of the major may need to be revised.
It cannot be stressed too strongly that such changes must
be approved in advance.
Minor changes are construed as additions of courses, substitution
or deletion of a course; or change in the semester in which
a course is to be taken. As long as such changes do
not affect the general plan of the IM, minor changes are to
be discussed between you and your advisors. If your
advisors approve, they sign a Minor Course Change Form and
you submit it to the chair of the IM Committee to be considered
and forwarded to the Registrar. The Minor Change Course
Form should include a revised grid sheet for the semester(s)
in which the change(s) will occur.
Extensive Changes
Extensive changes are those affecting the title, rationale,
topic course, or changes in a number of courses. If
you are proposing extensive changes, consult with your advisors
and submit a description of and rationale for proposed changes
to the chair of the IM Committee. Your advisors must e-mail
their approval to the chair. If you have any doubt about whether
a proposed change qualifies as extensive, consult with the
IM Committee chair.
Honors in the IM
Honors in the IM may be proposed after the IM proposal has
been approved, and during the junior year.
To be eligible for Honors in the IM, you must have:
• a B+ average in courses that count toward the major
• recommendations from both advisors.
To apply for Honors in the IM:
• Meet with your advisors to determine your eligibility.
If eligible, you and your advisors should devise an Honors
project. An Honors program normally involves two consecutive
courses (three hours each) during the senior year.
• Submit the proposed Honors program to the IM Committee
chair for approval.
• The IM Committee chair will notify the Honors at Graduation
Committee of the names of students approved for the IM Honors
program.
Supervision: The advisors are responsible for supervising
the Honors Project, you and your advisors should maintain
close contact during the project semesters.
Evaluation: At the end of your senior year, you must
pass a comprehensive examination on the Honors project.
It is your responsibility to see to it that arrangements for
such an examination are made:
The student is to request the advisors to prepare and administer
jointly an examination which has the approval of the departments
or programs of which the advisors are members. When
the examination has been completed, both advisors and their
departments or programs must concur on the degree of honors
to be recommended (no Honors, Honors, High Honors, or Highest
Honors).
Your advisors will inform the IM Committee chair as to the
degree of honors to be recommended, as well as the grade to
be awarded for the courses constituting the Honors program.
The Individual Major: Student Tips and Timetable
• Plan early: don't put off planning and
submitting an IM proposal because you're not totally sure
of what you're doing. Almost everybody changes their
original proposal somewhat. Get started in your sophomore
year.
• Choose advisors who are familiar with the IM process
if you can (people who have been on the Committee, or have
advised other IM students). If that won't work, learn
about the IM yourself and make sure your advisors have the
same materials and knowledge.
• If you like working with someone, ask them to be your
advisor. No single person will fit exactly your needs.
• Remind your advisors to turn in recommendations when
they are due.
• Ask your advisors specifically about the strengths
and weaknesses of written drafts for your proposal and their
recommendations about how to make it better. Address
these concerns before submitting your proposal.
• Please note that the entire process, from beginning
through committee approval, may take many weeks. Developing
a specific calendar of deadlines is an important first step.
Sophomore Year -- planning and proposing
the IM:
• Shape your ideas for an IM and consult with the IM
Committee chair.
• Find advisors and work with them to give the proposal
initial shape—title, rationale, course list, topic course.
• Draft your proposal and discuss the draft with both
advisors.
• Prepare a final version of the proposal, get advisors'
approval, and submit it to the IM Committee chair (Deadline:
normally, the end of the second semester of sophomore year,
and no later than the first semester of the junior year).
The Committee will consider only complete proposals, including
advisors' recommendations, submitted to the Committee chair
at least one week before the meeting.
• Advisors email their recommendations to the IM Committee
chair.
• The IM Committee discusses the proposal, approves
it or suggests changes.
• If necessary, you revise and resubmit your proposal.
Junior Year -- implementing the IM:
• Begin the bulk of the IM coursework.
• Maintain regular contact with your advisors, especially
at registration times.
• Propose minor or extensive course changes, if necessary.
• Propose an Honors program, if appropriate.
• At registration for the first semester of senior year,
meet with your advisors to review progress, consider changes,
and discuss the topic course.
Senior year -- finishing the IM:
• Finish the IM coursework.
Near the end of
your senior year, the Registrar will check your transcript
against the IM proposal and will certify completion of the
IM. The title of your Individual Major is recorded on your
official transcript. Congratulations! |
IM Handbook
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