A quick guide to curricular requirements

Revised 4/15/04

This page is a quick thumbnail reference of curricular requirements for students. For more complete information, talk with your faculty adviser, consult the Colleges Catalogue. A discussion and some explanation of portions of the curriculum can be found in student guide to the curriculum.

What you need to graduate

INTRODUCTION. The Colleges have always embraced the idea that the world needs people who are both broadly and deeply competent. Because our goal is to meet that need, all students complete a course of study in which they:

These are the Colleges' educational goals and objectives. The plan or strategy, by which you work to achieve these goals and objectives is the Colleges' Curriculum. Our curriculum consists of the following requirements, all of which must be met for you to receive a degree from Hobart or William Smith:

Note that with the exception of the First Year Seminar, we do not tell you that you must take a particular set of courses. The eight goals and objectives can be achieved in the context of many different programs of study. You must work with your faculty adviser to design a program of study that both meets your interests and fulfills all the requirements for a degree, including addressing all eight of the goals and objectives.

The Colleges' curriculum is overseen by the Committee on Academic Affairs. This committee includes faculty, administrators and a student representative from Hobart and from William Smith. These student representatives are appointed by the two student governments.

MAJORS AND MINORS, DISCIPLINARY AND INTERDISCIPLINARY. Majors and minors are programs of study that provide you with the opportunity of studying one field or area of concern in depth. A major typically consists of 9-16 courses, a minor 5-8 courses. The major and minor (or second major) that you select will be areas that hold particular interest for you, perhaps reflecting potential career choices.

Majors and minors are defined by the faculty; some are disciplinary and others are interdisciplinary. Academic disciplines are generally centered in departments (biology, philosophy, economics, etc.) and are based on areas of study which have been shared and developed in common by scholars over time. Disciplinary studies are designed to impart depth of knowledge about the fundamental questions, the methods of inquiry and expression, and the literatures of a single, focused area of study. Interdisciplinary work spans traditional disciplines and is often prompted by important problems: science and public policy discussions, environmental issues, urban problems, etc. Interdisciplinary study broadens understanding and emphasizes the inter-relatedness of knowledge by reaching across the traditional disciplines and drawing upon the work of scholars from a variety of disciplines and departments. At the Colleges, interdisciplinary study is represented by the many programs in which faculty participate regardless of their department or discipline: American Studies, Public Policy Studies, Africana Studies, Environmental Studies, Architectural Studies, Women's Studies, for example. Interdisciplinary scholars and students often study the same issues that disciplinary scholars study, but they do so from the perspectives of several distinct disciplines.

The Colleges' Catalogue and the Web-based Choosing a Major and/or a Minor list all of the Colleges' majors and minors and describe both requirements and whether they are disciplinary or interdisciplinary.

THE EIGHT GOALS. The eight goals and objectives can be addressed through formal course work in the context of many different programs of study. You must work with your faculty adviser to design a program of study that both meets your interests and addresses the goals and objectives-this is a graduation requirement. Goals are addressed through formal academic work, i.e. courses. Only courses in which you received a passing grade can be considered as evidence for having addressed a goal. After finishing the course work necessary to address a goal you must complete a Goal Certification form which must be signed by your adviser. You can find these forms here: Goal Certification Forms. (Note that no form is necessary for Goals 1 and 2)

Why address "goals" and not fulfill distribution requirements? First, we want you to be active in formulating your own program and reflective about what it means-what all of it means, not just your major or minor. Thus in petitioning for certification in a goal you must explain to your faculty adviser how you have addressed that goal. It is your responsibility, your education. Is this more difficult (both for you and us)? Sure, but also better. Second, the rich array of disciplinary and interdisciplinary majors and minors that distinguish HWS offer you the opportunity to address the goals in many different ways and in many different contexts. We think that is a good idea and our hope is that you and your adviser will find ways of addressing all of the goals in the context of the things you are most interested in. The broad definition of the goals and flexibility in addressing them makes this more likely to happen.

The eight goals and comments on the types of course work that may address them are described in greater detail below. These "narrative expansions" of the goals are your and your adviser's chief guides in determining how your program of study addresses the goals. Note that the goals can be divided up into three groups.

Goal 1. The essential skills which serve as a foundation for effective communication. These include the ability to read and listen critically and the ability to speak and write effectively. Beginning with the First Year Seminar and continuing through the completion of the major, effective communication is an important component of all course work at the Colleges. Academic work which supports this goal includes the reading of primary texts, sustained writing experiences, oral presentation of argument and extensive faculty feedback.

Goal 2. The essential skills which serve as a foundation for critical thinking and argumentation. These include the ability to articulate a question, to identify and gain access to appropriate information, to organize evidence, and to construct a complex written argument. Critical thinking, argumentation, and reflective reasoning are the skills that underlie most courses and all major programs at the Colleges. Work that supports this goal includes research-based papers, critical and explicative essays, evaluation of competing hypotheses, and experience in the use of bibliographic and other library resources to identify literature appropriate to a research problem or area of investigation. Special opportunities include the Colleges' Honors program and independent study.

Addressing Goals 1 and 2: Because these goals speak to foundational skills necessary for any major, completing a major (while meeting both course and minimum GPA requirements), will address them. Thus you do not have to specifically plan ways in which you will meet these goals

.Goal 3. The ability to reason quantitatively. Quantitative reasoning involves an understanding of magnitude and proportion, the ability to visualize those abstractions, and the ability to apply them to a problem. Courses in mathematics, the natural sciences, and the social sciences that require students to work with numbers; to recognize trends, patterns and relationships represented by those numbers; and to express conclusions drawn from such evidence, address this goal. Courses that have typically been used to address this goal include introductory courses in biology, chemistry, computer science, geoscience, mathematics and physics. Courses involving statistical analysis in economics, sociology, and psychology have also been used in support of this goal. (for a list of some of the courses that may be used to satisfy the quantitative requirement click here Quantitative list.)

Goal 4. The experience of scientific inquiry and an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge. The understanding of scientific knowledge, in both its promise and limitations, is best achieved through the direct experience of experimental investigative, scientific inquiry. Such scientific inquiry involves the development and experimental testing of competing hypotheses. This will normally mean a lab-based course in biology, chemistry, geoscience, physics or psychology. (for a list of some of the courses that may be used to satisfy the scientific inquiry requirement click here Science list.)

Goal 5. An understanding of artistic expression based in the experience of a fine or performing art. This goal exercises each individual's capacity for artistic expression through direct participation in a creative artistic endeavor. Courses that typically support this goal include studio art, music performance, dance, theatre, and creative writing. (for a list of some of the courses that may be used to satisfy the artisitic expression requirement click here Artisitc list.)

Addressing Goals 3, 4, and 5: Students must petition their adviser for certification in each of these three goals. Your petition must spell out how your course work addresses the goal. Simply noting that you completed a particular course is not sufficient.

Goal 6. An intellectually grounded foundation for the understanding of differences and inequalities of gender, race, and class. An intellectually grounded foundation for the understanding of the differences and inequalities of gender, race and class can develop from courses that explore the historical development and social construction of difference, illuminate and allow the visualization of the experience of difference, and/or provide a framework for critique of historical and or contemporary differences of privilege and the experience of peoples of different genders, races and classes. Students will generally address this goal through a combination of courses. Students should address each element of "race, class and gender" in one or more courses.

Goal 7. A critical knowledge of the multiplicity of world cultures, as expressed for example, in their languages, histories, literatures, philosophies, religious and cultural traditions, social and economic structures, and modes of artistic expression. Courses in history, literature, language, the social sciences and the arts that study and explore the multiplicity of world cultures address this goal, as does the experience of a different culture in an off-campus program. "Critical knowledge" refers to a broad understanding that allows students to understand the global complexity of the world and their place in it; this can include but is not limited to a critique of cultures. Students will generally address this goal through a combination of courses that examine at least two distinct cultures.

Goal 8. An intellectually grounded foundation for ethical judgment and action. An intellectually grounded foundation for ethical judgment and action derives from a deep, historically informed examination of the beliefs and values deeply embedded in our views and experience. Courses that examine values, ethics, social action, social policy, social justice, and the responsibilities of citizens in contemporary society address this goal.

Addressing goals 6, 7, and 8: Students must petition their advisers for certification in these goals explaining how the courses they identify meet the descriptions above. Your petition must spell out how your course work in fact addresses the goal. Simply noting that you completed a particular course is not sufficient. Combinations of courses, rather than single courses, may more effectively meet these goals.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CURRICULUM

How do I find out about majors and minors?

All majors and minors are described in the Catalogue and in the Guide to Majors and Minors. If you know the types of things your are interested in but don't see any majors or minors that "fit," you should talk with your faculty adviser about your interests-it is likely that you can pursue your interests in the context of one of the already defined majors or minors. If not, you might explore the possibility of an individual major.

When should I declare my major?

As soon as you are reasonably certain of a major, it is to your benefit to declare it. When you declare your major, you will receive an adviser in the major who will be more aware of the nature of your interests and the opportunities within the program or department that you should take advantage of. If you later change your mind, there is not penalty for switching your major. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD DECLARE A MAJOR BY THE END OF THEIR SOPHOMORE YEAR!

When should I declare my minor?

Because they require less course work, you can delay declaring a minor until later than a major. However, there is no good reason to delay declaring a minor that you are reasonably certain of what you wish to minor in, and lots of good reasons to do so, particularly with regard to planning your program and addressing the goals. As soon as you have decided that you would like to attempt a minor, you should declare it. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD DECLARE A MINOR BY THE END OF THEIR JUNIOR YEAR!

How do I declare a major or a minor? See the "HWS Curricular What, When and How" quick reference for more information on how to do this.

Can I have two majors instead of a major and a minor?

Certainly.

Can I have two disciplinary majors?

Yes, but you must still do an interdisciplinary minor. In October 1999, the faculty approved a new option for students wanting to do two disciplinary majors. These students can now work with their major advisers to develop an individual interdisciplinary minor that can meet the interdisciplinary graduation requirement. This minor will comprise a minimum of five courses that address a single problem or area of inquiry from at least two identifiable disciplinary points of view. Courses within this minor can include any number of courses from either of the student's two majors, and none of the courses in the minor must be "unique" to the minor. For more information on this option, you should speak with your major adviser(s).

Can I have two interdisciplinary majors?

Yes, but you must still do a disciplinary minor. In October 1999 the faculty approved a new policy that allows students doing two interdisciplinary majors to apply any of their course work (electives or in either major) to a disciplinary minor without the normal restriction that three courses must be unique to the minor. Thus if you are doing environmental studies and public policy as majors, you might use any of the political science courses in either major to count toward a disciplinary political science minor. Talk with your adviser for more information about this option.

Can courses count for more than one major or minor?

Yes, but any major must include at least 6 courses unique to that major and any minor must include 3 courses unique to that minor. An important exception to this rule is for students doing two disciplinary majors or two interdisciplinary majors. These students must still do a complementary minor (disciplinary to complement two interdisciplinary majors, interdisciplinary to complement two disciplinary majors), but the courses in the minor are exempt from the "3 unique to the minor" rule described above. Note that this exemption is only available for one minor being used to complete graduation requirements.

What about individual majors? Are they still an option?

Individual majors are still an option. Students proposing an Individual Major must work with a faculty sponsor to develop a program of courses directed at a particular focus or theme. The nature of these courses and the divisions within the Colleges' in which they are taught will determine whether an Individual Major is disciplinary or interdisciplinary. The question of disciplinary versus interdisciplinary will be decided by the Individual Majors Committee at the time the major is proposed.

What about individual minors?

Individual minors are ONLY possible in the case of students doing two discplinary majors. See the discussion above about that option. Students who have ideas for minors we do not currently offer can consult with the Associate Dean of Faculty who will help them identify alternative programs, or assist them in contacting faculty who might wish to sponsor a program. If faculty agree to sponsor a minor, the faculty and student could then develop and forward to the Committee on Academic Affairs a proposal for a new minor. If approved by Academic Affairs, this program would become part of the regular HWS curriculum and would be open to any student. However, this option is only possible for proposals that are likely to attract broad interest. Note that the approval process is not rapid-it typically requires two terms or more.

Can additional minors be proposed by students?

Certainly, but students must convince faculty to sponsor the programs and oversee them. See the discussion of the preceding question.

Why are some majors listed as "Individual Majors" and others not?

This has to do with our NY state certification. For more information, talk with the Associate Dean for Faculty.

When can I petition for certification in one of the goals?

You can petition any time after you have completed the course work which addresses the relevant goal. See the "How To" section later in this publication for more details. If I take CHEM 110 which is on the "list" for goals 3 and 4, why do I have to petition for certification? The bureaucratic answer is that you have to petition to have that work officially recognized. More importantly, you must petition because the process of petitioning starts a conversation between you and your adviser about your progress toward the degree and your program of study. We think that conversation is an important one and that asking you to do it will help to ensure that this conversation happens. Asking you to indicate how your course work addresses a goal also helps you articulate your understanding of what you are learning and of the HWS curricular goals.

Can one course fully address more than one goal?

Yes.

Can a major or minor address one or more goals?

Absolutely. Completing a major or minor means completing a set of courses. These courses work together in ways which will certainly address one, and probably several goals. Your major or minor adviser can talk to you about which goals you might address in the context of a major or minor.

Suppose I read the description of a goal, and read the description of a course, but can't decide if that course fulfils a goal? What should I do?

You can talk to your adviser and to the faculty teaching the course. Your adviser has final say in what counts as addressing a goal.

Suppose I declare a double major? Which adviser can certify goals?

The declaration of major form has a box on which you declare one adviser as your primary adviser. This adviser certifies your program with regard to the goals. Your primary adviser can consult with your second adviser as needed.

Can advanced placement credits be used to address the goals?

No. Addressing the goals requires college course work.

Can I appeal my adviser's decision not to certify a goal? How do I do that?

Students can appeal these decisions to a special subcommittee of the Academic Affairs Committee that will consist of two faculty members, one student, and one administrator. The process for these appeals is still being developed. Contact the Associate Dean of Faculty, for more information.