2010-2011 University Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2010-2011 University Catalog archived

The College


 

thecollege.wlu.edu

The College Mission

The College provides a liberal education in the arts and sciences and fosters a collaborative environment for faculty and student inquiry. Dedicated faculty members challenge students to sharpen their critical thinking skills and to develop their capacities for clear communication and creative expression. The College faculty is committed to advancing our teaching, curriculum, and campus culture in order to meet the educational needs and aspirations of students in a rapidly changing world.

The hallmarks of a graduate of the College include:

  • A resourceful intellect and talent for independent thinking
  • The capacity to evaluate information critically and to convey it effectively
  • Competence in many methods of defining, approaching and solving problems
  • A lively curiosity about and mature respect for varied cultures and intellectual perspectives
  • A lifelong commitment to learning, to health and well-being, and to the values that inform a W&L education.

Purposes

The purposes of the College are several: to provide the essentials of a liberal education to all undergraduates before they separate into their fields of specialization; to offer courses and majors leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science; to encourage  independent work and scholarly investigation; and to present courses preliminary to professional training in such fields as engineering, journalism, law and health.

All new undergraduates are members of the College. Their work will be taken in those studies which, in the opinion of the faculty, provide the fundamentals of a liberal arts education. The prescriptions of this first year make possible an intelligent freedom in later years of study and a wise choice of a major field. All first-years will consult with their faculty advisers in the selection of their courses for their sophomore year.

The aim of the work of the first two years is the achievement of breadth; the work of the junior and senior years is directed toward the mastery of a particular study. Students who expect to receive the degree of Bachelor of Arts will do their major work in the liberal arts and humanities, the social sciences, or the natural sciences; students who expect to receive the degree of Bachelor of Science will take specialized work in the natural sciences.

Departments

The Departments of Art and Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Computer Science, East Asian Languages and Literatures, English, Geology, German and Russian, History, Journalism and Mass Communications, Mathematics, Music, Philosophy, Physical Education, Physics and Engineering, Psychology, Religion, Romance Languages, Sociology and Anthropology, and Theater and Dance comprise the College. The Teacher Education program is also included in the College.

Degrees, Majors, and Minors Offered

The College offers the Bachelor of Arts degree, the Bachelor of Science degree, and the Bachelor of Science degree with Special Attainments in Chemistry. Candidates for a degree with a major listed below will find departmental requirements outlined under those departments in the “Courses of Study” section.

Bachelor of Arts Degree

The College offers the following majors leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree:

Art History 
Biology 
Chemistry 
Classics 
Computer Science 
East Asian Languages and Literatures 
English 
Environmental Studies 
French 
Geology 
German Language 
German Literature 
History 
Independent Work
Journalism and Mass Communications 
Mathematics 
Medieval and Renaissance Studies 
Music 
Philosophy 
Psychology 
Religion 
Romance Languages major, with a French emphasis 
Romance Languages major, with a Spanish emphasis 
Russian Area Studies 
Sociology and Anthropology 
Spanish 
Studio Art 
Theater 

Bachelor of Science Degree

The College offers the following majors leading to the Bachelor of Science degree:

Biology 
Biochemistry 
Chemistry 
Chemistry-Engineering 
Computer Science 
Geology  
Independent Work
Mathematics 
Neuroscience 
Physics 
Physics-Engineering 
Psychology 

Bachelor of Science with Special Attainments in Chemistry Degree

The College offers the following major leading to the Bachelor of Science with Special Attainments in Chemistry degree:

Chemistry  

Minors


The College offers the following minors:

African-American Studies minor   
Classics minor  
Computer Science minor  
Creative Writing minor   
East Asian Studies minor  
Environmental Studies minor   
German minor 
Latin American and Caribbean Studies minor   
Mathematics minor 
Museum Studies minor  
Music minor    
Philosophy minor   
Poverty and Human Capability Studies minor 
Russian Language and Culture minor  
Theater minor   
Women’s and Gender Studies minor 

 

Advice For First-Year Students

Entering students are expected to select courses which will assist them to begin satisfying Foundation and Distribution Requirements (FDRs) and enable them to explore possibilities for a major or to continue study in a field of special interest. To assist in the selection of courses, new students are assigned initial faculty advisers with whom they confer during the first week of the academic year and who remain available for consultation until a major is chosen. In certain fields, placement tests will be offered on an optional basis to entering first-years, and their results, along with any advanced placement reports, will be used in determining the level of work which should be pursued.

In choosing courses, first-year students should consider that the skills in mathematics and language study they have acquired may deteriorate if they do not continue work in them immediately. They should also be sure to take the courses prerequisite to later work they desire. If  they are interested in working for the degree of Bachelor of Science or for the Bachelor of Arts with a major in science, including premedical work, they should register for mathematics and the appropriate introductory science sequence in their initial year. In most circumstances, students should not take two laboratory sciences simultaneously during the first year. All students, in planning their first year, should examine the requirements for any major of potential interest listed under “Courses of Study.”

Students considering graduate work should consult their advisers with regard to possible language and mathematics requirements for advanced degrees.

 

The College Administration

(as of July 1, 2010)

 

Kenneth Patrick Ruscio, Ph.D., President of the University

 

June R. Aprille, Ph.D., Provost

 

Howard N. (Hank) Dobin, Ph.D., Dean of the College

 

Alison Bell, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the College

 

Wendy Price, J.D., Assistant Dean of the College

 

The College Faculty

 

Adedayo O. L. Abah, M.S., Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications

 

Scott Abell, M.A., Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Mary M. Abdoney, M.A., Assistant Professor

 

Andrea Abry, B.A., Instructor of Chemistry and, Supervisor of Laboratories

 

Edward Adams, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English

 

Lisa T. Alty, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry

  

Claudette G. Artwick, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications

 

Nadia Ayoub, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

 

Matthew Bailey, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Jeffrey C. Barnett, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Harlan Ray Beckley, Ph.D., Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion

 

Alison Bell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology

 

N. Melina Bell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy

 

David Bello, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History

 

Rebecca R. Benefiel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Classics

 

George R. Bent, Ph.D., Professor of Art

 

Richard M. Bidlack, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History

 

Laurent Boetsch Jr., D.M.L., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Bruce Boller, Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Physics

 

Monica B. Botta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Romance Languages

 

Christa K. Bowden, M.F.A., Assistant Professor of Art

 

Theresa Braunschneider, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English

 

John Brodie, D.M.A., Visiting Associate Professor of Music

 

Alexandra R. Brown, Ph.D., Jessie Ball duPont Professor of Religion

 

Paul R. Cabe, Ph.D., Professor of Biology

 

Gwyn E. Campbell, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Miriam C. Carlisle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Classics

 

George P. Carras, D.Phil., Professor of Classical Studies and Senior Research Fellow in Religion

 

Leslie Cintron, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology

 

Owen M. Collins, M.F.A., Associate Professor of Theater

 

J. Gavin Colliton, M.Ed., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Marc C. Conner, Ph.D., Professor of English

 

Christopher D. Connors, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geology

 

Gregory J. Cooper, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Professional Ethics

 

Edwin David Craun, Ph.D., Henry S. Fox Jr. Professor of English

 

Roger A. Crockett, Ph.D., Professor of German

 

Kevin Crotty, J.D., Ph.D., Professor of Classics

 

Katherine D. Crowley, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics

 

Douglas O. Cumming, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Journalism and, Mass Communications

 

Elizabeth Cumming, M.S., Instructor in Physics and Engineering and Laboratory Supervisor

 

Neil Cunningham, M.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Jasmin Darznik, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English

 

Theodore C. DeLaney, Ph.D., Harry E. and Mary Jane W. Redenbaugh Term Professor of History

 

Robert Joseph de Maria, M.S., Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications

 

Steven G. Desjardins, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry

 

David Detwiler, B.A., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Sean Devlin, M.A., Staff Archeologist and Instructor, Sociology and Anthropology

 

Brooke Diamond, M.S., Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Howard N. Dobin, Ph.D., Professor of English

 

Gregory P. Dresden, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics

 

Wayne M. Dymàček, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics

 

Jonathan R. Eastwood, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Sociology

 

Jonathan Erickson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Engineering

 

Michael J. Evans, Ph.D., Rupert and Lillian Radford Professor of Mathematics

 

Shawn Paul Evans, M.F.A., Assistant Professor of Theater

 

Nathan S. Feldman, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics

 

Carrie Finch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics

 

Marcia B. France, Ph.D., John T. Henwick, M.D. Professor, of Chemistry

 

Gary Ray Franke, M.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Françoise Frégnac-Clave, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Romance Languages

 

Hongchu Fu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of East Asian, Languages

 

Megan Fulcher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology

 

Kateri Gardner, M.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Timothy Gaylard, Ph.D., Professor of Music

 

Genelle C. Gertz, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English

 

Nathaniel Goldberg, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy

 

Sascha L. Goluboff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology

 

Monica Gonzalez. Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Spanish

 

Richard F. Grefe, M.L.S., Associate Professor

 

Lisa Greer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geology

 

Paul A. Gregory, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy

 

E. William Hamilton III, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology

 

David Jorgensen Harbor, Ph.D., Professor of Geology

 

Patrick Hatcher, M.A., Assistant Professor of Religion

 

Janine M. Hathorn, M.A., Professor of Physical Education

 

Kristina Hoey, B.S, Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Nathan D. Hoey, B.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Sarah Horowitz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History

 

Paul Humke, Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Mathematics

 

Robert Humston, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

 

Lawrence E. Hurd, Ph.D., John T. Herwick, M.D. Professor of Biology

 

Adam B. Hutchinson, M.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Helen I’Anson, Ph.D., Professor of Biology

 

Janet Ikeda, Ph.D., Associate Professor of East Asian Languages

 

Eric Ishida, B.P.E., Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Krzysztof Jasiewicz, Ph.D., William P. Ames Jr. Professor of Sociology

 

Christian Jennings, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History

 

Kimberly Jew, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Theater

 

Curtis Jirsa, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English

 

Dan Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology

 

Scott Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Classics

 

Mohamed Kamara, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Romance Languages

 

Suzanne P. Keen, Ph.D., Thomas H. Broadus Jr. Professor of English

 

Mandy L. King, B.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Elizabeth P. Knapp, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geology

 

Barry H. Kolman, D.A., Professor of Music

 

Jeffrey L. Kosky, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religion

 

Daniel J. Kramer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of German

 

Joel Kuehner, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics

 

Kenneth A. Lambert, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science

 

John A. Lambeth, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Frederick J. LaRiviere, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry

 

Andrea Lepage, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Art

 

Shana Levine, J.D., Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Simon D. Levy, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science

 

Toni Locy, Reynolds Professor of Legal Reporting

 

Tyler S. Lorig, Ph.D., Ruth Parmly Professor of Psychology

 

Timothy Lubin, Ph.D., Professor of Religion

 

Pamela K. Luecke, M.A., M.B.A., Donald W. Reynolds Professor of Business Journalism

 

James Mahon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy

 

Nancy Adele Margand, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology

 

Harvey Markowitz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Anthropology

 

Richard G. Marks, Ph.D., Professor of Religion

 

David M. Marsh, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology

 

Joseph Martinez, Dip. R.A.D.A., Associate Professor of Theater

 

Ellen C. Mayock, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Dan Mazilu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics

 

Irina Mazilu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics

 

Eugene M. McCabe, M.A., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Nicole McCain, M.S., Instructor in Biology

 

Greta McCaughrin, M.A., Instructor in Russian

 

Alan McRae, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics

 

John Holt Merchant Jr., Ph.D., Professor of History

 

Yolanda D. Merrill, M.L.S., Associate Professor

 

Molly Michelmore, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History

 

Deborah Miranda, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English

 

Frank S. Miriello, B.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Karla K. Murdock, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology

 

David Robert Novack, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology

 

Brendan O’Brien, Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Lenna Ojure, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education

 

Kathleen Olson-Janjic, M.F.A., Professor of Fine Arts

 

Wendy C. Orrison, B.A., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

William Patch, Ph.D., William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History

 

David S. Peterson, Ph.D., Professor of History

 

Holly C. Pickett, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English

 

Rolf G. Piranian, B.A., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Michael A. Pleva, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry

 

Debra Prager, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of German

 

Domnica V. Radulescu, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Jeffrey M. Rahl, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Geology

 

Ronald Lane Reese, Ph.D., Professor of Physics

 

Brian E. Richardson, Ph.D., Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications

 

Irwin Taylor Sanders II, Ph.D., Professor of History

 

Christopher E. Schall, M.A., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Roberta H. Senechal, Ph.D., Professor of History

 

William Lad Sessions, Ph.D., Jo M. and James M. Ballengee 250th Anniversary Professor of Philosophy

 

Frank A. Settle Jr., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Chemistry

 

Shantanu Sharma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

 

Joel E. Shinofield, B.A., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Jacob A. Siehler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Mathematics

 

Haley Sigler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Education

 

Pamela Hemenway Simpson, Ph.D., Ernest Williams II Professor of Art History

 

Maryanne C. Simurda, Ph.D., Professor of Biology

 

Angela Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy

 

Kary D. Smout, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English

 

Bryan L. Snyder, B.S., Associate Professor of Physical, Education

 

Indira Somani, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications

 

Gordon Philip Spice, Ph.D., Professor of Music

 

Sara Sprenkle, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Computer Science

 

C. Vaughan Stanley, M.A., M.A., Associate Professor

 

Larry M. Stene, M.F.A., Professor of Art

 

Robert E. Stewart, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology

 

M. Jeffries Stickley, M.Ed., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Nat St. Laurent, M.A., Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Joshua Stough, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Computer Science

 

David W. Sukow, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Physics and Engineering

 

John W. Tombarge, M.L.S., Associate Professor

 

Matthew F. Tuchler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry

 

John A. Tucker, M.S., Associate Professor of Physical Education

 

Laura Speirs Turner, M.L.S., Associate Professor

 

Erich S. Uffelman, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry

 

Ken’ichi Ujie, M.A., Associate Professor of East Asian Languages

 

Kenneth E. Van Ness, Ph.D., Robert Lee Telford Professor of Physics and Engineering

 

Florentien Verhage, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy

 

Terry Vosbein, D.M.A., Professor of Music

 

James Perrin Warren, Ph.D., S. Blount Mason Jr. Professor of English

 

Edward Wasserman, Ph.D., John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Professor of Journalism Ethics

 

Fiona Watson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology

 

Brendan J. Weickert, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Mathematics

 

Cecile West-Settle, Ph.D., Professor of Romance Languages

 

Thomas P. Whaley, Ph.D., Professor of Computer Science

 

Lesley M. Wheeler, Ph.D., Professor of English

 

Wythe L. Whiting IV, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology

 

John Jay Wielgus, Ph.D., Professor of Biology

 

Harry Thomas Williams, Ph.D., Edwin A. Morris Professor of Physics

 

Josh Williamson, M.S., Assistant Professor of Physical Education

 

Charles Winder, Instructor of Biology and Laboratory Supervisor

 

Julie A. Woodzicka, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology

 

Yanhong Zhu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Chinese