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 and Biochemistry, 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, Dance and Film 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
History
Independent Work
Journalism
Mathematics
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Music
Philosophy
Psychology
Religion
Romance Languages, French emphasis
Romance Languages, Spanish emphasis
Russian Area Studies
Sociology and Anthropology
Spanish
Strategic Communication
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
Minors
The College offers the following minors:
Africana Studies
Animal Biology
Art History
Classics
Computer Science
Creative Writing
Dance
East Asian Studies
Ecology
Education
Education Policy
Environmental Studies
Film and Visual Culture
French
German
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Mass Communications
Mathematics
Molecular/Cell Biology
Museum Studies
Music
Philosophy
Physiology
Poverty and Human Capability Studies
Quantitative Biology
Russian Language and Culture
Studio Art
Theater
Women’s and Gender Studies
Advice For First-Year Students
Entering students are expected to select courses that 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. They should be aware that more spaces are reserved in science lab (SL) courses for first-years than for subsequent class years. 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.
Administration of The College
(as of July 1, 2015)
Kenneth Patrick Ruscio, Ph.D., President of the University
Daniel A. Wubah, Ph.D., Provost
Suzanne P. Keen, Ph.D., Dean of The College
Marcia France, Ph.D., Associate Dean of The College
Wendy L. Price, M.H.P., J.D., Associate Dean of The College
Nancy McIntyre, M.Ed., Senior Director of Development
D. Scott Dittman, A.B., University Registrar
The College Faculty are listed under their respective disciplines.
Art and Art History (ARTH, ARTS)
Africana Studies (AFCA)
Biology (BIOL)
Chemistry and Biochemistry (CHEM)
Classics (CLAS), Greek (GR), Latin (LATN)
Computer Science (CSCI)
East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL), Chinese (CHIN), Japanese (JAPN)
East Asian Studies (EAS)
Education (EDUC)
English (ENGL)
Environmental Studies (ENV)
Film and Visual Culture (FILM)
Geology (GEOL)
German and Russian (GERM, RUSS)
History (HIST)
Journalism and Mass Communications (JOUR)
Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS)
Mathematics (MATH)
Medieval and Renaissance Studies (MRST)
Museum Studies
Music (MUS)
Neuroscience (NEUR)
Philosophy (PHIL)
Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation (PEAR)
Physics and Engineering (PHYS, ENGN)
Psychology (PSYC)
Religion (REL)
Romance Languages (ROML)
Russian Area Studies (RAS)
Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN)
Theater, Dance, and Film Studies (THTR, DANC, FILM)
Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS)
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