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Guidelines for Graduation
In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree, students are
expected to fulfill the educational objectives of Pitzer College
by designing, in cooperation with their advisers, an individualized
program of study which responds to the students' own intellectual
needs and interests while at the same time meeting these objectives
in the following five ways:
1. Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Exploration
Students, working closely with their advisers, will select a set
of three courses which address a topic of special interest to them.
Selected courses will represent at least two disciplines and more
than one cultural perspective. Students may wish to satisfy this
guideline through appropriate courses in an External Studies program
(see p.18). Students, in consultation with their faculty advisers,
will write a brief statement explaining the rationale for their
selection of courses to meet this guideline.
The following examples illustrate how such a program might be constructed:
- A student interested in healthcare could have a program that
includes courses on (a) biology, (b) the sociology of health and
medicine, and (c) the politics of healthcare in the U.S. and Japan.
- A student interested in gender and racial stereotypes in literature
and art could have a program including courses on (a) women and
literature, (b) African American literature, and (c) contemporary
Chicano art.
- A student interested in education could have a program that
includes courses on (a) the psychology of child development, (b)
the history, sociology, or anthropology of U.S. education, and
(c) an internship-based course involving work in a multicultural
school or school district.
- A student interested in shifting concepts of freedom could have
a program including courses in (a) sociology which analyze the
modern manifestations of dispossession, (b) ancient social history
or philosophy, and (c) the literary/dramatic portrayals of the
issue.
The three courses chosen provide only a minimum strategy for meeting
this guideline. Students are strongly encouraged to deepen their
understanding through additional course work and non-classroom experiences
and to conclude their programs with a synthesizing essay or research
paper.
Courses used to meet other guidelines may count toward satisfaction
of the Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Exploration guideline.
2. Social Responsibility and the Ethical Implications of Knowledge
and Action
Working closely with their advisers to plan their programs, students
will meet this objective in one of the following ways:
Options with Academic Credit
- A course that involves either community service, community-based
fieldwork, or an internship (for courses that fulfill this requirement,
see your adviser or the Registrar's office);
- A directed independent study with an experiential component;
see the Guidelines for Internship and Community Service Independent
Study (available at the Registrar's Office, at for Career Services,
and on p.196) for instructions on how to design the independent
study.
- Participation in apposite External Studies programs (those involving
an internship or community service).
Non-Credit Options
- Involvement in a single semester (or equivalent) of 45 hours
(e.g., 15 weeks x 3 hours per week) of volunteer or community
service.
- One semester (or equivalent) of service to the Pitzer community
(for example, as a participant in College governance, the Ecology
Center, The Other Side, or as a Resident Assistant).
Students must discuss either of these non-credit options with their
faculty advisers to determine if the placement is appropriate for
the Social Responsibility Objective. Students must complete a "Social
Responsibility (Non-Credit Option) Verification Form" (available
at the Registrar's Office) and write a 3-5 page report summarizing
their activities and evaluating their experiences.
3. Breadth of Knowledge
- Two courses in humanities and fine arts.
Normally, courses in the performing arts, fine arts, foreign
language, literature, history, and philosophy meet this objective.
Such courses are offered by disciplinary and interdisciplinary
field groups including Art; Asian Studies; Asian-American Studies;
Black Studies; Chicano Studies; Classics; English and World Literature;
Environmental Studies; Media Studies; History; History of Ideas;
Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Music; Philosophy;
Theatre; Dance; and Gender & Feminist Studies. In cases of uncertainty
about the suitability of courses meeting this objective, the advisers
will consult with the instructor of the course. A course which
meets both the humanities and fine arts objective and the social
and behavioral science objective can be counted toward meeting
only one of these objectives.
- Two courses in the social and behavioral sciences.
Normally, courses in anthropology, economics, linguistics, political
studies, psychology, and sociology will meet this objective, as
well as courses taught from a social science perspective in interdisciplinary
programs such as Asian Studies; Asian-American Studies; Black
Studies; Chicano Studies; Environmental Studies; Organizational
Studies; Science, Technology, and Society; and Gender & Feminist
Studies. In cases of uncertainty, the advisers will consult with
the instructor of the course. A course which meets both the humanities
and fine arts objective and the social and behavioral science
objective can be counted toward meeting only one of these objectives.
- One course in the natural sciences.
Course options available to students include all courses offered
through the Joint Science program, specifically including the
"Natural Science" sequence of courses for non-science majors as
well as courses in chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and
geology taught at the other Claremont Colleges. In addition, Psychology
101 (Brain and Behavior), as currently taught with a significant
emphasis in biology, is considered appropriate to this objective.
While a laboratory component is recognized as a desirable educational
experience, it is not a required part of fulfilling this objective.Should students seek to fulfill this objective by completing courses
not identified above or through a program of independent study,
their advisers will get approval from the faculty member directing
the independent study or teaching the course and from a faculty
member in Joint Science in the apposite discipline.
- One course in mathematics/formal reasoning.
Students will satisfy this objective by taking one course which
has as its defining purpose: (a) the study of abstract formal
systems or (b) the use of such abstract formal systems to model
and/or explore the human and natural world. Courses that would
qualify under (a) include any one-semester mathematics course;
Philosophy 60 (Symbolic Logic); History of Ideas 100 or 101 (Introduction
to Formal Logic I or II); and any Computer Science course numbered
50 or higher. Examples of courses that would qualify under (b)
include any one-semester statistics course; Economics 52, 104,
105, 125; Linguistics 105, 106, or 108; Sociology 101; Music Theory
101 or 102 (Scripps College) or 80, 81, or 82 (Pomona College);
and any natural science course having a college-level mathematics
course as prerequisite..
Should students seek to fulfill this objective by completing a
course not identified above or through a program of independent
study, they must petition the Curriculum Committee. Students cannot
count the same course toward meeting both this and the natural
science objective.
Written Expression
In order to be eligible for graduation, students are expected to
demonstrate ability to write competently. It is assumed that students
meet this Pitzer writing objective by successfully completing a
First-Year Seminar course. These seminars have been designed as
writing intensive courses and are required of all first-year students.
Near the end of a First-Year Seminar course, the instructor will
provide an assessment of the students' competence in writing. The
evaluation, which will be sent to the students' advisers, will state
whether they have met the writing objective. If they do not meet
the writing objective through a Freshman Seminar, they will be required
to complete successfully an appropriate writing intensive course
(i.e., an academic writing course or some other course designated
as writing intensive) before they graduate. Transfer students who
have not already taken a writing course will meet the writing objective
by completing a writing intensive course.
Writing Intensive Courses
Instructors may designate a course Writing Intensive if: (1)
at least 25 pages of written work are included among class assignments,
(2) they comment extensively on at least 10 of those pages, and
(3) they allow students the opportunity to re-write those pages
in light of instructors' remarks (the remaining 15 pages may be
journal entries, essay exams, or non-graded exercises, such as in-class
free-writing).
Completion of a Major
Students should engage in an in-depth investigation and thereby
sharpen their ability for critical analysis. To aid in meeting these
objectives, students will, by the time of graduation, complete the
requirements of a major.
Prior to midterm of the first semester of the junior year, students,
in consultation with their major advisers, will complete the Major/Educational
Objectives form and submit copies to the advisers and to the Registrar's
Office.
Click here for a list of Pitzer majors
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