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Each discipline within
the liberal arts framework offers students a valid perspective
on the world’s past, present and future. Therefore,
we recommend that students pursue studies in the following
seven major fields of knowledge:
1) Literature, either
in English or in some other language, because it is a crucial
form of expression, contributes to
our understanding of human experience and plays a central
role in the development of culture;
2) Historical studies, either in history or in historically oriented courses in
art, music, religion, philosophy and
theatre, because they provide a perspective on the development
of human society and culture and free us from the parochialism
of the present;
3) Social science, because it
offers a systematic and critical inquiry into human nature,
social institutions
and human
relationships;
4) Natural science, because
of its methods, its contribution to our understanding of
the world around
us and its significance
in modern culture;
5) Mathematics and analytic
philosophy, because they foster an understanding of the nature
and use
of formal, rational
thought;
6) The arts, because they constitute
the media through which people have sought, through the ages,
to express their
deepest
feelings and values;
7) A foreign language, because
it frees one from the limits of one’s own tongue, provides access
to another culture and makes possible communication outside
one’s own
society.
We further recommend
that students take performance courses offered in exercise
and sport studies, because they
provide
opportunities for recreation, health and the development
of skills for the complete person.
The normal course program for
traditional-aged undergraduates consists of 16 credits taken
in each of eight semesters at Smith. Only with the approval
of the administrative board may a student complete her degree
requirements in fewer or more than eight semesters. The minimum
course program for a traditional-aged undergraduate in any
semester is 12 credits. A traditional-aged student who is
enrolled in fewer than 12 credits in any semester is required
to withdraw at the end of that semester. The student must
remain away from the college for at least one semester and
then may apply for readmission for the following semester.
Approved
summer-school or interterm credit may be used to supplement
a minimum 12-credit program or to make up a shortage of credits.
Smith students may accrue
a maximum of 12 summer-school credits and 12 interterm credits at Smith or
elsewhere toward their Smith degree. An overall maximum of 32 credits of combined
summer, interterm, AP and pre-matriculation credits may be applied toward the
degree.
A student enters her senior
year after completing a maximum of six semesters and attaining at least 96
Smith College or approved transfer credits. Normally,
a student may not enter the senior year with a shortage of credits. A student
in residence may carry no more than 24 credits per semester unless approved
by the Administrative Board. |
