College Of Arts And Science - Vanderbilt University

College of Arts and Science / A Community for Liberal Learning49have their own system (please consult the ResNet guidelinesfor supported systems). However, most students will find thatthe college computing facilities provide all of the computingresources that are needed for success at Vanderbilt.THE WAITE PHILIP FISHEL LECTURE. Established in 1974 as a tributeto Professor Fishel, who was known as an outstanding, popular teacherand was renowned for his research in metallurgy. Through the generosityof family, colleagues, students, and friends, the lecture is presented by aleading inorganic chemist.The Advising SystemEntering first-year students are assigned faculty advisers from CASPAR (College of Arts and Science Pre-majorAcademic Advising Resources Center). These first advisers,called “pre-major faculty advisers,” counsel students duringtheir first three and one-half semesters, or until the studentschoose majors, when they are assigned faculty advisers in theirmajor department or program. Pre-major faculty advisers areespecially trained to help students move efficiently throughthe requirements of AXLE (Achieving Excellence in LiberalEducation) and chart a course of study.During the last two years of study, when a student isacquiring depth of knowledge in a major field, studies areguided by a specialist in that field. Students are encouragedto see their faculty advisers at any time, since the advisers areavailable for guidance and counseling and are faculty members with whom advisees may be studying.All students are required to see their faculty advisers priorto registration for each semester.Advisers are generally happy to talk over any problemsstudents may have, although their chief function is academiccounseling. In addition, several members of the Office of theAssociate Deans of the College, themselves teaching facultymembers, have as their principal duty counseling studentsand referring them to sources of expertise on non-academicproblems.THE HARRY C. HOWARD JR. LECTURESHIP. Established in 1994 atthe Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities in honor of Harry C.Howard Jr. (B.A. 1951). The lectureship was endowed by Mr. and Mrs.Thomas Nash Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. George Renfro, all of Asheville, NorthCarolina, in honor of their longtime friend and attorney. The lectureshipallows the Warren Center to bring an outstanding scholar to Vanderbiltannually to deliver a lecture on a significant topic in the humanities.Public LecturesTHE BERRY LECTURES. Established in 1988 through the generosity ofKendall and Allen Berry, John and Shirley Lachs, Steve Turner, and JimBurke. Three annual lectures—the Berry lecture, the Steve Turner lecture,and the Jim Burke lecture—are given by distinguished philosophers.THE LOUIS JACOB BIRCHER LECTURE IN CHEMISTRY. Established in1976 in recognition of Professor Bircher’s forty-one years of service toVanderbilt beginning in 1921. He served as the sole professor of physicalchemistry until 1954, was chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1955to 1961, and retired as professor emeritus in 1962. Family, colleagues,students, and friends of Professor Bircher have provided generous support for the series. The lecture is presented by a leading physical chemist.THE BYRN HISTORY LECTURE. Established in 1986 and endowed by thelate J. W. Byrn of Dickson, Tennessee, a student and admirer of the thoughtof the British historian Arnold Toynbee. Annual lectures deal with his fields ofinterest: world history, philosophy of history, and historiography.THE FREDERICK LEROY CONOVER MEMORIAL LECTURE. First givenin 1977 in honor of Vanderbilt’s first analytical chemist. Professor Conovercame to Vanderbilt in 1923 and remained for thirty-seven years. Lecturesgiven by a distinguished analytical chemist are supported by family, colleagues, students, and friends of Professor Conover.THE WALTER CLYDE CURRY SHAKESPEARE LECTURE. Inaugurated in1982 and funded by one of his former students, this lectureship honors thelate Walter Clyde Curry, distinguished medieval and Renaissance scholar,author of books on Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton, and for forty yearsbeloved professor of English at Vanderbilt. Bringing to campus in alternateyears eminent Shakespearean scholars and experienced Shakespeareanperformers, the lectureship gratefully recognizes Professor Curry’s devoted service and lasting contributions to the university.THE ARTHUR WILLIAM INGERSOLL MEMORIAL LECTURE. Established in1973 to honor Arthur Ingersoll, professor of organic chemistry at Vanderbiltuntil his death in 1969. Each year contributions for this lecture are receivedfrom family, colleagues, students, and friends. A leading organic chemist isinvited to present the lecture.THE CARL K. SEYFERT LECTURE IN ASTRONOMY. Established in 1983as part of the astronomy program’s commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Arthur J. Dyer Observatory. The lectureship recognizes the untiring efforts and contributions to astronomy made by Carl K. Seyfert, professor of astronomy and first director of the Dyer Observatory. A distinguishedastronomer is invited to present this lecture every third year.THE SHANKS LECTURES. Established in 1984 and named for E. BaylisShanks and Olivia H. Shanks in honor of their accomplishments in thefields of mathematics and education and in recognition of their loyaltyand service to Vanderbilt University, these lectures are presented on twosuccessive days in the fall of each year. A special committee from theDepartment of Mathematics, influenced by the professional interests ofProfessor and Mrs. Shanks, chooses the lecturers from mathematicians ofthe highest reputation. The topics of the lectureship vary from year to yearaccording to the area of specialization of the speaker chosen. The lectureshave been endowed by members of the family of Olivia and Baylis Shanks.THE FRANCIS G. SLACK LECTURES IN PHYSICS. Established in 1977by the Department of Physics and Astronomy in honor of Francis G. Slack,former Landon C. Garland professor of physics and chair of the department, these lectures recognize his many contributions to physics. Theseries was first partially endowed by his colleagues and students and thenwith the generous help of Professor Slack. Each speaker gives one lectureof general interest to the university and one more specialized lecture forthe department.THE DAVID STEINE LECTURE. Established in 1978 as a memorial to DavidSteine, professor of business administration in the Department of Economics and Business Administration, by members of his family, friends, and associates. The lecture is devoted to an economic problem of interest to thegeneral public.THE GERTRUDE VANDERBILT AND HAROLD S. VANDERBILT VISITINGWRITERS PROGRAM. Established in the Department of English in 1958under the generous sponsorship of the late Mrs. Vanderbilt, this programhas annually presented readings and public lectures by a poet, a novelist,and a critic—each of whom also visits classes and meets informally withmembers of the university and Nashville communities. Recent participantshave included Dannie Abse, Madison Smartt Bell, Ellen Gilchrist, AlisonLurie, Czeslaw Milosz, Wyatt Prunty, Ann Thwaite, Anthony Thwaite, andHelen Vendler.A&S

50vanderbilt universityDegree Program in the CollegeThe Bachelor of ArtsThe bachelor of arts degree is granted upon successful completion of the following five requirements:1. At least 120 semester hours of creditable college work,2. A final grade point average of at least 2.000,3. Completion of the AXLE requirements,4. Completion of one of the options listed under Area ofConcentration,5. Completion of at least 102 credit hours of course workwithin the College of Arts and Science, or a minimum of 90credit hours for those students with a second major outsidethe College of Arts and Science.Limitation on Credit Hours outside the CollegeCandidates for the bachelor of arts degree must successfullycomplete a minimum of 102 credit hours within the College ofArts and Science. Students who are completing an approvedsecond major from one of the other schools within Vanderbiltare required to complete 90 credit hours within the College ofArts and Science for the bachelor of arts degree.AXLE: Achieving Excellence inLiberal EducationThe Arts and Science core program of study—known asAXLE—is anchored in intensive practice in writing and adiverse thirteen-course component of classes that has beendesigned to allow maximum choice in course selection (basedon student interests and achievement levels). At the same time,the distribution requirements of AXLE ensure that studentswill explore intellectually and academically the breadth of possibilities represented by the liberal arts.What Is Liberal Education?The study of the liberal arts—what is historically called aliberal education—is the oldest and most venerable form ofhigher education. It has proved itself perennially flexible andadaptive over the past centuries, and it remains the single besteducational preparation for further, specialized study in theprofessions (medicine, law, education, business, et al.), as wellas for doctoral work in the humanities and social sciences andadvanced research in the sciences. The holistic focus of a liberaleducation encompasses all areas of human knowledge: thenatural and social sciences, mathematics, foreign languages andcultures, the arts, and the humanities. The empirical disciplinesguide us in our efforts to live most productively and efficiently.But the rest of the curriculum—the humanities and the arts—makes it possible to reflect upon the right use of the remarkablescientific knowledge we have acquired. In a liberal arts education, content is always considered in its larger context. Thus, thereflective and discursive aspects of study in the liberal arts callupon students to move beyond the mere acquisition of information to inquire into the deeper issues within their studies, andto connect their learning across disciplines and cultures as theylive and work in the communal environment of Vanderbilt. Theend product of a successful liberal arts education is a thoughtfulcitizen who is prepared to take up his or her rights and responsibilities in a democratic society, to analyze and critique receivedinformation, to articulate the issues at hand or the personalvalues at stake, and whose intellectual life is marked by ongoinginternal dialogue about the quality and meaning of life for himor her, as well as for the community at large.Fear No Learning!The interdisciplinary inclination of many courses in the Collegeof Arts and Science is an ideal training ground for learning newmethodologies for problem solving in the complex, global worldof the 21st century. Here, students may work with biologists andpsychologists in the Neuroscience program; study with creativewriters, sociologists, historians, or cinema and media arts scholars in the African American and Diaspora Studies program;or take a class, team taught, by professors from the School ofMusic and the Department of English in the College of Arts andScience. Over the course of a Vanderbilt education, studentschallenge themselves with the academic demands of the classesthey select, and are challenged by new ideas and unfamiliarways of looking at issues. Exploring beyond the boundaries ofone’s intellectual comfort zone in order to admit new ideas isone of the most important aspects of higher education. Thetime and effort devoted to selecting thoughtfully the coursesthat will satisfy AXLE requirements prepare students for themore specialized study that they undertake in their major (ormajors) beginning in the third year of study.What Is AXLE?AXLE is the acronym for Achieving Excellence in LiberalEducation. It is the core curriculum that all students in theCollege of Arts and Science must fulfill. The AXLE curriculumis flexible and very user-friendly. It consists of two parts: theWriting Requirement and the Liberal Arts Requirement.The Writing Requirement has four segments: completionof English 1100 or demonstration of basic skills in EnglishComposition; completion of a First-Year Writing Seminar;completion of a 1000-level (introductory) writing course nolater than the fourth semester in residence; and completion ofa second 1000-level writing course OR a 2000, 3000, or 4000level (discipline-specific, major-oriented) writing course OR acourse in oral communication.The Liberal Arts Requirement is composed of a total ofthirteen courses taken at Vanderbilt, and distributed acrosssix categories. The First-Year Writing Seminar and all writingcourses, and approved Oral Communication courses are alsocounted in the thirteen-course Liberal Arts Requirement.

College of Arts and Science / Degree Program in the College1. The Writing Requirement (three to four courses)a. English Composition ENGL 1100 (appropriate testscore or one course)b. First-Year Writing Seminar (one course)c. 1000-level W Requirement (one course)d. One 1000-level W or 2000, 3000, or 4000-level W orapproved Oral Communication course2. The Liberal Arts Requirement (13 courses)a. HCA — Humanities and the Creative Arts (threecourses)b. INT — International Cultures (three courses)c. US — History and Culture of the United States (onecourse)d. MNS — Mathematics and Natural Sciences (threecourses)e. SBS — Social and Behavioral Sciences (two courses)f. P — Perspectives (one course)All students must also complete requirements for at leastone major (between 27 and 48 credit hours of course work)and earn a minimum number of 120 earned credit hours inorder to graduate.How to Get StartedThe program of studies is divided approximately into thirds:1/3 — courses to meet the requirements of the Writing andLiberal Arts requirements;1/3 — courses required

derbilt has pursued its mission of excellence in the liberal arts with a commitment to liberal learning that is the special concern of the College of Arts and Science. Liberal learning endures because it brings men and women to subjects, concepts, and modes of thought that enable them to think critically about