My Dream Specially Designed Minor
Assignment ThreeAllegheny College allows students to design their own majors and minors if the college doesn't offer one in the area that students desire. Students often create a "specially designed minor" in order to focus on a topic, theme or problem that especially interests them.
As a final exercise this semester, design a Special Minor that would focus on a special interest that you have. This special interest can be a hobby that you would like to study "seriously," a particular focus that you would like to have in your major, or maybe just something wild and crazy.
Your minor should include 20 credits of coursework, or five (5) standard courses. At least two of them should be courses that Allegheny already offers, perhaps ones that would give you a foundation in the general area of your interest. You may include up to two "independent studies," but be specific about the topic of each course. Remember to include at least one upper level course in your minor, so that you can demonstrate that you will advance from a beginning to a more expert level in your studies. A fifth course might come from an internship or other off-campus study experience. Or, make one up!
I've given you examples, to get you started, although admittedly none of these is particularly wild or crazy. Assume that you will be able to find an advisor and teachers for the courses that you desire. Be creative!
Your paper should be about 1-2 pages in length, listing the five or six courses that you would take for your "special minor" and your statement justifying the minor to the committee.
Due: You may hand these in at any time, but before Monday, May 5th (beginning of the exam period).
What you need to know for this assignment:
Here is the part of the description of special minors from the college webpage: Student Designed Minors
Students may design their own minor if a minor that is similar in content is not offered. Student designed minors must be comparable in academic rigor and integrity to a conventional minor, and must contain at least 20 credits. To register, for a student designed minor, the student must submit an application form to the Curriculum Committee. Forms are available from the registrar's office and must be signed by the student's advisor and the faculty member(s) who is/are supervising the minor. The form must also contain a statement that describes and justifies the minor by showing how its individual courses combine to create rigor and integrity. Students must complete at least 12 credits of course work in the minor after the application has been submitted to the Curriculum Committee. Minors submitted after all course work for the proposed minor has been completed will not be approved.
Online Resources
- See the online catalogue material about Student Designed Majors.
- Some thematic minors already exist. See the online catalogue for special minors and interdisciplinary minors, and multi-disciplinary minors.
- With off-campus study, you supplement college course offerings with specialized courses. Sometimes you can do nearly an entire minor in special program. For information, check out ACCEL Office, Allegheny College Center for Experiential Learning
- Discuss your ideas about a special focus with professors and family friends. It's a good way to get ideas about topics for independent studies.
- Here are a few examples to get you started. Don't take them too seriously, though. You can do better!
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