Registration and Course Planning

TUT 100 - Virtue in Animal and Machine - Professor Weinman

Summary:

You will answer a series of questions about potential courses, charting a course for the next three semesters (and possibly beyond).

Purpose:

To get you thinking about the purpose and process of course planning.

Expected Time:

2-5 hours

Due:

By our scheduled meeting on Monday

• different departments' perspectives on how one should progress through a major,
• a variety of prerequisite structures,
• the wide variety of courses we make available, and
• the limitations in numbers of sections we can offer at a College of Grinnell's size.

Background

• Familiarize yourself with the following college resources:

  Mission Statement

  http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/president/missionstatement

  Elements of a Liberal Education

  http://catalog.grinnell.edu/content.php?catoid=7&navoid=1213#Elements_of_a_Liberal_Education

  Core Values

  http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/president/missionstatement/core

  A Grinnell Education

  http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/institutionalplanning/links/grinnelleducation
• Read "'Only Connect ...' The Goals of a Liberal Education" by William Cronon.

College Catalog

(for finding interesting courses and their pre-requisites)

Departmental Advising and Registration Suggestions

(for important departmental info and sample schedules for fullfilling major requirements

Current Course Information

(for verifying what courses are being offered and open)

Part A: Thinking Broadly

1. Write the first paragraph for a two or three paragraph essay entitled, "Beginning my Liberal Education." This first paragraph should present a concise definition of what a liberal arts education means to you.
   Keep in mind Cronon's essay and the documents that describe the liberal arts at Grinnell College. The goal of this paragraph is not to mimic or simply accept Grinnell's definition as your own. Instead, I am interested in what you think a liberal arts education means generally or for you. I will keep a copy of your statement in your advising folder. Further paragraphs will be explained below.
2. Pick between two and four potential majors that you might choose at Grinnell.
3. For one of those majors, map out a four-year plan that ensures that you meet all of the requirements of the major. That is, identify the semesters in which you would take the required courses and any of their pre-requisites, in case they are not explicitly required.
4. Find three upper-level (200-level and above) courses you think you might like to take before you graduate from Grinnell. I prefer that you pick one from each division. For example, you might pick CSC-205, Computational Linguistics, from Computer Science (Science Division), ENG-204, The Craft of Argument, from English (Humanities Division), and ECN-338, Applied Game Theory, from Economics (Social Studies Division).
5. Determine how you will meet the prerequisites for those courses. For example, in order to take Computational Linguistics (an alternate-year course) in fall of your second year, you'll need to take LIN-114 and CSC-151 before the course is offered. In that particular case, you should think about taking both courses by this spring.

Part B: Thinking About This Fall

1. Pick one language course that you would like to take this semester. Include the registration number, course number, title, instructor, and meeting times.
   Because we often forget other languages quickly, I recommend that students continue their study of foreign language in their first semester. If you have not previously studied other languages or would like to learn a new language, I consider that an appropriate alternate. I recommend starting such learning early in your career so that you have time to explore the language sufficiently, which is especially important if you are interested in studying abroad.
2. Pick one mathematics or statistics course that you would like to take this semester. Include the registration number, course number, title, instructor, and meeting times.
   I recommend that students continue their study of Mathematics in their first semester, because we often forget mathematical methods quickly. Many majors benefit from mathematical or statistical knowledge. While the math curriculum is designed for people to start in the fall, note that you cannot take MAT-115 (Intro. Statistics) until the spring.
3. Pick at least five other courses that you would like to take this semester. Include the registration number, course number, title, instructor, and meeting times.
   I recommend that two of these choices relate to the potential majors you listed above.
4. Create a sample schedule that has the language course, the mathematics course, and one of the other courses. (Your tutorial is also obviously a part of your schedule.) Make sure the times do not conflict.
   If you are playing varsity sports, make sure any labs are not on days you might miss regularly for travel.
5. If you strongly prefer not to take math or a language, or are deferring statistics until spring, your sample schedule need not include that course. However, you must include an additional one-paragraph rationale for the exception in your essay. Doing so does not guarantee that I will accept your rationale.
6. Prepare at least one alternative schedule, in case you don't get your first choices.
   Math/stats and languages tend to take all comers, so the primary course to worry about is the open course. Of course, math and language may also ask you to take courses in different times than you prefer.

Part C: Thinking Broadly, Revisited

1. Assume that you get all the courses you indicated in B.4 above. Sketch a plan of courses for next spring semester and the subsequent fall, giving you a three-semester prospective plan.
   In this plan, you should list four courses for each semester. You should make sure that you take the introductory course for each prospective major somewhere in these first three semesters. You should also try to meet each of Grinnell's Elements of a Liberal Education within this time frame.
   These are the semesters we will partner as advisor and advisee, leading up to your declaration of a major. Think about the array of courses you definitely want to incorporate or prepare for, to support interests or prepare for majors. This should be fun! Imagine your first two years at Grinnell. This is not a commitment, but an opportunity to record what your goals and hopes are right now.
2. We will discuss your course choices for this fall in detail during our thirty minute conference on Monday. To prepare for our discussion, please conclude your "Beginning my Liberal Education" essay with an additional paragraph that explains
   1. what you want to accomplish this first semester, and
   2. how each of the seven courses you have identified contribute to those goals.
   Remember that if you have elected not to include a math/statistics or language course in your schedule, you will also need to add your one-paragraph rationale.

Acknowledgments