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?*. "> .-.<' tXiJi -"s^ 1997-98 IIU Catalog Issue I I Volume 87, ; Number 1 September 1997 WellesleyCollegeBulletin Vol. 87. No. 1 September 1997 WeUesley College Bulletin (USPS 078-360) ispublishedSeptember,October,December, January, February, June, July/August by Wellesley College, Green Hall, Wellesley, MA 02181-8292. "PER" postage paid at Boston, MA. Postmaster: Send address changetoWellesleyCollegeBulletin,GrMeeAn Hall, Wellesley College, Wellesley, 02181-8292. Wellesley College Bulletin 1997-98 CATALOG ISSUE Volume 87, Number 1 • September 1997 Contents Academic Calendar 1997-98 Fall Semester AUGUST Inquiries, Visits &c Correspondence Wellesleywelcomesinquiriesandvisitsto President the College from prospective students, General interests ofthe College their parents, and other interested indi- Dean ofthe College viduals. For those who would like more Academic policies and programs detailed informationon manyofthe pro- Dean ofStudents gramsandopportunitiesdescribedinthis catalog,theCollegepublishesanumberof dSetnucdee,ntMlIifTe acdrvoisssi-nrge,gicsotruantsieolni,nge,xcrehsain-ge brochures and booklets. These publica- programs, international students, study tions, as well as answers to any specific abroad questions, may be obtained bywriting to the appropriate office as listed. Class Deans For those who would like to visit the Individual students College, the administrative offices in Dean ofContinuing Education Green Hall are open Monday through Davis Scholars, postbaccalaureate Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 P.M. The Board students ofAdmission is open by appointment on Dean ofAdmission most Saturday mornings during the aca- Admission ofstudents and Davis demic term. With the exception of a few Scholars holidays, arrangements can usually be madetogreetprospectivestudentsduring Director ofFinancial Aid Wellesley's vacation periods. Accommo- Financial aid, student loans dations for alumnae and for parents of Bursar studentsorprospectivestudentsareavail- College fees, account and loan payment able on the campus in the Wellesley arrangements College Club and may be reserved by Registrar writing to the club manager. Transcripts ofrecords A prospective student who wishes to Director, Center for Work and Service arrange an interview with a member of Graduate school, employment, under- the Board ofAdmission should make an graduate and alumnae careercounsel- appointment at least three weeks in ing, community service advance. Student guides are available to providetoursforvisitorswithoutappoint- Vice President forFinance and ments.Visitors,however,maywishtocall Administration the Board of Admission prior to coming Business matters & toWellesleytoobtaininformationregard- Vice President for Resources ing scheduled tours. PublicAffairs To learn more about Wellesley before Gifts and bequests, external relations youarriveoncampus,pleasevisitourweb Executive Director, Alumnae site at http://vvrvvw.wellesley.edu/ Association Alumnae interests Address Wellesley College 106 Central Street Wellesley, Massachusetts 02181 (617)283-1000 & 4 Inquiries, Visits Correspondence The College The College — — A student's years atWellesley are thebeginning nottheend of an education, A Wellesley College degree signifies not that the graduate has memorized certain blocks of material, but that she has acquired the curiosity, the desire, and the ability to seek and assimilate new information. Four years at Wellesley can provide the foundation forthewidestpossible rangeofambitions and the necessaryself-confidencetofulfillthem. Aboveall,itisWellesley's purpose to teach students to apply knowledge wisely and to use the advantages oftalent and education to seeknew ways to serve thewidercommunity.Thesearetheelementsofaneducationthat can nevergrow old orbecome obsolete. Wellesley is a college for the studentwho has high personal, intel- lectual,andcareerexpectations. Beyondthiscommonground,there isnoWellesleystereotype. SincetheCollegeisamulticulturalcom- munity, students come fromall overtheworld, from differentcul- turesandbackgrounds,andtheyhavepreparedforWellesleyathun- dreds of different secondary schools. Through the Davis Degree Program,womenbeyondthetraditionalcollegeage,manymarried and with children, are part ofthe student bodyworking toward a Wellesley degree. Men and women from other colleges and uni- versities study atWellesley through various exchange programs. This diversity of people is made possible, in large part, by the College's need-blind admission policy. Students are accepted with- out reference to their ability to pay. Once admitted, those with demonstratedneedreceivefinancialaidthroughavarietyofservices. Henry Fowle Durant, Wellesley's founder, was an impassioned believer in educational opportunity for women. His strong phi- losophy carries over to the present day. Throughout its 122-year history Wellesley has been one ofa handful ofpreeminent liberal arts colleges in the country, and, at the same time, a distinguished leader in the education of women. The Wellesley Centers for Women are composed ofthe Center for Research on Women and the Stone Center for Developmental Services and Studies. Both haveproducedmuchworkofnationalimportanceabouttheissues facing women in contemporary society. In some respects, the liberal arts curriculum at Wellesley has changedlittlesincetheCollegewasfounded.Theconstantfeatures are the grouping ofdisciplines into the humanities, the social sciences, and thenatural sciences,andthe requirementthateachstu- dentsamplewidely fromco—urses ineachgroup. Consistentalso is the concept of the major the opportunity for each student, through concentrated study during her junior and senior years, to establish mastery in a single area. The College has adhered to this framework because itemphasizes the building blocks ofa contin- uing education: the ability to speak and write clearly, the knowl- 6 The College edge to manage quantitative data with ease, the confidence to approach new material, the capacity to make critical judgments. Whatever the student chooses to do with her life, these skills will be essential. Withinthistraditionalliberalartsframework,theWellesleycur- riculum is dynamic, responsive to social change, and quick to incorporate new fields ofstudy. The dramatic expansion ofinfor- mation ofthe last decades has led to an increasingly interdisciplinary course ofstudy. Single majors in traditional disciplines have been joined by double majors and specially designed interdisciplinary and interdepartmental majors. Some departments also offer minors. Wellesleystudents andfacultyinalldisciplines usethe College's academiccomputingfacilitiesintheircoursesandresearch.Faculty members are pioneering applications ofartificial intelligence and teachingtechnologyinsuchfieldsasphilosophy,music,history,and languages. Wellesley was one of the first liberal arts colleges to establisha separateComputerScienceDepartmentand Computer Science major. The Wellesley-MIT Cross-Registration allows students to com- bine the strengths of these two outstanding institutions while remaininginresidence ontheirowncampuses. Wellesleystudents enroll in a variety of MIT subjects; popular fields include archi- tectural design and financial accounting as well as computer science,engineering,mathematics,andthesciences.Wellesleystudents construct individual majors in such subjects as Urban Planning, Engineering, and Linguistics, which draw on the resources of departmentsatbothMITandWellesley.Abusrunshourlybetween the two campuses. TheTwelve CollegeExchangeProgram bringsmenandwomen from other member colleges to Wellesley for a semester or a year, and enables Wellesley students to live and study on another campus. The College also offers exchanges with nearby Brandeis University; SpelmanCollege,adistinguishedBlackliberalartscol- legeinAtlanta,Georgia;andMillsCollegeinOakland,California. In addition, Wellesley students are encouraged to spend a semes- terora year abroad in programs at many institutions throughout the world. Financial aid for study abroad, although limited, is available through Wellesley. The Wellesley faculty is a community of recognized scholars. Theyincludescientists,artists,andpoliticalandeconomicanalysts. Dedicatedtoteaching,theybringtotheCollegeavastrangeofaca- demic and professional interests. A number of faculty live on or near the campus. They are committed to all aspects of life in the Wellesley community and are available to students long after the end ofclass. TheCollege 7 There is one faculty member for every ten students. The aver- ageclass size ranges from 18 to 21 students. A fewpopular intro- ductory courses enroll more than 100, but these classes routinely breakintosmalldiscussiongroups underthedirectionofa faculty member. Seminars typically bring together 15 to 18 students and a professorto investigateclearlydefinedareasofinterest.Thelow student-faculty ratio offers an excellent opportunity for students to undertake individual work with facultyor honorsprojects and research. Excellent academic facilities support learning at Wellesley. Students have access to virtually all the collections on campus through a computerized library system totaling over one million items.Amongthespecialholdingsareaworld-renownedBrowning Collection, a Book Arts Collection, and a Rare Book Collection. InterlibraryloansthroughtheBostonLibraryConsortiumaugment the College's own holdings. Wellesley's strength in the sciences dates to the nineteenth cen- tury, when the College's physics laboratory was the second such laboratory in the country (the first was at the Massachusetts InstituteofTechnology).TheScienceCenterbringstogetherallthe sciencedepartments,includingmathematicsandcomputerscience, in a contemporary setting that fosters interdisciplinary discussion and study. Laboratories are completely equipped for a wide variety of fields. The Center also includes an extensive complex of greenhouses and an observatory. Students in the arts find excellent facilities in the Jewett Arts Center and the Davis Museum and Cultural Center. Wellesley recognizes that classroom activities and studying are onlypartofacollegeeducation.Theresidencehallsystemnotonly provides apleasantandcomfortableplaceto live butseeksto inte- grate academic and extracurricular life through educational programs. Residencelifeisadministeredinseveralways,rangingfrom dormitoriesstaffed byprofessionalHeadsofHousetostudent-run cooperatives. Formanystudents,thelessonslearnedcompetingontheathletic field,publishingtheWellesleyNews,orparticipatinginaWellesley- sponsoredsummerinternshipinWashingtonareoflifelongimpor- tance. The College encourages self-expression through more than 160 established student organizations, as well as any interest that a student may choose to pursue alone or with a group offriends. Wellesley also supports those students who investigate religious issuesandthought.TheOfficeofReligiousandSpiritualLifeoffers religious programs in many faiths, including denominational services for those who wish to participate. Wellesley is a small community, and the quality of life depends upontheinvolvementandcommitmentofeachofitsconstituents. 8 The College