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2001-2002 Catalog Issue Volume 91, Number I September 2001 |i J Wellesley College Bulletin Vol. 91 No. 1 September 2001 Wellesley College Bulletin (USPS 078-360) is published September, December, January, February, May, August by Wellesley College, Green Hall, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203. "PERIODICAL" postage paid at Boston, MA. Postmaster: Send address change toWellesley College Bulletin, Green Hall,Wellesley College, MA 106 Central Street,Wellesley, 02481. Wellesley Bulletin Vffti 2001-2002 Catalog Issue Volume 91, Number I September 2001 'f (SKf^nm !>«« limjtr Contents Academic Calendar2001-02 Academic Calendar 2001-02 Fall Semester Spring Semester AUGUST JANUARY New students arrive Inquiries, Visits &c Correspondence Wellesley welcomes inquiries and visits President to the College from prospective stu- General interests ofthe College dents, their parents, and other interested Dean ofthe College individuals. For those who would like Academic policies and programs more detailed information on many of Dean ofStudents the programs and opportunities Student life advising, counseling, resi- described in this catalog, the College dence, MITcross-registration, exchange publishes a number ofbrochures and programs, international students, study booklets. These publications, as well as abroad answers to any specific questions, may be obtained by writing to the appropri- Class Deans ate office as listed. Individual students For those who would like to visit the Dean ofContinuing Education College, the administrative offices in Davis Scholars, postbaccalaureate Green Hall are open Monday through students Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 P.M. The Board Dean ofAdmission ofAdmission is open by appointment Admission ofstudents and Davis on most Saturday mornings during the Scholars academic term. With the exception ofa Director ofStudent Financial Services few holidays, arrangements can usually be made to greet prospective students Financial aid, student accounts, loan repayment, student employment, during Wellesley's vacation periods. Accommodations for alumnae and for educational financing parents ofstudents or prospective stu- Registrar dents are available on the campus in the Transcripts ofrecords Wellesley College Club and may be Director, Center for Work and Service reserved by writing to the club manager. Graduate school, employment, under- A prospective studentwho wishes to graduate and alumnae career counsel- arrange an interview with a member of ing, community service the Board ofAdmission should make an Vice President for Finance appointment at least three weeks in Business matters advance. Studentguides are available to provide tours for visitors without Vice President for Resources 6c appointments. Visitors, however, may Public Affairs wish to call the Board ofAdmission Gifts and bequests, external relations prior to coming toWellesley to obtain Executive Director, Alumnae information regarding scheduled tours. Association Please visit our Web site: www.welles- Alumnae interests ley.edu/admission/to learn more about Address Wellesley before you arrive on campus. Wellesley College 106 Central Street Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481 (781)283-1000 www.wellesley.edu/ & 4 Inquiries,Visits Correspondence The College The mission ofWellesley College is to provide an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. Wellesley is a college for the student who has high personal, intellectual, and career expectations. Beyond this common ground, there is no typical Wellesley student. Since the College is a multicultural community, students come from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds, and they have preparedforWellesleyathundredsofdifferentsecondaryschools. Through the Davis Degree Program, women beyond the tradi- tional college age, many with families, are part of the student bodyworkingtoward a Wellesley degree. Men andwomen from other colleges and universities study at Wellesley through vari- ous exchange programs. This diversity is made possible, in large part, by the College's need-blind admission policy. Students are accepted without con- siderationoftheirabilitytopay. Onceadmitted,thosewithdemon- strated need receive financial aid through a variety ofservices. HenryFowleDurant,Wellesley's founder,was animpassioned believer in educational opportunity for women. His strong phi- losophycarries overtothepresentday. Throughoutits 125-year history Wellesley has been one of the country's preeminent liberal arts colleges, and a distinguished leader in the education ofwomen. In some respects, the liberal arts curriculum at Wellesley has changedlittlesincetheCollegewasfounded.Thoughthestructure ofdistributionrequirementshasevolved,therequirementthateach studentshould be acquaintedwiththemainfieldsofhumaninter- esthasremainedaconstant.Theconceptofthemajor-theoppor- tunityforeachstudenttoestablishmasteryinasingleareathrough concentrated study during her junior and senior years - has remained consistent as well. The College is committed to this framework because it emphasizes the essence of education: the abilityto speak and writeclearly,the knowledgeto managequan- titative data with ease, the confidence to approach new material, andthecapacitytomakecriticaljudgments.Theseskillsareessen- tial -whatever the student chooses to do with her life. Withinthistraditionalliberalartsframework,theWellesleycur- riculum isdynamicand responsivetosocialchangeandnew fields ofstudy.Thedramaticexpansionofinformationofthelastdecades has led to an increasingly interdisciplinary course ofstudy. Single majorsintraditional disciplineshavebeenjoinedbydoublemajors and specially designed interdisciplinary and interdepartmental majors. Some departments also offer minors. 6 TheCollege One of the first liberal arts colleges to establish a separate Computer Science Department and Computer Science major, Wellesley remains at the forefront of technological development. Students and faculty in all disciplines use the College's academic computing facilities in their courses and research. The Knapp MediaandTechnologyCenterprovidesstate-of-the-arttechnology forstudents incoursesrangingfrom multimedia language instruc- tion to graphic arts. The well-known Wellesley Centers for Women, composed of the Center for Research on Women and the Stone Center for Developmental Services and Studies, produce work of national importance about issues facing women in contemporary society. The Wellesley-MIT cross-registration program allows students to combine the strengths of these two outstanding institutions whileremaininginresidenceontheirowncampuses.Wellesleystu- dents enroll in a variety of MIT courses including architectural design,financialaccounting,computerscience,engineering,math- ematics, and the sciences. Wellesley students construct individual majors in such subjects as urban planning, engineering, and lin- guistics,whichdrawontheresourcesofdepartmentsatboth MIT and Wellesley. TheTwelveCollege ExchangeProgram bringsmen andwomen from member colleges to Wellesley for a semester or a year, and enables Wellesley students to live and study on another campus. TheCollegealsooffersexchangeswithnearbyBrandeisUniversity; Spelman College, a distinguished Black liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia; and Mills College in Oakland, California. In addition,Wellesleystudentsareencouragedtospendasemesteror a 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,theybringavastrangeofacademicandpro- fessionalintereststotheCollege.Manymembersofthefacultylive on or near the campus. They are committed to all aspects of life in the Wellesley community and are available to students outside ofthe classroom. There is one faculty member foreverynine students. The aver- ageclasssize ranges from 18 to21 students. A fewpopular intro- ductorycourses enroll morethan 100, buttheseclasses routinely break into small discussion groups under the direction of a faculty member. Seminars typically bring together 15 to 18 students anda professortoinvestigateclearlydefinedareasofinterest.The TheCollege 7 low student-faculty ratio offers an excellent opportunity for students to undertake individual work with faculty or honors pro- jects 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 1.4 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 in the country (the firstwas atMIT).The Science Center bringstogether allthesciencedepartments,includingMathematicsandComputer Science, 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 observatory and an extensive complex ofgreenhouses. 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 providesapleasantandcomfortableplacetolivebutseekstointe- grate academic and extracurricular life through educational programs. Residencelifeisadministeredinseveralways,rangingfrom dormitoriesstaffedbyprofessionalHeadsofHousetostudent-run cooperatives. Formanystudents,thelessonslearnedcompetingontheathletic field,publishingthe WellesleyNews,orparticipatinginaWellesley- sponsored summer internship in Washington, D.C. have lifelong impact.TheCollegeencouragesself-expressionthroughmorethan 150 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. As a small community', Wellesley's quality oflife depends upon the involvement and commitment ofeach of its constituents. For thisreason,studentsparticipateindecisionmakingin nearlyevery aspect of College life. They serve, frequently as voting members, on every major committee ofthe Board ofTrustees, including the InvestmentCommittee,aswellastheAcademicCouncil,theBoard ofAdmission,andtheCommitteeonCurriculumandInstruction. In academic departments, they frequently participate in the cur- 8 The College