Centenary College of Louisiana 1991-92 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/centenarycolleg199192cent Centenary College of Louisiana undergraduate catalogue 1991-1992 G ENTENART IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION Centenary College does not discriminate on the basis ofrace, color, religion, sex, orhandicap; intheadmissionofstudentstotheCollege; inanyoftherights, privileges, programs, and activities generally made available to students at the College; in the administration ofits educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other programs administered by the College; or in the employment practices ofthe College. The College's designated coordinator for compliance with Section 504 ofthe Rehabilitation Act of1973, Tide IX ofthe Educational Amendments of1972 and the Inter- nal Revenue Service is Mr. HaroldBond. The College follows theguidelines for records established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (1974). ENTENARY COLLEGE, 1 since its founding in 1825, has long held a leadership role in ^<^^y higher education, and we owe much to its traditions ofquality. But the vision ofthe campus community is forward, not back. Each generationcomesgraduallytoitsownaspirations. AsIsensetheconsonance ofgoals emerging here, they cluster around five objectives for Centenary: First, and obviously, the nurture ofthat academic excellence forwhich theCollegeisdistinguished: first-rateprofessionalprograms,solidlybasedon rigorous liberal-arts education, and the disciplines ofWestern civilized life; Second,theintentionalstruggleforanethoshere,acharacteroflife,that ishumane,moral,decent;wearecommittedtoaspiritandtostandardsthat actuatethebestoftheJudeo-Christianheritage,inthissmallcivilizationcalled Centenary; Third,producingforourcampuscommunityandtheregion,richcultural offerings, in music, drama, artworks, landscape, books, presentations by noteworthy speakers—to be a center offine culture, here; Fourth, to strive for the best athletic program we are capable of; Centenary's reputation for athletic superiority goes back sixty years. And fifth, to uphold freedom with responsibility, in personal behavior, in commerce, in relationships; we are independent by our charterand our nature, and glad to be so. Inarealsense, theseareoneaspiration, oneobjective: whatwe'vecalled "quality oflife" here. ThiscatalogwillgiveyousomeideaofourlifeatCentenary;itisaninvi- tation to become part ofit. Sincerely, ^cnX&M? COLLEGE CALENDAR I. II. CENTENARY COLLEGE III. LIFE ON CAMPUS ADMISSIONS IV, V, EXPENSES AND FINANCIAL AID VI. ACADEMIC REGULATIONS VII. COURSES OF INSTRUCTION VIII. COLLEGE ORGANIZATION ACADEMIC CALENDAR 1991-1992 FALL SEMESTER 1991 Pre-registration Faculty Conference 9 a.m.-12:00 noon Thurs. Aug. 22 Dorms open for new students 9 a.m.-12:00 noon Fri. Aug. 23 Orientation Fri.-Sun. Aug. 23-25 Dorms open for returning students 1 p.m-6 p.m. Fri. Aug. 23 New Student Advising Fri.-Sat. Aug. 23-24 Completion ofpre-registration (returning students) 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Sat. Aug. 24 Registration for all other and new students 1:30 p.m-4:30 p.m Sat. Aug. 24 . Class work begins 8:20 a.m. Mon. Aug. 26 Labor Day Holiday Mon. Sept. 2 Last day for enrolling, adding courses or changing sections Fri. Sept. 6 Last day for removing incomplete grades from preceding Spring, Module, Summer 12:00 noon Fri. Oct. 11 Fall Begins 3:00 p.m. Fri. Oct. 11 Fall Break ends 8:20 a.m. Wed. Oct. 16 Mid-semester grades due Noon Fri. Oct. 18 Last day for dropping courses or changing enrollment status Noon Thurs. Oct. 31 Thanksgiving recess begins 10:00 p.m. Tues. Nov. 26 Thanksgiving recess ends 8:20 a.m. Mon. Dec. 2 & Preparation Pre-Registration Week Tues.-Tues Dec. 3-10 . Class work ends Mon. Dec. 9 Semester exams Tues.-Sat. Dec. 10-14 Dorms close 2:00 p.m. Sun. Dec. 15 SPRING SEMESTER 1992 Dorms open 1:00 p.m. Mon. Jan. 6 Registration 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Tues. Jan. 7 Class work begins 8:20 a.m. Wed. Jan. 8 Last day for enrolling, adding courses or changing sections Fri. Jan. 17 Last day for removing incomplete grades from preceding semester Noon Thurs. Feb. 27 Spring (Mardi Gras) Break begins 3:00 p.m. Fri. Feb. 28 Mid-semester grades due Noon Tues. Mar. 3 Spring (Mardi Gras) Break ends 8:20 a.m. Mon. Mar. 9 Last day for dropping courses or changing enrollment status 4:30 p.m. Thurs. Mar. 12 Easter Break begins 5:00 p.m. Thurs. Apr. 16 ACADEMIC CALENDAR 5 Easter Break ends 8:20 a.m. Tues. Apr. 21 & Preparation Pre-Registration Week (Summer, Fall) Tues.-Sun. Apr. 21-26 Class work ends Fri. Apr. 24 Semester Exams for graduating seniors Fn.-Wed. Apr. 24-29 Semester Exams for all others Mon.-Fri. Apr. 27-May 1 Baccalaureate and Commencement 2:30 p.m. Sat. May 2 Dorms close 2:00 p.m. Sun. May 3 MODULE 1992 Classwork begins Tues. May 5 Classwork ends Wed. May 27 Dorms close Thurs. May 28 Module grades due Tues. June 9 SUMMER 1992 Dorms open 1:00 p.m. Sun. June 7 Registration Mon. June 8 Four-week courses meeting 110 min. daily 1st Session Tues.-Fri. June 9-July 3 2nd Session Mon.-Fri. July 6-July 31 Eight-week courses meeting 55 min. daily Tues.-Fri. June 9-July 31 Last day for enrolling, adding courses, or changing sections 1st Session Thurs. June 11 2nd Session Wed. July 8 Eight-week courses Fri. June 12 Last day for dropping courses or changing enrollment status 1st Session Thurs. June 18 2nd Session Thurs. July 16 Eight-week courses Thurs. June 25 Dorms close 2:00 p.m. Sat. Aug. 1 CENTENARY COLLEGE 7 The Centenary Experience PURPOSE STATEMENT Asaliberalartsinstitution, CentenaryCollege hasestablishedaneducational communitywhich endeavors to prepare studentsforlife byofferingthemacourse of study centered on a required core of traditional academic subjects in the humanities and the natural and social sciences and a major concentration in a particulardiscipline orarea. This formal curriculum is complemented by a rich program ofcultural, intellectual, and recreational activities, and opportunities to participate in the governance ofthe College. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION A liberal arts education is the most fundamental and broadly empowering ofall the varieties ofeducation. As a liberal arts institution, Centenary College endeavors to prepare its students for the fullest and most harmonious realiza- tion oftheir potential as individuals and, through them, to promote the well- being ofsociety. Centenary has established the followinggoals for its students: To perceive, think, write, and speak clearly. To become free from the provincialism of the present. To study the best that human beings have thought, said, and done. To serve society by exemplifying the highest Judeo-Christian ethic. To develop a capacity for synthesizing ideas. To prepare forresponsibilityin the family, the community, the nation, and the world. To foster an awareness and appreciation ofother cultures. To acquire a detailed and systematic knowledge ofa specialty. Tocultivatethepersonalqualitiesofintegrity, honesty, tolerance, andcourage. Centenary seeks to accomplish these objectives in a variety ofways, but we agree that they are best realized within the context ofa liberal arts education. Because communication may be the most important determinant for per- sonalandprofessionalsuccess, Centenaryaims to prepareitsstudents toperceive, think, write, and speak clearly. The most effective and persuasive communica- tion begins with clear perception, is informed by knowledge and logical think- ing, andis achievedwith imagination andtaste. The College expectsitsstudents to achieve a high level ofproficiency in writing and speaking. A principal goal ofliberal education is to liberate students from the con- straintsandlimitationsofindividual consciousnessandtoenable them toachieve historical perspective. To this end, Centenary seeks to provide its students with a basic understanding ofhuman affairs and to introduce them to the best that human beings have thought, said, and done, that they mayunderstand, enjoy, andultimately, enhance theseachievements. The College endeavors to cultivate in its students the capacity to view the events ofthe past and the critical issues ofthepresentwithinincreasinglywidercontexts. Inmakingourcultural heritage accessible to students, Centenary intends to establish the basis for a common discourse, without which there can be little meaningful sense ofcommunity. Centenary'sresidentialcampuswithits beautifulgardens andpark-like areas fosters a strong sense of place and provides a physical basis for the spirit of community the College strives to cultivate. Centenary believes that the sharing ofexperiences among members of a diverse, but tolerant, group contributes significantly to the education ofits students. In this setting the College seeks to create an experience which is both valuable in itselfand a touchstone for a lifetime ofproductive growth. As an institution ofthe United Methodist Church, Centenary is commit- ted to cultivating in its students an awareness and appreciation ofthe values of the Judeo-Christian tradition with its emphasis on the dignityofthe individual, its reverence fortruth, anditscompassionate understandingofhumanweaknesses and aspirations. At the same time, the College is unequivocally committed to the principle that, in an open universe, individuals must be free to examine, refine, and, ultimately, to select theirown values. Recognizingthat while some values are enduring, others change with changing circumstances and with the growthofknowledge, Centenarydoesnotseektoindoctrinate itsstudentswith ready-made values but teaches them what values are and how they are formed, and prepares them to select their own. Centenary aims not only to impart to its students knowledge ofthe fine arts, humanities, mathematics, naturalandsocialsciences, butalso to make them aware ofthe assumptions, methods, scope, strengths, and limitations ofthese diverse fields ofinquiry. We believe that human affairs are better understood and that the analysis ofcertain problems is often more productive when illumi- nated with the insights ofvarious disciplines. In this connection, Centenary wishes toempoweritsstudentswith anunderstandingofprinciplesandacapacity forsynthesizingideas. Factsare basic, butoffargreaterimportance are the prin- ciples and theories which give meaning to facts. Centenary seeks to prepare its students for responsibility in the family, the community, thenation, andtheworld. Ifthepurposeofcivilizationistoenhance thewell-beingoftheindividual, Centenaryisconvincedthat, inturn, individuals must become aware ofthe immense debt they owe to the countless men and womenwhoseeffortsandsacrificesthroughouttheageshave builtandpreserved civilization. The College believes that each individual has the responsibility to contribute to the continuation ofthe fragile process ofcivilization. Centenary holds that knowledge ofother cultures plays an important role in freeingstudents from individual and cultural narcissism and in preparingthem forliving in our highly interdependent contemporary world. Liberal education is a process entailinggrowth in many dimensions, agoingfrom the known and familiarto the strange andunfamiliar, andfrom thesometimesmonotonouscon- finesofwhatone alreadyisto the excitingpossibilitiesofwhatone can be. Cross- culturalknowledge contributessignificantlyto this process ofgrowth and, indi- rectiy, to the continued vitality ofthe nation. The attainment ofdepth in at least one field ofknowledge is both a prime requisite ofliberal educationanda meansofpreparingstudents toearn aliving. Only through a detailed and systematic knowledge ofa specialty can a person be consistentlyproductivein thatfield. Still, atCentenarysuchin-depth educa- tion takesplacewithintheframeworkofliberaleducation, whichequipsstudents to bring to their chosen careers the broadest possible powers ofintelligence, resourcefulness, judgment, and character. Also, Centenary aims to prepare