Page 50 of Boston College 2006-2007 University Catalog by Boston College University

All of them are designed to provide a coherent grouping of courses drawn from various disciplines and focused around a specific theme. Through such programs, a student can integrate or enrich an academic program through completing a minor or developing an independent major. Independent Major Under usual circumstances, students are advised to follow the formal educational programs offered by departments. In rare instances, for students with special interests that cannot be satisfied in a regular major, double major, or a combined major and minor, the Educational Policy Committee will approve an interdisciplinary Independent Major. Students who wish to apply for an Independent Major must normally have achieved a minimum 3.5 grade point average. The student must plan, with the aid of a faculty advisor, a program of twelve (12) courses, ten (10) of which must be upper-division courses. These will extend over no more than three departments and will be selected in accordance with a clearly defined unifying principle. This program should be equal in depth and coherence to a typical departmental major and should include a plan for a final project or paper that demonstrates the intellectual coherence of the Independent Major and for ongoing assessment of the program by the student and the advisor. Each proposed major should be submitted to the Deans Office before March 1 of the students sophomore year. The Dean will then present it to the Educational Policy Committee for approval. An Independent Major will ordinarily be the students only major. Interdisciplinary Minors An interdisciplinary minor in the College of Arts and Sciences must consist of six courses and must include either a required introductory course or a concluding seminar or project. (Note: some programs require both.) The minor should aim for a coherent shape appropriate to the subject matter, and offer courses that give students a definite sense of movement from a beginning to a middle and an end, from introductory to advanced levels, or from general to specialized treatments. Students must select at least three of the courses from three different Arts and Sciences departments. With the approval of the program, students may use one Core course or one course from their major toward the minor. For specific program requirements see the individual program descriptions below. Students carrying a double major are advised not to minor. Each minor will be administered by a coordinating committee, consisting of a Director appointed by the Dean, and at least two additional members who represent departments included in the minor. One important function of this committee is the advising of students enrolled in the minor. Minors are open to all undergraduate students. Courses prescribed by the requirements of the minor must be accessible to the students. Further information can be found in the individual program descriptions. African and African Diaspora Studies African and African Diaspora Studies at Boston College is an interdisciplinary program that offers or cosponsors courses in several disciplines. Through courses in history, literature, sociology, philosophy, theology, and the arts, students may pursue a variety of approaches to understanding the Black experience. The minor in African and African Diaspora Studies requires six courses to be distributed over three departments. Students interested in the minor should enroll in BK 104-BK 105 (HS 189-HS 190) Afro-American History I/II, in their sophomore year. They will choose three electives at least one of which must deal with Africa or the Caribbean in the following areas: humanities (language, literature, music, philosophy, theater, theology); social sciences (sociology, communications). For further information on the African and African Diaspora Studies minor, please consult the program website at http://www.bc.edu/aads/. American Studies American Studies is an interdisciplinary program run by faculty from several departments to expose students to a wide range of approaches to American culture. The general focus of this interdisciplinary minor is on American culture past and present, specifically analyzing how American culture has been shaped by the interaction of race, class, ethnicity, gender and other issues. Courses used for fulfilling the minor must come from outside the students major and from at least two different departments. Six courses are required for the minor. Three of five courses must be clustered around a common theme. Thematic clusters in the past have included: race in American culture, gender in American culture, ethnicity in American culture, media and race, media and gender, colonialism and American culture, poverty and gender, diversity in urban culture, and other topics. In the fall of the senior year, each student must (as his or her sixth course for the minor) take the elective designated in the previous year as the American Studies seminar. For further information on the American Studies minor, and application forms, see Professor Carlo Rotella, English Department (617-552- 1655) or visit American Studies website at http://www.bc.edu/amstudies/. Ancient Civilization The minor in Ancient Civilization aims at providing students from various majors the opportunity to study those aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman world that relate to their fields and their other interests without the requirement of learning the Latin and Greek languages. Each student will design his/her own program in consultation with the faculty. A program will consist of a coherent blend of six courses chosen from two groups: Greek Civilization and Roman Civilization. These general courses, which the department now offers every second year, serve as a general overview of the field and an introduction to the minor. Four other courses, chosen after consultation with the director, from available offerings in Classics and other departments in the areas of literature, philosophy, religion, art and archaeology, history, and linguistics. A list of the courses that are available each semester from the various departments and that can count for the minor will be published at registration time. Interested students should contact Professor Meredith Monaghan of the Classical Studies Department, Carney Hall 120 (617- 552-3661) or visit the Classics website at http://www.bc.edu/classics/. Asian Studies The Asian Studies minor enables a student to study the language, history, and culture of the Far East from a number of disciplinary perspectives. Requirements are as follows: (1) an introductory course, usually SL 263 Far Eastern Civilizations, (2) one course in Asian history or political structure or diplomacy, (3) two courses in an Asian language beyond the elementary level, and (4) two approved elective courses in Asian Studies from related areas. One of these electives may be a directed senior research paper on an approved topic. Further information is available from the Director, Professor Prasannan Parthasarathi, Department of History, 21 Campanella Way, (617-552-1579). 50 The Boston College Catalog 2006-2007 ARTS AND SCIENCES

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