South Mountain College - College of Arts and Sciences - Lehigh ...

South Mountain College

South Mountain CollegeTake Charge of Your EducationTake RisksYou have many interests andyou want an opportunity toblaze new trails. SMC is opento anyone who wants to playand who is willing to take therisk of entering new territory.Create yourown pathYou help choose the topicsto investigate and togetherwith faculty and students,you select the next readingin the seminar. It’s youreducation—you should bein the drivers seat.MakeConnectionsSMC challenges you todo more, to take charge ofyour education and to makeconnections across disciplinesin a collaborative learningenvironment.

A new way of lookingat the liberal artsSMC is a unique learning andliving experience, unlike any foundon other college campuses.Lehigh University has a strong tradition of educating students to getthings done and to make a difference in a complex world. Buildingon this strength, SMC’s new approach to the liberal arts, combinesthe recognized success of a traditional major and elective coursesalong with an inquiry-driven curriculum and a living-learningcommunity.Students live in a dedicated residence, work with faculty members todesign an agile and dynamic curriculum, and develop an intellectualcommunity that crosses all four years and transcends disciplines.“Lehigh has always understood the importance and power ofcommunity,” says Michael Raposa, professor of religion studies.“South Mountain College was created to be a distinctive community,with conversation about ideas at its core.”“SMC is what college is supposed to be about—learning about lotsof things and being able to pursue lots of interests,” is how KarolCyrklaff ’13 (philosophy) described his decision to join the program.One of Cyrklaff ’s many interests includes volunteering for theHomework Club. He assists with the “America Reads/AmericaCounts” program run through Lehigh’s Community Service Office.During his sophomore year, Karol served as a site leader for theprogram, helping kids in first through fifth grades with homeworkand structured playtime for 90 minutes everyday after school.Cyrklaff ’s likes that in SMC you have a say in what you learn aboutand an opportunity to influence the direction of the course.

InnovativeSouth Mountain College (SMC), named forthe mountain on which Lehigh was founded,is an integrated residential academic programdedicated to the exploration of ideas acrossdisciplines. Situated within the College of Artsand Sciences, SMC allows students of all majorsto cross disciplines and indulge many of theirintellectual curiosities.Each semester, students are given an overarchingtheme on which to focus and the options areendless from there. Students are actively involvedin structuring the courses and designing theirown paths of study.In addition to the curriculum and a unique setof activities, the program offers a dedicatedresidence where discussions can transpireoutside the classroom.You will receive a strong foundation in the liberalarts as you study topics that you choose in smalldiscussion-based seminars, working closely withfaculty.“The SMC courses are more open to studentinput than any other courses I’ve taken atLehigh. They helped with my independentlearning because they allowed me to explorethings that I would not normally get todo in my other classes. As a result, it was agood intellectual challenge.”“SMC is open enough to allow each student to engage theircuriosity and work on interesting problems,” is how David Tench’13 (math) describes one of the best aspects of the program. “Thisfreedom is very valuable. I decided that I wanted to think aboutfeet, and shoes, and how what we wear on our feet affects howwe interact with our environment. SMC gave me the flexibilityto pursue this line of inquiry. I was able to investigate the topicas I saw fit: walking around barefoot for a year was just as valid asreading studies about gait and sole flexibility (I did both). I endedup with some surprising conclusions, and many more questions. Ichose an interesting, difficult problem, grappled with it, and thenfigured out how to explain to others what I had learned.”Outside of the classroom, Tench plays saxophone for Lehigh’s JazzBand. He also is in the Aikido club, is a tutor and a volunteerfirefighter. His honors include being named a TRAC writingfellow, an Eckhard Scholar, a Dean’s Scholar, a National MeritScholar, and a Phi Eta Sigma honors society member.

InvestigationsInvestigation themes require contributions fromdiverse disciplines. Each theme is not just anumbrella for uncoordinated work on a topic—oneof the challenges students must face is to grab amanageable part of the theme that can lead to asignificant result. The academic year ends withan event that involves review by interested andinformed parties, whether they are stakeholders orexternal experts.“SMC Seminar and Investigations have influencedme. They really cause you to stretch yourself moreand think of different ways to problem solve.They help to broaden your thinking.”Past themes have included Re-imaginingPostindustrial Communities, Shape, Enemy, 20thCentury: How the Human World Changed, andWhere and How We Live.During the 2010-11 academic year, the groupstudied Migration under the direction of AnneMeltzer and Benjamin Wright. One of the firstactivities planned was a trip to Hawk MountainSanctuary, the world’s first refuge for birds of prey,as well as the oldest continually active hawk-watchsite. Students also traveled to Ellis Island and theStatue of Liberty to learn about the immigrantexperience.Students investigated a variety of issues around thetheme of migration including the economic impactof migration from rural to urban areas duringthe Industrial Revolution, Muslim migration toAmerica, and the immigrant experience as it isexpressed in fiction and first-person narratives. Theyear concluded with an interactive presentationof student research presented through creativeinstallations and performances.

Student-drivenlearningSeven SMC students investigated the theme“Where and How We Live” during the2009-10 year. Working with Peter Zeitler,professor of earth and environmentalsciences, the course resulted in a first forSouth Mountain College—the hard-boundbook New Atlas of Unused Treasure Maps.Describing the theme, Zeitler says, “Wherewe live and how we live are primary andconnected questions. Long ago the answers surely centered onshelter and food and water as the pressing concerns, but todaythings are more complicated. Fundamental worries about energysupply and the quality of our physical and social environments areconnected to questions about lifestyle and geography. As we entera future that will be filled with more people having greater leverageon their environment, insight into these questions takes on practicalas well as theoretical significance.”Among other books, students read James Kunstler’s The Geography ofNowhere and Suburban Nation. A visit to SMC and a public lectureby the writer took place in September.After deciding they would publish a book, the spring semester wasdominated by publishing deadlines. Students determined the datesfor when the book would go to the publisher, when final editingwas due, layout design deadlines, and chapter completion deadlines.Each student contributed a chapter to the book, and the groupdivided the responsibilities for editing and book design. The courseculminated in a panel discussion where the students discussed theirexperience with the project.“Engaging, interactive,unique” are thethree words thatMario Delgado ’11(architecture) uses todescribe SMC.When the Cincinnatinative was in the processof applying to college, heknew he wanted a schoolthat offered an alternativelearning experience inaddition to a standardcurriculum.“I was exposed to sucha vast range of topics during my first year thatI was constantly discovering potential andinterests I never knew I had,” he says.During Delgado’s first year in the program,students were involved in several projectsincluding: creating a documentary aboutBethlehem Steel’s contributions to the LehighValley community, constructing a map usingGeographic Information Systems (GIS)software, and developing a board game whereparticipants enact political struggles. Withassistance from professors and Library andTechnology Services, Delgado, who chose towork on the GIS mapping, refined his project tobe a specific map of trade from the BethlehemSteel Company.Delgado is currently an assitant director inLehigh’s Office of Admissions.

Engaged FacultySMC students have the opportunity to be involved in an intellectual community and interact with faculty in a casualsetting. Activities range from dinners with faculty members or the popular “Games and Gossip” sessions with ProfessorMunson. Every week he provides a selection from his unusal collection of more than 150 games and students hang out foran hour of friendly competition. The program director is advised by a steering committee, and at any one time the programhas a set of faculty actively working with its Seminar and Investigations courses. In addition, staff provide administrativeand instructional support. SMC also has a large network of “Friends” who are involved in the intellectual life of SouthMountain and also provide advice and support to other members of the SMC community.FacultyGordon Bearn (philosophy)Constance Cook (modern languages and literature)Nandini Deo (political science)Steven Goldman (philosophy and history)Chaim Kaufmann (international relations)Joan Ramage Macdonald (earth and environmental sciences)Janice Bially Mattern (international relations)Anne Meltzer (earth and environmental sciences)Ziad Munson (sociology and anthropology)Edurne Portela (modern languages and literature)Michael Raposa (religion studies)Gregory Reihman (faculty development)Robert Rozhenal (religion studies)Paul Salerni (music)Greg Skutches (faculty development)Lee Stanley (mathematics)Benjamin Wright (religion studies)Peter Zeitler (earth and environmental sciences)“South Mountain College is fundamentally aboutcultivating habits of intellectual inquiry—aboutgetting students and faculty to think beyondnarrow categories, between academic disciplinesand across fixed epistemic boundaries. Teachingan SMC seminar taught me how to be out ofcontext, unsettled and elastic. At its best, SMCopens up a creative and critical space where newquestions, new conversations and alternativeperspectives are suddenly possible.”Steering CommitteePeter Zeitler (earth and environmental sciences)David Moore (chemistry)Ziad Munson (sociology and anthropology)Edurne Portela (modern languages and literature)Benjamin G. Wright (religions studies and SMC Director)

Degree Requirements• Residence in South Mountain College housing for at least 4 semesters, two of which must include the first year.• Participation in the annual planning retreats, each year (usually in May and in August before First Year orientation)• Completion of a Lehigh B.A. or B.S. major (Note: most B.S. majors will require careful planning in order to meetall requirements in a timely fashion)• Completion of free electives, so as to meet the minimum University graduation requirement of 120 credits.• Maintenance of good standing in the South Mountain College program.• Completion of the South Mountain College Curriculum (32-64 credits):Year 1, fall and spring:SMC 050 Investigations (2-6)SMC 010 Seminar (2)Years 2 - 4, fall and spring:SMC 200 Seminar (2)SMC 250 Investigations (2-6)Notes: Two credits of SMC Seminar are required each semester a student is enrolled on campus, for a total of up to 16 credits. Aminimum of two credits of SMC Investigation is required each semester a student is enrolled on-campus. If students are involvedin Study Abroad or another off-campus activity, they must still meet the minimum total of 16 credits for SMC Investigation. Amaximum total of 48 credits of SMC Investigation may be applied to University graduation requirements. South Mountain Collegeencourages students to take advantage of opportunities like Study Abroad and will assist students in developing a program that works.Students admitted to the program have most College distribution requirements waived for them, including the first-yearEnglish Composition sequence, the first-year College Seminar, the junior writing-intensive requirement, and distributionrequirements (in math, natural sciences, social sciences, and arts andhumanities). They do need to complete one of the majors offered bythe CAS, meet all SMC requirements, and take free electives to meetthe graduation requirement of at least 120 credits. In principle, theprogram is open to students from other colleges at Lehigh, but theywould have to meet all major and graduation requirements for theirCollege and degree program in addition to SMC requirements.“I was attracted to SMC because students can pave theirown educational way. I like the idea that you can decidewhat you are interested in but you also have other’sperspectives to help shape and broaden your thinking.”

Challenge Us. . .Challenge YourselfSMC is looking for students who. . .• are curious and want to tackle issueshead-on• can challenge us as much as we challengethem• make intelligent and interesting mistakes• are self-directed and pursue a range ofinterests.If you are a student who. . .• wants to be part of an intellectualcommunity• is interested in student-driven learning• wants to look at important questions andproblems from multiple points of view• wants to shape your own educationalexperience. . .then SMC might be for you!“SMC provides a range of experiencesdesigned to give students the self-confidence torealize that they can solve problems, unraveldilemmas, and trust their creative instincts.”

Take the next step!Consider applying to South Mountain College if you:• crave a chance to talk about real issues;• think that education should be 24/7;• are passionate about exploring new ideas;• want to work closely with diverse Lehigh faculty;• are looking for an intellectual community.If even one of these fits, SMC could be just for you!“I learned from collaborating with very differentlearning styles, dealing with ‘dead-end’ paths andworking in subjects I’m not used to working on.”How to apply:If you are ready to apply to SMC, we ask thatyou submit a brief application (found at www.lehigh.edu/smc). Submit your application and anysupplementary materials directly to SMC’s programoffice (contact information found below).If you apply to SMC at the same time you apply to Lehigh, you should submit the SMC supplement to the Office ofAdmissions along with your main application (highlight the “South Mountain” choice under College of Arts and Scienceson the Common Application Supplement, available at the Admissions website). If you are admitted to Lehigh, you willalso be informed about the status of your admission to SMC. The deadline is February 15, if you want to receive the SMCdecision along with your Lehigh Office of Admissions notification letter. Applications received after February 15 will stillbe considered but you will be notified after you receive your letter from the Lehigh Office of Admissions.Current Lehigh students should fill out the same application used for entering students (found at www.lehigh.edu/smc).The application deadline is May 1. Submit your application and any supplementary materials directly to SMC’s coordinator(you can use campus mail, or submit electronically using email).Lehigh University • South Mountain College • 233 West Packer Avenue • Bethlehem, PA 18015T 610-758-2553 • F 610-758-6147 • E insmc@lehigh.edu • www.lehigh.edu/smc