Course Selection Guidebook [pdf] - College of William and Mary

Course Selection Guidebook – Fall 2011Social Responsibility: To acquire a sensitivity to the consequences of one’s life and conduct forother people and for our natural and social environments.Personal Fulfillment: To prepare for a fulfilling life, one rich in the satisfactions derived from art,music, literature, science, and the other achievements of cultures throughout the world. A liberallyeducated person experiences the joy of learning and discovery in all the facets of life.Cultural Literacy: To gain the background knowledge and other skills necessary for understandingwritten and oral communication from a wide range of sources at home and abroad, particularly thosethat are recognized as constituting the mainstream of our political, cultural, business, and artisticworlds. Similarly, to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for communication to suchaudiences.Political Autonomy: To prepare for responsible citizenship in a democracy that plays an importantrole in world affairs. This requires understanding the issues to be decided by the political processand an ability to make informed and rational choices among alternative policies, either directly or byelection of representatives committed to those goals. Ideally, many individuals will have the desireand the ability to participate personally in governance at some level, which would require theaforementioned skills to a high degree along with the ability to communicate one’s views effectivelyand persuasively to others.Life and Career Enhancement: To acquire the broad-based, nonprofessional, higher-order skillsthat enable an individual to flourish in a wide range of domestic and/or international careers or otherendeavors.Requirements for an Undergraduate DegreeStudents must fulfill the general degree requirements set forth in the catalog at the date of entranceto the College and the major requirements in effect when the major is declared. General degreerequirements include the Freshman Seminar Requirement, Proficiency Requirements, and theGeneral Education Requirements.Freshman SeminarEach entering undergraduate student is required to pass one Freshman Seminar. The only studentswho are exempt from this requirement are transfer students who enter the College with at least 24semester credits earned after graduation from high school which have been accepted at TheCollege of William & Mary. College credits earned through Advanced Placement or other placementtests will not be counted towards the 24 semester credits required for this exemption. The FreshmanSeminar requirement should be completed during the first year. A student may not declare a majoruntil this requirement is completed.In the Catalog and Registration Schedule, Freshman Seminars usually are numbered 150, 151, 152or 153 and are offered in most departments and programs. Freshman Seminars designated with a“W” and other lower-division courses designated with a “W” may be used to satisfy the writingrequirement when the student earns a C or better. (See Writing requirement details under the4