2008-09 Catalog - Saint Mary's College of California

Program of Study4. Written English Requirement: At least two courses. English 4, Composition,and English 5, Argument and Research, taken consecutively inthe first year of attendance, constitute the English composition requirement.English 4 is prerequisite to English 5.All students, both freshmen and transfer, unless otherwise notified, musttake the Saint Mary’s College Writing Placement Exam before enrollingin an English class. The results of the Writing Placement Exam will determinea student’s placement in Composition.At present, Saint Mary’s College offers the following modern languages:French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish; and the classical languagesGreek and Latin. Students may also demonstrate proficiency in anotherlanguage, including American Sign Language, by arrangement with theDepartment of Modern Languages.All entering students who do not meet the requirement by one of theways cited above should take the Foreign Language Placement examprior to course scheduling.Students may be exempted from English 4 by scoring 4 or above on theAP exam in Composition or Literature.There is no exemption from English 5.The English composition requirement for non-native speakers of Englishis SMS 4, Composition for Non-native Writers, and SMS 5, Argumentand Research, taken consecutively in the first year of attendance. Allnon-native English-speaking students, both freshmen and transfer, regardlessof visa status, must take the Saint Mary’s College Writing PlacementExam. The results of the Writing Placement Exam will determine astudent’s placement in SMS. A score of 600 on the TOEFL exemptsa student from SMS 4. There is no exemption for SMS 5.7. Diversity Requirement: Students shall complete one course focusedon the history, traditions, and/or culture(s) of a people or peoples ofnon-European origin. A course taken to fulfill this requirement mayalso satisfy an area, major or minor, or general education requirement.In special circumstances where there is no other alternative available,a student may petition through the Registrar’s Office to have a JanuaryTerm course satisfy the requirement. Approval of the petition is subjectto the evaluation of the January Term director. A list of courses that routinelysatisfy the requirement is available from the Registrar’s Office andfrom the end of the curriculum section, on p. 171. Additional coursesin a given semester may have content appropriate to the requirement.Students may petition through the registrar to have such a course satisfythe requirement.5. American Culture and Civilization (SMS 15): Required for all internationalstudents who did not complete their entire secondary educationin the United States. This requirement is to be satisfied during the firstterm of enrollment at the College. This course may be waived by the SMSPlacement Committee for transfer students who enter with junior standing.6. Language Proficiency Requirement: Students shall demonstrate proficiencyin a second language in one of the following ways:a) by completing three years of the same language (modern or classical)in secondary school with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.b) by scoring at least a 3 on the College Entrance Examination BoardAdvanced Placement (CEEB AP) exam in language.c) by achieving a TOEFL score of at least 527 (197)(for internationalstudents who are non-native speakers of English).d) by achieving an intermediate level score on the Foreign LanguagePlacement exam.e) by successfully completing a third term modern or classical languagecourse (course 3) or its equivalent at Saint Mary’s College or anotherpost-secondary institution.8. One January Term course for each year of full-time attendance:Students may only enroll in one full credit course and one .25 creditcourse during the January Term. (Part-time students are encouragedto take January Term courses. Any part-time student who wishes tobe excused from this requirement must petition the vice provost foracademics to do so.)9. 17 upper-division courses.Major Field of StudyDefined as a group of coordinated courses ordinarily including at leasttwo preparatory courses at the lower-division level and at least eightcourses at the upper-division level. Certain majors may require additionalbackground course work in related fields. The regular major groupsavailable to students in the various curricula of the College are listed elsewherein this Catalog. A student may declare or change majors on theappropriate petition form available in the Registrar’s Office. A studentbeing graduated with a double major will receive only one degree evenif the majors are in two different schools.Courses taken to satisfy the language requirement cannot be appliedtowards the Area A requirement. Courses taken in another language orbeyond the language requirement do satisfy Area A..Students who have taken the CEEB AP exam in language and scored atleast a 3 receive course credit as follows: a score of 3 gives credit forcourse 4; a score of 4 gives credit for courses 4 and 10; a score of 5gives credit for courses 10 and 11.Students choose a major field of study, an in-depth concentration in aspecific academic area, and elective courses according to their interests.(Those who have not determined a program or major field of studyat entry are encouraged to take introductory courses in various fieldsand to settle on a major field of study only as their interests develop asharper focus. Ordinarily, students must declare their major field of studyby the commencement of their junior year.)Minor Field of StudyThe College also offers the option of a minor field of study, defined as acombination of at least five courses from a discipline other than that ofthe major field, at least three of which must be upper-division.43