2023-2024 BSC Catalog Updated_UG ONLY_FINAL[82]
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GENERAL INFORMATION 7<br />
and principles of the sciences and their significance in the modern world; in cultivating<br />
appreciation of the arts; in understanding and appreciating diversity in spiritual, social,<br />
political, and economic institutions and heritage; and in achieving competence in at least<br />
one field of knowledge that will help prepare students for their chosen profession or<br />
vocation. These skills and dispositions serve students well whether they choose to major<br />
in a traditional liberal arts field or one of our pre-professional programs. Our commitment<br />
to the assessment of student learning ensures that these goals are met.<br />
Our faculty is composed of a talented and well-qualified group of individuals who<br />
recognize effective teaching as their primary obligation to the College. In class, they<br />
present well-informed, up-to-date material pertinent to their disciplines and strive to<br />
actively engage students with that material. Out of class, they make themselves available<br />
for student inquiries, individual instruction, and directed research. We believe personal<br />
attention to individual academic concerns and needs is an essential factor in the<br />
effectiveness of our teaching and it allows us to continue to enhance the healthy<br />
intellectual environment at the College.<br />
While all faculty are concerned with students’ scholastic progress, each student is<br />
assigned one faculty member to serve as an academic advisor. Academic advisors help<br />
students to define individual interests and academic goals, assist with planning course<br />
schedules, evaluate progress toward the degree, and direct students toward other<br />
opportunities that complement their academic studies.<br />
Because of its size, Birmingham-Southern College enjoys a small student-faculty ratio.<br />
That, combined with a genuine concern on the part of the faculty for the intellectual and<br />
personal welfare of our students, creates an atmosphere in which many advisor-advisee<br />
relationships become ones of friendly understanding and mutual respect.<br />
The College operates on a four-one-four academic calendar, consisting of a fall term, the<br />
January Exploration term, and a spring term. Students typically enroll in four courses in<br />
the fall, one in the Exploration term, and four in the spring. A more limited number of<br />
courses is also offered over the summer. The Exploration term offers students the<br />
opportunity for intense investigation of a particular subject for a period of approximately<br />
four weeks. This may be a project proposed by a faculty member or one designed by a<br />
student and a faculty sponsor; it may be held on campus or anywhere off campus,<br />
domestic or foreign; it may be an overall introduction to a subject area or a specialized<br />
interest investigated in depth. Whatever the project chosen, Exploration term is a time<br />
intended to provide students with unique opportunities for creative, experiential, and<br />
independent study.<br />
Birmingham-Southern College is committed to making an education that changes lives an<br />
affordable reality for all students. The robust Explorations curriculum, caring faculty at<br />
the top of their fields, in-depth knowledge of a major subject area, a highly customizable<br />
Exploration term, and abundant active learning opportunities culminate in an educational<br />
experience that prepares students to meet the world head-on and lead lives of<br />
significance.<br />
Birmingham-Southern College <strong>Catalog</strong> <strong>2023</strong>-<strong>2024</strong>