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WORKING TOWARDS A MACALESTER DEGREE

Having chosen a liberal arts education, you know the value of participating in a variety of intellectual activities.  We hope the choices for your first semester sound exciting and intellectually challenging.  As you work towards your degree, you will be attempting to strike a balance between broad exploration of a number of fields and a deeper immersion in one area.  Likewise, for this first semester we encourage you to try something new to you as well as to choose something familiar that you would like to continue studying. 

The word we would like to emphasize is balance.  As you choose your first semester courses you should aim for a balanced work load, taking into consideration relative amounts of reading, writing, and lab work; a balance among courses in your intended major, if you know it, and distribution requirements and electives; and a balanced array of extracurricular activities, which you will learn about after you arrive. 

Academic Advising

The faculty at Macalester has established an academic advising program designed not only to assist you in course selection, but also to aid you in exploring the excitement of a liberal arts education.  In order for us to place you with an adviser in a department of interest to you, please complete the Adviser Selection Form and submit it.

Later this summer we will let you know who your adviser will be, and you will meet with your adviser during Orientation.

Credit Hours

To complete 128 semester hours (the minimum number needed to graduate) in four years, you would need 32 semester hours per academic year.  The majority of Macalester’s courses are 4 semester hours.  The typical academic year includes 16 semester hours in the fall and 16 semester hours in the spring.  To be a full-time student, you must register for at least 12 semester hours.  You may take up to 18 semester hours without being charged additional tuition. 

Music activities don’t count in your course load, and don’t count for credit unless taken in combinations and/or sequences described in the Catalog.  You may register for as many activities as you think your schedule can accommodate.  You may select PE activities now as part of your registration, but you’ll register for music lessons and ensembles through the music department when you arrive on campus.

Distribution Requirements

One of the most important aspects of a liberal arts degree is the breadth of study required.  The distribution requirements are designed to ensure that students take some courses in each of the four academic divisions of the College during their four years.  It’s a good idea to complete these distribution requirements early in your academic program, but you don’t have to complete them in your first semester!  The divisions and departments in each are listed below:

Social Sciences (8 semester hours required): Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology

Natural Sciences and Mathematics (8 semester hours required): Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics and Astronomy

Humanities (12 semester hours required in the Humanities and Fine Arts together with at least 4 hours in Humanities): Classics, English, French and Francophone Studies, German and Russian Studies, Hispanic Studies, History, Humanities and Media and Cultural Studies, Japanese, Philosophy, Religious Studies

Fine Arts (12 semester hours required in the Humanities and Fine Arts together, with at least 4 hours in Fine Arts): Art, Theater and Dance, Music

Not all courses in each department will meet general distribution requirements.  There is a special notation in each department’s pages of the Catalog with the heading “General Distribution Requirements” that has a specific statement about which courses will satisfy this requirement.

Credits earned through Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate will not apply towards the distribution requirements. 

There are also limits to the number of semester hours you may count towards graduation in a single discipline (60) or division (96).  This is also to ensure that you have breadth in your studies.

Other Required Courses

Internationalism and U.S. Multiculturalism Requirement (one course each): A rich campus life, language acquisition, study away, and interaction with diverse students and faculty all contribute to students’ intellectual and experiential grasp of difference and of their own place in relation to the “other” and the world.  In this context, the Internationalism and U.S. Multiculturalism graduate requirements are designed to prepare students to contribute as members of a thoughtful and principled citizenry in a global society.  These courses provide specific knowledge about the complexity of internationalism and multiculturalism abroad, in the U.S., and in the rich campus and local communities in which Macalester participates.  While internationalism and multiculturalism are distinguished as two components of the College mission, in reality they are intertwined.  Peoples divided by national boundaries may, for example, be more homogenous culturally and linguistically than peoples within a nation like the United States.  Systems of power and privilege that help create and maintain hierarchical relations among people operate within the U.S. and other nations, among nations and between the U.S. and the rest of the world.  All lives are shaped by historical dynamics and contemporary structures that operate on transnational, international, and global levels.  Macalester’s two-part requirement recognizes not only the conceptual interconnectedness of internationalism and multiculturalism, but also the need for students to engage with complexities of difference within the community where they live and work, as well as within an international and global context.  In learning about other peoples, cultures and global systems one dislodges presuppositions about others and, crucially, about one’s individual and collective self. 

Writing Requirement (one course, taken after the first year course and prior to the senior year): Macalester seeks to ensure that all students receive instruction in writing that gives attention to writing as a process (writing is rewriting), and that provides students individually with feedback on the mechanics and substance of their writing.  While First Year Courses assist students in making a transition to college writing along with myriad aspects of college study, each student is required to take at least one additional course with a W designation, in which they will hone their writing skills and go through a process of evaluation and rewriting.

Writing instruction at Macalester aims at ensuring that students learn:

• How to plan, draft, and revise a college-level paper.
• How to construct an argument.
• How to organize an essay.
• How to use argumentation and evidence to support claims.
• How to adapt the style, vocabulary, and tone of a piece of writing to its anticipated audience and context.
• How to cite evidence using a standard citation style, such as MLA, APA, CMS or CBE.
• The importance of clarity, proper grammar, usage, and style in academic writing.

Quantitative Thinking requirement (one, two, or three courses—a single Q3 course satisfies the requirement, or a Q2 with any other Q2 or Q1 course, or three Q1 courses): Quantitative thinking (QT) skills are an essential component of a liberal education.  Critical thinking incorporates both qualitative and quantitative evidence and evaluation.  In some fields quantitative approaches play a central role, while qualitative thinking dominates in others.  Despite these differences in emphasis, critical thinking skills learned in one area often carry over and reinforce those learned in other areas.  It is for this reason that the breadth of experience associated with a liberal arts education prepares students effectively to be active participants and leaders in government, civil society, business, and academia.

Many policy debates, scientific discussions, political issues, and personal and organizational decisions involve judgments about claims based upon quantitative evidence.  To evaluate these claims, the individual must have basic familiarity with such concepts as counting, measurement, estimation, and data analysis.  Equally important is the capacity to ask and answer questions in a manner appropriate to these quantitative tools and to understand when the use of quantitative tools is or is not appropriate.  The purpose of the QT requirement is to ensure that students have the opportunity to develop such skills.  Students should learn approaches to collecting, interpreting, and presenting information about the world based on numerical, logical, and statistical skills.  These topics arise in a wide range of areas, and we invite faculty from a range of disciplines to teach courses that contribute to QT.

A list of the courses approved to meet the general education requirements in Internationalism, Multiculturalism, Quantitative Thinking and Writing can be found at http://www.macalester.edu/registrar/GenEdReq.html.

Second Language Proficiency

All students must demonstrate proficiency in a second language – other than the student’s native tongue – equivalent to four (4) semesters of college-level study in a single language.  This proficiency extends to all skill areas:  reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  Languages taught at Macalester include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Most students coming to Macalester have studied another language in high school, and can meet this graduation requirement by continuing to study that language until they attain the required level of proficiency.  For example, a student who has previously studied French may need to take two more semesters of the language at Macalester.  Students who have previously studied another language may also submit test scores from either the SAT II exam with listening, the Advanced Placement exam or the International Baccalaureate exam to determine whether they have partially or fully met this requirement.  Students may also opt to study a new language not available in their other schools, such as Russian, Japanese, Latin, or Portuguese. 

Students Whose Native Language is Not English

Satisfaction of the language requirement does not happen automatically for students whose native language is not English.  Such students will need to provide objective evidence of their current language proficiency in their native language in all four skills listed above.  The most common means of demonstrating this proficiency is a transcript from high school that indicates that the language of instruction in the student’s secondary school was a language other than English or that the student took courses in his or her native language during high school.  If you know that your transcript will not provide an indication of your proficiency in your native language, you should consider requesting a letter from a school official attesting to your level of proficiency.  If English is not your native language, please contact the Academic Programs Office to request a transcript review or to submit alternate documentation of your proficiency. 

Finding Your Place in the Language Curriculum:  What level of a foreign language course should you take?

              Languages other than French, German, or Spanish

When you fill out the registration form, place yourself in the course you feel is appropriate given your experience, course work and ability.  Then, during orientation you should consult with the individual language departments to assess if this is the best course for you.  You may change courses within the first several days of class if the department feels another course would be more appropriate to your success. 

French, German, or Spanish Placement

If you have taken the SAT-II language test, with listening, see the tables below for course placement based on scores.  AP and IB score information can be found on the Registrar’s web page at http://www.macalester.edu/registrar.

We offer a web-based placement test, offered through a program called “WebCape” at Brigham Young University.  If you wish to take the placement test, it will be offered to you at no charge.  The test will help you to decide which course to take.  It will not allow you to be exempted from the language requirement.

To take the online test follow these steps:

• On the web, go to http://webcape.byuhtrsc.org?acct=macalester.
• Enter the password given below.

Password: highland (all lower case)

• Select the appropriate language.
• Follow the instructions on screen. (For your ID number, use your student ID number, if known.  If not, use 5551.)

The test takes approximately 15-20 minutes.  At the end of the test you will be taken back to the main screen where it will show your score.  Please refer to the tables below to determine which language course to register for INSTEAD OF the tables on the screen at the end of the table. 

The purpose of this test is to help you decide what level of language course to register for with a degree of confidence that you will complete the course successfully.  We require that you take this test closed-book, with no assistance from others.

There is no point in cheating on this test, as placement in the wrong course will only lead to difficulty in successfully completing that course. 

The tables below provide you with guidance in interpreting the results of the test, by language.  Find the range of scores that contains the score you received in the left-hand column and go across the row to the middle column, which lists the appropriate course to register for.

              French

              German

*For German placement, you must visit the department office during orientation to confirm your placement in German 204.

Spanish

Language Requirement Exemption

Students may be exempted from the language requirement based on AP test scores or the SAT-II with Listening test scores.  These must be officially submitted to the college through the testing service.  The following table provides information on the minimum scores for exemption:

              We advise you to do the following:

• When you complete your registration form, select the language course that you feel is appropriate for you based on your placement test score, experience, course work and ability.  Then check with your professor during the first few days of class, look ahead in your course materials, and honestly gauge your skill in relation to the level you registered for.  If you are in a course that is too easy or too difficult, consult with the professor.  Other levels of the language will likely be offered at a time that fits your schedule.  You may change courses (preferably within the first week, so you are not far behind in the new class) if you or your professor feel another course (either higher or lower) would be more appropriate to your success. 

• If your cut-off score is close to the next lower course, as distinct from in the middle of the range, consider registering for the low course initially.  College courses are different from high school courses, and the requirements of the curriculum might be more demanding than you are used to.  You may change courses (preferably within the first few days) if you and/or your professor feel another course (either higher or lower) would be more appropriate to your success.

Major Concentration

The requirement of a major concentration is to ensure appropriate depth of study within an area.  Most (but not all) departments offer majors.  Most majors require between 32 and 44 semester hours (usually 8 to 11 courses), and may require supporting courses from other departments.  In some departments, introductory courses must be taken in the first year in order to complete the major in four years.

You’re not required to declare a major until the second semester of your sophomore year, but you’re welcome to do so earlier, if it helps you plan your path to graduation.  You may choose from three options to meet this requirement: a departmental major (such as Anthropology or French), an established interdepartmental major (such as International Studies), or an individually designed interdepartmental major (IDIM).  These are described in depth in the Catalog.

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

Planning the Rest of Your Schedule

STEP 1………Read the departmental information found in this section of the orientation                                                        website.  Questions about courses?  Call the phone numbers listed there.

STEP 2………Look at the Fall Class Schedule on the Registrar’s web page at http://www.macalester.edu/registrar to see what courses are available.  Course descriptions can be found in the on-line catalog at http://macalester.edu/academic/catalog/aps.  Note the times and days classes meet.

STEP 3………Make a list of the courses that you might want to take.

STEP 4………Be sure to add labs for courses that require them – labs are listed after the course in the schedule (e.g., FREN X L).

STEP 5………Map out a few sample schedules

STEP 6………Think about it.

STEP 7………Change your mind if you want to.

STEP 8………Decide on the courses you’d like best.

STEP 9………Make a list of lots of alternative courses.

STEP10………Fill in the rest of the registration form and submit it by June 30. Click Course Registration

Putting It All Together

STEP 1………Print out and complete the Consent to Release Academic Information form and mail it to Academic Programs Office, Macalester College, 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105.

STEP 2………Fill in the Address Information Form and submit it electronically.

STEP 3………Fill in the Adviser Selection Form and submit it electronically. Click Advisor Registration

STEP 4………Remember, processing begins on June 30.

If you are unable to submit your forms on-line, please print them out, fill them in and mail them to:

                            Academic Programs Office

                            Macalester College

                            1600 Grand Avenue

                            St. Paul, MN 55105

As we cannot be responsible for forms that are sent but for whatever reason do not actually arrive at Macalester, it is in your best interest to confirm that your forms have been received.  We are happy to check on this for you.  Please call either the Academic Programs Office at 651-696-6036 or the Registrar’s Office at 651-696-6200, or contact us via e-mail, registrar@macalester.edu, if you wish to confirm that your forms have been received.

We also suggest that you keep a copy of your registration form or a list of the courses you selected in case we don’t receive it and you need to resubmit it.

What Happens Next

We will begin processing forms on June 30, placing students whose forms are in on or before that day.  We’ll do our best to get you into the courses that are your top choices, but there may be instances where demand exceeds available spaces.

If your registration forms arrive after June 30, they’ll be processed on a first come, first serve basis, but we cannot guarantee placement in a top choice for late forms.

You should know that we will NOT put you in four courses from one division.

You will receive a copy of your complete schedule during Orientation, when you meet with your adviser.  Please be advised that if you see your course schedule on 1600 Grand at any time during the summer, it is NOT final.  Changes may be made to your other three courses prior to your arrival at Macalester.

The courses you choose now will most likely be what you actually take in the fall.  Some changes may be necessary (because of results of placement test, for example) and those can be accomplished with your adviser’s help during Orientation.  There is also a drop/add period at the beginning of each semester during which you can change your schedule.

FINAL STEPS

1.           Read all the material contained in this section.

2.           Fill in your course choices on the Registration Form. 

4.           Hit the SUBMIT button.

5.           Complete the Address Information form and hit the SUBMIT button.

6.           Complete the Adviser Selection form and hit the SUBMIT button.

7.           Complete the Consent to Release Academic Information form, print out a hard copy of

              the form and mail the form to Registrar’s Office, Macalester College, 1600 Grand           Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105. 

We are happy to answer your questions and look forward to meeting you in August!

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTS

AND PROGRAMS

We encourage you to call or e-mail the faculty members designated by each department to answer questions about that department’s course offerings.  Contact information is listed for each department.  You can also call the Academic Programs Office, (651) 696-6036, or the Registrar’s Office, (651) 696-6200 or go to the Registrar’s web page at http://www.macalester.edu/registar. 

African Studies Interdepartmental Program

The interdepartmental program in African Studies offers a concentration that consists of six Africa-related courses.  The broad theme of the African Studies concentration is continuity and change, recognizing the faculty’s desire to instill an understanding of the continent’s internal and external forces.  Students are encouraged to take courses that help them place the region in its proper historical and global political economic context while understanding its intellectual, cultural and biophysical energies.  Given that students and faculty approach African Studies from many disciplinary perspectives, the program allows students to begin this concentration from a variety of entry points.  Please check individual department listings or the program website for such courses.  The program promotes breadth by requiring courses in several departments, and depth by requiring a lengthy Africa-related paper in an existing senior seminar or independent study.  Almost all African Studies concentrators study abroad for a semester in any of nearly twenty African nations. 

Contact Person:              David Moore

E-Mail Address:             mooredc@macalester.edu

American Studies

The Department of American Studies serves as the academic focal point for scholarly engagement with multiculturalism.  The department’s emphasis is on the study of race and ethnicity in a national and transnational frame.  American Studies embraces a range of methodologies to consider such complex issues as how we define borders, who is a citizen, and how movements for social change have shaped society.  The department’s courses require a rigorous and systematic examination of cultural, social, economic and political systems and narratives, and offer structured opportunities so that students can apply theoretical concepts to concrete settings of civic engagement. 

American Studies provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of racial categories and racialized experiences in the United States by encouraging close and systematic examination of a wide range of cultural and political narratives, and by creating structured opportunities to apply theoretical concepts in concrete settings of civic engagement.  The department underscores the central significance of race in shaping every aspect of U.S. history and contemporary life.  We encourage our students to take advantage of study abroad or away programs or the many interesting possibilities for internships.

As an interdisciplinary department, American Studies draws faculty from, and cross-lists classes with, many other departments.  The department offers both a major and a minor.  You can decide to double major in American Studies and any other discipline of your choice (or major/minor), for example, history or political science.  Cross-listed classes enable you to count credits in both disciplines. 

Courses numbered 100-199 are designed for beginning students.  Mid-level courses (numbered 200-299) are also open to new students who have a special background or interest in the subject of the course.  We will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Contact Person:              Jane Rhodes

E-Mail Address:             rhodes@macalester.edu

Contact Person:              Kathie Scott

E-Mail Address:             scott@macalester.edu

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humankind in all of its aspects, cultural and biological, across both space and time.  The discipline consists of four sub-fields: cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, archaeology (which collectively examine the cultural aspects of human existence now and in the past) and biological (or physical) anthropology, which studies human physical variation and the evolution of the genus Homo.  This holistic approach to understanding human beings is a distinctive attribute of the discipline and places it at the nexus of the social sciences, the natural sciences and the humanities.  Anthropology thus provides a broad, comparative perspective on what it means to be human.  At Macalester, the anthropology program stresses two of the four fields described above: cultural anthropology and biological anthropology, and emphasizes training in anthropological methods.

The department offers four courses that are open to students with no prior training in anthropology.  They are General Anthropology (ANTH 101), which introduces the student to all four sub-fields of the discipline; Cultural Anthropology (ANTH 111), Biological  Anthropology (ANTH 115) and Archeology and Human Evolution (ANTH 112).  Either Anthropology 101 or 111 can be taken as a prerequisite for upper level courses in Cultural Anthropology; Anthropology 112 or 115 serves as a prerequisite for further study in Biological Anthropology.Anth 111, Cultural Anthropology, generally requires that students write papers in addition to taking examinations; requirements vary in other courses.  New students wishing to take courses other than those listed above should consult the department chair.

In order to major in anthropology, a student must take 10 courses and complete a semester of study off-campus.  A student may petition the department to be exempted from the study abroad requirement.  The courses taken must include Anth 111 (Cultural Anthropology), Anth 230 (Ethnographic Interviewing), Anth 487 (Theory in Anthropology) and Anth 490 (Senior Seminar) plus six electives.  Students wishing to major should consult with a member of the department.

Contact Person:              Arjun Guneratne

Phone Number:              651-696-6362

E-Mail Address:             guneratne@macalester.edu

Art

New students may take any art history or art studio course (with the exception of Painting I and Advanced, Level II, Studio Courses and the Senior Seminars) in the art department; there are usually no prerequisites.  We generally advise new students who may become art majors to first take the foundation courses Art 149 (Principles of Art), 100 level art history courses, or Art 130 (Drawing I).  Drawing I is a prerequisite for Painting I.

Contact Person:              Mark Holte

Phone Number:              651-696-6308

E-Mail Address:             holte@macalester.edu

Asian Languages and Cultures

ASIAN STUDIES

The Asian Studies major offers students opportunities to explore the cultural, religious, literary, political, and economic patterns and institutions of Asia, to engage with both Western and Asian methods of analysis of these patterns and institutions, to develop proficiency in an Asian language, and to spend time living and studying in Asia in an approved study abroad program.  The major in Asian Studies encourages students to take a diverse set of courses, but also demands depth in geographic coverage and in method.  See the program website at: www.macalester.edu/asian for more information on the structure of the major and about the faculty and fields of study involved.  The department also offers the Japanese Language and Culture major.

JAPANESE

The study of the Japanese language is essential for an Asian Studies major or a Japanese Language and Culture major, and is both challenging and rewarding in and of itself.  There are four levels of language instruction offered at Macalester:  elementary, intermediate, advanced, or fourth-year.  Students with prior background in the study of Japanese may be placed in one of these levels based on their performance on a placement test that measures the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.  Consult Professor Suzuki, department chair, to determine which level is right for your background and to arrange to take the appropriate placement test, which will be offered during orientation.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

To fulfill the language requirement in Japanese a student must attain proficiency at the level equivalent to the completion of Japanese 204, Intermediate Japanese II.  Students may take the sequence of Japanese courses through Japanese 204 (Japanese 101, 102, 203 and 204) or they may demonstrate that they have achieved equivalent proficiency by earning an appropriate score on a placement test administered by the Asian Languages and Cultures department.  Students who wish to enroll in a level higher than Elementary I (Japanese 101) should take a placement test to determine the appropriate level.  Students with prior background in Japanese should proceed to register for the level they think is suitable, and then arrange to take a placement test during orientation week or during the first week of classes.  The results of the placement test may or may not require a move to another class.  Contact Satoko Suzuki for information about the placement test. 

Contact Person:              Satoko Suzuki

Phone Number:              651-290-7795

E-Mail Address:             suzuki@macalester.edu

Biology

If you are considering a major in biology you should take one of the four core courses or the others listed below:

              Core Courses:

• Biology 260 (Genetics)
• Biology 265 (Cell Biology)
• Biology 270 (Biodiversity and Evolution)(one section, Biology 270-02 is also offered as a First Year Course)
• Biology 285 (Ecology)

The required courses (above) may be taken in any order, however, Biology 265 (Cell Biology) is generally taken in the sophomore year since Chemistry 112 or concurrent enrollment is a prerequisite.  Biology 255 (Cell Biology & Genetics Laboratory) must be taken concurrently with either Biology 260 or 265.

If you are planning to major in biology, we strongly advise you to also begin the general chemistry sequence (Chemistry 111 General Chemistry I) during the first semester.

If you have not had much background in biology, you may want to consider taking one of the two following courses:

• Biology 194 Genomics/Bioinformatics (First Year Course)
• Biology 115 Global Biodiversity and the Biology of Conservation

Students who received a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) biology exam or a score of 5 or better on the International Baccalaureate (IB) biology exam will receive 4 or 8 credits, respectively, in general biology.  These credits will count toward the graduation requirement, but may not be used toward a biology major or minor, or in fulfilling the distribution requirement in natural sciences and mathematics.  Upon consultation with the department chair, biology students with such test scores may be exempt from taking one of the core biology courses (Biology 260, 265, 270 or 285).  Those wishing such an exemption are required to substitute for that requirement an intermediate level laboratory course in the area of the exemption.

Contact Person:              Mark Davis

E-mail Address:              davis@macalester.edu   

Chemistry

Chemistry 111 (General Chemistry I) and 112 (General Chemistry II) are the two courses of a standard first year college introductory chemistry sequence.  Chemistry 115 is an accelerated, one-semester version of General Chemistry that covers topics from both Chemistry 111 and 112. Chemistry 112 or 115 is required for any higher chemistry offering.  Well-prepared students (those who took advanced chemistry in high school, or did exceptionally well in high school chemistry, and possess strong mathematical skills) may consider going directly into Chemistry 112 or 115.  Placement directly into Chemistry 112 or 115 will be ratified by satisfactory performance on a one-hour chemistry placement exam given during orientation.  All students planning to take chemistry during their first year should take this exam.  Those with a score of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate higher level chemistry exam, or a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement chemistry exam need not take the placement exam.

Contact Person:              Rebecca Hoye

E-mail Address:              hoye@macalester.edu

Classics

The Macalester Department of Classics is one of the most active classics departments in the nation among leading liberal arts colleges.  The department teaches courses in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages at all levels, many courses pertaining to Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern culture and civilization, and the department recently added elementary and intermediate Arabic.

There are three tracks through the classics major:  Classical Civilization, Classical Archaeology, and Classical Languages.  The department specializes in the history, cultures, politics and religions of the ancient Greek, Roman, and Middle Eastern worlds.  Students engage the diverse worlds of antiquity through a variety of media, including ancient texts, texts in translation, art, architecture, iconography, and material culture, and through the disciplinary approaches of literature, history and archaeology.

The classics department regularly hosts international conferences and speakers on the Macalester campus, including the recent Middle East peace summit.  We host a chapter of the Eta Sigma Phi honor society and organize visits to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, local theaters and the Science Museum.  Several students have held internships at the Science Museum as well.

We advise new students interested in classics to begin or continue to study one of our languages. We also encourage you to enroll in one of our introductory level (100s) civilization courses.  Those being offered in the fall are:

              Classics 145 Pagans, Christians and Jews

              Classics 160 Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Art

              Classics 194-01 Ancient and Modern Comedy

              Classics 194-02 Ancient Rome in Popular Culture

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

All four languages offered by the classics department (Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and Latin) fulfill the College’s language requirement. To fulfill this requirement in any of the classical languages, students must successfully complete the equivalent of four (4) semesters of college level study in a single language.  For those with some experience in these languages, placement into a language level is done through an interview with a department faculty member during orientation.  Specific guidelines for students with experience in Latin are found below.

STUDY ABROAD

The department directs several exciting study abroad opportunities.  Every other year, Professor Beth Severy-Hoven directs a January program in Rome.  Students live in the city of Rome for the month of January, studying the history, art, architecture and politics of ancient and modern Rome.  Students study in particular the Colosseum and Roman forum, the Vatican, the port city of Ostia, as well as the famous city of Pompeii.  More recently, a January program in Turkey was instituted by Nanette Goldman.

The classics department also directs archaeological excavations each summer.  In June of 1998, the department, under the direction of Professor Andrew Overman, began archaeological excavations in eastern Galilee, in Israel.  These excavations are on-going and are open to all Macalester students.

GUIDELINES FOR LATIN PLACEMENT

Rather than administer a placement exam, the Macalester classics department prefers to place students into our Latin program on the basis of either the number of years they have studied Latin previously, or their performances on an Advanced Placement Latin exam.  The guidelines for these are listed below.  Recognizing that successful placement in the Latin program depends on several factors that are not perfectly determined in this way, however, we also ask students with experience in Latin who may be interested in pursuing the language further while at Macalester to meet with a professor during orientation weekend.  A time to meet with the instructor in their office will be announced in the way that other languages advertise where and when placement exams are given.  If there are further questions, please contact Professor Severy-Hoven at 651-696-6721 (severy@macalester.edu).

Latin Program Primer:  Every fall, we offer the first semester of elementary (Classics 111) and the first semester of intermediate (Classics 231: Prose).  Every spring, we offer the second semester of elementary (Classics 212) and the second semester of intermediate (Classics 232: Poetry).  Every other year we offer advanced Latin (Classics 483).  Contact the department for further information on these advanced options.

Placement Based on Course Experience

For those who have not taken an AP exam, students with two years of high school Latin or less are strongly encouraged to begin again with the first semester of elementary.  Some material will be review, but review is good, and is far superior to feeling lost.  Students with three years of high school Latin may consider starting at the second semester of elementary, which usually begins with participles and the subjunctive mood.  (Note, however, that the first semester is offered only in the fall, the second only in the spring; therefore, if you discover that the second semester is too hard, you’ll have to wait until the following fall to take up Latin.)  Students with more than three years experience may enroll in the first semester of intermediate to find out if this level is appropriate, but many may find that they prefer to drop back in the second semester of elementary in the spring.

Placement Based on Advanced Placement Exam

College credit is obtainable only through one of the two Latin AP exams.  For a score of 4 or 5, a student earns credit for a course equivalent to the first semester of intermediate Latin.  In order to fulfill the college language requirement, students need to take the second semester of intermediate in the spring.  If they would like some grammatical review and have not read much prose, however, students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the first semester of the intermediate in the fall.

Students who earn a 3 receive credit for a course equivalent to the second semester of elementary Latin.  They should enroll in the first semester of intermediate (Latin 231: Prose).  They will be able to complete the college language requirement by taking one year of intermediate Latin.

Students who earn below a 3 should begin again with Classics 111.

We look forward to seeing you around the Classics department!