Students also have the option of designing an independent concentration if the standard departmental and interdepartmental programs do no suit the focus of their interests. Independent concentration proposals are sponsored by at least one faculty member and must be reviewed and approved by a subcommittee of the College Curriculum Council.
Independent concentrations should focus on a specific problem, theme or broad question, and reflect that focus in the title.
Students interested in independent concentrations are encouraged to discuss their ideas at every stage of the process with Dean Denard or a graduate proctor who is designated to work with student proposals. Independent concentrations require a written proposal which should ideally be submitted to Room 213, University Hall, by the end of the student's fourth semester. Forms for this proposal are available in the registrar's office or in Dean Denard's office (UH 213). Care should be taken to include the following information:
Honors in an Independent Concentration
See under "Honors Programs."
The Review of Independent Concentration Proposals
Completed independent concentration proposals should be delivered to Dean Denard, Room 213, University Hall. A subcommittee of the CCC will review each proposal. In most cases the subcommittee will suggest changes or request further explanation; the aim is to help the student create as strong a concentration as possible given the resources of the University in that area. When appropriate revisions, if requested, have been made and a proposal is approved, the CCC will inform the chairperson of the faculty sponsor's department, so that each department will be aware of the independent concentration programs sponsored by its members.
In an independent concentration, the choice of individual courses, seminars, etc., which the student makes at the beginning of the concentration are not necessarily considered to be permanently binding. Changes may subsequently be made without referral to the CCC subcommittee if, in the judgment of the faculty sponsor and Dean Denard, they do not affect the substance of the program. Any change of faculty sponsor of an independent concentration must be reported to and approved by the CCC subcommittee. The faculty sponsor for an approved concentration program will be responsible for meeting regularly with the student throughout the period of concentration, to provide guidance as well as to assess, with the student, progress made toward attaining the goals embodied in the concentration program. This essential relationship will form a central feature in the evolution of a student's performance in the concentration.
Copies of many independent concentration proposals are available for review on the second floor of University Hall and in the Resource Center. Students are encouraged to review these for examples and to see Dean Denard, Associate Dean of the College, Room 213, University Hall, 863-2538, or the appropriate graduate proctor, for any further information or advice.
In the case of independent concentrations that overlap with areas of study covered by departmental or interdepartmental programs, the College Curriculum Council shall inform the appropriate departmental officer(s) of all actions taken on submitted proposals. An active exchange of opinion between these components of the University is desirable from two viewpoints: first, a clear statement of the Council's reasons for arriving at specific judgments should assist the departments and interdepartmental groups in the continuing evaluation of their standard concentration programs; second, the comments transmitted by the departments and interdepartmental groups to the College Curriculum Council should be of considerable value to its members in the review of future proposals.