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Group Independent Study Projects (GISPs)

SPRING 2009 INFORMATION SESSION [JWW 310]

Wednesday March 11           @ 4:00pm

Proposal Deadlines [these dates are FIRM; extensions cannot be granted due to the approval committee's set dates for review]:

April 10, 2009 for Fall 2009

Design your own college course, and get academic credit for it!
Group Independent Study Projects are cooperative ventures in which students and faculty develop credit-bearing courses that are not a regular part of the Brown curriculum.  Participating students bear major responsibility for researching the course topic, constructing a syllabus, and planning and conducting the academic coursework.  Each Group Study is sponsored by a faculty member who assesses the proposed study, provides advice during the semester, and to evaluates the work of each student.

With the exception of students enrolled in their first semester at Brown, all full-time degree candidates in good standing at Brown are eligible to initiate and participate in a Group Study Project.

How do I get started?
First, you need an idea, a topic, an orientation, a subject that you are truly interested in.  To jumpstart this process, come talk to Center staff and browse our library of previously approved GISPs.  Recent GISP topics include "History of the Mayans," "Robotics: Principles and Practice," "Children's Literature," "Permaculture," "Dances of Latin America," and "Intensive Catalan".  Click here for a list of previously approved GISPs.

Once you have an idea, start talking about it with other people.  Visit faculty in their office hours to discuss how you might develop the topic.  Run your ideas past other students.  Ask one of the academic deans to give you feedback on your idea.  Remember that Group Studies on the same or on very similar topics may not be repeated by a student for credit, except with approval of the College Curriculum Council.

Once your idea has germinated, return to the CRC to post your name, phone number, and topic on our bulletin board for other people to see.  We recommend you also post flyers and advertise your ideas around campus.  At the Resource Center, you will also find GISP sign-up and planning sheets, which are very helpful when getting started.

How do I apply?
You will need a faculty sponsor, a group, and a proposal.  For the proposal, you will need to include a syllabus, a bibliography, and an explanation of your project (i.e. answering who, what, when, why, and how.)  The development of the GISP proposal is an intrinsic part of the process, and every student participant in a GISP is expected to contribute to the course syllabus.  For these reasons, no student may enroll in a Group Study after its proposal has been approved.

Proposal forms are available at the Curricular Resource Center and online.  It’s best to begin planning a GISP early in the semester.  This is especially true when seeking a sponsor.  Professors tend to plan their semesters well in advance of students, so communicate with the person you would like to be your faculty sponsor sooner rather than later.

If you have any questions about GISPs, feel free to consult with CRC staff in the J Walter Wilson Building, #310 or call us at 863-3013.