College of General Studies

871 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
617-353-2850

Officers of the Administration

Linda S. Wells, BA, MA, PhD, Dean of the College

Robert J. Oresick, BA, MA, PhD, Associate Dean

Robert W. Emery, BA, MA, EdD, Assistant Dean

Stacy P. Godnick, BA, MA, Assistant Dean

The College of General Studies offers a two-year, integrated liberal arts core curriculum, taught through a system of team instruction. College of General Studies students then continue into specific majors in the University's liberal arts and professional degree programs.

The General Education Core Curriculum

The College's core curriculum assumes that the first two years of study are an optimum time for exploring a significant body of historical and scientific knowledge, for examining a wide range of cultural patterns and values, and for developing critical thinking and effective communication. Thus, the core curriculum provides the student with a challenging program of interdisciplinary study focused on developing modes of intellectual thought prior to the declaration of a major.

The Team Method of Instruction

The College of General Studies is committed to the belief that freshman and sophomore students are entitled to the most intensive and effective teaching that can be provided for them. Therefore, the College has developed its own innovative approach to teaching through the team method of instruction — a system in which faculty and students work closely together throughout the academic year.

The team system, pioneered by the College, has been described as an intimate "college within a college." Each freshman faculty team consists of professors — one from each of the Divisions of Social Science, Natural Science, Humanities, and Rhetoric. These faculty members are responsible for a team of approximately 110 students who are grouped into four discussion sections. Each sophomore faculty team consists of three professors — one each from the Divisions of Natural Science, Humanities, and Social Science. There is also a staff academic advisor for each freshman and sophomore team.

The College avoids the use of intermediaries between the professors and the students. Hence, there are no graduate student teaching assistants, graders, or lab assistants.

The team system assures students of reasonably small sections, in which discussion and dialogue are emphasized. Professors readily get to know their students and are aware of each student's individual progress. Team suites provide a comfortable, informal setting for individual conferences and open discussion among students and faculty within the team. Regular consultation among faculty members enables them to coordinate coursework to meet the interests and needs of their students. The team system thus reinforces the interdisciplinary character of the College's curriculum.

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Academic Advising

The College provides extensive academic advising opportunities for both freshman and sophomore students. A professional advisor is assigned to each team. Advisors in both years provide academic and developmental counseling and help with educational planning, career exploration, decision making, and adjustment concerns.

Writing Center

The College recognizes that successful high school students need to adapt their writing and study strategies and techniques to the level expected at a highly competitive university. In the Writing Center, faculty and full-time staff specialists offer consultation on writing and close reading of difficult texts.

Peer Mentoring Program

The College of General Studies Peer Mentoring Program, established in 1980, offers free mentors to students in the College. The mentors are outstanding sophomore students who have been recommended by the faculty, as well as several former College of General Studies students who are juniors and seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Center

Located on the third floor of the College of General Studies building, the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Center provides resources and audio-visual services to students and faculty of the College. Reserve materials, including texts, readings, and recordings of divisional lectures are provided. The Katzenberg Center is a quiet reading/study area with wireless access, and includes small conference rooms that can be reserved for study groups.

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The Program of Study

Every student enrolled in the College is a fully matriculated Boston University degree candidate who, upon completion of the two-year program, will have earned a minimum of 54 semester credit hours within the core curriculum and 8–14 elective credit hours in the other undergraduate programs of the University, for a total of 62–68 credit hours. Completion of these credit hours places a student approximately halfway through the 128-credit-hour requirement for nearly all of the baccalaureate degree programs within the University

The general education program includes two years of study in natural science, social science, and humanities, and one year of study in rhetoric. Students must complete 2–3 elective courses totaling 8–14 credits. To fulfill this requirement, students choose from a variety of courses offered through the University's undergraduate Schools and Colleges.

Directed Study

Directed study courses are available for students who wish to pursue independent research for academic credit under the guidance of a faculty member. A student who undertakes a directed study usually does so to explore in more depth areas covered broadly in courses, or to explore topics not ordinarily covered in the curriculum.

Study Abroad

Some CGS students may earn credits studying in London during the summer of the freshman year or fall of the sophomore year.

Contact the student services office (Room 211) for more information about directed study or CGS study abroad.

Pass/Fail

Courses in physical education and courses graded on a Pass/Fail basis are not acceptable toward completion of the College of General Studies program.

Program Outline

The following outline is a guide to the course of study undertaken by students in the College of General Studies. Schools and Colleges within the University and outside institutions may use this information in evaluating College of General Studies coursework for transfer credit. For more detailed course descriptions, consult the section on "Division and Course Offerings" in this site.

Freshman Year

First Semester, 16 Credits

CGS HU 101 Humanities I: Traditions in the Humanities — 4 credits

CGS SS 101 Social Science I: Introduction to the Social Sciences — 4 credits

CGS NS 102 Natural Science I: Evolution and the Development of Modern Science — 4 credits

CGS RH 101 Rhetoric I: English Composition, Written and Oral Argument — 4 credits

Second Semester, 14–18 Credits

CGS HU 102 Humanities II: Breaks with Tradition — 4 credits

CGS SS 102 Social Science II: Modernization of the Western World — 4 credits

CGS NS 102 Natural Science II: The Origin and Physical Structure of the Earth — 4 credits

CGS RH 102 Rhetoric II: Research Methodology and Writing — 2 or 4 credits

Elective (approved elective) 2–4 credits

Sophomore Year

First Semester, 16–18 Credits

CGS HU 201 Humanities III: History of Western Ethics I — 4 credits

CGS SS 201 Social Science III: Revolutions in China and Russia — 4 credits

CGS NS 201 Biological Science I: Evolution and Biodiversity — 4 credits

Elective (approved elective) 4–6 credits

Second Semester, 16 Credits

CGS HU 202 Humanities IV: History of Western Ethics II — 4 credits

CGS SS 202 Social Science IV: America's Response to Twentieth-Century Revolutions — 4 credits

CGS NS 202 Biological Science II: Cellular Basis of Life, Ecology — 4 credits

Elective (approved elective) 4–6 credits

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Continuation of Undergraduate Studies

Within Boston University

Continuation into another School or College within Boston University is made only after completion of the entire two-year College of General Studies program.

In order to continue within the University, students must complete the 54-credit-hour core curriculum and 8-14 semester hours of approved elective courses. Students must achieve a cumulative grade point average appropriate for their major. These criteria vary by School and program. Students must have achieved at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for continuation into a liberal arts program. This is a University requirement to which there are no exceptions.

During the two-year College program, each faculty team works closely with the individual student to carefully assess the student's academic progress. In addition, the College's academic advising program helps students make informed decisions about the many academic and professional programs available within Boston University.

Students at the College have graduated from every undergraduate program in the University. Because all of the professional majors within the Schools and Colleges of the University require general education/liberal arts courses in addition to major or professional course requirements, the core curriculum of the College has been specifically designed to allow the student to concentrate on major/professional coursework during the junior and senior years. Credits are typically allocated as follows:

Freshman year (at CGS)
General education core courses 30 semester hours
Elective courses (as appropriate to School or College) 4 semester hours

Sophomore year (at CGS)
General education core courses 24 semester hours
Elective courses (as appropriate to School or College) 8 semester hours

Junior year
Courses determined in consultation with major advisor 32 semester hours

Senior year
Courses determined in consultation with major advisor 32 semester hours

Total: 130 semester hours

In the past decade, the majority of students at the College have continued in the University's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication, and School of Management. Certain professional programs require additional coursework for specific sequential course completion.

Outside Boston University

Upon written request, the University Registrar will provide a transcript to other colleges or universities to which the student is applying.

The College of General Studies is an integral part of Boston University and is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. However, all decisions regarding granting of transfer credit are the responsibility of the accepting schools. The credit breakdown listed under Program of Study is recommended as a guide, but individual schools may vary in their interpretation of the College's credits. Many institutions do not accept grades lower than C toward transfer credit.

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Division of Humanities

Chairman Natalie McKnight

Professors Wells, Wexelblatt

Associate Professors Fawell, Mahon, McKnight, Stoehr, Sweeting, Wilcox

Assistant Professors Boots, Fahy, Leavitt, Masters, Oxenberg, Tyler, Vail

Humanities

Objectives

The study of the humanities has traditionally been the core of a liberal or general education. Literature, art, philosophy, and film constitute the subjects of humanistic study at the College. The humanities encompass diverse forms of expression, from the logical to the passionate. The critical disciplines needed for study of the humanities include clear writing, critical reading, and visual and aural attentiveness as well as the capacities to analyze arguments, think logically, form generalizations, and interpret symbols. In addition to these practical skills, the study of the humanities provides familiarity with one's cultural heritage, cultivation of taste, expansion of sympathies and interests, more profound self-knowledge, and a deepened appreciation of both artistic achievements and philosophical methods. The development of insight and perception, as well as the ability to express oneself intelligibly in both conversation and writing, are objectives of the humanities courses.

The Student of the Humanities

Where such ideal aims are realized, the student will have a clear vision of the imaginative and ethical possibilities of life, as well as rich intellectual, emotional, and artistic resources for personal growth and social usefulness.

An appreciation of the arts does not guarantee creativity any more than the study of ethics ensures virtue, but a person's capacities to feel deeply and act sensibly are likely to be increased by such knowledge. Moreover, thanks to the College's core program, the study of the humanities does not occur in isolation from the study of other disciplines. The faculty help students to understand the connections among the humanities and sociological, scientific, and political theories, and historical developments.

Through the analysis of aesthetic and philosophical materials, and from informal and intense discussion, observation, and reading, the humanities faculty aim to encourage in their students a critical turn of mind; that is, the exercise of judgment with respect to reasonable standards of aesthetic and philosophical valuation. In the end, having learned something of the variety and depth of philosophy and the arts, the student's range of critical reaction is extended and refined. Such a person will be less likely to accept simplistic or biased statements, easy or imprecise arguments, cheap or purely sentimental effects, superficial displays of talent, or unverified assertions.

The division conceives of these qualities as essential to the citizens of a free and democratic society. Such persons will be informed without being pedantic, responsible without losing compassion or humor, sensitive without being weak-minded. The division's overriding objective is to educate a person who can be relied upon to think clearly and live fully.

Instruction

CGS HU 101 Humanities I: Traditions in the Humanities is organized historically and is devoted to the study of fiction, drama, poetry, art, and film. The semester begins with a unit on ways of interpreting the humanities, proceeds with the study of literature and art from Ancient Greece through the nineteenth century, and includes a film studies component.

CGS HU 102 Humanities II: Breaks with Tradition examines the departure from tradition characteristic of the modern in all the arts. Units of study include poetry, modern art, modern drama, and the novel. Particular themes may be stressed, such as, for example, the recurrence in modern culture of the antihero, formal experiment in the arts, or literature as the embodiment of values. Students also analyze five films by distinguished contemporary directors.

CGS HU 201 Humanities III: History of Western Ethics I is a rigorous course in the history of Western ethical thought from Socrates through Nietzsche. The course also includes selected films and literary works that embody philosophical ideas or dramatize ethical dilemmas. Primary texts are used throughout.

CGS HU 202 Humanities IV: History of Western Ethics II is a course with two goals: first, the application of philosophical ideas to various areas of modern life, such as politics, science, business, personal development, education, and religious faith; and second, preparation for the Capstone Project. This final project involves each faculty team with small groups of students. The students in each group choose a specific current problem, research it, and synthesize their work in all their courses at the College by producing a 50-page research essay. This essay must include a recommendation for a solution to the problem that is justified politically, scientifically, and ethically. Each student is expected to contribute research and imagination to the group's report, which is presented in written form, examined by the faculty, then defended orally by the students before their instructors.

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Division of Rhetoric

Chairman Matthew Parfitt

Associate Professors Parfitt, Stewart, Sullivan

Assistant Professors Booth, Dresner, Emery, Hallstein, Hansen, Pearce, Pierce, Pines, Regan, Rosha, Shaw, Voris, Wolin

Instructors Cole, Taylor

Objectives

The College is committed to writing as an instrument of learning, evaluation, and expression in all aspects of the curriculum. It therefore offers instruction in rhetoric to first-year students to develop their abilities as writers and thinkers in the context of the demands placed on them at a research university. The rhetoric courses focus on the skills needed to write successful college essays throughout the college curriculum. The courses show students how the process of reading and writing is itself a mode of thinking deeply and clearly about any subject. Faculty instruct students in a variety of widely applicable strategies for interpreting texts, generating ideas, and drafting and revising essays, with attention both to grammatical correctness and stylistic refinement. Students learn how to evaluate and respond to scholarly arguments, develop an effective thesis, organize and substantiate an argument, and conduct research in a large university library. In addition, faculty strive to inculcate a sensitivity to the power of language and the rhetoric we encounter daily in words and images. Finally, Rhetoric 101 includes an oral presentation component, giving students the opportunity to develop their ability to speak clearly and persuasively in formal and informal settings.

Instruction

In Rhetoric 101, a four-credit course, students meet twice a week in a group of fifteen and once a week in a group of thirty. Students may take Rhetoric 102 for either two credits or four. Students in the two-credit version of Rhetoric 102 meet twice a week in a group of fifteen; students in the four-credit version meet three times a week and are expected to produce double the amount of written work. Students write constantly and copiously in class as well as out and develop their ideas for formal papers through a writing process that includes class discussion, conferences with the professor, prewriting exercises, and draft revision. Students make two or three formal oral presentations in front of the group of thirty and provide feedback on the presentations of their peers.

CGS RH 101 Rhetoric: English Composition, Written and Oral Argument begins with critical reading, writing, and thinking strategies, as well as a variety of oral presentation strategies linked to the writing process. Students learn the conventions of the expository essay and how to meet its demands by developing a thesis, organizing an argument, and supporting claims with reasoning and evidence. Students also receive instruction in grammar, style, and document design. Through class discussion and by working on assignments, students explore connections between readings assigned in Rhetoric and their reading in other courses.

CGS RH 102 Rhetoic II: Research Methodology and Writing focuses on research while further developing students' expository writing skills. Students learn how to use electronic and traditional research tools, how to select and weigh evidence and integrate sources into an argument, and how to use standard scholarly conventions to document their research.

Division of Social Science

Chairman Jay P. Corrin

Professors Corrin, Kort

Associate Professors Grasso, McGrath, Tilchin

Assistant Professors Hawks, Kermes, Lee, Mackey, Martin, Rafferty, Rizova, Varat, Whalen

Objectives

The objectives of the two-year social science program are to provide students with a basis for understanding human social behavior and acquaint them with humankind's endeavor to produce a body of reliable knowledge about the human condition. In pursuing these objectives, the course draws from the various disciplines comprised by the social sciences—anthropology, sociology, history, social psychology, political science, and economics—and combines fundamental conceptual and factual materials from these disciplines into an integrated four-semester sequence. The first semester of the freshman year is devoted primarily to the behavioral sciences and serves as the analytical background for the next three semesters, which treat historical society, emerging society, and contemporary society. The approaches during this sequence necessarily vary from conceptual and historical to analytical and cross-cultural. At times these approaches may be combined. The program is introductory, stressing basic concepts, methods, and attitudes, rather than surveying the broad range of the social sciences.

Instruction

In both years, the courses require four hours of class attendance each week. One hour is devoted to a departmental lecture attended by the entire freshman or sophomore class. This large lecture is supplemented by a team lecture that combines several small sections once a week and tutorials when deemed necessary. The team lecture is used for presentations that are most conveniently offered to groups of intermediate size and the tutorial is designed to help students who require additional assistance. Two additional hours are devoted to smaller discussion section meetings.

The methods of instruction used in the classroom are highly important in achieving the goals of education. Materials are carefully selected to provide for future self-directed learning by the student. The reading materials are widely varied so that the students learn to use general sources of information as well as specialized ones. The professors closely observe student progress, and there are maximum opportunities for conferences.

CGS SS 101 Social Science I: Introduction to the Social Sciences introduces the student to the basic tools of anthropology, sociology, social psychology, economics, and history. Students examine and apply the methods and principal concepts of these disciplines to the problems of contemporary society. The course introduces the structures and processes involved in an analysis of culture, society, the socialization process, social stratification, and social institutions. Cross-cultural inquiry demonstrates the universal social needs of people and illustrates how these can be met in a variety of social configurations.

CGS SS 102 Social Science II: Modernization of the Western World draws on the conceptual and cross-cultural materials of the first-semester course and turns to an examination of social change in the West. The focus of this semester's work is a case study of social and cultural transformations from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The historical phenomena of industrialism, nationalism, imperialism, socialism, communism, and fascism—all of which are elements of the process of modernization—are examined both in their historical contexts and within the framework of theories of social change. The historical case study offers the student a vehicle for analyzing in depth the impact of these phenomena on the life, institutions, and ways of thinking of a given society. The concepts of this course are of special relevance to the work of the sophomore year, when the process of modernization in the non-Western world is examined.

CGS SS 201 Social Science III: Revolutions in China and Russia builds on the conceptual and historical materials of the freshman experience. The course centers on two case studies in rapid modernization: Russia and China. Russia, the Soviet Union, and its successor, the Confederation of Independent States, are considered as recent examples of rapid social change and serve as the basis for a comparison of the problems of modernization in contemporary China. The historical roots of Western industrialism, the culture of the non-Western peoples as it affects their responses to Western experiences, and the dramatic complexities of social change combine to challenge the students' grasp of the problems facing the modern world.

CGS SS 202 Social Science IV: America's Response to Aggression and Revolution, the 1930s to the Present, focuses on the reaction of the United States to the revolutionary changes that have taken place abroad in the post -World War II era. After considering the events that destroyed the wartime relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, the course examines how fear of communism operated as a prism through which our government viewed both foreign and domestic affairs. The factors that led to America's involvement in Vietnam, to the American-Soviet détente in the 1970s, to the nuclear arms race, and, ultimately, to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War are examined. All of these developments are studied with a view toward answering how our national interests should be defined and pursued in the post-Cold War world. The remainder of the course is devoted to an interdivisional Capstone Project, a group writing assignment in which the students apply the ideas, concepts, and analytical skills they have developed over the four semesters in all the College's courses.

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Division of Natural Science

Chairman Peter E. Busher

Professor Busher

Associate Professors Baublitz, Hammer, Schoch, Sommers Smith

Assistant Professors Abate, Andres, Baum, Clancy, Collumb, Jaeger, Lavalli, Rathburn, van Gorsel

The two-year program in natural science is designed to arrange and order for students that which scientists theorize and understand concerning the natural world. In no sense is this course a condensed version of science; it is an attempt to replace in students' minds the idea that science is a strange and incomprehensible activity with the understanding that science is an activity and a product of the mind, and, at its best, a search for logical, impersonal explanations of natural phenomena.

The content and emphasis of the program focus on the broad unifying concepts that undergird the structure of science and the evidence on which scientific views are based, thereby serving as a basis for the decisions that members of a free society are asked to make. The implications of these concepts are considered as we examine the diverse disciplines embodied in the fields of natural science.

This approach to science is made on an interdisciplinary level because many students in college have taken specialized science courses without ever seeing the interrelationships among the sciences. The faculty in this division believe that this approach is important to students, whether or not they plan to continue to study science. Covering some of the unifying principles early helps students approach the study of science with more sophisticated knowledge of the nature and methods of science, the kinds of problems science can address, and the limitations that scientific study imposes.

Objectives

The Division of Natural Science attempts to develop critical thinking through the study of scientists, their problems, and their methods, and to show the relationship of this study to other fields. The purpose of this activity is to build mature judgment and a real sense of social and scientific responsibility that allow students to accept their place in society as participating citizens.

The natural science program should be viewed as a four-semester continuum. The freshman year investigates major revolutions in scientific thought, and the sophomore year examines the biological sciences and their influence on human activities. Each of the four courses meets four hours per week and includes a laboratory. For most students, this program represents the only formal study of science they will undertake at the college level. The faculty consider the program to be an integrated exploration of the natural sciences, which is enhanced by the courses being taken consecutively within the two-year period. It is expected that students who complete this program will understand the major concepts of science and the integration of science in society.

The science courses are designed to encourage students' recognition that science is progressive with no absolute truths—it is a process in constant search of further understanding about the natural world. The division's courses expose students to the idea that science is not an independent human venture but one integral to society. Through the courses students come to appreciate that modern science is very much directed by the needs of society rather than divorced from societal input. Students also become aware that scientific methodology, while providing a mechanism for solving problems, also imposes limitations on the types of problems that science can address.

The science courses focus on allowing students to appreciate and understand that humans are part of an intricately interwoven ecological system. Students come to view themselves as biological animals that play a key role in ecological activities within our biosphere. This is especially important in light of the fact that many of the problems currently facing our society have a scientific basis. These problems require sound scientific understanding, critical analysis, and responsible solutions. Through our courses, students become well prepared to discuss, analyze, and propose solutions to the many serious scientific problems facing our species and all other species on our planet.

The four-semester sequence of science courses provides the sound foundation that is necessary for a scientifically literate citizen in the twenty-first century.

Instruction—Natural Science

CGS NS 101 Natural Science I: Evolution and the Development of Modern Science The first course in the natural sciences examines two major revolutions that changed our scientific worldview. The course begins with an examination of evolutionary theory. We explore Charles Darwin's model of evolution and trace its development from the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859 to its current status, analyzing supporting data ranging from cell reproduction to genetics. We draw on our understanding of evolution to investigate the origin and evolution of our own species, Homo sapiens. The development of human civilization required an understanding of the natural world. We explore the origins of modern science, with a focus on the Newtonian revolution in physics, from this perspective.

CGS NS 102 Natural Science II: The Origin and Physical Structure of the Earth The second course in the natural sciences examines scientific explanations for the origin of matter in our universe with particular emphasis on the Earth. The course begins with a review of Newton's ideas of motion and gravitation, and then explores the most robust scientific explanation for the origin of our universe, the Big Bang theory. One outcome of the Big Bang was the separation of forces (energy) and matter and ultimately the aggregation of matter into stars and planets. The origin of the Earth and the geologic processes—such as the recent scientific revolution in geology, plate tectonics, which shaped and continue to shape the Earth—are then investigated. The course ends with an examination of how geologic processes influence the distribution and diversity of life on Earth.

CGS NS 201 Biological Science I: The Origin, Evolution and Diversity of Life begins with an investigation of the unifying concepts in biology, Evolution and Cell Theory, and the characteristics common to all living organisms. Once the underlying concepts have been established, the course examines a major result of evolution—the diversity of life on Earth. This investigation of biological diversity leads to the question of how life on Earth originated. Alternative theories of the origin of life are considered with an emphasis on chemical evolution, which culminated in the origin of the smallest unit of life—the cell. Important aspects of both inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry are covered as they relate to and support cellular evolution. The evolution of cellular metabolism (from anaerobic metabolism to photosynthesis to aerobic respiration) is examined in detail with an emphasis on the impact the oxygen revolution had on the Earth. The evolution and diversity of prokaryotic cells and the evolution of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic ancestors is also examined. Study of interrelationships (symbiosis) between cells completes the first semester.

CGS NS 202 Biological Science II: Human and Global Ecology: Human Activities and the Biosphere concentrates on how ecosystems are structured and how one species, Homo sapiens, influences global ecosystems and the biosphere. The course begins with a discussion of the abiotic factors that influence the distribution and diversity of life on Earth. Such aspects as the climate and the factors that affect climate are covered. Distribution patterns of living organisms as illustrated by biogeographical regions and biomes are examined and the concept of an ecosystem is introduced. The large-scale ecosystem processes of energy flow and biogeochemical cycles are examined, followed by community ecology aspects including population biology. The human population is examined in detail as a case study in population dynamics. From this point on the impact of an increasing human population on the resources of the Earth is examined by case studies of topics including freshwater and wetlands, oceanic fisheries, climate change and global warming, emergent diseases, and the economics of the environment. This solid foundation in ecology allows a serious consideration of the technological impact of humans on the delicately balanced ecosystems of Earth. The interrelationship between science and society that has been explored in this course provides strong support for the Capstone Project, which concludes the sophomore year.

Laboratory

A weekly laboratory exercise is scheduled for each natural science course and each laboratory is two hours long. The laboratory sessions focus on the general themes presented in each course. Each successive laboratory experience provides the students with more responsibility for the design of experimental procedure. This laboratory component fulfills the requirements for non-science majors for the bachelor's degree in most liberal arts colleges.

Admission

See the general Admission Information section of this site for application procedures.

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Policies and Procedures

The regulations stated below supplement the general regulations described under Policies and Procedures. Students should be familiar with the general regulations as well as with those of the College.

Adding or Dropping a Course

To add or drop a course, the student must complete a Drop/Add Form, available in the administrative office. Students should consult with their advisors before adding or dropping courses. Freshmen may drop a core course or elective (except for Rhetoric, which cannot be dropped).

No course may be added after the first two weeks of classes.

Grades and Course Credits

In the College of General Studies, courses graded on a Pass/Fail basis are not acceptable toward satisfactory completion of the College of General Studies program.

The grading symbols AU, H, P, N, and J are not authorized for use by the College faculty.

Incomplete Coursework

To encourage students to complete coursework, a College faculty member assigns the I grade when it is his or her clear professional judgment that a paper, final examination, or other significant portion of the course can be completed with some chance that the student may receive credit for the course.

Unless the makeup work is successfully completed by the midpoint of the following semester, the student receives an F for the missing work. The F is then included in the computation of the final grade, and a grade change is submitted to the University Registrar.

Dean's List and Dean's Circle

Students who have a semester grade point average of 3.2 or higher, with a minimum of 4 academic courses, are placed on the Dean's List of the College of General Studies. Students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, with a minimum of 4 academic courses, are placed in the Dean's Circle.

Suspension or Permanent Suspension

The College of General Studies reserves the discretionary right to suspend or permanently suspend any student for failure to maintain a satisfactory academic record, acceptable personal behavior, or satisfactory standards of health.

Copies of Boston University's code of student responsibilities are available from the Office of the Dean of Students, East Tower, George Sherman Union, 775 Commonwealth Avenue.

Academic Suspension

Any student who is markedly declining in academic performance, attitude, attendance, effort, and behavior and who is not profiting sufficiently from his or her educational experiences may be separated from the College for a period of time. A suspended student is eligible for readmission to the College at the end of the specified period.

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Faculty

The following reflects the 2006/2007 faculty.

Marie E. Abate

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BA, University of California; PhD, Northeastern University

Leonard P. Andres

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BA, Brown University; MA, Harvard University; PhD, Tufts University

Millard Baublitz Jr.

Associate Professor of Natural Science. BS, University of Maryland; PhD, Cornell University

Karina Baum

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BA, University of Buenos Aires; PhD, Brandeis University

Cheryl C. Boots

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Mount Union College; MA, Michigan State University; MA, PhD, Boston University

Peter E. Busher

Chairman, Division of Natural Science; Professor of Natural Science. BA, MA, San Francisco State University; PhD, University of Nevada

Michael Clancy

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BS, University of Rhode Island; MS, University of Delaware; PhD, University of Rhode Island

Rick Cole

Lecturer in Rhetoric. BA, MA, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Christopher J. Collumb

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BA, Trinity University; MA, College of William and Mary; PhD, University of Texas

Jay P. Corrin

Chairman, Division of Social Science; Professor of Social Science. BA, Michigan State University; MA, University of Hawaii; PhD, Boston University

Lisa M. Dresner

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric; BA, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; MA, University of California, Berkeley; JD, University of Michigan Law School; PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Robert Emery

Assistant Dean of the College; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, University of Pennsylvania; MA, EdD, Boston University

Christopher A. Fahy

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Bates College; MA, PhD, Boston University

John W. Fawell

Associate Professor of Humanities. BA, MA, PhD, University of Chicago; DiplA, Université Paris (France)

June M. Grasso

Associate Professor of Social Science. BA, Wellesley College; MA, PhD, Tufts University

Lynn O'Brien D. Hallstein

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, University of Pittsburgh; MA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; PhD, Ohio State University

Samuel Hammer

Associate Professor of Natural Science. BA, Grinnel College; MA, De Paul University; MA, San Francisco State University; PhD, Harvard University

Regina Hansen

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Tufts University; PhD, Boston College

Shelley Hawks

Assistant Professor of Social Science. BA, Dartmouth College; AM, Harvard University; PhD, Brown University

Gregg S. Jaeger

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BS, University of Wisconsin; PhD, Boston University

Stephanie D. Kermes

Assistant Professor of Social Science. MA, Ludwig Maximilian, Germany; PhD, Boston College

Michael G. Kort

Professor of Social Science. BA, Johns Hopkins University; MA, PhD, New York University

Kari Lavalli

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BA, Wells College; PhD, Boston University

Neil Leavitt

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Harvard University; MA, PhD, Boston University

Susan Lee

Assistant Professor of Social Science. AB, Brown University; MDiv, Harvard University; PhD, Boston University

John Mackey

Assistant Professor of Social Science. BA, Dickinson College; MA, PhD, Boston College

Michael G. Mahon

Associate Professor of Humanities. BA, MA, PhL, Saint Louis University; STM, MDiv, Jesuit School of Theology; PhD, Boston College

Kathleen Martin

Assistant Professor of Social Science. AB, Dickinson College; MA, Ohio State University; PhD, Brandeis University

Joellen Masters

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Mount Holyoke College; MA, PhD, Boston University

John T. McGrath

Associate Professor of Social Science. BA, Harvard College; MA, Emerson College; MA, PhD, Boston University

Natalie McKnight

Chairman, Division of Humanities; Associate Professor of Humanities. BA, Washington College; MA, Johns Hopkins University; PhD, University of Delaware

Richard Oxenberg

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Hofstra University; MA, Georgia State University; PhD, Emory University

Matthew A. Parfitt

Chairman, Division of Rhetoric; Associate Professor of Rhetoric. BA, MA, University of Toronto (Canada); PhD, Boston College

Christopher Pearce

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Vanderbilt University; MA, PhD, The University of Texas at Austin

Gillian Pierce

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Harvard College; MA, PhD, University of Michigan

Davida B. Pines

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Yale University; MA, New York University; MPhil, St. Catherine's College, Oxford University; PhD, Brandeis University

Edward C. Rafferty

Assistant Professor of Social Science. BA, Washington University; MA, PhD, Brown University

Melanie K. Rathburn

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BSc, Trent University; MSc, University of Georgia; PhD, Queen's University, Canada

John J. Regan

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Central Connecticut State University; MA, Southern Connecticut State University; PhD, University of Rhode Island

Polly Rizova

Assistant Professor of Social Science. BA, MA, Higher Institute of Economics; Diploma, International Statistics Program Center; MA, State University of New York; PhD, Boston University

Rekha Rosha

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BS, Lydon State College; MA, University of Vermont; PhD, Brandeis University

Robert Schoch

Associate Professor of Natural Science. BA, BS, George Washington University; MS, MPhil, PhD, Yale University

Sylvia M. Shaw

Assistant Professor of Humanities and Rhetoric. BA, Eastern College; MA, Clark University; PhD, University of Rhode Island

Sally Sommers Smith

Associate Professor of Natural Science. BA, Grinnell College; PhD, Tufts University

Matthew Stewart

Associate Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Coe College; HDipl, Trinity College; PhD, Emory University

Kevin L. Stoehr

Associate Professor of Humanities. AB, Bowdoin College; MA, PhD, Boston University

Megan Sullivan

Associate Professor of Rhetoric. BA, Albertus Magnus College; MA, Southern Connecticut State University; PhD, University of Rhode Island

Adam W. Sweeting

Associate Professor of Humanities. BA, Clark University; PhD, New York University

Allan Taylor

Lecturer in Rhetoric. BA, Samford University; MA, University of Oregon

William Tilchin

Associate Professor of Social Science. BA, MA, Michigan State University; PhD, Brown University

Meg Tyler

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Kenyon College; PhD, Boston University

Jeffery W. Vail

Assistant Professor of Humanities. BA, Washington College; MA, PhD, University of Delaware

Rik van Gorsel

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BS, MSc, Wageningen Agricultural University; PhD, University of California, Davis

Benjamin E. Varat

Assistant Professor of Social Science. BA, Trinity College; MA, PhD, Boston University

Linda T. Voris

Assistant Professor of Natural Science. BA, BS, University of California, Davis; MS, San Francisco State University; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Linda S. Wells

Dean of the College; Professor of Humanities. BA, MA, Colorado State University; PhD, University of Wisconsin

Robert Wexelblatt

Professor of Humanities. BA, University of Pennsylvania; MA, University of Michigan; PhD, Brandeis University

Thomas J. Whalen

Assistant Professor of Social Science. BA, Bates College; MA, PhD, Boston College

James C. Wilcox

Associate Professor of Humanities. BA, University of Rhode Island; MA, PhD, Northern Illinois University

Ross Wolin

Assistant Professor of Rhetoric. BA, State University of New York at Albany; AM, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Advisors

Alyse Bithavis-Glac

BA, EdM, EdD, Boston University

Linda Bondy-Ives

BS, University of Maryland; MS, Johns Hopkins University

Helen Du

BA, Beijing University; MA, Marquette University

Maureen Foley-Reese

BA, Boston College; EdD, Harvard University

Louis Mayhew

BA, University of Massachusetts; MSW, Boston University

Emeriti

William E. Davis Jr.

Professor Emeritus of Natural Science. BA, Amherst College; MA, University of Texas; PhD, Boston University

Robert W. Hayes

Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Counseling. BA, Bates College; EdM, EdD, Boston University

Colin H. Kerr

Professor Emeritus of Science. BS, North Carolina State University; MAT, Harvard University

Samuel Stern

Professor Emeritus of Natural Science. BS, City College of New York; AM, Johns Hopkins University; PhD, University of Miami

John S. Zawacki

Professor Emeritus of Social Science. BS, MS, Purdue University; PhD, University of Pittsburgh

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22 October 2007
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