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A concentration is a program of study taken in addition to a major. The purpose of a concentration, which includes an internship, is to help a student explore specific career possibilities within the framework of a liberal arts education. Six to eight units are normally required for a concentration, including all course work and the internship. See also the concentrations affiliated with Institutes: environmental sciences, environmental studies, professional management and public service (described in the preceding section). Ethnic StudiesEthnic studies is both the comparative study of ethnicity and the study of the culture and history of particular ethnic groups within America. As the study of ethnicity, ethnic studies examines factors that account for the creation and maintenance of ethnic identity, the development of ethnic stereotypes and prejudice, and the friendly or hostile quality of ethnic relations. In regard to particular ethnic groups, ethnic studies encourages the exploration of the unique histories, values and contributions of America's many constituent groups. Ethnic studies provides the means to identify the prejudices and unconscious assumptions that have shaped traditional scholarship in the academic disciplines and to correct these biases. The ethnic studies concentration allows students to acquire an area of expertise that will complement their major. Knowledge of ethnic traditions and ethnic relations are sought after in many fields including but not limited to politics, social services, business, law, medicine and psychology-related careers. This demand recognizes both that America is an increasingly multicultural society and that businesses and the professions need to know these multiple groups in order to serve them better. Requirements--The ethnic studies concentration includes five or six units, to be divided as follows: 1. Introduction to Ethnic Studies: All students must take Introduction to Ethnic Studies (ETHN 103), unless exempted by the director of ethnic studies. 2. Four units of courses concentrating on ethnicity or particular ethnic groups. The courses, to be chosen in consultation with the director of ethnic studies, must include at least three upper-level units (defined as having a prerequisite or as above the 100-level, depending on the department):
Native North America (Anthropology and Sociology 256) 3. An ethnic studies-related internship (one-half to one unit) in the local community, in ethnic communities elsewhere in the United States, or study and research in ancestral communities or multi-ethnic communities outside the United States. (See also p. 106.) 4. A directed study (one-half to one unit), approved by the director of ethnic studies. 5. Juniors and seniors who are on campus must attend a series of seminars each semester. In these, students who completed internships in the previous semester will report on them, scholars and activists from Albion and other institutions will speak, and other items of general interest will be discussed, such as graduate schools, careers and participation in particular social actions. Admission--Students must be accepted into the program, and thus should contact the director of ethnic studies by the end of their sophomore year for application information. Human ServicesAlbion's human services concentration is designed to allow students to explore their interest in various human service careers as well as to prepare them for entry level positions upon graduation. This concentration is taken in addition to a student's academic major. Although open to any student, it will probably appeal most directly to students interested in areas such as public policy, health care, counseling, social work, community service, ministry, child care, legal aid and advocacy, and community action. Requirements--A total of eight units is required for the concentration. The concentration includes three important features. First, a core of five units, each focusing on a different area of competence, is required. These areas include introduction to human services and skills for human services, as well as knowledge of the individual within the lifespan, the theory and function of organizations, and the social and cultural context. A student may not take more than two core courses in his or her major. Second, students complete at least one unit of internship. This requirement may be satisfied by either the psychology practicum or an appropriate internship which is arranged through the student's major department. The following represent possible internship sponsors: private social agencies, family-related agencies, institutions serving children and teenagers, churches and church-related institutions, crisis intervention agencies, state and local governments, and community organizations. Third, students take a minimum of two units of supplemental courses that add depth to the internship experience. The courses are selected to complement and amplify a student's special interests, especially in relation to the internship. Existing courses have been identified as suitable supplemental courses and a list of these is available to students. The five core areas are listed below, with a general description of each area and the designated course(s) which will fulfill the area requirement. Introduction to Human Services--Acquaints the beginning student with the human services field, including the philosophy, values, directions, and broad scope of the human services, and explores the student's motivation and values in relation to a career in a helping field. An interdisciplinary course is designed specifically for this area (HUSV 101). Skills for Human Services--Provides the student with theory, knowledge and instruction in some of the helping skills, such as listening, counseling, and small group and interpersonal communications. This area would be satisfied by one of the following: Introduction to Counseling (Psychology 380)
Individual in the Life Span--Focuses upon the content, context and transitions of different stages in human life. Provides a broadly-based knowledge of the individual. This area would be satisfied by one of the following: Developmental Psychology (Psychology 251) The Sociology of Sex and Gender (Anthropology and Sociology 333) Theory and Function of Organizations--Provides knowledge of the theory, nature, and function of organizations. Students gain an overview that can enable them to evaluate and deal critically with bureaucracy, both within and without its institutional structures. This area would be satisfied by one of the following:
Human Resource Management (Economics and
Management 355) Social and Cultural Context--Provides the theory and knowledge necessary to perceive the significance of social and cultural contexts for understanding diverse ways of life. This area would be satisfied by one of the following:
Race and Ethnicity
(Anthropology and Sociology 345) Admission--Admission to the human services concentration is based on genuine interest in exploring one or more of the human services areas and evidence of academic ability. Students must apply for admission to the concentration and are urged to do so in their first year at Albion, and no later than their junior year. Applications for entry into the human services concentration that are turned in no later than the Monday preceding the date of advanced registration will be reviewed by the committee during that semester. The Human Services Advisory Committee administers the program and the members serve as advisers to the students in the human services concentration. For more information and an application form, contact the chair of the Human Services Committee. Law, Justice, and SocietyLaw is one of the most significant expressions of a society's social and political development. We live in a period of widespread public interest in law that arises from a concern with problems of social justice, social control and social deviance. The traditional academic disciplines have increasingly focused on such issues as the nature and origin of law, law-making and law-breaking, rights and obligations, and freedom and responsibility. These are matters of increasing concern to teachers, social workers, business executives, doctors and public servants whose professional responsibilities demand knowledge of the relationship of law to their own fields. The goals of this interdisciplinary concentration are to affirm the intellectual importance of the study of law and society, and to provide a framework whereby faculty and students may explore different approaches to law by using the resources of one or more disciplines. The curriculum is designed to equip students with the knowledge to understand legal institutions, practices and ideas, and also to grasp their relationship to larger social, economic and political forces. The concentration in law, justice, and society should be seen within the context of an undergraduate liberal education. That is, it is not a preprofessional program, but is designed for interested students, whatever their future career orientation. Neither the American Bar Association (ABA) nor the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) recommends a specific course of pre-law studies. Instead, both recommend a broad-based undergraduate program of study that encourages the acquisition of critical reading, writing and analytical skills--i.e., a liberal arts education. Requirements--The law, justice, and society concentration will be satisfied by the completion of six units of study, as follows: 1. Introduction to Law, Justice, and Society (LWJS 101), one unit. All students must take this gateway course for the concentration, unless exempted by the director of the concentration. 2. Four units, drawn from an approved list of courses, to be chosen in consultation with the director of the concentration. No more than two of the courses can be from the student's major. The approved courses include:
History of Sociological Thought (Anthropology and Sociology
212) 3. A program-related internship (one unit), to be approved by the director of the concentration. (See also p. 106.) Admission--The law, justice, and society concentration is open to all students, regardless of academic major. However, because of the nature of the requirements, students are advised to apply no later than the second semester of their sophomore year. For more information and an application form, contact William Rose (Political Science), director of the concentration. Mass CommunicationThis concentration is designed to supplement a chosen academic major by providing course work which focuses on issues and choices in selected mass communication areas. Requirements--The concentration consists of six units of credit contracted between the candidate and the director of the concentration: one required course, a one-unit internship and four units of electives. The following courses are required in the concentration: 1. Speech Communication 205, Mass Communication, one unit. 2. A writing course from the following list: English 203, 205, 207, 308, 310. 3. Internship, one or two units. Students are required to take one unit of internship but may receive credit for a two-unit internship. If a one-unit internship is selected, students may choose a directed study or another elective to fulfill the six-unit requirement. Special work experience or practicum credit may be used as internship credit with permission. All internships are taken on a credit/no credit basis and must be registered through Albion College. Tuition is charged. A limited number of internships in a variety of mass media organizations are available to qualified students. Once accepted into the program, students should begin to plan for the internship. All students who apply for internships or practicums are expected to have a cumulative grade point average of 2.7.
4. At least three additional units from the following list of electives.
With the director of the mass communication concentration, students will
choose courses from the following electives to best fulfill their
designated areas of interest:
Art and
Art History
English
Speech Communication Other courses may be used for the concentration as they are offered. Admission--All concentrations are individually designed; therefore, students must be accepted into the program, and must contact the director of the mass communication concentration in speech communication by the end of their sophomore year. NeuroscienceAlbion's neuroscience concentration was designed for students who are interested in the neural underpinnings of behavior and cognition. The core courses, Neuroscience I and Neuroscience II, provide students with a multi-disciplinary, multi-divisional introduction to the study of the mind/brain that spans all levels of current neuroscientific research. The four electives allow students to pursue lines of inquiry they find especially attractive in the core courses, and a senior thesis or internship allows them the choice of a theoretical or practical test of their developing skills. This approach to neuroscience provides Albion students with the knowledge, insight and research skills necessary for success in graduate study or careers in the life sciences. Curriculum--The neuroscience concentration consists of three components. 1. Three courses required of all students in the program:
2. Four of the following courses, selected from at least two different departments:
Biology 3. A senior thesis or internship. Admission--The neuroscience concentration is open to all students, regardless of academic major. However, because many of the courses have prerequisites, students who elect the neuroscience concentration are typically majors in biology, chemistry or psychology. Students must be accepted into the program, and thus should contact one of the faculty members listed below for application information. Students are advised to apply by the end of their sophomore year. For more information, please contact any one of the following faculty members: Michael Anes (Psychology), Ned Garvin (Philosophy), Barbara Keyes (Psychology), Ruth Schmitter (Biology), W. Jeffrey Wilson (Psychology). Women's StudiesContemporary scholars have challenged the invisibility of women and women-focused material in traditional academic disciplines. The field of women's studies emerged as the center for these new courses and new approaches to intellectual inquiry. Women's studies examines not only women's lives but also gender systems and the intersections of gender with race, class, sexuality, age and other power systems functioning in societies. The impact of feminist scholarship is evident most clearly in the humanities, arts and social sciences. In the sciences, where women historically have been underrepresented, the influence of gender-based work is growing. While women's studies courses are open to all students, those who wish to explore the field in-depth may complete a formal concentration. The women's studies concentration allows students to acquire an area of expertise in addition to their major. Knowledge of gender- and women-centered issues and research is increasingly sought after in many fields including but not limited to politics, social services, business, law, medicine and psychology. This demand recognizes not only that women are increasingly important contributors in these fields but also that businesses and professions are acknowledging that they need to know this majority to better serve it. Requirements--The women's studies concentration includes seven units, to be divided as follows: 1. Introduction to Women's Studies: All students must take Introduction to Women's Studies (WMNS 106), unless exempted by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair. 2. Feminist Theory: All students must take Feminist Theory (WMNS 360), unless exempted by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair. 3. Two units from the following courses*:
The Anthropology of Sex and Gender
(A&S 332) The preceding courses constitute the central courses in the women's studies concentration. The focus is exclusively devoted to scholarship on gender and/or women. 4. One unit from the following courses*:
Prehistoric Archaeology
(A&S 241) This unit will allow students to examine the impact of gender scholarship on various disciplines. 5. An internship: A one-unit internship will be approved by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair. (See also p. 106.) 6. A directed study: One unit of a directed study will be approved by the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair. Possible topics include:
Note:
*Other courses may count in these categories. Please consult with the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair. Admission--Students must be accepted into the program, and thus should contact the Women's and Gender Studies Program chair by the end of their sophomore year for application information. |
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Albion College ◦ Albion, Michigan
◦ 517/629-1000
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