The Residential College was founded in 1967 as a small, degree-granting, four-year liberal arts college. It is unique among the educational opportunities offered at the University of Michigan. Every student admitted to the College of Literature, Science and the Arts (LS&A) is eligible to apply for admission to the Residential College (RC). RC students have all the academic options available at a major research university as well as advantages which only a small interdisciplinary college can offer.
FAQ:
What is the Residential College?
With the guidance of faculty, students design their curriculum with a mix of RC and LS&A courses -- completing approximately one-third to one-half of their classes in the Residential College and the remaining courses in LS&A. An RC student may concentrate (major) in any of the more than sixty concentrations available in LS&A and/or complete one of the Residential College's six interdisciplinary concentrations. Frequently RC students combine a more traditional LS&A departmental concentration with one of the RC interdisciplinary concentrations. All qualified Residential College students are eligible to graduate with Honors in their concentrations.
FAQ: What is the difference between LSA and RC?
Arts and Ideas in the Humanities
The Arts and Ideas Concentration offers students a basic liberal arts education in the humanities. The concentration is interdisciplinary, coordinating the study of literature and the visual arts; and it is comparative, demonstrating how different forms of art respond to one another. The goal of the concentration is to train students in the close reading and analysis of both text and image. The concentration provides students with basic historical perspectives on literature and art in different eras; other courses introduce students to contemporary critical theory and its application to literature and to the visual and performing arts. This concentration encourages students not only to study and reflect on the arts but also (if they are so inclined) to create their own.
Comparative Literature
The Comparative Literature Concentration involves not only the study of the artistic, literary and philosophical background of Western culture but also the theories of literature and the theory and practice of translating between literatures. Students make use of what they have learned in language courses to study at least one non-English body of literature. The study of literature from "non-Western" cultures (e.g., Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the indigenous cultures of North America) creates a crucial intercultural perspective. Students work with their advisor in designing specific aspects of a course of study which interests them.
Creative Writing and Literature
The Creative Writing and Literature Concentration in the RC combines the disciplined practice of writing with the active study of literature. Students are encouraged to specialize in either fiction, poetry, or writing for children and young adults. Creative writing courses are taught as workshops and tutorials where students work individually with faculty members.
Drama
The Drama Concentration offers a course of study which is unique within the University of Michigan: the study of drama as an independent academic discipline. A proper appreciation of drama requires the recognition and study of the many factors involved in the making of a play: the playwright and the cultural and historical context of his or her work; the text and form of the play; the performance characteristics of the play; and the audience and society from which the play arises and to whom it is addressed. A practical as well as a theoretical encounter with all the components of the dramatic experience is essential; accordingly our Drama Concentration combines active experiment and dynamic presentation with critical analysis. This course of drama study is broadly comparative and interdisciplinary.
Social Science
The Social Science Concentration offers students interdisciplinary study in the social sciences, ranging across the fields of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. The concentration emphasizes
These intellectual objectives are pursued within a framework of courses which focus on the major political, economic, and social trends of the twentieth century.
The Individualized Concentration
The Individualized Concentration is for students who wish to design a degree concentration which meets their own particular academic needs and interests and which lies outside the framework of existing concentration programs. Students wishing to pursue this option must develop a carefully thought-out academic program in consultation with the RC Independent Concentration Advisor, who will then help them select an appropriate faculty mentor (from the RC, from LS&A, or from other colleges of the University). The faculty mentor will approve the students' detailed plan of study, provide on-going support and guidance, and ultimately certify the completion of the concentration.
The Residential College curriculum includes also non-concentration programs.
FAQ: What flexibility is there in the RC for a person whose interest is science or math?
FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR PROGRAM
Courses in this program (which fulfill the first-year composition requirement) focus on developing writing and critical thinking skills. Each year the topics of the seminars change; but there are always many choices from the various academic disciplines. These seminars stress the importance of reading analytically, of formulating and articulating ideas clearly both in class discussions and in papers.
SECOND LANGUAGE PROGRAM
Second language study in the RC is proficiency based. For students who choose French, German, Russian or Spanish, the RC offers intensive instruction, daily language lunch tables, and weekly coffee hours -- all of which enliven language study. Students wishing to study a language other than these four can arrange to fulfill their language requirement by pursuing an equivalent course of language study in one of the LS&A departments.
Many Residential College students participate in Study-Abroad Programs sponsored by the University of Michigan or other academic institutions.
FAQ: What does language proficiency mean?
SCIENCE PROGRAM
In courses addressing such topics as energy conservation, the AIDS epidemic, genetic engineering, and arms control, the Science Program uses interdisciplinary approaches to science that emphasize critical thinking about its methods, philosophical foundations, history, and the ways in which it shapes and is shaped by society. Special attention is given to questions concerning the management and direction of science and technology in contemporary society. An important goal is to make science-society issues accessible to all students regardless of their field. The program offers individualized concentration programs in Science and Society and, in collaboration with the Physics Department, a Physics and Society Subconcentration for the BA degree in General Physics.
FINE ARTS PROGRAM
The study of Fine Arts is central to a Liberal Arts curriculum; it complements and enriches work done in other disciplines. The Residential College is the only unit within LS&A which offers studio arts. The RC studio-arts courses are in ceramics, drawing, elements of design, fiber arts, photography and holography, printmaking and sculpture. These courses are for beginning as well as for advanced students.
MUSIC PROGRAM
This program is designed to foster an understanding of music and to develop a student's creative and music skills. The program offers courses in music theory, history, composition, and vocal and instrumental music. Course offerings are designed for both beginning and advanced music students. Students have a variety of opportunities to participate in musical performance ensembles.
In order to receive a BA or BS degree from the Residential College, LS&A graduation requirements must be met as well as the following requirements which are unique to the RC:
FAQ: What
does language proficiency mean?
FAQ: What is it like living in East Quad
as part of the RC community?
Residential College faculty are drawn from a variety of University departments in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The RC also has faculty specializing in studio arts, drama, music, creative writing, and language study. RC faculty are distinguished not only by their scholarly and creative work but also by the fact that they have chosen to dedicate themselves to teaching and advising undergraduates. Many have won awards as teachers, scholars, and artists.
Learning to analyze issues, to challenge theories, to articulate ideas in a convincing way, whether in essays or in a classroom discussion, are at the heart of RC classes. All classes are small, and teachers encourage intellectual dialogue. The emphasis on the importance of interactive learning encourages RC students to take an engaged approach to all their classes -- an approach which benefits them throughout their college years.
Many course-related activities outside the classroom enrich the intellectual environment of the RC. Play productions by members of the RC Drama Program and vocal and instrumental recitals by students are common in the RC Auditorium. There are frequent showings of student art work. Social science students do field research in surrounding communities. The creative writing community sponsors residencies of visiting writers, publishes its own literary magazine, and provides frequent opportunities for the reading/performance of student work. These activities by no means comprise an exhaustive list; but are examples of faculty/student commitment to complementing and enhancing the in-classroom experience.
FAQ: How are RC classes different?
In order to help students concentrate on learning for learning's sake, the RC grades 1st- and 2nd-year students with written evaluations instead of letter grades (e.g., A through E). Students have the option of receiving letter grades in upper-level RC courses. Official transcripts for RC students contain written evaluations, letter grades from RC upper-level courses (if so requested) and grades from their LS&A courses. This mixture of written evaluations and letter grades gives a reader of a transcript a full profile of a student's efforts as well as academic achievements; consequently, Residential College students compete successfully for admission to graduate and professional schools as well as for jobs.
FAQ: Why does the RC have written evaluations?
The Residential College is located in East Quadrangle, where RC students are required to live during their first and second years at the University (about half of the 850 residents of East Quad are RC students). RC students have easy access to their professors and advisors, to their classrooms, language lab, library and computer center, to their studios, practice rooms and their theater...all in East Quad, a block from the Diag, and conveniently located near LS&A classrooms, the main libraries, and other University of Michigan facilities.
As a part of a diverse yet close-knit group, students in the Residential College experience a sense of community both during their time in East Quad and beyond. Small classes, close contact with a dedicated faculty, easy access to academic counselors -- all help to create an environment in which students quickly overcome any uneasiness or feeling of anonymity while pursuing their studies in an atmosphere of intellectual vitality which only a large university can offer.
FAQ: What is it like living in East Quad as part of the RC community?
RC students graduate with either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree from LS&A and the Residential College. A large percentage of RC students go on to graduate or professional schools; others embark on successful careers after completing the BA or BS degree. The College's emphasis on excellence in writing (beginning with First-Year Seminars), on interdisciplinary intellectual analysis, on gaining proficiency in a second language, and on individual initiative and creativity prepares its graduates well for either option.
The Residential College has an active Alumni Office. The information which this office has compiled on alumni is available to RC students and can provide contacts which will help their making informed career choices.
Interested students can apply directly to the Residential College on the Undergraduate Admissions Application by writing "LSA Residential College" in the unit box. Students admitted to the Residential College will receive additional materials from the College. First-year or transfer students who are admitted to the College of Literature, Science and the Arts at the University of Michigan are eligible for admission to the Residential College. An admitted applicant who is interested in the RC but who did not apply directly to the RC should call or write to the RC office. For further information about the unique opportunities offered to students of the Residential College, please contact:
The Residential College
134 Tyler House, East Quadrangle
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1245
Phone: (734) 763-0176
FAX: (734) 763-7712
e-mail: smjones@umich.edu