This worksheet will allow you to submit your proposed concentration to the Gallatin faculty for review. It has TWO parts:
The first part is a brief, reflective essay of two to three pages (typed and double-spaced) that describes your intellectual development and your plans for designing an interdisciplinary concentration. Discuss your educational experiences, the central idea(s) of your proposed concentration, and how your coursework (both past and future) is relevant to that concentration.
In writing this essay, you are strongly encouraged to consult the guidelines for a Gallatin concentration. Some questions that you may wish to address include:
- Why Gallatin? What are your educational goals? How have they changed over the past few semesters? How have you begun planning for an interdisciplinary concentration?
- What educational experiences and courses have influenced you? What was particularly interesting and why? What ideas have evolved from your educational experience so far?
- What idea, subject, concept, or discipline is of particular interest to you? How is your proposed concentration grounded in the liberal arts? How will your concentration integrate your areas of interest? How will your primary focus be placed in historical and cultural context?
- How will you link any professional coursework with academic study and intellectual analysis? If relevant, discuss how professional experiences (including work and internships) might contribute to your concentration.
- What types of courses (in Gallatin and elsewhere) will you take to construct the concentration? In what sequence might these classes be taken?
In the second part, outline your proposed course schedule for the next several semesters. This chart should help you develop a long-term plan for your proposed concentration. Remember that not all courses are offered in every semester. Exact course numbers and titles are therefore not required in every case. It may be helpful to think in terms of categories and broad academic areas, rather than specific courses. That said, do pay attention to prerequisites, especially in areas with structured sequences, such as mathematics, sciences, or languages.
This chart does not necessarily commit you to registering for these exact courses in the future. Instead, it is a tool to help you and the Gallatin faculty evaluate the feasibility of your proposed concentration.
In completing this chart, be mindful of scheduling concerns, such as:
- Can your proposed concentration be accomplished in the semesters that you have remaining?
- Is there room to complete your required Gallatin coursework alongside your cross-school courses?
- Consider the courses that you will need to develop your concentration. Are they realistically available to you?
- Will you study away? If so, how will that affect the courses you take in other semesters?
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