Course Offerings

DIVISIONS OF STUDY The academic departments and courses of instruction are grouped according to the following three divisions:

HUMANITIES, including Classics, English, Fine Arts, Modern Languages, Philosophy, Religion, and Rhetoric.

NATURAL SCIENCES, including Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Physics and Astronomy.

SOCIAL SCIENCES, including Economics and Business, Government and Foreign Affairs, History, and Psychology.

COURSE CLASSIFICATION Each course listed in this catalogue is identified by the name of the department which offers it and a course number. (Courses which include significant content from more than one discipline are listed under Interdisciplinary Studies rather than under one of the academic departments.) At the right of the course number are parentheses which contain the credit hours per semester granted for passing the course. There are two variations. For example, Biology 108 (3) meets for one semester only and carries three semester hours of credit. French 201202 (3-3) comprises two semesters of work, each earning three hours of credit, and the student may take one or both semesters.

One hour of semester credit is awarded for fifty minutes per week of in-class lecture or discussion time for fourteen weeks. For laboratory classes, one semester hour of credit is awarded for 150 minutes of laboratory time per week for fourteen weeks. Performance studies classes in Fine Arts (choral music, instrumental ensemble music, and theatre production) follow the general pattern of laboratory courses, that is, one hour of credit for 150 minutes of class time per week for fourteen weeks. For directed reading, independent study, and senior thesis courses, credit is awarded in accordance with the time commitment required for the expected product.

There is necessarily some variation in the way course levels are assigned in the various disciplines because of differences in the character of the disciplines themselves. In general, however, courses are numbered according to the following guidelines: courses at the 100-level are introductory or survey courses suitable for freshmen or students taking such courses to complete core requirements; courses at the 200-level, suitable for freshmen and sophomores, are more focused or specialized than 100-level courses and may require some background in a discipline; courses at the 300-level are designed for students with formal background in a discipline; courses at the 400-level are typically junior- or senior-level courses building on relatively sophisticated knowledge of a discipline gained from taking lower-level courses. The expected background for both 300- and 400-level courses is typically reflected in prerequisite or recommended classes. 185, 285, 385, or 485. Special Topics (1, 2, or 3 hours). A course of study, not regularly offered, in an area other than one described in the course listings. Special topics courses intended to fulfill core requirements must be approved by the Academic Affairs Committee prior to registration. 395. Internship (1, 2, or 3 hours). Combines work done normally in the summer with ongoing course work that might include a research paper, a portfolio or a daily journal recording the internship experiences and the student’s reactions to them, interviews with professionals, or book reviews. To qualify, a student must be in good standing academically at the time of application. 201, 301, or 401. Professional Internship (1 hour).

A work-related internship that must be at least 140 hours. At the end of the internship, the student will receive a grade of either Pass or Fail based on the written recommendation of the internship supervisor. To qualify, a student must be in good standing academically at the time of application. A student may complete no more than 3 professional internship courses during the student’s tenure at Hampden-Sydney College.

490. Directed Reading (1, 2, or 3 hours). Reading related to a particular course or topic in which the student is interested, the reading to be done under the supervision of a faculty member who assists in designing the student’s program. 495. Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 hours). Research in which the student works independently under the supervision of a faculty member; the project ordinarily leads to a paper in which the student describes his work and summarizes his findings. For juniors and seniors only.

For directed reading (490) and independent study (495), a written proposal, designating hours of credit and describing the subject under investigation and the methods to be utilized, must be approved by the professor supervising the study, the chair of the department, and the student’s faculty advisor.

A student may take no more than two 490/495 courses per semester.

Ordinarily, a student may take no more than two 490 and two 495 courses during his tenure at Hampden-Sydney. If additional independent work is desired, a written proposal must be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty for approval. Students who wish to do extensive independent work are encouraged to pursue Departmental Distinction.

Departments may specify prerequisites including minimal grade-point averages for taking 395, 490 and 495 courses. DEPARTMENTAL DISTINCTION The Departmental Distinction designation provides an opportunity for students to pursue independent scholarship in one or more departments above and beyond the requirements of completing a major. The Departmental Distinction designation is separate from the College Honors designation, which is available only to those students enrolled in the College’s Honors program. Each department may add requirements for attaining a Distinction designation beyond those listed below, and the decisions on awarding Distinction are made at the individual department level. The following minimum standards are required for receiving a Departmental Distinction designation: a. Members of each department agree on the creation of a department-specific program that recognizes students who engage in a scholarly project appropriate to the discipline. The project will be conducted over a minimum of two semesters to encourage an appropriate level of rigor in the research. b. A student interested in a Departmental Distinction designation will have an overall GPA of 3.0 and a department GPA of 3.3 at the time of application. c. An application for Departmental Distinction will consist of a written proposal submitted by the Chair of the relevant department(s) with a letter of support from the faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project. d. An appropriate finished scholarly product (e.g., paper, presentation, display, performance) will be presented as evidence of successful completion of the project.

Each Department will submit its list of students attaining Departmental Distinction status to the Director of the Honors Program by April 30. The Director of the Honors Program will submit a final list of Departmental Distinction designees to the Registrar for recognition at Commencement and affixing of the designation to the final transcript.

KEY TO FACULTY LEAVE STATUS: L= On leave, 2021-2022. F= On leave fall semester only. S= On leave spring semester only.