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The Forester Fundamental Curriculum begins with the College’s First-Year Studies Program, which was established to create a special, intellectually engaging atmosphere of close interaction between first-year students and their professors. First-Year Studies instructors also serve as the academic advisors for the students in their First-Year Studies (FIYS) course. These courses have as their principal aim the development of basic skills in writing, critical reading, analysis, and oral communication. The FIYS course is required of all students entering the College with fewer than four credits and does not meet any additional FFC requirement. 

First-Year Writing Requirement

The College supports the transition to the College’s writing intensive curriculum through First Year Studies (FIYS). Students write frequently in FIYS courses and are provided with substantial feedback on their writing to help them progress. While most students will make sufficient progress as writers in their First Year Studies courses to satisfy the First-Year Writing requirement, some will not satisfy their First-Year Writing requirement via First Year Studies alone. These students will need additional instruction and explicit guidance in writing processes in their second semester and will be placed on one of two paths towards completion of the First-Year Writing requirement: 

• Path 1: Complete College Writing 100 (1.0 credits) 
• Path 2: Concurrently complete a Writing-Intensive (1.0 credit course with the W tag) and a supplemental Academic Writing Studio course (0.25 credits) 

These two paths are designed to prepare students to meet the expectations of the writing curriculum at the College. Through an assessment process based on their writing practices and products in First Year Studies, students can be required to complete either Path 1 or Path 2 in their second term.  These placement decisions are made by the Director of Writing Programs, in collaboration with FIYS professors.

Students must complete one course in each of the five areas listed below. Each course must come from a different department or interdisciplinary area (i.e. the requirement must be fulfilled with five courses with five different course prefixes). Courses satisfying this requirement will be tagged with the designation listed below in the course catalog and class schedule. 

Distribution Requirement Learning Goals

Distribution Requirement — Course Tag

• Creative and Performing Arts — CP
• Humanities — H
• Natural Sciences — NS
• Quantitative Reasoning — QR
• Social Sciences — SS

Students must complete one course in each of the two areas listed below. Courses satisfying this requirement will be tagged with the designation listed below in the course catalog and class schedule. 

Cultural Diversity Requirement Learning Goals

Cultural Diversity Requirement — Course Tag

• US Domestic Pluralism — DP
• Global Perspectives —  GP

Students must complete at least one course in each of the three component areas. Courses satisfying this requirement will be tagged with the designation listed below in the course catalog and class schedule.

Skills Requirement Learning Goals

Skills Requirement — Course Tag

• Writing-Intensive — W
• Speaking-Intensive — S
• Technology-Intensive — T
  

The goal of this requirement is to ensure that students integrate their traditional classroom learning with experientially-based work. By connecting theory and practice, students develop new skills and extend their knowledge and training to unfamiliar tasks and situations beyond the classroom environment.

The Experiential Learning requirement is fulfilled in two parts: the completion of an appropriate experience or activity and the production of a written reflection.

The following activities can be used to satisfy the experiential learning requirement. Each activity links to frequently asked questions. 

1. Pre-Approved, Credit-Based Options (minimum of 1 credit)
   1. Course with an EL tag 
   2. Career Advancement Center (CAC) internship program for academic credit (1.0 credit or more)
      1. You may also complete an internship for academic credit through our Chicago Programs (91¿´Æ¬Íø In The Loop program during the academic year [fall and/or spring semester]; ACTIVATE program in summer), which also are supported by the CAC.
      2. In the summer term, the CAC might allow a student to complete a 0.50 credit internship, which does not completely satisfy the FFC-EL requirement. When fractional credits sum to 1.0 credit, then the FFC-EL requirement will be satisfied (see 1g below for details on combining fractional credits).
   3. Global Engagement Office (GEO) approved off-campus study
   4. Senior thesis 
   5. Independent research/creative project 
   6. For-credit summer research
   7. Fractional experiential credits that sum to 1.0 credit
      1. Sample fractional projects: for-credit independent research/creative project, for-credit practicum, for-credit peer teaching, for-credit peer mentoring, for-credit tutoring, 4-week Summer Richter, fractional for-credit internship
      2. When the fractional credits sum to 1.0 credit, students work with an academic advisor to review the and submit the .
2. Non-Credit Options that Require Approval (from the FFCIS: Forester Fundamental Curriculum Implementation Subcommittee)
   1. Non-credit experiential project (preferred method; provides pre-approval)
      
      1. Use this option to get pre-approval for a project that you have not yet started. Then, when the project is done, submit the completion form (see below).
      2. Sample non-credit projects: non-credit internships; non-credit peer teaching; non-credit peer mentoring; non-credit peer tutoring; non-credit research; career-related summer employment; relevant on-campus employment; organization, publicity, senior recital performance.
      3. Students work with a faculty project supervisor to propose a non-credit project and attain pre-approval from FFCIS before embarking on the experience ( and ).
      4. At the conclusion of the project, students work with a faculty member to review the and submit the ).
   2. Retroactive experiential project (unpreferred method; lacks pre-approval)  
      1. Use this option if you did not get pre-approved via 2a above AND your project is already complete. Since the project was not pre-approved, there is a risk that it will not be approved to satisfy the FFC-EL requirement. Whereas 2b is an acceptable method, 2a is preferred because it provides pre-approval before students embark on the project.
      2. Sample retroactive (already-completed) projects: non-credit internship; off-campus study (not GEO-approved); independent research/creative project completed before transferring to 91¿´Æ¬Íø; career-related summer employment.
      3. Occasionally, a student may wish to satisfy the FFC-EL requirement with a combination of non-credit and for-credit experiences (e.g., 80 hours of a non-credit internship + a 0.50 credit practicum project will meet the 150-hour FFC-EL criterion). Option 2b is the best place to document, explain, and reflect upon such combinations of non-credit and for-credit experiences.
      4. Students work with an academic advisor to propose a project for an already-completed experience. Together, they review the and submit the .

Students must submit a written reflection (500-word minimum) that adheres to the following guidelines:

1. Summarize the project and evaluate how it applied skills that you gained in the classroom.
2. Explain how the project added new skills to your competencies.
3. Articulate how you will describe to a prospective employer, graduate school, or other audience the ways in which this experience contributed to and enhanced your education.

Generally, the reflection is submitted to and approved by the supervisor of the experience (e.g., instructor for the EL course, CAC internship supervisor, GEO director, faculty supervisor, academic advisor etc.). These are stored electronically and will be used in future assessment of the FFC Experiential Learning requirement.

A senior studies course, also known as a senior “capstone,” is a culminating experience in the student’s major. The course emphasizes writing and speaking and encourages integration of the methods and content explored in the major. Students must fulfill this requirement, for which courses are specially designated within their major department. Senior theses, research projects, and creative projects may also be used to fulfill the senior studies requirement if so designated in the major requirements or with permission of the department chairperson. Students who have more than one major must satisfy the senior studies requirement in each of their majors.