America, North
Business, Entrepreneurship, & Society (ACM)
Semester I, Semester II
Campus Program Adviser: Semester I-Steve Soderlind (Holland Hall 414E, x3153) Semester II-Sian Muir (Holland Hall 433, x 3904)
Credit: Four courses, levels to be determined
Enrollment: 40-50 students (fall), 25-35 students (spring)
The Business, Entrepreneurship, & Society (BES) program introduces and builds upon the central themes of entrepreneurship – creativity, innovation, and problem solving – as the fundamental tools of successful businesses and organizations of all types. In addition, students are asked to consider and apply these themes within the broader context of their experience living and working in Chicago as a major urban center. Students of the BES program will be guided by the program director and faculty members to engage in their work with a personal sense of self-reflection, creativity, innovation, and open-mindedness as they participate in the components of the program. Through their experiences living, working, and learning in Chicago, students will: explore case studies of Chicago entrepreneurs; develop contacts with Chicago-based business leaders and entrepreneurs; gain hands-on experience in an internship; pursue an independent study project through which they develop a tangible result or "product" to demonstrate the quality of their work; learn to recognize entrepreneurial opportunities in everyday life; and deepen their knowledge of the city from a variety of perspectives in order to better understand the interconnections among business, society, and the arts within Chicago's vibrant urban milieu.
Chicago Arts Program (ACM)
Link to ACM Chicago Arts Semester
Late August to mid-December or late January to mid-May
Campus Program Adviser: Gary Gisselman (Speech-Theater 118, x3320)
Enrollment: 30 students (fall), 20 students (spring)
Eligibility: Advanced sophomores, juniors and seniors
The Chicago Arts Program introduces students who are interested in a broad range of the arts – music, theater, dance, fine arts, creative writing, and related liberal arts – to the creative process as it is expressed within the context of a major urban arena and by the individual students themselves. As a back-drop for the program, Chicago provides one of the best urban environments in the United States today for young artists to discover their voices. The city is well-known for its world-class architecture and major arts institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Lyric Opera. However, it is also "Sweet Home Chicago", jamming with blues and jazz clubs, poetry slams, vibrant street murals, neighborhood theater companies, and local art galleries. A composite portrait of Chicago suggests a landscape filled with traditional arts institutions, as well as countless alternative venues that frequently serve as "incubators" for young artists, actors, writers, and musicians. Through its collaborative programming with the Urban Studies and Business, Entrepreneurship, & Society programs, the Chicago Arts Program also challenges students to explore the many layers of life in Chicago from a variety of perspectives to better understand the deep interconnections among the arts, business, and society within an urban milieu. Students will be guided by the program director and faculty members to engage in their work with a personal sense of self-reflection, creativity, innovation, and open-mindedness as they participate in components of the program.
Urban Studies (ACM)
September to mid-December;
February to mid-May
Campus Program Adviser: Steven Soderlind (Holland 414E x3153)
Eligibility: Sophomores, juniors, seniors
Credit: Four courses, levels to be determined
Enrollment: 40-50 students (fall), 25-35 students (spring)
Since its inception in 1969, the Urban Studies Program has provided students with a thoughtful and challenging introduction to the complexities of life and society in Chicago. Coursework, field trips, and program seminars guide students to examine major sociological and political issues of the day through the personal perspectives of Chicago’s community leaders, politicians, and activists, as well as through analytical frameworks provided through traditional scholarship on the subjects of public policy, community development, social justice, gender, race and ethnicity in American urban societies. Students of the Chicago Program will be guided by the program director and faculty members to engage in their work with a personal sense of self-reflection, creativity, innovation, and open-mindedness as they participate in the key components of the program. As participants in the Urban Studies program, students engage the social and political context of the urban community as they: observe how public officials, community leaders, and city residents shape public policy; learn how communities and groups negotiate for power and resources; become skilled in the language and actions of social change; participate in internships with local not-for-profit, governmental, and political organizations; discuss issues with experts and insiders from government, the media, social service agencies, and community groups; and live in one of Urban Studies' unique "precepts" – groups of 2-4 students in furnished apartments clustered in some of Chicago's distinctive neighborhoods.
www.acm.edu
Urban Education: Student Teaching in Chicago (ACM)
(final approval still pending)
Semester I, Semester II
Campus Program Adviser: Maria Kelly
(Tomson Hall 290D, x3245)
Students on the Urban Education Program engage in an urban student teaching experience with support and guidance — both inside and outside the classroom — to foster their learning and growth as teachers. First established in the early 1960s, the ACM Urban Education Program has had a long tradition of engagement with Chicago schools and the city’s education community. Each fall and spring semester, students develop their professional skills as they work alongside mentor teachers in Chicago schools. In the weekly seminar, they connect educational theory to their experiences teaching in the classroom. The program emphasizes collaborative learning, as students conduct an ongoing and informal discussion with a network of peers who share similar situations in their teaching placements. Program participants also have extensive opportunities to enjoy the city’s tapestry of cultures and people. Program field trips include neighborhood explorations and excursions to cultural institutions.
Students live with other Chicago Programs participants in furnished, shared apartments in various neighborhoods throughout the city of Chicago.
All applicants must be accepted in the teacher education program, must have a 3.0 GPA and support from their major department and must have completed all prerequisites for student teaching.
City Arts (HECUA) - Minneapolis/St. Paul
Spring semester, early February to mid-May
Campus Program Adviser: Jan Hill (Rolvaag Library 403 x3440)
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, good academic standing
City Arts focuses on the arts, popular culture and social change. Students will discover the many ways that art and culture can and do impact communities. Students explore the role of cultural work – performance, writing, visual art, community organizing – in addressing key urban social issues. Students gain valuable tools for social change and vital connections in the community. Students participate in a reading seminar, a field seminar and a two-credit internship placement and seminar. Seminar themes focus on the social, cultural and ideological contexts of art-making and community building and the politics of philanthropy and arts funding. In field seminars, students engage in dialogue with a wide variety of local artists, educators, community organizers and arts advocates. The group attends performances, films and installations as a dynamic part of the learning process.
Students will learn through readings, class discussions and dialogue with people in the field. With a small group of students from a variety of schools, students spend two days per week in seminars. The other three days are spent in an internship.
HECUA works with students to design a 20 hour per week internship that meets each student's individual learning goals and connects with program themes.
General education requirements filled by the program are ALS A, Artistic Studies; HBS, Studies in Human Behavior and Society; WRI, Writing; MCS-D, Multicultural Studies Component.
Dual Degree Program, Engineering - Washington University, St. Louis
Campus Program Adviser: David Dahl (Regents Hall NS 266, x3123)
A cooperative program enables qualified students to earn a B.A. from St. Olaf and a B.S. in engineering from Washington University ( St. Louis ). This five-year program includes the senior year and fifth year at Washington University . All St. Olaf degree requirements must be satisfied as well as the admission requirements at Washington University . Grades earned at Washington University are not figured into the St. Olaf G.P.A.
Dual Degree Program, Engineering - University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Campus Program Adviser: David Dahl (Regents Hall NS 266 x3123)
This cooperative program enables qualified students to earn a B.A. from St. Olaf and a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Minnesota . The five-year program includes the senior year and fifth year at the university. A second program enables students to receive a B.A. at St. Olaf and enter a Master of Engineering degree program at the University of Minnesota . This program will typically involve two additional years.
Environment Sustainability: Science, Public Policy and Community Action (HECUA)
Fall Semester (September to mid-December)
Campus Program Adviser: Steve Soderlind (Holland 414E, x3153)
Minneapolis and St. Paul are built within a rich natural landscape that is home to one of the most active networks of environmental organizations in the country. This semester program addresses key processes of ecosystem degradation and rehabilitation, the social and economic underpinnings of conflict over environmental change, and public policy and community-based strategies that strive toward sustainability. The program takes an integrated approach to environmental issues, addressing the linkages between rural and urban environmental concerns as well as the way local decisions relate to regional and global trends. Topics include sustainable agriculture, land use management, watershed protection, industrial pollution, energy projection and consumption, transportation, urbanization, and suburban sprawl. The rogram includes field experiences that focus on basic ecosystem evaluation. Short trips throughout the semester offer opportunities to integrate theory and practice.
Metro Urban Studies Term - Minneapolis/St. Paul (HECUA)
Fall semester (September to
mid-December), Spring semester (February to mid-May)
Campus Program Adviser: Steve Soderlind (Holland 414E x3153)
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, good academic standing
The Metro Urban Studies Term (MUST) focuses on issues of poverty and inequality and ways to address these critical issues. Students will explore key institutions that impact urban poverty and inequality, namely the economy, education and welfare. Students are empowered as they examine and utilize an array of strategies to address inequality and rebuild the region more equitably. Through seminar readings and discussion, students will analyze the role of urban sprawl, regional segregation and institutional racial, class and gender discrimination in urban equality. Students will learn from the experience of others through field seminars that engage them in dialogue with educators, urban planners, corporate executives and community organizers. The group, which consists of students from a variety of schools, spends two days together in seminars. The other three days are spent in an internship placement which is a central part of the program. HECUA works with students to design an internship that meets each student's learning goals and connects with program themes. Students will do meaningful work while learning from extraordinary mentors on site. In addition, students complete an independent study project as a way to focus on a topic of special interest.
General education requirements filled by this program are HBS, Studies in Human Behavior and Society; WRI, Writing; MCS-D, Multicultural Studies Component.
MEXICO: (See America: South and Central)
National Theater Institute - Connecticut
Semester I, Semester II
Campus Program Adviser: Dona Freeman (Speech-Theater 45 x3367)
Since its founding in 1970, the National Theater Institute has remained true to its mission – to expose young theater artists to intensive conservatory-based training and provide an orientation to the professional theater. After a semester of classes, workshops, theater trips and special events at NTI, students have a sense of the commitment necessary for a career in the theater and a deeper knowledge of their capabilities, their strengths and their weaknesses. Students live and breathe theater seven days a week, from the Monday morning warm-up to the Sunday night company meeting. Full commitment to all aspects of the program is required and, through this commitment, students discover themselves as theater artists. Two weeks of the program are spent in residence in Stratford-upon-Avon or at the Moscow Art Theater .
The National Theater Institute program complements the courses and co-curricular experiences offered by the St. Olaf Theater Department.
Newberry Library Program in the Humanities (ACM) - Chicago
Early September to December
Campus Program Adviser: Jon Naito (Rolvaag Library 418 x3449)
Credit: Fall semester, four courses
Enrollment: 15-25 students (fall)
Eligibility: Exceptionally qualified juniors and seniors
The ACM Newberry Seminar offers motivated and mature students a tremendous opportunity to do independent study and research while working closely with professors and scholars in one of the world’s great cities. Fall semester participants write a substantial paper on a topic of their choice, based on research in the rich primary collections of the Newberry Library. They work closely with faculty members and a select group of colleagues in a seminar that provides context and guidance for their research. In some cases, the paper qualifies as a senior or honors thesis. In all cases, the fall seminar gives participants significant research experience that prepares them for graduate study, professional education (such as law school), or other careers. Each year, the fall seminar is taught by a team of two visiting faculty members, with a focus on a specific theme in the humanities. Themed short-term seminars, offered in the winter and spring, include class meetings and a shorter paper, providing a similar experience of independent research and writing. Students live in furnished, shared apartments within walking distance of the Newberry Library, where the majority of their research and work takes place. During the fall semester, students can gain additional work experience through a variety of part-time jobs at the Library.
Oak Ridge Science Semester (ACM)
Link to ACM Oak Ridge Scienc e
August to December
Campus Program Adviser: David Nitz (Regents Hall NS 262 x3619)
Credit: Four courses, levels to be determined
Enrollment: 20 students
Eligibility: Upper class majors in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, mathematics or social science
Application deadline: Feb. 15
The Oak Ridge Science Semester (ORSS) enables students to join ongoing investigations at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in research areas as diverse as astrophysics, cell biology, DNA sequencing, genetic mutagenesis, parallel computing, robotics, toxicology, and much more. In their research, ORSS student participants use the sophisticated resources available at the Laboratory, including supercomputers, state-of-the-art electron microscopes, lasers, and analytical instruments such as a fourier transform mass spectrometer and a scanning tunneling microscope. Participants in this fall semester program join one of the research groups at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), with a scientist from the ORNL staff serving as a mentor. This research experience, using the Laboratory's sophisticated resources, is the core of the program. Students are expected to contribute significantly to the design and methodological approach of their research activity, and often find this the most demanding and rewarding experience of their college careers. Unlike most off-campus programs, students receive significant funding to participate, including a $6,400 stipend (contingent on funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and/or ORNL) and a $1,800 housing allowance to cover living expenses. For the duration of the semester, students are housed in an apartment complex in Oak Ridge. The Oak Ridge Science Semester is administered by Denison University and is recognized by ACM and the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA).
Oregon Extension
Fall Semester
Campus Program Adviser: Peder Jothen (Holland Hall 306 x3276)
The Oregon Extension is a community of scholars and students located in an old logging camp in southern Oregon , established in 1975. Every fall, this community welcomes a four-month program of learning and study. The study is accomplished in intensive small-group and individual tutorial sessions, tailored to the students' interests and needs. The curriculum is structured around four broad themes: The Contemporary World, Social Analysis and Theory, Human Stories and Living Faith. Each theme is addressed in a three-and-a-half week segment; each segment is divided in half. During the first half of a segment, students work in a group with a shared core of readings and discussions. In the second half of each segment, the students work individually with a professor in the area of their own interest, growing out of the previous readings and discussion. Each segment ends with two days of student presentations.
Semester at an Independent College of Art
Fall or Spring semester
Campus Program Adviser: Irve Dell (Dittman Center 307 x3816)
This program offers art majors, with department permission, the opportunity to attend an independent college of art to gain specialized studio experience. Positions at participating schools may not be available in each academic year, so interested students must work with the campus program adviser to determine availability. In recent years, students have attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Washington Semester
Campus Program Adviser: Dan Hofrenning (Holland Hall 103C, x3128)
St. Olaf College participates in the Washington Semester program in cooperation with The American University. Selected students spend a semester in Washington , D.C. , studying government in action. They register for a two-credit seminar, a one-credit internship and a one-credit individual research project. Four St. Olaf course credits are awarded for the 16 semester hours. Course levels are determined individually. Some of the academic tracks include a required or optional international component. Program fees listed in this catalog do not include the cost of that international component.
Note: Students participating in the spring semester program cannot take an Interim course because of schedule conflicts.
Washington Internship Institute
Late August to December, January to May
Campus Program Adviser: Solveig Zempel (Tomson Hall 337 , x3471)
The Institute for Experiential Learning (IEL), founded in 1990, provides experiential education programs and academic-based internships in Washington , DC . Designed for participants with interests in all fields of study, the program consists of two coordinated seminars and a four-day-per-week internship in the executive and legislative branches of government., embassies or various organizations related to business, law and social development. Four St. Olaf course credits are awarded for the 15 semester hours.
Note: Students participating in the spring semester program cannot take an Interim course because of schedule conflicts.
Writing for Social Change (HECUA)
Campus Program Adviser: Jan Hill (Rolvaag Library 403 x3440)
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing, good academic standing
This program combines traditional methods of literary and cultural analysis with a balance of creative writing workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. It makes use of HECUA's approach to interdisciplinary, reflective critique. The program explores the ways in which creative writers and literature impact communities, and examines the role creative writers and literature play in addressing pressing social issues. To give students an integrated, experiential learning opportunity it also includes field study and a professional internship with a Twin Cities literary arts organization or K-12 school in need of reading/writing tutors.
