January Interim at St. Olaf
The St. Olaf Interim
The Interim is a four-week period of intensive study in one area. Interim provides an opportunity for a professor and his or her students to focus their entire attention on one course for a full month, to offer a time of study in depth. It is a time when unique teaching and learning styles can be utilized in rather traditional courses or when unique subjects can be studied in some international or off-campus domestic location. Faculty can also develop creative on-campus course work dealing with contemporary topics in their discipline. Students may pursue, with guidance of a faculty member, independent study projects or internships during Interim. Thus, Interim provides to students an opportunity to choose from a wide variety of independent group learning activities. St. Olaf upper-class students may also attend Interim at another 4-1-4 college on an Interim Exchange basis (stop by the Registrar's Office for details).
Class Meeting Schedule Workload
Regardless of the teaching schedule, all classes meet on the first and last day of Interim (Tuesday, January 2 and Saturday, January 27, 2007) for the final exam. Students must be in attendance on the last day of Interim for examination and evaluation procedures similar to the regular semester. Students may take only one (1.00) course and are expected to devote a minimum of 40 hours of study per week directly related to the Interim course, including class time, outside reading, and other course-related work. In general, faculty-student contact hours for January Term will approximate 35-40 hours for the entire Interim, or 8-10 hours per week.
Course Credits
During Interim one St. Olaf course credit is defined as an educational unit lasting four weeks and occupying all the student's academic time. For purposes of credit transfer, one St. Olaf course is equivalent to 4 semester hours (credits) or 5.50 quarter hours (credits). Course level is defined as follows:
Level I Courses, numbered 100 through 199, are for the most part introductory to a field or discipline. They exert a demand for only such depth of study, student responsibility, and independence commensurate with initial work at the college level.
Level II Courses, numbered 200 through 299, require student independence in the acquisition of material, and mastery of techniques and methods above that are demanded in Level I courses.
Level III Courses, numbered 300 through 399, are usually confined to the major; demand control of methods as well as command of basic factual and theoretical knowledge appropriate to the discipline. A student should have at least two Level III courses in the major.
INTERIM INFORMATION
Specific Interim offerings for 2007 are listed according to departments and programs, beginning in each department with Level I offerings. As students study this site and make plans for January, they (and their advisors) are reminded that:
● Three successful Interim courses are required for graduation. Students should consult with advisors about Interim requirements. Tuition for a missed Interim will not be refunded.
● First year students are required to enroll for an Interim course. First year students are not eligible for off-campus courses or Interim Exchange (except for special courses, noted in the course descriptions).
● General education requirements may be met during Interim. Listings indicate which courses meet these requirements. Many courses count toward a major or concentration, and are so indicated.
● The faculty has agreed not to make assignments of work prior to the start of Interim. This does not restrict faculty from distributing course outlines or reading lists ahead of time. Students may do prior work if they choose, just as during regular terms.
● Students enrolling in Interim Exchange or a St. Olaf course off campus must be in good academic standing. See section on Interim Exchange.
● Students who participate in approved off-campus Interim programs will receive a form to complete for board rebate. This must be done before leaving campus. Please note, your cafeteria card will not be valid during Interim.
● Although there is no guarantee that the room will be rented, students going off campus who wish to rent their room to someone else should contact the Office of Residence Life.
● St. Olaf students enrolled in a winter term Carleton course are not allowed to enroll in a St. Olaf Interim.
AUDITING A COURSE
A student cannot simultaneously audit one course and take another course for credit during Interim. Auditing is open only to full-time students. For the audit to appear on the permanent record, the student needs to obtain a "Successful Audit Form" from the Registrar's Office and obtain the instructor's signature. The form must be submitted to the Registrar's Office before the last day to add a class.
INDEPENDENT STUDY, INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
A Level II Course known as Independent Study is available to provide initial experiences in various kinds of independent work on campus and off. The student's record must demonstrate appropriate prerequisite courses justifying Independent Study. Independent Study cannot substitute for a regularly taught course in the St. Olaf curriculum. This category can include special reading courses, opportunities to study in special groups with projects designed by students as well as faculty. The student registers for the course as (appropriate department/program)-298. Independent Research is a Level III course that provides opportunity for students to do advanced independent work after having completed at least five courses in the particular field. Students do not register for Independent Study/ Independent Research at registration. Rather, the Registrar's Office will enter final registration once the IS/IR application has been approved by the Registrar. Application forms are available from the Registrar's Office. The faculty supervisor, the supervisor's department chair or program director, and the Registrar, in that order, must sign the form. The student registers for the course at the Registrar's Window as (appropriate department/program)-398. Independent Study or Independent Research shall not fulfill General Education requirements, except WRI, when approved, and is not a substitute for any experience with purposes for which regular courses are designed. Total work to be done shall be approximately that expected for a regular course. A proposal for work carrying less or more than a full (1.00) course credit will not be approved. A student may take up to a total of three Independent Study courses, and two Independent Research courses in each field of adequate preparation.Independent work is a privilege to be extended only if those involved all agree that the student is well prepared to benefit, that the proposal is well planned, and that the burden is not too great on the faculty supervisor.
First year students are not eligible for independent study. A limit of two Independent Study or Independent Research projects may be supervised by a member of the faculty in one term. January 8, 2007, is the last day to add an off-campus independent study/research for Interim.
ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
An academic internship is a structured educational work experience designed to enhance your academic program. It is taken for full (1.00) course credit during Interim. It involves a minimum of 160 hours (120 of which must be on-site) and is evaluated on a P/N (Pass/No Credit) basis. An internship may be paid or unpaid.
Contact Sandy Amy, Assistant Director, Center for Experiential Learning, Internship Program (Old Main Annex 03) for more information. The academic internship process and procedures, the application forms, and internship opportunities can be found at http://www.stolaf.edu/services/internships/ To officially register for an academic internship, the student must submit a copy of his/her completed Academic Internship Learning Agreement and Plan with all required signatures in addition to indicating Academic Internship on the registration form at registration. The Registrar's Office staff will enter final registration only when both the completed Learning Agreement Plan and the registration form are submitted.
While internship credit cannot be used to fulfill a General Education requirement, some departments and programs will count internships toward the major/concentration. Internship credit cannot be awarded retroactively. The Internship experience must be approved and registered for prior to the initiation of the experience. First-year students must get approval from the Dean of Students Office to be eligible for academic internships.
Keep in mind the following steps when applying for an academic internship:
1. Meet with the internship Assistant Director Sandy Amy as soon as you have secured an internship. Paperwork should be completed before you leave campus for Christmas Break.
2. In order to be officially registered, you must have a completed Academic Internship Learning Agreement and Plan with all required signatures to turn in at the time of registration.
3. All work for the internship, including evaluation pieces and final project, must be completed by the last day of Interim.
4. The Office for Internships will send the on-site field supervisor a student Final Evaluation Form to gather feedback on the student's performance, copies of which will be due to the Faculty Supervisor after the completion of Interim (Thursday, February 8).
5. Faculty supervisor grades are due in the Registrar's Office on Thursday, February 8, by noon.
INTERIM EXCHANGE
St. Olaf Students
Upper-class St. Olaf Students in good academic standing may enroll in Interim courses at other colleges that have a January Interim; first-year students are not eligible. Some of these colleges have a tuition-waiver agreement, whereby the St. Olaf student pays no tuition to anyone beyond the tuition paid to St. Olaf. A few colleges do not waive tuition, so attendance at those schools would result in payment of extra tuition. Interim catalogs of other colleges may be available for viewing at the Registrar's window or available on the exchange College's website. A list of colleges offering Interim is available at the Registrar's Office. Interim Exchange must be approved by the Registrar prior to the Interim and no later than December 1. To register for Interim Exchange at another college, pick up a student exchange form from the Registrar's Office. Complete your section of the form and return the form to the Registrar's window by December 1. Most colleges require an application fee along with the application. Students do not apply directly to the other college. St. Olaf will send the student exchange form to the other college, which will then inform St. Olaf whether you have been accepted, and into which course. The student will be notified as soon as the decision on the application has been reached. At the time of Interim registration, students should mark on the registration card "Interim Exchange" - (name of college). If the exchange college turns down your application for admission, the student should come as soon as possible to the Registrar's Office window to register for another course. St. Olaf reserves the right to deny student exchange with certain colleges. If the host school accepts a student, he/she will pay room and board there. To rent the St. Olaf room or receive a board refund, the student should contact the Business Office by December 1. Interim Exchange courses must be taken for a letter grade (no P/N or S/U) and the grade earned must be C or higher. Interim exchange courses are treated as transfer credit and they are not computed into the St. Olaf GPA. If the host school course counts toward a specific graduation requirement there, it normally will do so at St. Olaf as well. The Registrar will inform you as to the possibility of any course fulfilling St. Olaf requirements.
Students from Other Colleges
Students from other colleges may enroll in a St. Olaf course on an Interim Exchange basis.Tuition is waived if the student's school has a tuition-waiver plan available to St. Olaf students; if not, the regular Interim tuition will be charged. The student should apply through the office of his or her college's Interim Director. Questions should be directed to the Registrar's Office (507) 646-3006. Students coming from other colleges must attend all four weeks of the St. Olaf January Term in order to receive St. Olaf credit.Students from other colleges are expected to live on campus unless living with spouse, parents, or relatives in Northfield, and pay room and board charges if accepted on a tuition-waiver basis).
CHAPEL
Please note that chapel services will be held at 10:10 a.m. every day during January. Classes do not meet during Chapel and many offices are closed.
Note for Students Registering for an Off-Campus Program
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