2018 E-term Bulletin

2 Welcome toExplorationTerm2018 Exploration Term refers to a period of four weeks during January that provides an opportunity for innovation and experimentation for both students and faculty. Exploration Term, formerly known as interim term, has been a part of BSC’s curriculum since 1968; this year we celebrate its 50th anniversary. The projects offered during Exploration Termmay vary in content and technique, but they all share the goal of providing an opportunity for exploration not possible during the regular term, including opportunities for study-travel or focused creative production. In addition to faculty-led projects, sophomore, junior, and senior students are encouraged to use initiative and imagination to develop their own contracted projects through the Office of Exploration Term and Contract Learning. All first-year students must enroll in a project listed in the Exploration Term bulletin; they may not contract individualized Exploration Term projects. Following the first year of study, students may contract individualized projects. Contracted projects meet the same academic standards as projects listed in the Exploration Term bulletin and must be supervised by faculty members from Birmingham-Southern College. Each contracted project must be approved by the project sponsor, the student’s faculty advisor, the appropriate department chair, and the Exploration Term and Contract Learning Committee. Under the Explorations curriculum, students must complete at least two Exploration Term projects. Each project counts as a full unit. All projects, whether graded with a letter or S/U, count toward the requirement of two Exploration Term units. For those majors in which the Exploration Term is used for the senior project, the course must receive a letter grade. A transfer student who meets only the minimum residency requirements for a degree must complete two Exploration Term projects. All Exploration Term projects are recorded on permanent records and class schedules according to discipline abbreviations (including “GEN” for those projects outside of the disciplines offered at the College). If required for the major, senior Exploration Term projects will be recorded as 499. Exploration Term projects do not count toward academic area requirements under the Explorations curriculum. Exploration Term projects used to fulfill Explorations Curriculum Learning Outcomes must receive a letter grade. ImportantDates Thursday, September 14, 2017 January 2018 travel award applications for faculty-led travel* due to the Office of Exploration Term and Contract Learning. Students who have paid deposits towards their trips will receive an invitation to apply. *Students doing independently contracted service-learning travel may apply for the Koinonia award by October 20 via the E-Term/Contract Learning OrgSync portal. Other students contracting study travel will also have the opportunity to apply for travel awards. Details will be announced on the E-Term/Contract Learning OrgSync page. Thursday, September 28, 2017 First-year students meet with advisors during Common Hour to receive instructions for completing Exploration Term preference forms Monday, October 2, 2017 First payment installment due to Student Accounts for Exploration Term travel projects Tuesday, October 3, 2017 Last day for first-year students to complete online Exploration Term preference forms Tuesday, October 17, 2017- Exploration Term Registration for seniors, juniors, and sophomores Friday, October 20, 2017 Friday, October 20, 2017 Exploration Term contracts due in the Office of Exploration Term and Contract Learning Friday, October 20, 2017 Koinonia travel award applications for students engaged in independently contracted travel study are due Wednesday, November 3, 2017 Second and final payment installment due to Student Accounts for Exploration Term travel projects Thursday, November 16, 2017 Exploration Term project orientation meetings for all projects during Common Hour Tuesday, January 2, 2018 Residence halls open at 10:00 am Wednesday, January 3, 2018 First day of Exploration Term; all Exploration Term projects meet at 1:00pm Friday, January 5, 2018 Last day to drop without a grade or to add an Exploration Term project Monday, January 15, 2018 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (no classes)