It also will be the only curricular link to the Western College Program for students pursuing the environmental science and environmental studies majors. By engaging in an extended examination of a broad topic that crosses these core areas, students will practice sophisticated integrative skills that should prepare them effectively for the more methodologically advanced seminars designed for the junior year. Two faculty members will be assigned to each section of the course. The Western College Program offers a range of advanced seminars that are available to students in the sophomore, junior, or senior years. One of the purposes of these seminars is to build on the intensive writing experience of the first two years and help prepare students for their senior thesis.
All seniors enroll in a year-long senior workshop for their capstone experience.
Through this workshop students are supported in developing a research question or creative project that extends from their self-designed major. Working closely with a faculty adviser, students produce an extensive project and present their work at a public conference in April.