Louisiana Scholars' College

The Louisiana Scholars' College at Northwestern State University, or "Scholars' College" as it is known by its students and faculty, is Louisiana's only designated four-year, selective-admissions honors college in the liberal arts and sciences.[1]

Louisiana Scholars' College
Mottoάρετή (Greek)
Motto in English
"Virtue"
TypePublic, Co-ed
Established1987
Director[Dr. Thomas W. Reynolds, Jr.]
Academic staff
12[2]
Students?
Location
Natchitoches
,
Louisiana
,
United States
ColorsGreen & White   
Websitescholars.nsula.edu

About Scholars' College

As Louisiana's designated four-year, selective-admissions honors college in the liberal arts and sciences, Scholars' College receives applications from the very best students from all over Louisiana, the rest of the U.S., and several foreign countries. Established in 1987 to meet the special needs of honors students and provide them with an affordable, quality education that is second to none, the Louisiana Scholars' College has developed a unique, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary curriculum that has proven highly successful in helping such students develop their full potential.

The Scholars' College Experience

The Scholars' College experience features:

  • an innovative, individualized curriculum
  • small student/faculty ratio
  • strong faculty/student interactions
  • student-centered, seminar-style classes
  • overseas study options
  • an honors dormitory to provide a "living/learning environment"
  • small-college atmosphere with the activities of a large university
  • low tuition
  • substantial scholarships
  • out-of-state fee waivers
  • a community of faculty and students excited by the pursuit of knowledge.

The Educational Experiment

The Scholars' College was initially developed as an "experiment" in higher education. In contrast to university norms, it is structured around a seminar format and embraces a rigorous liberal arts and sciences core curriculum aimed at giving bright students the skills they need to self-educate. In reviewing the development of Western thought both in science and the humanities, it welcomes students into this progression with the tools needed to excel. Central to this learning method is the seminar format. It allows for a free exchange of ideas between students and professors, and it teaches students how to work together toward understanding, how to present and defend ideas clearly, and how to accept other people’s views and opinions in a professional manner.


History

The Scholars' College was established in 1987 by the Louisiana Board of Regents and then-governor Edwin Edwards as the state's only officially designated honors college for the State of Louisiana.

Curriculum

The Scholars' College curriculum has four distinct components:

The Common Curriculum

The College seeks to assure each of its students a sustained and coherent experience of the central modes of human thought and expression: mathematics, philosophy, literature, science, history, languages, and the fine and performing arts. All students develop a common core of knowledge in these fields, thereby achieving that sense of shared purpose and reciprocated understanding which is essential to the life of an intellectual community, while at the same time building a strong foundation for later and more specialized work. By completing the Common Curriculum, all students satisfy the requirements for the Certificate of Excellence in undergraduate education awarded by the State Board of Regents.

Read on for a more detailed description of the Common Curriculum.

Freshman Orientation

Scholars' students move into the dorm the week before classes begin, and immediately start Orientation. This class starts with a general convocation ceremony, and then moves on to several sessions on academic survival skills, led by upper-class Scholars' students. These Mentors guide the freshmen through the first few days of college life, providing answers to question, offering advice on College life, and encouraging a sense of community in the freshman class.

Computer Applications

This course ensures that each student in the College is familiar with the computer resources available to them. Skills taught include familiarity with the College's word processing programs, presentation, and spreadsheet software. In addition, students are assigned an e-mail account and are shown how to access the University's internet packages.

Texts and Traditions I–IV: The Shaping of Western Thought

A central vehicle of the College's commitment to multidisciplinary inquiry, the development of critical thinking skills, and the expression of those skills, Texts and Traditions seminars are a major component of the student's course of study in the first two years. Students move chronologically from antiquity through the twentieth century, studying works by such figures as Homer, Plato, Sappho, Sophocles, Dante, Shakespeare, Galileo, Swift, Austen, Marx, Darwin, Dostoevsky, Conrad, Freud, Woolf, Levi-Strauss, and others. The College recognizes that there is no definitive list of Great Books, and so the reading lists for "T 'n T" are revised annually.

Democratic Vistas: The Idea of America

Continuing the concept of the Texts and Traditions seminars, Democratic Vistas explores essential works from the American cultural tradition. This course includes representative texts by such figures as Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, de Tocqueville, Emerson, Hawthorne, Douglass, Whitman, Dickinson, James, Veblen, Faulkner, Morrison, and others, and includes an examination of music, painting, and photography in addition to literary works. As with "T 'n T", the reading list for "DV" is revised annually.

Paradigms of Nature

The several courses arrayed under this heading explore essential elements of mathematics and the natural sciences over four semesters, developing skill in quantitative reasoning and experimental procedure, together with an understanding of the main theoretical postulates of modern science. While addressing important areas of knowledge in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Ecology, and Mathematics, the Paradigms of Nature courses emphasize the relations between and among these disciplines.

The one credit-hour Science Seminar is a special component of our curriculum in which students read, discuss, and analyze works of general interest concerning science topics.

Critical Reading, Critical Writing

Writing-intensive seminars are offered to first-year students on various topics. These courses are designed to cultivate each student's powers of analysis, debate, and written argument, while engaging important writers, major thinkers, and significant cultural issues. Offerings have included Music and World Cultures, Selfhood and Community, Writing About Film, Southern Fiction, and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Gender. (** needs to be expanded to include topics preceding and following Fall 1997 offerings **)

Foreign Language

The study of foreign languages is at once an important discipline of mind, a practical necessity in an increasingly interdependent world, and an essential element in the understanding of other cultures. The College offers options in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Greek, and Latin, and requires that students study at least four semesters of the language of their choice.

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Academic Major

While completing the Common Curriculum, a student may choose to develop a more individualized program in one of the concentrations within the major in Liberal Arts, or may choose to pursue a traditional major.[3] Each student is assisted in this decision making process by an academic advisor within the Scholars' College.

The Liberal Arts Major

Some students may find that their interests are more broad than those involved in a traditional major, or that the traditional major does not quite suit their educational needs. For these students, Scholars' College offers the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts, along with a Masters of English obtained in only five years, [3] with six areas of concentration. The areas of concentration[3] are:

  • Fine and Performing Arts
  • Foreign Languages
  • Philosophy, Politics, and Law (formerly, History and Philosophy of Science)
  • Humanities and Social Thought
  • Scientific Inquiry
  • Classical Studies

The concentration allows the student, with the advice of a faculty member, to develop a cohesive course of study which has a common theme, but which may combine a number of disciplines. These are particularly apt for students who wish to pursue a profession such as a law or medicine, or who plan on attending graduate school.

Traditional Majors

A student may choose one of sixteen traditional majors[3] which include:

  • Accounting
  • Biology
  • Business Administration
  • Chemistry
  • Criminal Justice
  • Education
  • Electronic Engineering Technology
  • English
  • Fine and Graphic Arts
  • Health and Exercise Science
  • History
  • Industrial Engineering Technology
  • Music
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Theater
  • Unified Public Safety Administration

These majors are offered within the guidelines established by agreements with departments of NSU. Students must complete all requirements, or their equivalent, for this major as detailed in the NSU catalog, in addition to the Scholars' College Common Curriculum. In some cases, the student will be assigned an advisor within the appropriate NSU department in addition to his or her Scholars' College major advisor.

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Senior Colloquium

The Senior Colloquium, which extends over the entire senior year, examines some issue of contemporary concern, chosen collaboratively by the faculty of the College and the junior class. With a common list of important written works serving as points of departure, students in their senior year meet weekly for two hours to attend lectures and presentations by College and University faculty, outside speakers, and students of the class, followed by lively discussion. Topics are chosen on the basis of their significance and contemporary urgency, the disciplinary range they embrace, and the mutual interests of students and faculty. Past topics[4] have included:

  • Disease and Public Policy (1990–1991)
  • Liberty and the First Amendment (1991–1992)
  • Environmental Science, Environmental Policy: Local Issues and Global Concerns (1992–1993)
  • AIDS: Societal Changes and Cultural Impacts (1993–1994) (**Need additional confirmation for this title**)
  • Education for the Twenty-First Century: Needed Improvements (1994–1995)
  • Multiculturalism and American Society in the Global Economic Community (1995–1996)
  • Mediated Realities: the Media and National Values (1996–1997)
  • Crime and Punishment in the Modern World (1997–1998)
  • Science and Religion: The Scopes Trial and Its Consequences (1998–1999)
  • The Drug Culture: Pharmacology, Economics, and the Law (1999–2000)
  • The Nineties: A Critical Retrospective (2000–2001)
  • The Sixties (2001–2002)
  • Censorship: Who Judges the Judges Themselves? (2002–2003)
  • Religious Tolerance (2003–2004)
  • Sex and Society (2004–2005)
  • Unknown title for Pop culture topic (2005–2006)
  • Unknown title for Documentary films topic (2006–2007)
  • Unknown title for possible Drugs topic (2007–2008)
  • Food: Basic Necessity to Metaphoric Image (2008–2009)[5]
  • Topic unknown (2009–2010)
  • World Mythology (2010–2011)[6]
  • Unknown title for Gender studies topic (2011–2012)

After school year 2011–2012, Senior Colloquium was replaced by the one-credit course Liberal Arts in Practice.[7]

Thesis

Extending over the whole of the senior year, the thesis is the culmination of each student's work in his or her area of study. Though the thesis may vary in length and scope, each is to be a substantial work of scholarship, criticism, scientific research, or artistic execution. The student works with one or more faculty members and demonstrates his or her familiarity with the existing work in his or her field as well as their ability to carry out an extended research project. The thesis is presented to the College at the end of the senior year, and a bound copy is kept in the College's thesis room.

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Electives

All students complete electives depending on the hours remaining after completing either a major or the concentration. The College recommends that students select electives at the 3000-4000 level, either from the unique offerings of the College, or from other departments in the University.

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Campus Life

The Louisiana Scholars’ College Forum Council, the student-led "governing" body (much like SGA), hosts many food fairs throughout the year; these events invite students and teachers to cook in a shared potluck (very often, the food fairs are themed and have included vegetarian, international food, Halloween, and Christmas food fairs). Scholars' College students are also active in various NSU organizations, including Student Government Association, Student Activities Board, and many sororities and fraternities.

References
  1. "Louisiana Scholars' College".
  2. "Louisiana Scholars' College".
  3. "Louisiana Scholars' College".
  4. Titles for topics 1990–2005: https://web.archive.org/web/20070620182252/http://www.nsula.edu/scholars/Academics/colloquium.html
  5. Margaret Cochran: "The exact title was, 'FOOD: BASIC NECESSITY TO METAPHORICAL IMAGE.' November 8, 2011 at 12:56pm via Facebook post in Louisiana Scholars' College Alumni group
  6. Mathew Morrison: "2010-2011's formal title was 'World Mythology' according to my syllabus." September 8, 2013 at 11:51pm via Facebook post in Louisiana Scholars' College Alumni group
  7. Davina McClain: "And this will be the last year of Senior Colloquium as you knew it. The faculty voted to end it and replace it with a one-credit course on the Liberal Arts in Practice, a sort of re-orientation class for seniors." November 8, 2011 at 6:25pm via Facebook post in Louisiana Scholars' College Alumni group

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