>> first year overview

Students are required for graduation to complete fourteen three-credit courses; four courses (12 credits) must be taken in Art and Architectural History (ARTH), three courses (9 credits) in English (ENGL) and three courses (9 credits) in History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences (HPSS). The remaining four courses (12 credits) may be taken as electives in any of the above areas or from a pool of other courses which carry Liberal Arts Elective (LAEL) credit.

As part of the distribution requirements outlined above, all undergraduate students who enter as freshmen must satisfactorily complete a two-semester sequence in Art and Architectural History (ARTH H101/ARTH H102). Transfer students must complete ARTH H101 and may use any elective cours in Art History to substitute for ARTH H102. All students are required to satisfactorily complete English Composition and Literature (ENGL E101) or, with the permission of the English Department Head, its equivalent. This course is a prerequisite for all further elective study in liberal arts and therefore should be taken during the freshman year.

All students are required to complete HPSS S101, History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences (Topics). Transfer students admitted with credit in history, philosophy or the social sciences may be permitted to substitute these credits for S101. Successful completion of S101 is a prerequisite for further study in the department of HPSS.

To enable students to satisfy their Liberal Arts graduation requirements, the Division of Liberal Arts offers more than 250 course per year. These courses include:

Courses in Art History and Architectural History
introductory courses: Introduction to Art History (ARTH H101) and Topics in Art History (ARTH H102)
histories of European/American art and design
histories of non-western art and design
thematic courses
independent study

Courses in English
English Composition and Literature (ENGL E101)
writing workshops in fiction, poetry and nonfiction
thematic, comparative, and interdisciplinary electives
independent study

Courses in History, Philosophy and Social Science (HPSS)
Freshman Writing Seminars
courses in history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology
area studies courses
independent study

Liberal Arts Electives
culture and film courses
histories of study areas
theater courses
interdisciplinary courses
scienc and math courses
courses in preliminary academic English

Students may also satisfy their Liberal Arts requirements by taking courses at Brown University or transferring up to four courses from another accredited institution (with a grade of “C” or better).