Academic Advising
At Wittenberg, we believe in independence with direction. You should have the opportunity to pursue your special interests and build on what you know you enjoy. However, we also believe you must gain insight into certain areas of knowledge if you are truly to be educated.
Additionally, with more than 800 courses and hundreds of other educational opportunities available, you deserve some help with designing an educational program that fits you best. For these reasons, academic advising is important at Wittenberg.
Your first adviser probably will be one of your professors during the first term of your initial year. From the vantage point of a teacher, your adviser can quickly evaluate your academic strengths and weaknesses, observe your personal learning style and determine your interests. Armed with this knowledge and an understanding of the various requirements and options at Wittenberg, your adviser can help you carve a path that suits your interests and meets your educational and personal needs.
Of course, not all advisers and advisees are a perfect fit. Therefore, Wittenberg makes it easy to choose another adviser once you have identified a special field or individual. Most upper-level students turn to professors within their major fields for advising
The University Honors Program
The Wittenberg Honors Program is intended to enhance the development of and provide support for a select group of outstanding students. The program brings students together in special and sometimes interdisciplinary seminars during their sophomore and junior years and affords mutual support as each student undertakes independent work culminating in a senior honors thesis or project within the major. The senior honors thesis/project allows the student the opportunity to experience the intellectual process of identifying a problem, question, topic or type of artistic expression; and then producing a significant piece of work in which he or she can take pride.
All recipients of the Smith scholarship and a select number of those awarded the Provost scholarship are automatically inducted into the program when they register for courses at the beginning of their freshman year. Other first- and second-year students are invited to apply for membership early in the spring semester every year, if they hold a 3.50 GPA. The process can vary somewhat from year to year, but always includes a substantial critical essay. Applicants are also rquired to provide the names of two professors familiar enough with their work to recommend them with confidence. Once admitted to the program, the student may take honors seminars, which satisfy a general education requirement.
Recent offerings include "In Search of the Holy Grail: Sex and Violence in Medieval Europe and Beyond," "Hitchcock's Cinema," "Comparative Religious Ethics," "Images of the Divine: The Sacred and the Literary Imagination," and "Scientific Progress and Public Policy." The objective is to bring small groups (each seminar is limited to 15 students) of honors students and faculty together to discuss challenging topics from different perspectives. The seminars are writing-intensive, and the participants rely heavily on class discussion, often presenting papers to the group.
To graduate with university honors, a student must maintain a 3.50 cumulative GPA, complete two honors seminars, secure permission from his or her department to undertake a senior thesis/project and satisfy any additional departmental requirements to qualify for graduation with departmental honors.
Program members frequently gather for conversation and socializing at the Matthies House, the campus home of the University Honors Program. Conveniently located on Woodlawn Avenue near Thomas Library, the Matthies House offers access to two comfortable study lounges, a kitchen with snack facilities and beverages, popular board games, a computer room with printers, network access and helpful reference books. Access is gained with use of the student’s ID card, so students can (and do) use the facilities around the clock. In addition, senior honors students have access to a secluded study lounge at Thomas Library, where they may work and store books or materials. Occasionally there are off-campus trips for films, concerts, exhibitions, plays, lectures or recreation. In the spring, the program hosts colloquia at which senior members of the program present summaries of their thesis/project work. Thus, the University Honors Program provides an extracurricular and academic community for exceptional students with varied academic talents and interests who share the desire for intellectual challenge and fellowship.
Departmental Honors
Departmental Honors are aimed at those students who could benefit from an in-depth exposure to the methodology of a field. Departmental Honors offer the student the opportunity to engage in a unified, scholarly project. The project includes a written component and an oral examination.
A student does not have to be a member of the Wittenberg University Honors Program to participate in Departmental Honors. In general, the student applies for Departmental Honors at the end of the junior year. The student should have a record of demonstrated high academic ability and self-discipline. In particular, the student needs a 3.50 cumulative GPA to be considered for Departmental Honors. In addition, the student should have demonstrated an advanced level of competence in the department of interest, which should include having completed half of the credits required for a major in that department. Some departments have additional requirements, which are noted later in the Academic Catalog in the descriptions of departments and programs of instruction.
After appropriate departmental evaluation of the proposal, a threeperson committee, chosen by the department, evaluates the completed project and conducts the oral examination. Ordinarily, one member of the committee serves as project supervisor. The student may undertake a project without enrolling for semester hours or may enroll in a project for up to 10 semester hours, which will be granted for a satisfactory project, whether or not Departmental Honors are awarded. Upon the recommendation of the project committee, the student is awarded Departmental Honors at graduation. See “Academic Policies and Procedures” for details.
Interdepartmental Honors
Like Departmental Honors, Interdepartmental Honors are designed for students to engage in an in-depth academic project that exceeds the normal course of study in their chosen area of interest. Interdepartmental Honors follow the same guidelines as those for Departmental Honors. The student needs a 3.50 cumulative GPA to be considered for Interdepartmental Honors. In addition, the student should have demonstrated an advanced level of competence in the interdepartmental area of interest, which should include having completed half of the credits required for the interdepartmental major.
After appropriate evaluation of the proposal by the three-person committee created to supervise the interdepartmental major, this same committee evaluates the completed written project and conducts the oral examination. Typically, one member of the committee serves as project supervisor. The student may undertake a project without enrolling for credit hours or may enroll in the project for up to 10 semester hours, which will be granted for a satisfactory project, whether or not the Interdepartmental Honors are awarded. Upon the recommendation of the committee, the student is awarded Interdepartmental Honors at graduation.
Independent Study
A student may take a course by independent study. An independent study is viewed as an “adventure in scholarship.” In most cases an independent study involves an in-depth look at a topic introduced in a current course or a study of a topic not covered by a current course offering. A student who wishes to take a course by independent study should consult both the professor who logically would be the study supervisor and his or her faculty adviser.
Pre-Medicine and Other Health Professions
Wittenberg offers programs of study that prepare students for medical, dental, nursing, optometry and veterinary school, and has a cooperative program in occupational therapy with the School of Medicine of Washington University in St. Louis, and in nursing with the Johns Hopkins University and Case Western Reserve University.
Wittenberg is firmly committed to providing support and guidance to those preparing for post-graduate study leading to careers in any of the health professions. Consequently, all such students are advised not only by their regular academic advisers in their major departments, but also by a special Pre-Health Professions adviser. The students have organized a Pre-Health Professions Club, which is active in hosting speakers and organizing informational seminars for interested students. The university’s Career Center and the Community Workshop, as well as the Assistant Provost for Off-Campus Programs, provide internship and volunteer service opportunities specially designed for students interested in the health professions.
Other Pre-Professional Programs
Wittenberg’s liberal arts and sciences curriculum provides excellent preparation for professional careers in law, theology, engineering and accounting, among others. There are specially designated pre-law, preengineering and pre-theological advisers for students interested in those fields.
Computing
Wittenberg's commitment to quality and technology reaches into nearly every aspect of campus life. State-of-the-art equipment is in place, in process, or in the planning stage to ensure that Wittenberg students receive the best of new and traditional means of education. In support of that goal, networked classrooms with a Windows workstation, overhead projection system, DVD and VCR and external video ports are available for both instruction and student presentation. Video projects and presentations alike enable students in any discipline to present ideas creatively.
To further enhance students' ability to connect with others in the Wittenberg community, both wired and wireless technology is available in common areas in campus buildings, including the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center, Hollenbeck Hall, and other locations.
Many Wittenberg departments make specialized use of computing technology and several of these are described below:
Languages
The multimedia foreign language lab is equipped with Windows workstations allowing students to speak, read and write in the languages taught at Wittenberg . There are programs to aid vocabulary, grammar and reading skills, and software for composition. In the lab, the computers are networked in a manner that allows the instructor to arrange students in small groups or an integrated whole. The language authoring programs allow faculty to write special exercises to help students work on specific problems. Faculty use foreign language news programs and movies to construct speaking and listening exercises that help students stay informed about current events in countries of interest to them while improving their language skills.
Chemistry
The Chemistry Department uses computers beginning with introductory chemistry and continuing through advanced courses and research. The computational chemistry lab uses programs that calculate and display molecular shape, model chemical reactions, and calculate various atoms and molecular parameters. By the time they graduate, chemistry students are well versed in the many uses of computers in and out of the lab.
Wittenberg currently has over 50 computers in the Chemistry Department and all courses offered by the department incorporate computers. Students are instructed in data acquisition, data analysis, use of spreadsheets, state-of-the-art computational chemistry, and Computer Assisted Instruction in the form of several tutorial programs. All computers are networked and have access to the Internet and World Wide Web. A 30 Opteron parallel processor computing cluster and high performance graphics workstations are available for advanced modeling and simulations of chemical systems. Technology in the lab is not limited to using computers. Instruments in the department include:
- Fourier Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer. This instrument allows for the detailed analysis of the structure of organic molecules
- Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrophotometer – This diode array instrument analyzes the electronic absorption of molecules in solution. In addition to simple absorption spectra, a temperature-controlled housing allows for the examination of kinetics data.
- Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry – This instrument separates complex mixtures of molecules and identifies substances by measuring the molecular weight and fragmentation analysis of each molecule. This is the kind of instrument commonly used in a wide variety of analytical labs across the country including forensic analysis by the FBI and drug-screening at the Olympics.
- Infrared Spectrometer – IR spectroscopy is widely used in both organic and inorganic chemistry to examine the vibration of atoms within molecules. This kind of analysis is a diagnostic for the internal structure of the molecule.
- High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph – HPLC is another very common method of separating complex mixtures. These instruments see heavy use in the pharmaceutical industry in the analysis of new drugs and their metabolites.
- Electrophoresis – Electrophoresis equipment is used for the separation and analysis of proteins and amino acids in biochemistry.
- Atomic Absorption Spectrometer – Atomic absorption spectroscopy is used to detect the presence and amount of metal atoms in very dilute solutions. It is widely used in labs that analyze the purity of water.
- Laser lab – A Nd:YAG laser and a Helium-Neon (HeNe) laser, used to study photochemical reactions.
- Electrochemistry workstation – Electrochemical experiments are used for the analysis of very low concentrations of species in solution and for studying electron transfer reactions relevant to corrosion, neurochemistry or fuel cells.
- Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) – Allows the user to image the surface of a material on the nanometer scale. Chemical reactions can be studied at the atomic level using this instrument.
- Fiber Optic Spectrometer – The department owns two fiber optic UV/Vis spectrometers. One is a low-resolution instrument used to measure the emission of atoms as well as the electronic absorption of molecules in solution. The other instrument is a high-resolution unit and is used to investigate electronic and vibrational excitation of molecules.
Geology
Geology students use the departmental Microcomputing and Imaging Laboratory through all levels of the curriculum. Facilities include Windows workstation PCs, a scanner, a digitizing table and specialized geologic software. The creation of maps and presentation graphics, the simulation of geological processes, visualization of crystal shapes and 3-D atomic structures of minerals, information retrieval, data analysis and writing programs are available to students. In analytical laboratories, geology majors use computers to control instruments (X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope, and EDS chemical analyzer) and analyze data.
The newest addition to the Geology area is The National Science Foundation - Geographic Information Systems (NSF-GIS) laboratory. This resource enables faculty and students in the natural and social sciences and education to address the dual role of geographic information systems (GIS) - learning about GIS and learning with GIS. A GIS is a combination of hardware, software, and databases that allow for spatial analysis of the data. Recent advances in GIS technology, specifically the menu-driven processes associated with data input, management, manipulation, analysis and output, have created an ideal environment to improve instruction of GIS theory and methodology within geography while at the same time facilitating its use and application in appropriate disciplines and interdisciplinary programs in the natural and social sciences.
Mathematics and Computer Science
Faculty members in the Depatment of Mathematics and Computer Science make heavy use of computing technology beginning with introductory courses and continuing through upper level courses. Many computer science classes meet in computer labs where hands-on computer usage is incorporated into the classroom activities. Likewise, mathematics courses make use of graphing calculators in class; some upper level courses go on to incorporate the use of algebraic software systems like Mathematica©. Courses in probability and statistics are taught in a computer classroom/lab to take advantage of specialized software for stochastic modeling and data analysis. For advanced computational projects, students have access to Wittenberg's Advanced Reserach Processor (WARP) cluster or can access supercomputers at off-site locations.
Physics
Physics students at all levels use computers and specialized software to gather and analyze data and to model and visualize physical processes. The department has several laboratories with a wide variety of computer-controlled instrumentation, including digital video cameras and video capture cards, as well as a high-speed video camera (up to 10,000 frames per second). The instrumentation in these labs is used for student projects and research as well as for teaching physics. Other major facilities and equipment that are used for student/faculty research and teaching at Wittenberg include:
• A laboratory for research into electromagnetic wave propagation and scattering. High-speed data acquisition is performed using a National Instruments PXI development system with real-time embedded controller and dual-channel 100-Msample/sec analog to digital converter. A 16-bit 40-MS/sec arbitrary function generator allows generation of novel waveforms for applications such as radio frequency virtual-instrument development and radar investigations. Real-time and off-line data processing is conducted using both LabView and MATLAB.
• A laboratory for investigation of phenomena at the interface between nuclear and atomic physics. Work in this lab is carried out with a variety of equipment including diode lasers and optics, high vacuum equipment, and particle and optical detectors. Modeling and analysis make use of Wittenberg's 30-node parallel processing cluster.
• A scanning electron microscope with x-ray analysis capability, for imaging and characterizing the elemental composition of small objects.
• A 400,000 Volt Cockcroft-Walton positive ion accelerator, a basic tool for studies in nuclear and atomic physics an dmaterials studies.
• Elgar Weaver Observatory, home of a newly refurbished 10-inch refracting telescope that is equipped with a CCD camera and spectrometer for obtaining images and spectra of astronomical objectives.
• In addition, there are several other laboratories for studying an extensive range of physical phenomena. These include an optics laboratory equipped with a Michelson interferometer, grating monochromator, a 3-m optical spectrometer, lasers, and auxiliary equipment, and an electronics laboratory equipped with digital oscilloscopes and function generators. Software for electronic circuit analysis and circuit board design is available.
Education
The Department of Education provides all elementary and secondary education students with experience in the instructional applications of computers. In the department's Macintosh laboratory, elementary education students learn to program and to use software designed specifically for elementary age school children. More importantly, the instructors maintain a commitment to technological competence, valuing the wide variety of technologies that aid learning. Wittenberg wants teachers to emerge from our program with proficiencies in using both the older and the newer tools they will find in their classrooms. Wittenberg is also committed to teaching our students about the psychological, social, political and ideological impact of these tools on education – so that they understand how the tools used for learning help determine not only how much is learned, but what is valued and how one thinks.
Geography
Students of geography learn to read, make, and interpret maps. They learn not only where places are, but how maps construct particular meanings about places. While Cartography is as old as geography itself, modern geographers have developed new computer-age tools to assist analysis. Along with computer cartography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is sophisticated computer analysis of spatial data. The GIS "revolution" has spread beyond Geography so that almost all fields of knowledge utilize GIS! GIS has many practical applications, including locating optimal business sites given multiple spatial criteria, land use planning, assessing environmental change over time, and predicting weather patterns.
A GIS lab is available in Carnegie for small class projects. Students taking GIS classes in Geography use the National Science Foundation - Geographic Information Systems (NSF-GIS) laboratory in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center. Facilities in the Kuss Science Center include Windows workstation PCs, a scanner, a digitizing table, and ARC GIS and other GIS software.
Psychology
Psychology students use computer labs for test item analysis, simulations, modeling, automated data processing of electrophysiological measures, and editing, analyzing and evaluating psychological data. A sophisticated, modern research computer dedicated entirely to psychological research by faculty and students controls modular equipment for the study of animal and human behavior. The physiological laboratory holds a large array of sophisticated equipment, including stimulation and recording devices for the study of electrophysiological responses and eating behavior. A third laboratory is devoted to the study of elementary learning processes in animals.
Music
Composer and Wittenberg alumnus John M. Chowning (BM '59) provided generous assistance for the Music Department's computer lab. The lab primarily supports students of composition in their studio work and music production but is used for teaching music technology to other students as well.
Six workstations are equipped with Macintosh computers, MIDI keyboards, headphones, and software for notation, sequencing, word processing, ear training, and music theory. The lab has an array of hardware synthesizers by Kurzweil, Yamaha, and Roland, as well as a MIDI wind controller, a theremin, and tools for composing for video. Students can use programs such as FInale for music notation, Digital Performer for sequencing and arranging, plus such open-sourc software such as Csound, so composers can study software synthesis for music composition and sound design and may produce their works on CD or DVD.
Recent additions to the technology lab include an 11 x 17 laser printer, a well-equipped Power Mac G5 computer with software sampling, orchestral instrument sound libraries for high-quality arranging and music production, and an audio interface for recording.
The Music Department's 16-unit Kurzweil keyboard lab was made possible through a gift from the Rev. Harold Figley in memory of his wife, Evelyn (BM, '52). The student unit is the Kurzweil RG-200, which features an 88-note keyboard with 10 preset sounds, a weighted key with seven levels of user-selectable touch, a 6,000-note sequencer with four non-volatile song memory locations, and a built-in variable-speed metronome. The instructor's unit is the Kurzweil Mark 10, an 88-key digital piano with 86 sounds, which features auto accompaniment, an 8-track sequencer, 32 preset musical styles, and a 130 watt/4-channel sound system. The Mark 10 also contains a 3.5" disk drive, so that scores created with software in the Music and Technology lab can be performed in the Keyboard lab.
The Figley Computer Lab consists of three Power Macintosh computers. Two of the workstations have a keyboard/synthesizer attached to them and are set up for ear-training with the MacGamut® and Musica Practica ear-training software. The lab has a total of two synthesizers: one Korg X5 and one Yamaha PSR-320.
Two music studios are equipped with the SmartMusic accompaniment system that allows students to practice and to play with a synthesized accompaniment. These stations have on-line access to hundreds of accompaniments.
LEAD/@witt@home ( School of Community Education)
The School of Community Education offers courses through the @witt/@home course format, combining limited campus meetings and interactive web-supported activities. Courses structured in this mode bring to working adults the best of both the classroom encounter and the convenience of individualized on-line work.
Even if students live some distance from Springfield and have the hyper-busy and "irregular" schedule that typifies the contemporary working man or woman, @witt/@home makes the Wittenberg experience a very real choice - without the sacrifice in learning quality that can occur in on-line programs. The @witt/@home courses have the same enrollment limits as our traditional campus courses. Classes typically meet four to eight times over a semester, with variances reflecting credit value, and incorporate guided readings and asynchronous interactive activities with instructors and classmates at home or at work.
Thomas Library
The library makes extensive use of network technology, especially the World Wide Web. The library's online catalog, EZRA, allows users to search for books, journals, media and other materials held in the library; it also links to the OhioLINK Catalog, which provides similar information for library resources at college and university libraries throughout Ohio . Students, faculty and staff can have OhioLINK materials sent to Wittenberg in just a few days.
In addition to the online catalogs, the library web site provides users access to online journal indexes as well as a great deal of full text content. Other library functions are also online. Most reserve readings are now scanned and available through an Electronic Reserve system that allows any number of classmates to do assigned reading simultaneously, at any hour and from any computer with Internet access.
In addition to the two computer labs available in the library, campus users can also connect their own computers to the Wittenberg network via WittConnect in library study areas.
Urban Studies
The Urban Studies program is enriched by a number of opportunities. Students can study the City of Moscow with a geographer and political scientist before and during a visit. They can join a group of students and a political scientist and/or economist in a U.S. city during the summer for a mixture of courses and internships in that city’s government. Some turn an internship in Springfield city government into a long-term placement and even a career. Others do study visits to cities in Europe that are Sister Cities of Springfield. GIS (Geographic Information Systems) students usually complete projects of direct application to the City of Springfield. In addition, students majoring in geography may select an urban planning track within the geography program.
Africana Studies
Africana Studies is the study, research, interpretation, and dissemination of knowledge concerning African American, African, and Caribbean affairs and culture. Because Africana Studies embraces a wide spectrum of experiences and issues, the program is multi- and interdisciplinary in its approach. Students can choose courses among many disciplines: English, history, sociology, music, geography, religion, political science, Spanish, and theatre and dance. Each year the program offers opportunities and information about study trips to Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe.
Environmental Studies
Students enrolled at Wittenberg have several options to explore and to develop their interests in the environment. An environmental studies minor enables students to complement a traditional major with an environmental focus. Through individualized course selection, the minor allows students the breadth to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of environmental issues or problems. An environmental focus is also available to students majoring in biology, geography and geology. In addition, Wittenberg participates in a cooperative program with the Duke University School of the Environment, through which students may attend Wittenberg for three years and then complete a master’s degree at Duke.
International Studies
Along with the wide array of courses on non-western cultures in Wittenberg’s General Education program, several academic departments offer courses or formal programs of study for students interested in deeper knowledge of international issues and western and non-western cultures. Wittenberg offers a formal, interdepartmental program in Global Studies and provides instruction in six modern foreign languages (Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish), as well as in Latin and Greek. Ample opportunity is provided to study foreign literatures and cultures in translation and, for students interested in western Europe, culture emphasis minors are available in French and German.
Wittenberg also offers interdepartmental majors in both East Asian Studies and Russian Area Studies. The East Asian Studies Journal, published by students, is the only undergraduate publication in the country devoted to this region of the world, and it attracts submissions from colleges across the United States. The East Asian Studies Journal has been published annually since 1975.
The Russian Area Studies Program, through its class on Local Politics and Urban Planning: Moscow, offers opportunities for students to pursue original field research in Russia. Several students have presented original research papers from this experience at professional meetings and have won prizes at the meetings for their work.
Engineering
Wittenberg offers its students the opportunity to participate in binary engineering programs (commonly referred to as “3-2” programs) with three schools of engineering. Although Wittenberg does not confer a bachelor’s degree in engineering, the binary programs make it possible for a Wittenberg student to earn both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wittenberg and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from one of the participating schools.
A student participating in one of the college’s binary programs spends three years at Wittenberg and, typically, two years at an engineering school. The student completes Wittenberg’s general education requirements and the requirements for a major (usually in physics) during the first three years and then completes the requirements for the engineering program at the engineering school.
Schools currently participating in the “3-2” program include the Fu Foundation School of Engineering of Columbia University, The Case Institute of Technology of Case Western Reserve University, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Graduating with More than One Major
A student completing more than one major will receive one degree with all majors listed in the official transcript. In the case of a student who completes more than one major in two separate degree programs (e.g. the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science), all majors will be listed in the transcript, but the student will choose the degree to be awarded. (The choice of the degree cannot be changed after Commencement.)
If a student has completed the requirements of graduating with two degrees from Wittenberg University, the student will receive two degrees with all majors listed in the official transcript.
Graduating with More than One Degree Earned at Wittenberg University
A student successfully completing a major in the Bachelor of Science degree or the Bachelor of Music degree or the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or the Bachelor of Music Education degree programs may not receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in the same major.
While completing all requirements for a baccalaureate degree at Wittenberg, a student may qualify for a second baccalaureate degree by:
A student who already has a baccalaureate degree from Wittenberg University or from another accredited college or university may apply to Wittenberg for the purpose of obtaining a second baccalaurate degree. The requirements for obtaining such a degree shall include:
Note: These guidelines do not address the dual degree programs Wittenberg University offers in cooperation with other institutions, e.g., Engineering and Occupational Therapy.
Graduating with a Self-designed Major
A student may graduate with a self-designed major (known as “interdepartmental major”) only in the Bachelor of Arts degree program. Wittenberg’s intensive degree programs (i.e., B.S., B.M., B.F.A., and B.M.E.) are chartered by the Board of Regents according to the curricular plan of each.