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Independent Study/Tutorial faqs
An Independent Study is a 3-credit hour project designed by the student working under the guidance of a faculty member or other individual. There are several different ways to satisfy the Independent Study requirement including, but not limited to: working one-on-one with the faculty member or other individual to study a topic in depth; doing research with a faculty member either at the College of Charleston, MUSC or elsewhere; undertaking a directed reading of the literature on a topic; completing a creative project; student teaching; or, in some cases, if certain requirements are met, completing a meaningful internship. Only for-credit Independent Studies satisfy the Honors College requirement. When is an Independent Study done? The Independent Study is usually done in the Fall or Spring semester of the Junior year. Most students are better prepared to do an Independent Study in the second semester of their Junior year as they will have completed one more semester of classes and have come in contact with more professors from their area of interest. Can an Independent Study be done over the summer? Yes, Independent Studies, internships and research can be completed over the summer but only if faculty advisors are willing to direct them. For Independent Studies undertaken during the summer, the student must register for it and pay tuition. Scholarships do not apply for summer school tuition. Students are encouraged to apply for College of Charleston summer research funds to offset some of the costs. For more information on summer research funds and other College of Charleston undergraduate research funds, visit http://www.cofc.edu/ur. How does a student begin the process of doing an Independent Study? Students should begin by identifying a topic on which to work and a professor to direct their Independent Study. They should start talking to the professor about doing this no later than the semester before they wish to undertake it. It is imperative to start the process of finding someone to do an Independent Study with early! Most departments and professors have only a limited number of Independent Studies they can do in any given semester and will make commitments to work with the students who approach them first. What is the process of enrolling in an Independent Study? The Application for Individual Enrollment form is available online at the Registrar’s webpage and in the Honors Center. Fill out this form, which includes a short description of the project. The student, the faculty member or other advisor, and the department chair sign the form. The form is then taken by the department or student (this varies from one department to another) to the Registrar’s Office where a section is created for it. The Registrar will enroll the student in the independent study. Keep a copy of this form for yourself and give one to the Honors College. In the case of HONS 399, Dr. Newell will sign the form and the student will bring it to the Registrar’s Office. Why are some Independent Studies done as Honors Independent Studies and some done in an academic department? Does either one fulfill the Honors College Independent Study requirement? Enrolling in an Honors Independent Study may occur when the topic is interdisciplinary and straddles several departments, when it is being done with a professor not in the department of the student’s major or minor, or when it is being done with an off-campus person. In these cases, the student can ask to be enrolled in an Honors Independent Study. The student should make an appointment to meet with Dr. Newell to talk about enrolling in an Honors Independent Study. He will not act as the student’s advisor but will enroll the student in the Independent Study and submit the grade given to him by the advisor. Students should have identified an advisor and have a good idea about how they plan to complete the Independent Study before meeting with Dr. Newell. An Independent Study or Tutorial done in the major or minor or in Honors fulfills the Honors College requirement for an Independent Study. Can the Independent Study be done with someone other than a CofC faculty member? Yes, it is possible to work with someone at MUSC or elsewhere off campus. However, a faculty member from the College of Charleston must enroll the student in the Independent Study and submit the grade. The involvement of the CofC person can be limited to just those two tasks, but the student must have the signature approval of a CofC faculty member who will do this. Is a written paper always required for the Independent Study? No, the Independent Study does not have to culminate in a written paper, but your advisor may want one. The final product is dependent on what the student and the advisor have agreed upon and, in some cases, there may not be a final paper. However, in the case of student teaching and internships, many departments, including those being done in Honors, require that the student keep a journal of the experience and do some relevant reading on the topic. Can an internship count as the Independent Study? A student may petition the Honors College to allow a quality internship to fulfill the Independent Study requirement. The Petition to Use an Internship to Satisfy the Honors College 3-Credit Hour Independent Study Requirement form should be completed and submitted to the Honors College after the completion of the internship. In addition to the hours and tasks students perform at their internships and whatever else their advisor requires, the Honors College additionally requires students to keep a daily journal that: (1) describes what they did and learned in their internship; (2) reflects on how their coursework did or did not prepare them for the experience; and (3) describes and reflects on current professional literature that they are reading on the area of their internship. Students should check with their departments to find out if their Independent Study will count as credit towards the major or the minor. |