Although the pre-registration period for next semester has already passed at Bryn Mawr, it’s never too late to start thinking about future semesters. Bryn Mawr and Haverford offer a wide range of liberal arts courses in areas ranging from computer science and astronomy to comparative literature and international studies. I’ve probably spent hours on Bryn Mawr’s Fields of Study page scouring course offerings and major requirements.
Although many interesting courses are offered in the Bi-Co, you might want to switch it up and take a class that’s not so traditional. I’ve outlined some ways you can do that as a Bryn Mawr student. If any of these interest you, reach out to your dean for more information!
- Take a class in the Quaker Consortium
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As one of the four schools in the Quaker Consortium, Bryn Mawr students can take classes at Swarthmore College and the University of Pennsylvania in addition to Bryn Mawr and Haverford. While Penn has suspended the Quaker Consortium during the pandemic to limit interaction, Swarthmore classes are still open to Bi-Co students.
- Praxis
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A Praxis course is similar to getting school credit for an internship, but more academically involved. In a praxis course, you will need to find some sort of fieldwork component. This can be something like an internship or a volunteer position. Then, you can either find a professor who is willing to work with you to develop some sort of course structure and readings to situate your experience in an academic context, or you can explore praxis fieldwork seminars, which are small seminars of students who are all doing praxis. Praxis can be a good way to complete an internship during the semester without becoming overwhelmed. It’s also an interesting way to see how your academic interests align with real work.
- 360° Course Clusters
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A 360° Course Cluster is 2-3 classes you take simultaneously that focus on a specific theme. In the past, there have been courses centered around Eco-Literacy, Arts of Resistance, and many more. When there’s not a global pandemic, there are usually fieldwork components. 360°s have gone on fall and spring break trips to Greece, Germany, Belize and many other destinations. It’s a fantastic way to examine a subject from a multidisciplinary lens.