1 Contents College Calendar . 2 General Information A History of Vassar College . 5 Academic Life . 7. Physical Resources . 10 Student Services and Activities . 17. Admission . 25. Fees . 29. Financial Aid . 34 Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar College (AAVC) . 42 Academic Information Degrees and Courses of Study . 44. Preparation for Graduate Study . 63 Instruction 2007/2008 . 65 Departments and Programs of Instruction . 67 College Organization Board of Trustees . 375. Administration . 376. Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar College . 288 Faculty . 389. Degree Programs . 408. Index . 409. For the college website and the catalogue online, please refer to: www .vassar .edu 6 - - , 2007/08 Catalogue printed on recycled paper 2 Calendar 2007/08 Vacations, recesses, and holidays are shown in underlined figures . JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 1 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 1 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 27 28 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 APRIL MAY JUNE S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 27 28 29 30 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 Although Vassar College has no religious affiliations, it does respect the observance of religious holy days by members of the college community . Academic Calendar 3 Fall Semester, 2007/08 August 13 Monday Last day for payment of first semester fees 25 Saturday Residence houses open at 9:00 am for new students only . All new students arrive before 2:00 pm for beginning of orientation week . First board meal is lunch . 28 Tuesday Residence houses open at 9:00 am for all other students . 30 Thursday Classes begin Registration of Special Students September 5 Wednesday Fall Convocation at 3:30 pm 12 Wednesday Add period Ends 29 Saturday- Freshmen Parents Weekend 30 Sunday October 12 Friday Drop period ends 12 Friday- October Break begins at 5:00 pm 21 Sunday October Break ends at midnight November 5-16 Monday- Preregistration for Spring, 2008 Friday 21 Wednesday - Thanksgiving recess begins at 5:00 pm 25 Sunday Thanksgiving recess ends at midnight December 7 Friday First semester classes end 8-12 Saturday - Study period Wednesday 13-19 Thursday - First semester examinations Wednesday 20 Thursday Residence houses close at 9:00 am . Last board meal is breakfast Second Semester, 2007/08 January 14 Monday Last day for payment of second semester fees 19 Saturday Residence houses open at 9:00 am . New students arrive . First board meal is lunch . 23 Wednesday Second semester classes begin . Registration of special students . February 5 Tuesday Add period ends . March 7 Friday Drop period ends 7 Friday Spring vacation begins at 5:00 pm 8 Saturday Residence houses close at 9:00 am . Last board meal is breakfast 23 Sunday Spring vacation ends at midnight . Residence houses open at 9:00 am on Saturday (22nd) . First board meal is lunch on Saturday, March 22nd April 7-18 Monday - Preregistration for Fall, 2008 Friday 11-13 Friday- All Parents Weekend Sunday 30 Wednesday Spring Convocation at 3:30 pm May 6 Tuesday Second semester classes end 7-13 Wednesday- Study period Tuesday 14-20 Wednesday- Second semester examinations Tuesday 21 Wednesday Residence houses close at 9:00 am (except seniors) 25 Sunday 144th Commencement . Residence houses close at 9:00 am on Monday, May 26 (for seniors) June 6-8 Friday- Vassar College Reunions Sunday 4 Academic Calendar Four-Year Calendar, 2007/08-2010/11 First Semester 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 Classes Begin 8/30 (Thur) 9/2 (Tue) 8/31 (Mon) 8/30 (Mon) October Break: Begins 5:00 p .m . 10/12 (Fri) 10/17 (Fri) 10/16 (Fri) 10/15 (Fri) Ends Midnight 10/21 (Sun) 10/26 (Sun) 10/25 (Sun) 10/24 (Sun) Thanksgiving: Begins 5:00 p .m . 11/21 (Wed) 11/26 (Wed) 11/25 (Wed) 11/24 (Wed) Ends Midnight 11/25 (Sun) 11/30 (Sun) 11/29 (Sun) 11/28 (Sun) Classes End 12/7 (Fri) 12/10 (Wed) 12/9 (Wed) 12/8 (Wed) Study Period: Begin 12/8 (Sat) 12/11 (Thur) 12/10 (Thur) 12/9 (Thur) End 12/12 (Wed) 12/14 (Sun) 12/13 (Sun) 12/12 (Sun) Final Exams: Begin 12/13 (Thur) 12/15 (Mon) 12/14 (Mon) 12/13 (Mon) End 12/19 (Wed) 12/19 (Fri) 12/18 (Fri) 12/17 (Fri) Second Semester Classes Begin 1/23 (Wed) 1/21 (Wed) 1/20 (Wed) 1/19 (Wed) Spring Break: Begins 5:00 p .m . 3/7 (Fri) 3/6 (Fri) 3/5 (Fri) 3/4 (Fri) Ends Midnight 3/23 (Sun) 3/22 (Sun) 3/21 (Sun) 3/20 (Sun) Classes End 5/6 (Tue) 5/5 (Tue) 5/4 (Tue) 5/3 (Tue) Study Period: Begin 5/7 (Wed) 5/6 (Wed) 5/5 (Wed) 5/4 (Wed) End 5/13 (Tue) 5/12 (Tue) 5/11 (Tue) 5/10 (Tue) Final Exams: Begin 5/14 (Wed) 5/13 (Wed) 5/12 (Wed) 5/11 (Wed) End 5/20 (Tue) 5/19 (Tue) 5/18 (Tue) 5/17 (Tue) Commencement 5/25 (Sun) 5/24 (Sun) 5/23 (Sun) 5/22 (Sun) Note: No classes on Labor Day beginning in 2008 . General Information 5 General Information Carlisle Stockton A wildly enthusiastic crowd of students welcomed Vassar’s new president, Catharine Bond Hill, at “Cappy and the Chocolate Factory,” a dessert extravaganza including two chocolate fondue fountains, a candy wall, cotton candy, and 14 cakes – one for each residence hall. A History of Vassar College A pioneer for women’s education and liberal arts education in the United States, Matthew Vassar founded Vassar College in 1861 . Opening its doors to its first class of 353 students paying $350 for tuition and “residence” on September 26, 1865, the college offered young women a liberal arts education equal to that of the best men’s colleges of the day . Coeducational since 1969, Vassar College set the standard for higher education for women for more than 100 years and now sets the standard for true coeduca tion . Recognized as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country, Vassar has successfully fulfilled its founder’s goals . An English-born brewer and businessman, Matthew Vassar established his college in Poughkeepsie, New York, a small city on the Hudson River, 75 miles north of New York City . Soon after opening its doors, Vassar gained a reputation for intellectual rigor that led to the founding of the first chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at a women’s college . For the first time, women were offered courses in art history, physical educa- tion, geology, astronomy, music, mathematics, and chemistry, taught by the leading scholars of the day . From the beginning, the Vassar curriculum was character ized by boldness, breadth, and flexibility, and Vassar graduates were recognized as a “breed apart” for their indepen- dence of thought and their inclination to “go to the source” in search of answers . The Vassar approach to learning was shaped by faculty members such as noted astronomer Maria Mitchell, the first woman to be elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Frederick Louis Ritter, one of America’s first historians of music .