i 1 N 'OS'. ii! m *f mwm^'j^i*^,. ^m^'^Vi' The Wellesley College Bulletin Academic Year 1983-84 . etin of Wellesley College (USPS 078-360) is published September, December, January, March, and May by Wellesley College, Green Hall, Wellesley, paid at MA 02181 . Second-class postage Boston, MA. Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Wellesley College Post Office, Green Hall, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 021 81 Catalog for 1983-84 The Wellesley CoUege Bulletin, Vol. 73, No. 1 Contents Academic Calendar 1983-1984 First Semester Second Semester SEPTEMBER JANUARY I.Thursday New students arrive 30, Monday Labor Day Orientation Weekend activities tor new students 3, Saturday Returning students arrive 6, Tuesday Classes begin 6, Tuesday Convocation OCTOBER 7, Friday Fall recess begins after classes 1 1 , Tuesday Fall recess ends NOVEMBER 23, Wednesday Thanksgiving recess begins (after classes) 27. Sunday Thanksgiving recess ends DECEMBER 9, Friday Classes end 10, Saturday Reading period begins 15, Thursday Examinations begin 21, Wednesday Examinations end (Noon) 17, Saturday Noexaminations 18. Sunday No examinations 21, Wednesday Christmas vacation begins (after examinations) JANUARY 3, Tuesday Christmas vacation ends 4. Wednesday Wintersession begins 25, Wednesday Wintersessionends Inquiries, Visits & Correspondence Wellesley welcomes inquiries and visits to the for greeting prospective students can also be College from prospective students, their made during vacation periods. Rooms for parents, and other interested individuals. For alumnae and for parents of students or pro- those who would like more detailed informa- spective students are available on the campus tion on many of the programs and opportuni- in the Wellesley College Club and may be re- ties described in this catalog, the College served by writing to the club manager. publishes of brochures and booklets. a number A prospective student who wishes to arrange publications, well answers to any These as as an interview with a member of the professional specific questions, may be obtained by writing staff of the Board of Admission should make to the appropriate office as listed. an appointment well in advance. For those would like to visit the College, who Student guides provide tours for visitors the administrative offices in Green Hall are without previous appointment. Visitors to the through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 open Monday College may call the Board of Admission prior p.m., and by appointment on Saturday morn- to their visit to arrange a mutually convenient ings during time. Special term arrangements time for the tour. President Registrar General interests of the College Transcripts of records Dean of the College Dean of Continuing Education Academic policies and programs Continuing education Dean of Students Director, Center for Women's Careers Student life Graduate school; employment, Advising, counseling general career counseling of Residence undergraduates and alumnae MIT cross registration Vice President for Financial and Business Exchange programs Affairs International students Business matters Study abroad Vice President for Resources Class Deans Gifts and bequests Individual students Executive Director, Alumnae Association Director of Admission Alumnae interests Admission of students Address Director of Financial Aid Wellesley College Financial aid, student employment; Wellesley, Massachusetts 02181 fellowships; student loans (617) 235-0320 Bursar College fees The College The College A student's years at Wellesley are the and the necessary self-confidence as an in- beginning — not the end — of an education. A dividual and as a woman to fulfill them. Above Wellesley College degree signifies not that the all, it is Wellesley's purpose to teach students graduate has memorized certain blocks of to apply knowledge wisely, and to use the ad- material, but that she has acquired the curiosi- vantages of talent and education to seek new ty, the desire, and the ability to seek and ways to serve the wider community. These are assimilate new information. Four years at a the elements of an education that can never women's college can provide the foundation grow old and can never become obsolete. for the widest possible horizon of ambitions. Wellesley is a college for the serious student, one pursuing interests that elsewhere might be seen who has high expectations for her intellectual life as more appropriate for men. They also take and for her career. Beyond this common courses and pursue interests with an emphasis ground, there is no Wellesley stereotype. on the lives and achievements of women, that Students at the College come from all over the elsewhere might not be available at all. The Col- world, from different cultures and backgrounds. lege has always encouraged women to make They have prepared for Wellesley at hundreds responsible choices, without regard for prevail- of different secondary schools; two-thirds of them ing convention. In the early part of this century, attended public secondary schools. Wellesley a woman choosing to become a physician would students are white, Black, Hispanic, American have been viewed as atypical. Today, it might Indian, and Asian-American. Through the Con- be equally unconventional for a Wellesley gradu- tinuing Education Program, a number of older ate to devote herself to a family and to volunteer women, many of whom are married and have activities. Either way, the women's college ex- children, are part of the student body working perience helps each student understand that she toward a Wellesley degree. Men and women has many choices, that she may set her own from other colleges and universities study at goals and strive to fulfill them in a way that is satis- Wellesley through various exchange programs. fying to her. This diversity of people and personalities is In recognition of the importance of studying made possible, in large part, by the College's the contribution of women to their world, the Col- continued ability to maintain an "aid-blind" ad- lege inaugurated a major in Women's Studies in mission policy. Students are accepted without 1 982. While the major concentration is new and reference to their ability to pay. Once admitted, presents many exciting opportunities, the in- those with demonstrated need receive financial vestigation of women's work and women's lives aid through a variety of services. Approximate- has been a respected part of academic life for ly 65% of the student body currently has finan- many years. The Wellesley College Center 4or cial help; about 42% of those receive aid direct- Research on Women, a policy-oriented research ly from the College. institution on campus was founded in 1 974 and Wellesley's founder, Henry Fowie Durant, was has produced much work of national importance an impassioned believer in educational oppor- about the role of women in contemporary tunity for women. Throughout its 108 year history society. Wellesley has been one of a handful of preemi- Wellesley is not, however, a community com- nent liberal arts colleges in the country, and, at posed only of women. Many members of the the same time, a distinguished leader in the faculty and administration are men, and through education of women. the various exchange programs there are always Wellesley has remained a women's college male students on campus. With Boston and because there are priceless advantages for the Cambridge, and their many educational institu- student. These advantages have increased in im- tions, only 35 minutes away, there is a wealth portance over the last twenty years, especially of opportunity for each student to enjoy the kind since women began entering the paid labor force of social life she desires. in large numbers. At a college for women, the In some respects, the liberal arts curriculum student is free to reflect upon herself as an in- at Wellesley, like the traditional commitment to dividual and as a scholar, without the encum- women, has changed little since the College was brance of stereotypes. As a result, students at founded. The constant features are the group- Wellesley find themselves taking courses and ing of disciplines into several broad areas and The College the requirement that each student sample widely The Twelve College Exchange Program from courses in each area. Consistent also is the brings men and women from other member New concept of the major- the opportunity for each England colleges to Wellesley for a semester or student, through concentrated study during her a year, and enables Wellesley students to live junior and senior years, to establish mastery in and study on another campus. The College also a single area. The College has adhered to this offers exchanges between Wellesley and Spel- framework because it emphasizes the building man College, a distinguished Black liberal arts blocks of a continuing education: the ability to college for women in Atlanta, Georgia, and Mills speak and write clearly, the knowledge to College, a women's college m Oakland, manage quantitative data with ease, the con- California. fidence to approach new material, the capacity Wellesley students are encouraged to spend to make critical judgments. Whatever the student a semester or a year abroad in programs at chooses to do with her life, these skills will be many institutions throughout the world. Limited essential. financial aid for study abroad is available through Within this traditional liberal arts framework, the several Wellesley funds. The Slater program Wellesley curriculum is dynamic, responsive to underwrites the cost of attending European in- social change and quick to incorporate new stitutions for a summer or academic year, and fields of study. The dramatic expansion of infor- It brings Slater Fellows from abroad to the mation of the last 20 years has led to an increas- Wellesley campus. The Waddell program pro- ingly interdisciplinary course of study. Single ma- vides funds for study in Caribbean countries or jors in traditional disciplines have been joined in Africa.