Division I Requirements

To complete Division I, students must satisfactorily complete seven academic courses and the Community-Engaged Learning requirement. Of the seven, three may be Five College courses carrying three or more credits graded C or better; one may be a combination of two dance technique courses; and one may be a Special Project. Students also write a retro-spective essay to reflect on the trajectory of their learning experience in Division I.

Note that courses labeled Co-curricular on TheHub such as OPRA courses may not be used to fulfill Division I course requirements, although OPRA courses may be used to fulfill CEL-1 hours.

Students are required to enroll in a Division I seminar. Each of these seminars is linked with an urgent challenge as defined by one of our Learning Collaboratives and contains a substantial exploration of how processes of racialization inform specific disciplines, fields and methodologies.  Exposure to curricular areas including the sciences, culture and human experience, the arts and design, and race and power are built into the transdisciplinary approaches of Division I seminars. Because of this, there are no additional course requirements in the first year other than completing at least six additional elective courses based on student interests.

In addition to the seven courses, students must complete the Community-Engaged Learning requirement (CEL-1). Community Engaged Learning (CEL-1) must total a minimum of 40 hours. Of these, 10 must focus on race and power and the other 30 can be a combination of community education and activities (e.g. clubs, Learning Collaborative projects and programs, OPRA courses, assisting on Div II and III projects, etc.). Students will document fulfillment of the CEL-1 and reflect on their CEL-1 experience in the Division I retrospective essay.

Note for first-year entrants with advanced standing:  college courses and exams taken prior to matriculation may be used towards Division I requirements with certain limitations. Students who think they may be eligible, should carefully read the advanced standing policy and contact CASA with questions.

Note for transfer entrants: the rules for completing Division I are significantly different than those for first year entrants. Students should refer to the Transfer Policy for information and contact CASA with questions.