Undergraduate Men 1999-2000

Stern College for Women

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Preface

Stern College is the University's college of arts and sciences for women. It was established in 1954 through a major gift by the late Max Stern, a prominent community leader and honorary chairman of the University's Board of Trustees, in memory of his parents, Emanuel and Caroline Stern.

Stern College is a unique institution offering curricula designed to prepare modern young women for careers, graduate study, and increasing responsibilities in the community, while also embodying the unique concept that the values of Judaism have a meaningful relevance to the general culture of Western civilization.

As part of the curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, students participate in programs of Jewish studies, offered through the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies, providing intensive analysis of classic texts in the Hebrew and Aramaic originals. Designed to deepen ethical and philosophical insight and values, they also afford valuable supplementary training in research methods and independent work. Students may also receive a Hebrew teacher's diploma and an associate in arts degree in Jewish Studies.

The Stern College buildings in midtown Manhattan house classrooms, lecture halls, Rae Kushner Lobby, Hedi Steinberg Library, Hirsch/ Polackoff Computer Center, art studios, a writing center, a gym, the dining hall, administration and faculty offices, laboratories, lounge space, and the Louis Koch Auditorium. The College's central location affords easy access to New York's great cultural features.

Mindful of its responsibilities as a liberal arts college in an urban center, Stern College has incorporated a broad set of educational programs, student services, and extracurricular activities to meet the needs of the individual student. It is aware of the opposing pressures of a society driving toward greater specialization and technology, and of the student seeking order and purpose for herself and a totality of meaning for her life. Students, faculty, and administration are in search of sophisticated solutions to these increasingly complicated problems.

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Bachelor of Arts

All majors at Stern College lead to the degree of bachelor of arts. Majors in Accounting and Business & Management, leading to the degree of bachelor of science, are offered through Sy Syms School of Business.

Majors

Each student must select one subject as a major. Subjects in which the student may major are listed below. Additional information is available in the Dean’s Office.

Combined and joint programs in business administration, dentistry, engineering, Jewish education, Jewish studies, occupational therapy, optometry, podiatric medicine, physical therapy and social work are available.

Regardless of how much transfer credit is granted to a student, at least 60% of the required credits in the major must be taken at Stern College.

The approval of both the senior professor of the subject in which the student is majoring and the Office of the Dean are necessary for a substitution of one course for another in the requirements for the major.

Only courses in which grades of C- or better were earned may be used to meet the requirements in a student's major. (This applies only to courses in the subject itself, and not to correlate requirements.)

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Minors

A student may choose a minor subject and have it listed on her permanent record upon her written request at least a month prior to graduation.

Subjects in which it is possible to minor are listed below:

At least 60% of the credits toward a minor must be taken at Stern College. Only courses in which grades of C- or better were earned may be counted toward the minor.

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Bachelor's Degree Requirements

1. Credit requirement: 128 credits.

2. Residence requirement: Students must be in residence full-time at Stern College in New York at least 4 semesters. Students graduating from high school May 1998 or later must complete at least 84 credits at Stern College. At least 24 of the last 35 credits must be taken at Stern College. The normal amount of time for the completion of the degree is four years; students are expected to complete all work within six years of the date of admission, excluding time lost because of illness.
   A superior student who is admitted to a professional school at the end of her junior year at Stern College should consult the Office of the Dean about the possibility of earning a bachelor's degree from the College through the Professional Option Plan.

3. Grade requirement: An average of 2.0 or better in all studies as well as in the major and/or minor, and a grade of C- or better in all courses used to meet the major requirement.

4. Exit requirements: To be eligible for graduation, each senior must pass an exit examination or complete a research paper or a project in her major. These are described in an announcement available from the Office of the Dean.

5. Administrative requirements:

   1. Approbation of the faculty and the President.

   2. Filing of an Application for Degree during the registration period of the semester in which the student completes all requirements.

6. Course requirements: All students are required to complete courses in General Studies, in Hebrew Language, Literature and Culture, and in their major.

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General Studies Requirements

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Hebrew Language, Literature, and Culture: 32-50 credits

Stern College has extensive offerings in the field of Hebrew language and literature and Jewish culture and civilization (hereafter called Jewish Studies) offered through the Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies. Courses are available for students with little or no background, for those with some background, and for those with an extensive background.

The courses in the disciplines of Bible, Hebrew, Jewish Education, Jewish History, Jewish Philosophy, and Judaic Studies offered at Stern College constitute the Jewish Studies Program, which consists of 6 Core segments plus 14 additional Jewish Studies credits. These requirements are modified for transfer students who spend less than four years at Stern College, and for students in combined or joint programs. Consult the Office of the Registrar for details.

Regardless of transfer credit, a minimum of 18 credits in Jewish Studies must be taken at the College. A minimum of 2 credits in Jewish Studies is required in each semester of full- time study at Stern College.

1. Core segment (18-36 credits)
   The Core segment is a unit of 3 Jewish Studies classes consisting of eight to nine hours of lecture per week. It is required during each of the first six semesters of full-time attendance at Stern College.
   A separate permanent record is maintained for the Core segment, on which each course and its grade are recorded. The average of these grades is transferred to the Stern College transcript for between 3 to 6 credits as determined by the student at the time of registration, under the entry Hebraic Studies. The composite average is transferred as follows:
   3.668-4.000 = A
   3.334-3.667 = A-
   3.001-3.333 = B+
   2.668-3.000 = B
   2.334-2.667 = B-
   2.001-2.333 = C+
   1.668-2.000 = C
   1.334-1.667 = C-
   1.001-1.333 = D+
   0.668-1.000 = D
   0.334-0.667 = D-
   0.000-0.333 = F

2. Additional credits
   Each student must complete a total of 14 additional Jewish Studies credits. 

3. Distribution requirements
   Distribution requirements may be fulfilled through the Core segments and the 14 additional Jewish Studies credits.

   1. Bible: Six courses totaling a minimum of 15 credits.

   2. Judaic Studies: Six courses totaling a minimum of 15 credits.

   3. Jewish History: Two courses totaling a minimum of 5-6 credits.

   4. Jewish Philosophy: Two courses totaling a minimum of 4-6 credits.

   5. Hebrew: The requirement depends on the level to which a student is assigned on entering Stern College:

      1. Students assigned to HEB 1101, 1102, 1103, or 1104: six courses.

      2. Students assigned to HEB 1203 or 1204: four courses.

      3. Students assigned to HEB 1205 or higher: three courses.

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Associate in Arts

Hebrew Language, Literature, and Culture

a. Credit Requirement: Completion of Jewish Studies courses equivalent to five semesters of Core and seven additional Jewish Studies credits. These requirements must be completed within six years of admission. Students in a Sy Syms School BS program, or in a joint or combined program, must also meet these requirements to receive the AA degree.

b. Residence requirement: The prior or simultaneous receipt of a bachelor's degree from Stern College or Sy Syms School. At least three semesters of Core and all seven credits must be taken at Stern College.

c. Grade requirement: An average of 2.4 or better in all Jewish Studies courses is required for the AA degree.

d. Administrative requirements: Filing an Application for Degree during the registration period of the semester in which the student completes all requirements, and receipt of the approbation of the faculty and the President.

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Hebrew Teacher's Diploma

1. Credit requirement: Completion of the following courses as part of, or in addition to, the requirements for the bachelor's degree:

   1. 4 credits in Methods of Jewish Education with approval.

   2. 3 credits in Practice Teaching (JED 2945).

   3. 3 credits in Psychology (PSY 1010).

   4. 3 credits Educational Psychology (EDU 1210).

   5. 3 credits of additional electives in EDU or advanced PSY.

2. Residence requirement: Simultaneous or prior receipt of a bachelor's degree from Yeshiva University.

3. Grade requirement: Completion of Jewish Studies requirements at Stern College on the advanced level with an average of 2.800 or better.

4. Examinations: Passing a comprehensive examination in Bible, a proficiency examination in Hebrew (or HEB 1409-1410), and a comprehensive examination in Jewish History (or JHI 1001-1002 or equivalent).

5. Administrative requirements: Filing an Application for Degree during the registration period of the semester in which the student completes all requirements, and receipt of the approbation of the faculty and the President.

Students who are unable to complete requirements for the Hebrew teacher's diploma within four years may be permitted to take sufficient courses needed to complete the requirements for the HTD during the year following their receipt of the bachelor's degree on a tuition-free basis; only registration and other fees will be charged. Students who are interested in this Fifth-Year Plan must apply in writing to the Chair of Jewish Studies during their lower senior semester. If the additional year is necessary and the quality and level of their work in Jewish Studies is sufficiently high, the Chair and College Dean will approve their admission to the plan. Holders of the Hebrew teacher's diploma will receive, upon application to the National Board of License for Hebrew Teachers and/or regional licensing boards, a license to teach in schools under the jurisdiction of those boards.

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Placement

Placement Examination in Hebrew

Before registration, each student has a placement evaluation and is assigned to the appropriate level of study: beginner's, elementary, intermediate, or advanced. (A student will not receive credit for courses on a level lower than the one on which she has been placed.) Even the beginner's level courses presuppose the student's ability to read a vocalized Hebrew text and to write the Hebrew alphabet in cursive script.

English Placement

Foreign students will be assigned to English as a Second Language based upon a placement examination upon entrance. All other students may be required to write a placement essay during Orientation.

Mathematics Placement

A placement examination, taken during Orientation, is required of all students wishing to study biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics.

Foreign Language Study

A student who wishes to continue a foreign language taken in high school should use the following general rule: one year of high school study is equivalent to one semester of college study. The first semester of an elementary course is open only to students with no previous coursework in the language.

Students will not receive credit for college courses that duplicate what they have studied in high school.

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School Regulations

Regulations pertaining to Stern College alone are given here; those uniformly applicable to all undergraduate schools are given in the section University Regulations.

Attendance

At the start of the semester each student must report in person to the instructor of each class in order to learn the specific attendance, examination, and other requirements of that course. A student who does not meet these requirements may be dropped from the course.

A record of each student's attendance in each class is kept by the instructor. In performance courses (such as laboratory, public speaking, music, language, physical education) attendance is required at all class sessions. Attendance is compulsory for freshmen, students on probation, and all students in classes where the instructor requires attendance. Generally a student's attendance record is taken into account whenever there may be occasion to determine her status in the University.

Where attendance is required, absence without excuse may result in the student receiving a penalty grade which may cause her to be placed on probation or to receive an academic dismissal. Even with excused absences, if the student has missed too much to earn course credit, she will be dropped from the class and receive a grade of W.

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Grades: P or N System

For the purpose of stimulating students to take coursework outside their area of specialization, each student is permitted to select one course each semester to be graded P or N. Students must apply for such a course with the Office of the Registrar. Regulations and limitations applicable to the choice of a course on the P or N system are available from the Office of the Registrar.

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Internships

In several disciplines, apprenticeships are available in a setting complementary to academic coursework in the field. The internship must be supervised and approved by a faculty adviser. Internships are listed on the student's record as '(Subject) 4941.' (A second term is 4942, etc.) Credit depends on the number of hours devoted. Regulations governing internships are available in the Office of the Registrar. See the Academic Regulations section of the Catalog for additional information on Internships.

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Work Load

The normal number of credits for a full semester's work toward the bachelor's degree is 15.5 to 18.5. (This includes those credits transferred to the degree from the Jewish Studies Program.) No more than seven courses, including approved courses taken outside the College, may be taken in a semester.

A full-time student is defined as one who is enrolled for at least 12 credits during a 15-week semester or at least 3 credits during a 4- week session.

Students with low averages are subject to restrictions on their work load as described in the section Academic Retention, Probation and Dismissal.

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Stern College Honors Program

The Stern College Honors Program stresses writing and critical analysis, creativity, cultural enrichment, research, and individual mentoring. The Program gives high-achieving students an added dimension of responsibility for their own education and allows them to enjoy a greater measure of challenge and opportunity.

Students acquire the ability to synthesize different branches of knowledge and modes of thought, to express themselves articulately, to find new solutions to problems from different points of view, and to achieve greater depth in their studies.

Admission to the Program

Students complete an application available from the Office of Admissions. Students are selected based on all of the information in the student's admissions application, supplemented by the Honors Program application. Typically, successful applicants will have a combined SAT score of at least 1300 and an A or A- high school average. Students applying to the Honors Program may also be eligible for one of the academic scholarships available to applicants who show outstanding academic promise.

The Program

·        Honors courses. Students complete at least six courses chosen from a broad range of offerings in the Humanities, Jewish Studies, Natural Sciences, and Social Studies, as well as interdisciplinary seminars.

·        Cultural Enrichment. The cultural riches of Manhattan are available to our students who attend concerts and plays, visit museums and artists' studios, etc. accompanied by faculty. Other activities include Dine and Dialogue evenings with renowned personalities and weekend retreats.

·        Women's Leadership Initiative. Students participate in workshops that explore contemporary challenges and the leadership skills needed to address them.

·        Senior Projects. Each honors student completes a project designed and executed under the direction of a mentor chosen by the student from the senior faculty. Projects may, for example, take the form of laboratory research, manuscript study, advanced computer programming or creative writing.

Advisement

The faculty on the Honors Committee serve as resources for the honors students. They are available to help plan academic programs, to consider summer independent study, research, and internship opportunities, and to offer general guidance. The students' academic careers are viewed individually in order to assure that each one takes full advantage of our outstanding academic resources and of the enrichment opportunities available both on and off campus.

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Last Updated 07/23/2002 © Yeshiva University