 Hi everyone, I'm Elizabeth Moose instructor and Dean of Humanities here at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. All of us here at NCSSM are excited that you're soon to join our campus and we look forward to welcoming you on welcome day and when the new school year begins. Thank you for joining me as I take a few moments to share with you important information about our program in humanities for residential students here at our campus in Durham. Welcome to the Department of Humanities. From our school's inception the humanities and fine arts have played a crucial role in helping NCSSM fulfill its mission of cultivating a new generation of engaged citizens and influential leaders who will work for the betterment of the world. In this presentation I'll be sharing with you information about our graduation requirements in the humanities, placement in American studies in world languages, and some of the many courses you may elect to take during your two years with us. Let's begin by talking about humanities course requirements. As an incoming junior you'll take a full year of American studies. During your time at NCSSM you'll also take one to four semesters of world language in one of the five languages we offer. The number of semesters you're required to take will depend upon the previous high school credits you've earned in a world language. Finally you'll take at least one semester of senior English and one semester of a humanities interdisciplinary elective or you may choose to take two semesters of senior English. You'll have many exciting options to choose from and I encourage you to check out our course catalog for details. Our year-long American studies course is the core humanities experience for all incoming juniors. All juniors regardless of previous study are required to take American studies. We permit no exemptions to this requirement. In this interdisciplinary cultural studies course you'll explore American history and literature from the 15th century Atlantic world to 21st century digital communities. You'll examine the continuing development of both collective and individual American identities through the study of history and historiography, literature and literary theory, politics, economics, the visual arts, film, music and other aspects of American culture. An important part of the course is instruction and practice in critical reading and thinking and in academic writing. Skills foundational to our senior humanities courses and to future higher level work across academic disciplines. You'll come to understand more deeply the complex interplay of text and context as together with your instructor and classmates you weave the American cultural fabric. To fulfill NCSSM's world language requirement you'll have the option of studying Chinese, French, Japanese, Latin or Spanish. The number of semesters you are required to take will depend upon how many high school credits you have already earned in a world language. If you come to NCSSM with two high school world language credits in the same language you'll be required at NCSSM to continue your studies in the same language for a minimum of one semester. Alternately you may choose to explore a new language for a minimum of one semester. If you come to NCSSM with one high school world language credit you'll need to continue your studies in the same language provided that the language is one of the five languages we teach at NCSSM for a minimum of two semesters. Alternately you may choose to begin and complete study of a new language for four semesters. And if you come to NCSSM with no previous high school world language credit you'll need to begin and complete four semesters of study in a world language we offer. As a senior you'll have many options for completing your two senior year humanities requirements. You'll choose from a variety of senior English courses and interdisciplinary humanities elective courses. Please see our course catalog for details. Now let's discuss placement. We offer two levels of American studies, regular American studies and writing in American studies. Both courses focus on the same curricular content. Both use the same textbooks. Both courses place a strong emphasis on reading, thinking, and writing. But writing in American studies is designed for students who come to NCSSM needing more intensive practice and individual attention to develop their skills in critical reading, interpretation, and academic writing. We will determine your placement in American studies based upon your grades and your standardized test scores which we found through the years to be a good indicator of students experience and skills in reading, thinking, and writing. Once school begins your instructor will make sure that the American studies course in which you've been placed is a good fit for your skills so you won't need to take any additional assessment for your American studies placement. We will need your help though in determining your placement in world language. If you've had any experience in formal or informal study or as a heritage speaker in any of the five languages we teach, Chinese, French, Japanese, Latin, and Spanish, you'll need to complete the online placement assessment in each of the languages in which you've had experience. Please go to the BlackBald Welcome Resources Board, click on World Language Placement Information, and follow the directions. Please complete that assessment which will consist of an intake form and in some cases an online placement test before or right after welcome day. Doing so is the first step in making sure that you're in the appropriate language course so that your junior year and especially your first semester will go as smoothly as possible. Use your NCSSM network credentials and complete those assessments without any help from outside sources. The objective of the intake form and the placement test is to assess what you really know and can do in the language so that we can place you in a course that is aligned with your proficiency. We want the course to be challenging but not overwhelming. For that reason it's essential that you work on your own on these items without any outside help from persons, texts, or online resources including online translators. To do so is a violation of NCSSM's expectations for academic honesty. You and your family will receive your placements in June before our course request process begins. Once classes start your instructor will review and confirm your placement and if another level would better fit your proficiency the registrar will adjust your schedule. Now I'll say a quick word about exemptions in world language. If you come to NCSSM with a very high level of proficiency in one of the five languages we teach you may attempt to qualify for exemption of the NCSSM graduation requirement in world languages. You may achieve exemption in world languages by one of two ways. By submitting a score of four or five on the AP exam in the relevant language and by completing an oral interview with the relevant world language instructors. Please submit your official AP score to NCSSM's registrar as soon as possible. Or by demonstrating high proficiency in the language by means of the NCSSM exemption exam. We administer those exams in August during orientation. Please don't confuse these August exemption exams with our online language placement tests that all incoming juniors take in the spring. Our exemption exams and online placement tests are distinct and separate assessments. If you achieve exemption, we encourage you to continue your study of language since highly selective universities look with favor upon advanced study in a language. Now that we've talked about graduation requirements, placements, and exemptions, let's turn to those course options, elective courses that you'll be able to request to take as an incoming junior. If your schedule permits, you may request to take one of the many general electives we offer. Please see our course catalog for details. You may also, in the spring of your junior year, if your schedule permits, request to take one of our interdisciplinary humanities courses or a senior English or our research experience in the humanities course. For more details, please see the NCSSM course catalog. Our splendid program in Fine Arts offers you many additional elective opportunities in drama, music, and visual art. Whether you're a novice or experienced artist, singer, player, or performer, you can discover and develop your creative passions here at NCSSM. If you're a musician or singer, please request chorale, orchestra, or wind ensemble for both semesters during your junior year. Don't worry, you'll be able to handle the extra load, and our performing ensembles will be all the better for your participation. If you're an experienced artist or performer, our art studio and stage await you. Even if you've never dreamed of acting or directing or have never picked up a stick of charcoal or paintbrush, our instructors and courses in drama and visual arts are here to inspire, challenge, and support you. Please check out all our Fine Arts offerings in our course catalog and on our Fine Arts website. Well, I've given you a lot of information, and it all may be a bit overwhelming. If you need clarification, please consult this page on the NCSSM website, which include links to NCSSM's graduation requirements and our course catalog. Also consult the very important information on the BlackBald Welcome Resources Board. And as a friendly reminder, be sure to complete your World Language Placement Assessment as soon as possible, preferably before Welcome Day. If after consulting these resources, you still have questions, please join us for one of our upcoming Fine Arts and Humanities webinars. You can also email me at moose at ncssm.edu, and I'll respond as soon as I can. Thank you so much for joining me to learn more about NCSSM's Department of Humanities. I look forward to meeting you. Welcome to NCSSM.