 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
New College is an interdisciplinary, undergraduate-focused academic unit within the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Enrollment is limited to 200 undergraduate students. The current director is Julia Cherry. [1]
The College of Arts and Science (CAS) is the University of Alabama's college for the liberal arts, fine arts, and sciences. It is the largest of the university's 13 colleges, with approximately 6,600 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students. Most core curriculum classes and majors and minors are part of the college.
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama. Located on the Black Warrior River at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the Piedmont, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with an estimated population of 100,287 in 2017. The city was originally known as Tuskaloosa until the early 20th century.
Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states. With a total of 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of inland waterways, Alabama has among the most of any state.
New College was founded in 1971. The primary objectives of New College were to "create an opportunity for a highly individualized education that enables students to draw from the resources of all University classes and faculty" and to "serve as an experimental unit with the expectation of exporting successful innovations to other sectors of the University." [2] New College offers the option of either a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a student-designed depth study [3] as well as the opportunity to earn minors in Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, Civic Engagement and Leadership, Natural Resources Management, or in Interdisciplinary Studies with a student-designed course of study. [4] "Experiential learning," including independent studies and internships, are emphasized and play a prominent role in many students' education.
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years, or a person holding such a degree.
A Bachelor of Arts is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, sciences, or both. Bachelor of Arts programs generally take three to four years depending on the country, institution, and specific specializations, majors, or minors. The word baccalaureus should not be confused with baccalaureatus, which refers to the one- to two-year postgraduate Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree in some countries.
New College programs on solar power technology, organic farming, and the arts are popular with students. The program has historically been associated with student activism and progressive ideals within the University of Alabama. The New College Review, a non-fiction cultural journal, is written, edited, designed and published by students. [5]
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV), indirectly using concentrated solar power, or a combination. Concentrated solar power systems use lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a large area of sunlight into a small beam. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic effect.
Organic farming is an alternative agricultural system which originated early in the 20th century in reaction to rapidly changing farming practices. Organic farming continues to be developed by various organic agriculture organizations today,it also defined as use of relies on fertilizers of organic origin such as compost manure, green manure, and bone meal and places emphasis on techniques such as crop rotation and companion planting. Biological pest control, mixed cropping and the fostering of insect predators are encouraged. In general, organic standards are designed to allow the use of naturally occurring substances while prohibiting or strictly limiting synthetic substances. For instance, naturally occurring pesticides such as pyrethrin and rotenone are permitted, while synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are generally prohibited. Synthetic substances that are allowed include, for example, copper sulfate, elemental sulfur and Ivermectin. Genetically modified organisms, nanomaterials, human sewage sludge, plant growth regulators, hormones, and antibiotic use in livestock husbandry are prohibited. Reasons for advocation of organic farming include advantages in sustainability, openness, self-sufficiency, autonomy/independence, health, food security, and food safety.
