Lewis & Clark College

Art History

Our art history program exposes students to a wide variety of art from East Asia, Europe, and the Americas, from the ancient world to the present day. Faculty offer rigorous introductions, advanced courses in specific art-historical periods, and thematic seminars on topics including art and the environment and art history and memory.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

This major's focus is the molecular logic of living organisms. Students majoring in biochemistry/molecular biology devote their first years of study to mastering the basic tenets of calculus, physics, biology, and chemistry, while upper-division coursework exposes students to current research in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology.

Biology

Biologists examine life on our planet from many different perspectives, from molecules to ecosystems. At Lewis & Clark, students explore the many facets of biological science through a diverse and innovative curriculum that encourages original thinking and provides hands-on experience at all levels of biological inquiry.

Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry provides a flexible, challenging curriculum to accommodate and encourage a diversified approach to the major. Following a core of required courses in general, organic, and physical chemistry, including laboratories, students select advanced courses from several electives.

Classics

Classics is an interdisciplinary field focused on the study of ancient Greece and Rome, as well as the influences on them from the neighboring cultures of Egypt and the Near East. The classics program seeks to provide students with the opportunity to gain intellectual grounding in a curriculum that explores the legacy of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Computer Science

The mathematical sciences—mathematics, statistics, and computer science—continue to play a central role in the evolution of civilization. The Department of Mathematical Sciences supports three majors: one in mathematics, one in computer science and mathematics, and one in computer science. Students majoring in computer science may not earn a minor in computer science.

Computer Science and Mathematics

The Department of Mathematical Sciences supports three majors: one in mathematics, one in computer science and mathematics, and one in computer science. The computer science and mathematics major requires a minimum of 40 semester credits in the mathematical sciences numbered 171 and above. Students majoring in CSMT may not also earn any other major or minor from the department.

Economics

Economics is the study of choice, and the Department of Economics offers courses that explore individual decision making and how these decisions aggregate into economy-wide outcomes. The core curriculum begins with three introductory-level courses that provide an introduction to economic analysis, followed by three courses in economic theory and empirical methods.

English

The Department of English introduces students to a wide range of British and American literature, taught from a variety of critical perspectives. The department teaches students to read literary texts attentively and to write both effectively and persuasively about literature and its relation to tradition, culture, history, and experience. Both majors and minors have the option of adding an official concentration in creative writing to their degree.

Environmental Studies

Environmental studies situates environmental problems and solutions in a scholarly context, working alongside other academic disciplines to build a more livable world. The major includes core courses in environmental studies and breadth courses in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. A major in environmental studies is appropriate for students who desire future employment in the environmental arena and/or want a broad, systematic liberal arts background.

French Studies

The major provides courses in language, literature, and culture to prepare students for graduate study and for careers in teaching, bilingual education, translating and interpreting, or other areas in which world language skills are applied. Majors must complete at least one semester in Strasbourg, France; Paris, France; or Yaoundé, Cameroon, and a senior oral proficiency evaluation.

German Studies

The major provides courses in language, literature, and culture to prepare students for graduate study and for careers in teaching, bilingual education, translating and interpreting, or other areas in which world language skills are applied. Majors participate in the full-year Munich program (exemption only with departmental approval) and complete a senior oral proficiency evaluation.

Hispanic Studies

The major provides courses in language, literature, and culture to prepare students for graduate study and for careers in teaching, bilingual education, translating and interpreting, or other areas in which world language skills are applied. Majors complete at least one semester in an L&C language-intensive overseas program in Granada, Spain; Merida, Mexico; or Santiago or Valparaiso, Chile.

History

Historians study the past, yet they never become disconnected from the present. Our curriculum is global in scope, inviting students to compare the traditions of various cultures and countries, with sufficient depth in the history of the Americas, Europe, and Asia to allow students to develop a sophisticated knowledge of these regions in the modern and premodern eras.

International Affairs

International affairs encompasses political, military, economic, legal, and cultural relations involving states, nations, international and nongovernmental organizations, and transnational groups. Lewis & Clark's freestanding Department of International Affairs provides an opportunity to study the multiple dimensions of international relations in greater conceptual and empirical depth and breadth. Majors are required to take six core courses as well as an elective in each of five subject areas.

Mathematics

The mathematical sciences—mathematics, statistics, and computer science—continue to play a central role in the evolution of civilization. The Department of Mathematical Sciences supports three majors: one in mathematics, one in computer science and mathematics, and one in computer science. Students majoring in mathematics may not earn a minor in mathematics.

Music

Lewis & Clark's Department of Music provides an intellectually, artistically, and creatively rigorous program with a breadth and depth of opportunities for students to explore music within the context of their liberal arts education. Music majors receive a comprehensive musical education through studying a core program of music theory, music history, and performance, then choose an area of specialization that culminates in a capstone senior project.

Philosophy

Philosophy is the critical examination of our most fundamental ideas about ourselves and the world. Students major in philosophy for many reasons, and the requirements are flexible enough to accommodate different kinds of interests in philosophy. The Philosophical Studies Program of 400-level courses enables juniors and seniors to do more advanced work in seminar settings in which students contribute significantly to the work of the class.

Physics

Physics is the inquiry into the structure and organization of the universe. The Department of Physics offers a complete program for students planning careers in physics, astronomy, or engineering, including a thorough preparation for graduate school or for professional engineering school.

Political Science

Political scientists examine the theory and practice of government, law, and politics within the history of political ideas and philosophy, as well as within the context of contemporary political practices. The political science curriculum is organized around five subfields: American politics, comparative politics, political theory, public law, and methodology. The major culminates with a capstone course, which may take the form of a senior thesis by invitation.

Psychology

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. The department's goals are to give students both a strong, scientifically rigorous base in the major subdisciplines of psychology and an exposure to applications of psychology. The major begins with the foundation courses PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology, PSY 200 Statistics I, and PSY 300 Psychology Methodology, and culminates in a capstone course.

Religious Studies

As part of the Lewis & Clark programs in the humanities, the academic study of religion provides an opportunity for critical reflection on a key aspect of human culture, tradition, and experience. The field of religious studies is extremely diverse, and thus the religious studies major is designed to give students a broad background in the field, with a curriculum organized in a series of levels from introductory courses through upper-division seminars.

Rhetoric and Media Studies

From its humanistic roots in ancient Greece to current investigations of the impact of digital technology, rhetoric and media studies is both one of the oldest and one of the newest disciplines. Our curriculum focuses on the content, transmission, and consequences of oral, print, visual, interpersonal, and electronic messages. The major combines core requirements with the flexibility of electives and culminates in a capstone course.

Sociology and Anthropology

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology builds on the overlapping concerns and distinctive strengths of sociology and anthropology, maintaining a single curriculum dedicated to providing solid preparation in social theories and qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The department curriculum leads to a joint major in sociology and anthropology, and students with particular interests in either anthropology or sociology may weight their electives toward the field of their choice.

Student-Designed Major

A student may propose a major focusing on a body of knowledge that has a definable character and extends beyond the bounds of existing majors or departments. The course of study for a student-designed major must be planned and submitted for approval before the major may be officially declared, and requires a minimum of 40 credits and maximum of 60 credits from at least two departments or programs, including a senior project.

Studio Art

The Department of Art offers students an exciting learning environment to practice the visual arts and study art in its historical and theoretical contexts. Our studio art program is supported by outstanding facilities and faculty, and our artists have a commitment to craft and to introducing students to the key critical questions and themes in artistic practice today. The department offers two majors: studio art and art history.

Theatre

The Department of Theatre offers study in dramatic literature, theatre history, acting, directing, devising, playwriting, design, technical theatre, applied arts, and dance. All theatre majors are required to take courses in dramatic literature and theatre history, theatre theory, performance, design, and dance or movement, and must choose a concentration in performance, dance, design/technical theatre, or arts for community.

World Languages

This major allows students to pursue the study of any two of the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. The world languages major is appropriate for students who would like to gain skills in one of the above languages and learn about its structure, in addition to acquiring knowledge of two different literary and cultural traditions. The major requires a minimum of 40 semester credits, including one semester of overseas study in the primary language.