2022-2023 Academic Catalog 
    
    Oct 04, 2024  
2022-2023 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Departments and Offices



Academic Department and Program Listing

Legend

red leaf icon = Undergraduate concentration

Academic Support Services

LEEP Student Success Network

The LEEP Student Success Network is a network of offices that support the academic needs of students and work closely to help them develop skills to achieve their academic, personal, and professional goals at and beyond Clark University. Centering equity and inclusion in all we do, we provide individualized, holistic support through a variety of services, including one-on-one holistic advising and support, peer tutoring, and programming. To connect with the LEEP Student Success Network, please email LSSN@clarku.edu or call 508-793-8819 or reach out to the offices below for support with your individual academic needs.

  • First Year Success Advising Unit (Academic Commons)
  • Academic Advising Center (ASEC 2nd floor)

  • Office of Academic Support (Academic Commons Suite 104)
    The Writing Center
    The Quantitative Skills Center
    Peer Success Advising and Tutoring

  • Career Connections Center (ASEC 1st floor)
    Career Development
    ClarkCONNECT
    On-campus student employment
    Project, Internship, and Research Funding
    Employer Engagement

  • Community Engagement and Volunteering (ASEC 1st floor)

  • Prestigious Fellowships and Scholarships (ASEC 2nd floor)

  • Student Accessibility Services (ASEC 2nd floor)

  • Study Abroad and Away (ASEC 2nd floor)

Academic Advising Center

The Academic Advising Center helps undergraduate students plan their academic programs through a coordinated set of activities and services, including credit evaluations and exceptions to University policies (through College Board).

All matriculated incoming first year students are assigned a professional academic first year adviser by the center who helps them select first semester courses, including a First Year Intensive (FYI) course. After a student has registered for classes, the FYI professor becomes the student’s pre-major adviser. When the student has formally declared a major, typically in the sophomore year, the pre-major adviser is replaced by a faculty adviser in the student’s major department.  A student’s academic adviser assignment is viewable within CUWeb.

For more information, undergraduate students are invited to contact the center at Advising@clarku.edu. Graduate student academic advising is controlled within each department and students should consult with their Academic Department for more information.

Academic Support Center

Academic Commons, Goddard Library, first floor 

The Office for Academic Support helps all students achieve their full academic potential through subject area specific and success tutoring, Writing Center consulting, and academic coaching.

Tutoring 

The Academic Support Center provides one-on-one peer tutoring in a variety of subjects. Frequently used tutoring services include support for Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Math, Game Design, and Psychology. Additionally, we provide Peer Success Tutoring, which assists students with academic skills that apply to all academic disciplines. Peer Success Tutors help students improve their time management, organization, and study skills. Tutoring services can be booked through https://clarku.mywconline.net/. Appointments can be in person or online.

Writing Center Consulting

The Writing Center assists students with writing in every discipline in the university, and will help with writing at any stage - whether a student writer is brainstorming ideas, writing a first draft, or editing a final version. Students can get help starting projects, organizing their thoughts, revising drafts, and working with citations, and will improve the mechanics of their written English and learn to avoid plagiarism. Students can bring writing for any class, in any discipline, as well as cover letters, résumés, and personal statements. For more information about the Writing Center’s services, visit clarku.edu/writing

Academic Coaching

In addition to our tutoring and writing center student staff, the Academic Support Center has multiple professional staff members who provide students with academic coaching. Academic coaching can include defining academic goals, making short-term and long-term academic success plans, developing study, organization, and reading skills, providing advocacy with faculty and other staff, and much more. To learn more about our professional staff and book appointments, visit clarku.edu/offices/academic-support/meet-the-staff/.

Community Engagement and Volunteering

The Community Engagement and Volunteering Office supports Clark’s commitment to the community by connecting students with local organizations for community-based learning courses, volunteerism, and internships.

The Community-Based Student Employment (CBSE) program is also coordinated through the CEV Office. The CBSE program partners with organizations from the local Worcester community to offer paid, part-time jobs for undergraduate students. The program aims to strengthen campus-community partnerships by supporting positions that address the needs of community partners while providing Clark students with valuable work experience and a deeper understanding of the neighborhood. To apply for these positions, you must receive a work-study award in your financial aid package. View any current openings and apply through Handshake.

The CEV Office also coordinates co-curricular programming on and off campus that help students develop knowledge and skills for socially responsible, global citizenship, by fostering ongoing engagement with the Main South community and Worcester as a city.

Prestigious Fellowships and Scholarships Office

Clark University encourages students to apply for competitive fellowships and scholarships to advance their research, teaching, and career trajectories. The Prestigious Fellowships and Scholarships Office will advise and assist interested students in the various phases of the application process, from planning, writing personal statements and proposals, to interviewing.

Study Abroad and Away

The Study Abroad and Away Programs office connects students with opportunities that align their academic and co-curricular interests with credit bearing experiences beyond the Worcester campus in the semester and summer. The staff works with students to identify, apply for, and participate in one of our 50+ programs approved around the globe, including in Boston and Washington, DC.

It is important to begin learning about the study abroad/away process during the students first year at Clark, as early planning and research is key to maximizing the experience.  Students studying abroad or away MUST fill out an “Interest Form to Study Abroad” form at least one year in advance, attend a Study Abroad 101 session and have declared a major in order to be eligible.

Requirements for application include that students be in good academic and social standing prior to departure, have a minimum GPA of 3.0 (some programs require a higher GPA), and have been in residence at Clark for at least one year prior to studying abroad/away. Before students meet with a Study Abroad/Study Away staff adviser they should have attended a Study Abroad 101, decided upon a major and have a faculty advisor within that major. This will allow the students to successfully integrate their program abroad with their graduation requirements.

Students are required to fill out two applications: one to their chosen program for accceptance and one to Clark study abroad for apporval. All applications must be submitted by the Clark deadlines.

Student Accessibility Services

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) provides support for qualified students who seek accommodations due to a documented disability. SAS reviews accommodations requests, documentation, and approves reasonable accommodations for enrolled students. SAS is located on the second floor of the Alumni and Student Engagement Center. The goal of SAS is to make sure that students with documented disabilities are afforded the opportunity to achieve their potential both in and out of the classroom by insuring equal access through reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

Disabling conditions can include, but are not limited to, sensory or mobility impairments, psychological or cognitive disabilities, traumatic brain injury, ADD/ADHD, chronic medical conditions, etc. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, Student Accessibility Services treats all materials pertaining to a student’s disability as confidential. Students requesting letters be sent to faculty for academic accommodations acknowledge that some level of disclosure may be necessary to provide the requested accommodation(s).

The process: Following registration, the appropriate Faculty members receive a memo indicating what accommodations the student requires. The student then schedules a meeting with the faculty member to discuss in greater detail how the disability impacts the particular course and its requirements.

Reasonable accommodations: Actual accommodations are arrived at through discussions with the student and SAS. Consideration is given to the disability, class structure and requirements, student preference, alternative solutions and the prevailing practice at comparable institutions. Depending on the documentation, accommodations may include:

  • Extended time for exams and/or distraction-reduced environment for exams.
  • Adaptive technology, use of a recording device to record a lecture, use of a word processor for note taking and/or exams.
  • Note taking supports (Peers, SmartPens, etc)
  • Changing the location of a class to meet accessibility needs.

*From time to time SAS staff may reach out to the Faculty to talk through how an accommodation may be structured for their specific course structure and content to ensure that the accommodation is reasonable and effective.

Student responsibilities: Each semester, students need to request accommodations in a timely manner so that faculty and staff can be notified. The adjustments that the campus needs to make vary with the disability. They can range from extended testing time to hiring interpreters for a student with hearing impairment. If students wish to utilize the SAS testing center, they need to complete a test relocation form at least one week prior to the date of the exam. Both the accommodations request and test relocation form can be found on the SAS website.

Legitimacy: If a student approaches you in class and asks for classroom or testing accommodations due to any disability (and you have not been sent a letter from Student Accessibility Services), you should ask the student to contact SAS to discuss the disability and the accommodations requested.

Talking with students about disabilities: Legal guidelines state that a representative of the college or university may not ask a student if they have a disability.  It is appropriate to make an announcement in class regarding accessibility services and to include instructions on your syllabus about how to contact the SAS office. Please make sure that all syllabi have up-to-date information regarding SAS.
 

Sample Syllabus Statement

Student Accessibility Services:

Clark University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you have or think you have a disability and require academic accommodations, you must register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). If you have questions about the process, please contact Student Accessibility Services at AccessibilityServices@clarku.edu or (508) 798-4368. If you are currently registered with SAS, and qualify for accommodations that you would like to utilize in this course, please request those accommodations by filling out the Academic Accommodation Consent Form on the SAS Forms page in a timely manner. https://www.clarku.edu/offices/student-accessibility-services/

Career Connections Center

Career Connections Center offers undergraduate students a suite of resources to explore, prepare for and develop their post-graduation plans. Career Connection Center advisers, organized by academic disciplines, help students clarify their life after Clark path and develop a general strategy for moving forward. Through the Career Connections Center, starting in the first year, students can learn effective search strategies to find a job or internship, connect with employers and alumni career professionals, work on their resumes, practice interview skills, obtain advice, research careers, and much more. Our offices include:

  • Career Development
  • ClarkCONNECT 
  • On-Campus Student Employment 
  • Project, Internship, and Research Funding
  • Employer Engagement 

English as a Second Language: American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI)

If English is not your first language and you would like to study Academic English, or you need additional language support in your Clark classes, you should contact ALCI. ALCI offers a variety of programs, services, and noncredit ESL classes in five levels of instruction. Undergraduates who take the Verbal Expression placement test may be required to take Expository Writing for Nonnative Speakers of English (ESL 0155 for credit), which is taught by an English as a Second Language professional.

For more information about ALCI classes and/or programs, call ALCI at 508.793.7794.

 

Research Centers and Institutes

The Adam Institute for Urban Teaching and School Practice has a special charge to develop, support, and understand teaching that puts all students, especially those who are underprepared and underrepresented, on a path to college. In meeting this goal, the Institute strives to develop and understand powerful models of urban teacher preparation, teaching practice, and college-going learning cultures. This innovative work occurs primarily in collaboration with partner schools in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood, with Clark’s Hiatt Center for Urban Education an important research partner. The work encompasses Clark’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, which is a carefully constructed gradual immersion in practice in partner schools.

Clark Labs is dedicated to the research and development of geospatial technologies for effective and responsible decision making for environmental management, sustainable resource development, and equitable resource allocation. Clark Labs leverages its academic base to develop innovative and customized research tools, provide software solutions to organizations in need, and apply geospatial expertise to a range of real-world problems. This includes the development of its flagship TerrSet geospatial software products including, the IDRISI GIS and Image Processing software, the Land Change Modeler, the Habitat and Biodiversity Modeler and the Earth Trends Modeler, in wide use throughout the world. Clark Labs typically has a staff of 25-30 individuals including faculty, full-time staff, and students. It is housed in its own building with a well-developed infrastructure for geospatial computing, including capabilities for Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning applications. It also maintains a strong partnership relationship with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Conservation International, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Esri, among others.

The George Perkins Marsh Institute studies the systems through which humans interact with their surrounding environments, coordinating resources from Clark University and elsewhere to study human transformation of the environment and responses to this change. This high-profile research addresses some of the most pressing issues facing today’s world, oriented around three core themes: (1) human-environment systems and sustainability science, (2) earth system science, and (3) institutions, welfare and human development. Cross-cutting topics studied by the Institute include (a) climate change, (b) local and global food security, and (c) sustainable and healthy communities. The Institute is one of the most widely recognized centers of excellence within the University, with work supported by a broad base of external grants. This work provides hands-on research opportunities for faculty, staff and students, many of whom participate the Institute’s research projects each year. The Institute also supports dedicated programs for student environmental research, such as the Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) research program and the Geller Endowed Student Research Awards.  

The Higgins School of Humanities enhances the intellectual and cultural life of Clark University by fostering connections between the arts and humanities (English; Language Literature and Culture; History; Philosophy; and Visual and Performing Arts) and by engaging the University across the discipline with thematic symposium programming (including the African American Intellectual Culture Series, Early Modernists Unite, the Higgins Faculty Series, and the Modern Poetry Series). Learning through the arts and humanities grounds our capacity to engage with societal complexities - by developing historical, cultural, literary, linguistic, and philosophical consciousness, and by encouraging emphatic and aesthetic ways of knowing. The School integrates co-curricular activities and classroom learning with faculty development, pedagogical innovation, and substantive research and creative work.

The Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education is growing a community of inquiry among youth, school- and neighborhood-based educators, and university academics and students dedicated to creating educational spaces for youth to engage the world, inquire into possibilities, and become creators of new realities.  We are creating spaces where research and practice co-develop in ways that exemplify new possibilities for community-building, knowledge creation, and impact through collaborative action. Through cultivating a research-practice collective bringing together multiple participants, perspectives, and methods, we aim to build the deep human relationships, practices, and innovations needed for more equitable and meaningful education.  The work of the Center encompasses the worlds of schools, local neighborhoods and national/international networks, and expanding virtual and digital spaces.

The Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise envisions a world where all adolescents and young adults are supported in developing the social and emotional skills they need to be successful in school and in life. Research shows that mental health challenges are more prevalent among 16- to 24-year-olds than any other demographic. One in seven young men in this age group experiences depression or anxiety each year. Despite this, adolescents and young adults, particularly young males, are the least likely to seek help or access professional care for mental health problems. For this reason, the Institute’s mission is to innovate in the creation and delivery of behavioral health services responsive to the needs of adolescents, young adults and their families and communities. The Institute employs a multi-pronged approach that aims to 1) equip youth and families with accurate and comprehensive information on mental health, and the behavioral health services and resources available in their communities; 2) support behavioral health practitioners by developing and delivering digital Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and behavioral health interventions that foster resiliency in youth; 3) build capacity of educators and practitioners by offering online Certification Programs for state-of-the-art Social-Emotional Learning interventions; 4) collaborate with others to maximize the reach and impact of our behavioral health care model for adolescents and young adults; and, 5) conduct cutting-edge research to advance new evidence and learning about meeting the behavioral health needs of adolescents and young adults.

The Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is an intellectually dynamic forum for education and scholarship about the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, and other genocides around the world. Dedicated to teaching, research, and public service, the Center offers the only Ph.D. in History on Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the country, and has launched a new interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Genocide Studies. These programs train the next generation of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, scholars, teachers, museum directors and curators, and experts in nongovernmental organizations and government agencies.