Student Enrichment Opportunities

Folger Shakespeare Library Seminar

Students are able to learn from 500-year-old books at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. By handling these books today, students can begin to recover how they were used and what they meant. The traces of their use—annotations on the end-papers and margins of books, the ways in which they were bound, the collections of which they were a part—provide a window onto early modern culture that cannot be found in facsimiles or modern editions.

In this advanced research seminar, students will have the unique opportunity to learn about the history and sociology of early modern books through a hands-on exploration of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s rare book archives. Seminar readings will introduce students to some current theories of book history, and archival exercises will relate that theory to actual books. This course will allow students to develop and advance their own original research interests, and would be an ideal experience for seniors interested in pursuing graduate studies in literature, history, or library science.

In the photo, from left, undergraduate students Chris Pugh (English) and Marissa Rohrbach (French) work in the Folger Shakespeare Library with English Professor and Department Chair Jeffrey J. Cohen.

Dean's Scholars in Globalization

GW offers an opportunity for a select group of freshmen to examine an issue of global significance with international partners from other universities. Dean's Scholars participate in an international living and learning community on our Mount Vernon campus while pursuing their major course of study in a global context. The Globalization program operates under the belief that all inquiry must be globally sensitive: for example, economists must know the world context of financial markets and capital investment as much as biochemists must understand the transnational implications of genomics and proteomics.

Dean's Scholars in Shakespeare

The Dean's Scholars in Shakespeare Program offers a co-curricular program for those interested in the performance and study of the works of William Shakespeare. A select group of freshmen have the opportunity to explore their interests through specially tailored introductory courses, guest artists and lecturers, performances and programs provided by The Folger Shakespeare Library , The Shakespeare Theatre, and the GW Department of Theatre.

Dean's Seminars

First year students have the unique opportunity to study innovative topics at the forefront of research through Dean's Seminars with accomplished faculty in small classes. Dean's Seminars are classes designed for first year students in the Columbian College who are not members of programs with required first-year courses, such as the Honors Program or the Women's Leadership Program. Students may register for only one Dean's seminar each semester of their first year. All Dean's seminars fulfill part of the General Curriculum Requirements (GCR). The GCR category for each seminar is given above the description, as is the five digit course registration number (CRN) that is used for registering, and the name and number of the course and section as they appear in the schedule of classes.

Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowships

The Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowships, established in 2003, encourage undergraduate students to engage in independent research, a process that creates knowledge and characterizes the primary work of scholars and teachers.

Luther Rice Fellows are selected each year, based on students’ proposals for projects that are supported by a faculty member, who serves as the fellow’s mentor. The Fellows are awarded grants, which may be used for research-related expenses, housing, travel to scholarly conferences or research sites, or for other ways that support the exploration and discovery process.