This is an archived copy of the 2019-2020 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu.

Residential College (RESC)

This program seeks to enrich students’ learning experience by integrating academic life into the residence halls. There are eight residential colleges:

  • Arts
  • Discovery
  • Environmental
  • Food
  • Global
  • Humanities
  • Languages & Cultures
  • Social Justice
  • Society & Technology

Each college is organized around a common theme. All students enrolled in a residential college take a common course, called a Foundation Seminar, in the fall semester. They also live on the same residence hall floor for both fall and spring semesters of their first year. Students organize a variety of extracurricular programs related to the college themes. Upper-class students who wish to continue their affiliation with a college may continue to live together and may take additional courses.

All of the courses offered in the Residential Colleges fulfill the Foundation Seminar and W1 requirement for Arts & Sciences students, and fulfill a general education course and the W1 requirement for engineering students. Residential College Foundation Seminars that have been taught recently include:

Arts College: Pop & Protest; Making Something From Nothing; Discovery of the Expressive Self

Discovery College: The Universal Machine; World-changing Discoveries; Extreme Discoveries

Environmental College: Discovering Nature; Sustainable Harvest

Food College: Food, Farming & Sustainability

Global College: The Empire of Human Rights

Humanities College: What is the Human?; Ancient Origins: Secret History; American Monuments & Legends

Languages & Cultures College: How We Do Things With Words; Travel Culture: Art, Food & Politics; Place, Identity, & Culture

Social Justice College: Questioning for the Common Good; Civil Disobedience & Social Justice; Two Sides to Every Story

Society & Technology College: The Future is Now; The Grand Challenges; Sports, Statistics & Society

More information at bucknell.edu/ResColleges.

Courses

RESC 098. Foundation Seminar in Residential Colleges. 1 Credit.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Foundation seminar offered only through the individual Residential Colleges. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

RESC 115. Community Service for Social Justice. .5 Credits.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:1.5; Repeatable
Students will be actively involved in service or advocacy work at community-based sites working for change and social justice. The course will meet once a week to examine history, concepts, and theory about the role of individuals and groups seeking justice. This will provide a focused opportunity to explore social movements and resource mobilization. Priority given to first- and second-year students from the social justice residential college. Permission of the instructor required.

RESC 120. Be The Change. .5 Credits.

Offered Alternating Spring Semester; Lecture hours:1,Other:1; Repeatable
Students attend a weekly class to discuss topics in social, global and environmental justice that are explored in campus events, lectures, and films. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Open to first-year students only. May be repeated by permission of the instructor.

RESC 220. Residential College Sophomore Program. .25 Credits.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:1.5
Students will build on capacities achieved during the first year by constructing and then engaging in a set of learning experiences in a group.

RESC 221. Residential College Sophomore Program. .25 Credits.

Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:1.5
Students will complete the set of learning experiences constructed in the fall and will present their work to first-year students in the same Residential College. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

Faculty

Academic Co-coordinators: Stephen D. Jordan, Janet T. Knoedler