Kaplan Scholars Courses
The Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program is an exciting and intensive two-course program for first-year Weinberg College students, dedicated to the idea that the liberal arts form the cornerstone of university education as well as of civic responsibility. The program is a series of team-taught lecture and first-year seminar courses that take up a broad humanistic theme from multiple perspectives, traversing the boundaries of academic disciplines as well as those of geography, culture, and historical periods.
How it works
During fall quarter, Kaplan Scholars meet four days a week in two paired courses: 1) a lecture course that is team-taught on Mondays and Wednesdays by two professors from different disciplines, and 2) a linked first-year seminar that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays with one of the team professors and one-half of that section of Kaplan Scholars. Students in the Kaplan Scholars program thus receive a total of two course credits (for two courses in the fall) in their first year at Northwestern.
Exciting update: Extended field research trips
Kaplan Scholars classes are now additionally funded to incorporate an overnight field research excursion to a U.S. continental city into quarter-long coursework. These excursions will take place in the fall, barring unforeseen circumstances, and will vary in length, from 1-3 nights. All costs associated with Kaplan extended field excursions (including transport, hotel, and meals) will be paid for directly by the Kaplan Humanities Institute. *Note: Field excursion attendance isn’t mandatory but is very strongly encouraged.
A note about course placement:
As part of their application to the Kaplan Humanities Scholars Program, students will indicate their ranked choices for the two courses being offered in Fall 2024:
Each course will involve a series of extra-curricular activities (guest lectures, field trips in Chicago, visits to cultural institutions in the city) and ONE WEEKEND TRIP to a city and destination connected to the course topic within continental U.S. This will be a great opportunity for experiential learning in the Humanities! Students will know the dates of these trips during pre-orientation and will have time to plan with faculty and college advisors for any class absences.