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Northwestern University

Special Courses

Most courses taken by Weinberg students are standard parts of the Northwestern curriculum, offered regularly and described in the Undergraduate Catalog. Most Weinberg departments and programs also offer courses whose focus varies; these have titles like “Special Topics” or “Introductory Topics” and allow faculty to share with students their enthusiasm for and knowledge about current areas of study.  

Some special types of variable-focus courses offered in Weinberg are described below.

Professional linkage seminars

Professional Linkage Seminars offer sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to take courses that approach social and work-related concerns through the eyes of an accomplished nonacademic professional with an affinity for the liberal arts and a gift for intellectual inquiry. Seminars link liberal education to professional issues, illustrating how theory and practice affect and enrich one another; focusing on the transition from the academic to the non-academic world. Professional Linkage Seminars are taught through relevant Weinberg departments using the course number 394.

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Independent Study

Registering for Independent Study allows students to earn course credit by working on a research or creative project under the supervision of a faculty member. The standard course number for Independent Study is 399; some departments and programs offer similar opportunities using other course numbers.

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For-credit Internships

Weinberg offers students the opportunity to earn credit for internships with a strong academic component. Each quarter students intern in a range of professional and civic fields, from nonprofit and community organizations to business and law. Chicago Field Studies (CFS) is the largest academic internship program on campus.

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Student-Organized Seminar

A Student-Organized Seminar (SOS) is a credit-bearing, P/N-course taken by a small group of undergraduate students who wish to explore a well-focused topic deemed appropriate to, but not already covered in, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences curriculum. The seminar must have the sponsorship of one or more Weinberg College faculty members.

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