Independent Study at AMES follows the university's Independent Study guidelines. Independent Studies can count both toward the 10 course requirements of the AMES major or the 5 course requirements of the AMES minor. Note, however, that no more than one Independent Study may be counted toward the major or the minor. Independent Study may count towards the major or minor only if it covers topics not covered by the regular course offering. Priority will be given to AMES majors although other majors will not be excluded.
To pursue an Independent Study you should first identify an AMES regular ranked faculty member who is willing to advise you on the subject that interests you. Together you should develop a course proposal—use the AMES 493 form for Research Independent Study and the AMES 391 form for Language Independent Study. The application should include a description of the project and the end product. You and the professor should agree on a brief syllabus for the course that includes the following information:
- Expected frequency or number of meetings during the semester (not less than an hour every other week for content classes, 90 minutes a week for language classes).
- Milestones that you will be expected to reach during the semester and the rough timing of the milestones. For example, you may be expected to deliver an outline of a paper roughly four weeks into the semester, a first draft roughly eight weeks into the semester, and the final draft of the paper by the last day of classes of the semester.
- The grading scheme for the independent study, detailing what weights will be placed on the various milestones in the course. The grading scheme should also place some weight on the student-faculty meetings.
Once the application is complete, submit it the the AMES Director of Undergraduate Studies for approval