Wesleyan University founded in 1831, is a private, liberal artsuniversity in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded by Methodist leaders and residents of Middletown, Wesleyan was the first university to be named after John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and it shares a common Methodist heritage with about twenty other U.S. colleges and universities also named after Wesley.
With a class size of slightly over 700, Wesleyan accepts just 28% (class of 2008) of those who apply, making it one of the most selective colleges in the US (giving it a Princeton Review Admissions Selectivity Rating of 97 on a scale from 60 to 99). It was ranked 9th in the top Liberal Arts Colleges in the country by the US News. Wesleyan is well known for the diversity of its student population with students from 49 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and 45 foreign countries. 22% of the class of 2004 identified themselves as students of color.
Wesleyan is also famous for its activism, especially for its feminist and gay-rights organizations, and as such it was the main inspiration for the 1994 movie PCU, which satirized an exaggeratedly "Politically Correct University."
Wesleyan was founded as an all-male Methodist college in 1831. In 1872 it became one of the first universities to attempt a coeducational environment, allowing a small number of female students to attend the university. Many of Wesleyan's male alumni believed that coeducation lowered Wesleyan's standings compared to its academic peers, so from 1912 to 1970, Wesleyan returned to being an all-male university. By the time the university began reintegrating women in 1970, many female scholars had already found their place at the all-female Connecticut College in nearby New London, founded by Wesleyan alumni in 1911.
Wesleyan became fully independent of the Methodist Church in 1937, after ties to the church waned throughout the early 20th century.
Academics
Wesleyan offers Bachelor of Arts, the Master of Arts and the Ph.D. Wesleyan offers over 900 courses in 39 departments and 44 major fields of study. No minor specialisms are offered. The university is also highly supportive of interdisciplinary programs and custom-made majors, known as University Majors. Almost all classes at Wesleyan are small, with the most frequent class size being between 11 and 19 students.
Wesleyan's graduate programs are mostly limited to the sciences and mathematics, although they also offer graduate programs in Music and Ethnomusicology and in Psychology.
Departments and majors
The following is a list of departments as of 2004. Except as noted, each department also has a single corresponding major (although the official names of majors do not include the word "program" found in some department names).
African American Studies
American Studies Program
Anthropology
Archaeology Program
Art and Art History
Art History
Art Studio
Asian Languages and Literatures
(No separate major, see East Asian Studies)
Astronomy
Biology
Chemistry
Center for the Humanities
(No corresponding major)
Classical Studies
Classics
Classical Civilization
College of Letters
College of Social Studies
Dance
Earth and Environmental Sciences
East Asian Studies Program
Economics
Economics
Mathematics-Economics
English
Film Studies
German Studies
Government
History
Latin American Studies Program
Less Commonly Taught Languages
(No corresponding major)
Mathematics
Mathematics
Computer Science
Mathematics-Economics
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Medieval Studies Program
Music
Neuroscience and Behavior
Philosophy
Physical Education
(No corresponding major)
Physics
Psychology
Religion
Romance Languages and Literatures
French Studies
Italian Studies
Romance Studies
Spanish Literature
Russian and East European Studies Program
Russian Languages and Literatures
Russian
Science in Society Program
Sociology
Theater
Women's Studies Program
Certificate programs
Wesleyan's certificate programs are "designed to bring coherence to programs of study that include courses from many departments and programs." They are:
Certificate in Environmental Studies
Certificate in Informatics and Modeling
Certificate in International Relations
Certificate in Jewish and Israel Studies
Recent Activism
2004 has seen a resurgence in activism at Wesleyan, after several years of decline. In December, over 250 students took over South College, the building housing President Bennet's office, to protest the lack of student voices in administrative decision making. The building occupation was followed by a forum the next day, in which President Bennet promised to respond to student demands in January 2005. [1]
Another current controversy as of December 2004 is the status of the campus radio station, WESU, founded in 1939 as the second college radio station in the United States (KUOA at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas was the first, in 1936). [2], [3] Since 1988, WESU's format has been entirely free-form, with DJs having complete freedom to program what they will. The university is now considering some sort of affiliation with National Public Radio, which would require a drastic change in format. [4], [5]
Dana Delany 1978 - Emmy Award-winning actress whose credits include the television shows China Beach and Presidio Med and the films Tombstone and Fly Away Home
Akiva Goldsman 1983 - Screenwriter for The Client, A Time to Kill, and A Beautiful Mind (Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar)
The Highwaymen (David Fisher 1962, Steve Trott '62, Chan Daniels '62 [dec.], Steve Butts '62, and Bob Burnett '62) -- folk group with #1 single ("Michael" 1961).
Jay Hoggard 1976 - Renowned jazz musician, vibraphonist
Frank Wood 1984 - Tony Award-winning actor (Side Man)
Law
Russell Hardin 1964 - Attorney, Hardin, Beers, Hagstette & Davidson, and lead Houston attorney for Arthur Andersen's defense against lawsuits brought by Enron shareholders
Hon. Terry Hatter 1954 - Federal judge, Los Angeles
Hon. Anthony Scirica 1962 - Circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals, Third District (Philadelphia)
Theodore Shaw 1976 - Associate director-counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
Hon. Stephen Trott 1962 - Federal Appellate Court judge, 9th Circuit
Literature
Amy Bloom 1975 - Author of Come to Me, Love Invents Us, and A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You
Robin Cook 1962 - Medical mystery writer whose books include Abduction, Chromosome 6, Coma, Shock, and many other bestsellers
Ted Fiske 1959 - Educational writer, creator of The Fiske Guide to Colleges
