Welcome to the IMP program. As should be clear from the general IMP handout, this is an exciting program and provides an opportunity for all of us--faculty, professional staff, and IMP committee members-to work with some of the most creative and self-motivated students at Binghamton. Their energy, enthusiasm, and--in some cases--their genius, can be contagious. Since this is an interdisciplinary program, it also allows us, in a sense, to broaden or indulge our own extra-departmental interests. It provides the literary scholar with a glimpse into biology, opens a window to music for the linguist, etc. It gives us the chance to be scholars "at large," to momentarily step back from specialization and teach-and perhaps re-learn--principles of sound, general scholarship.
Our best faculty sponsors are advisors, mentors, and collaborators with their IMP students. It's not necessary for the sponsor to be an expert in the student's projected field of interdisciplinary study. Very few sponsors are. In fact, it's not likely that a student will be able to find anyone on campus who could be such an expert. Most importantly, the student needs someone who's capable of recognizing and communicating academic rigor, someone who can help bring focus to what may otherwise be disjointed or disparate objectives, someone who can help them design a major that provides both breadth and depth of experience.
More specifically, the sponsor helps the student develop a major (the student should have already done most of this work before approaching the prospective sponsor), and help cobble together the new-major proposal which will eventually come before the IMP committee. This often takes up the better part of a semester, and the time-commitment for the sponsor may be analogous to that of a 2- to 4-credit independent-study section. The sponsor has a hand in each of the steps described under the "Proposal" heading in the general IMP handout. In addition to the information provided there, the sponsor should be aware of a few crucial points:
1. The essay has to be genuinely well-written. This is where the student justifies the major, generally and specifically. This is where the student explains that his or her objectives can be met in no other way-that no other major, or double-major, or major/minor combination will suffice. The essay has to be good enough that the sponsor would give it an 'A' if it were a class assignment. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation count. In other words, the IMP committee subscribes to the maxim, "If something is worth saying, it's worth saying well." The well-written essay signifies a serious student and a legitimate major, while the sloppy essay will not be taken seriously. Faculty members should proofread meticulously, and make recommendations as necessary. A student who is otherwise talented and exceptionally intelligent may not have an aptitude for writing, and may have to write several drafts before the sponsor is satisfied with the essay. Please be patient, while holding to high standards.
2. The list of major courses should reflect a truly integrative character, and it should reflect breadth and depth. That is, there should be substantial coursework from at least three different departments, and that coursework must have clear relevance to the overall major, or should otherwise be justifiable without excessive intellectual contortion. If the coursework is based almost entirely in one or two departments, with only a couple of courses from a third department, there is plenty of depth but not enough breadth to be considered an integrative, interdisciplinaiy major. In such a case, it's likely that the student would benefit from doublemajoring in the first two departments, or majoring in the first and minoring in the second, while taking the remaining courses as electives. Although the IMP coordinator will already have explained the advantages of conventional majors, the sponsor should be ready to give similar advice. If a student includes coursework from too many different departments--say, six or seven- there is little if any opportunity for progress from beginning to intermediate to advanced levels in each area. Such a major is too broad, too thinly spread.
Since faculty are in a good position to know the ebbs and flows of their departments, it's important that they alert students to any courses that might be offered sporadically-or every other semester, for example--and which might delay graduation. They should also warn students that similar ebbs and flows exist in other departments.
Once the student's major has been approved, the sponsor should be available for occasional advising. Otherwise, the time/effort commitment is negligible until the student initiates his or her integrative project. (Sponsors should alert students to possible leaves of absence or sabbaticals, and should recommend temporary or permanent replacement sponsors). As explained in the general IMP handout, students must complete an integrative project during their final semester. The faculty sponsor accommodates this work by conducting an independent-study course with the student. During the previous semester, students make an integrative-project proposal to the IMP committee. The proposal consists of a two- to three-page essay, along with a suggested bibliography, as well as the sponsor's letter of support. As with the student's new-major-proposal essay, the integrative-project-proposal essay has to be well-written, in addition to communicating that the project has a logical, academically sound purpose. The project must be truly integrative; that is, it must integrate material covered through the major courses. Any research projects or laboratory experiments involving human subjects must have Human Subjects Research Review Board approval.
There is an honors option in IMP, but that option doesn't (necessarily) require significantly more of an investment of time or effort for the sponsor. Consult the Bulletin under "Individualized Major Program" for a complete description of IMP honors.
Again, the Individualized Major Program thanks you for considering working with one of our prospective IMP students. If you have any questions about the program, don't hesitate to contact Harpur Academic Advising. If you like, we can put you in touch with other current or past IMP faculty sponsors.
