Junior Tutorial

Junior Tutorial is a year-long course that provides History & Literature concentrators with a unique opportunity to develop, explore, focus, or expand their intellectual interests. Juniors are clustered into small groups (usually three students) and matched with a tutor based on common interests.

The Junior Tutorial instructor also acts as the student’s academic adviser. At the beginning of the fall semester, juniors discuss their course selections with their advisers, and they also meet with a member of the Committee on Instruction to review their plan of study with another academic adviser.

In the fall, juniors work collaboratively with their tutor to develop a common syllabus, and tutorials will meet weekly for two hours. The collaborative process of designing a schedule of readings is one of the most valuable aspects of Junior Tutorial. In the process, students define and shape their fields of study, identify key debates and texts within fields, and develop research skills. In the spring, students continue to work with their tutor and peers even as the emphasis of the tutorial shifts towards independent research for the Junior Essay.

Students who study abroad during their junior year may substitute another course for Junior Tutorial. However, students who successfully complete the Junior Essay process while abroad during their junior spring will have their spring Junior Tutorial requirement waived. 

Juniors are required to participate in fall and spring events for students that are scheduled as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series, as well as the spring Senior Thesis Symposium. These events provide an opportunity for juniors to gather as members of an intellectual community across tutorials and fields.