Antioch College - Overview
A Liberal Arts College With a Unique Cooperative Work Program
Antioch College is the only liberal arts institution in the nation to require participation of all students in a comprehensive off-campus cooperative work program. Cooperative education links theory and practice and supports students in developing independence and accountability. All students alternate between 9 quarters of study and 6 quarters of full-time work. Students learn to live and work productively in the community near Antioch, and to participate in governance and other civic spheres.
A 4-year undergraduate college, Antioch College awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees upon successful completion of degree requirements in 4 divisions. The divisions and areas of concentration within them are arts (studio arts, media arts, and performance); humanities (history, literature, and philosophy); sciences (environmental science and health science); and social sciences (anthropology, psychology, and political economy).
Working closely with academic and work advisors, students plan their own courses of study. Areas of concentration are either disciplinary or interdisciplinary, based upon the concentrations offered in each division.
The Small, Thriving College Town of Yellow Springs, Ohio
Since progressive Antioch College was established in 1850 and opened in1852, Yellow Springs, Ohio has been a magnet for artists, activists, and creative thinkers. Named one of the "10 Coolest Small Towns" in the United States, Yellow Springs is a rural village with a population of about 4,000. Located 21 miles from Dayton in west central Ohio, Yellow Springs is a thriving college town with an array of cultural, intellectual, and recreational events and attractions as well as a diverse community, which represents a wide range of political and social views.
Work Study at Antioch College: a Local, National, and Global Program
For more than 90 years, the hallmark of an Antioch College education has been its groundbreaking cooperative education program. Besides alternating quarters of full-time work placements, students studying on campus take part-time jobs that prepare them for full-time work experiences. Since the curriculum at Antioch College focuses on critical resources associated with energy, food, and water, many on-campus work assignments revolve around the management of the college's organic farms and its 1,200-acre campus, including stewardship of the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. Students also work for non-profit organizations in Yellow Springs.
Students spend 6 quarters (nearly half of their time in college) working full-time in local, national and global job placements. Students apply for jobs that they select from a list of cooperative education placements developed by the college. Prior to enrolling in full-time work courses, students work with their co-op and academic advisors to identify jobs that relate to students' specific interests, their ongoing studies in language and culture, and their stated areas of major concentration. Successful completion of each work placement requires the completion of a work portfolio, evaluations, and an interview or presentation.
Individualized Language and Culture Studies at Antioch
All Antioch College students are required to attain intermediate proficiency in a major world language other than their native tongue. Graduates receive a minor in the languages they choose to study. Through its language and culture curriculum, Antioch College aims to prepare students for global citizenship.
In their first quarter at Antioch College, students begin studying another language. Students continue to learn and use that language each quarter, both on and off campus, through individualized reading, writing, and speaking exercises, language classes, and tutoring.
Language study at Antioch College is linked to and reinforced by an international work experience that provides sustained immersion in a different culture. Near the end of their college experience, Antioch College students work for 2 consecutive quarters (20-24 weeks) in an international setting. During their work abroad, students complete their language capstone courses.
Languages offered at Antioch College currently include Portuguese and Spanish. Languages slated for addition to the curriculum are French (in 2012), Arabic, German, and Mandarin Chinese.
Glen Helen, a 1000-Acre Nature Preserve on the Antioch College Campus
In 1929 alumnus Hugh Taylor Birch donated to Antioch College a lovely wooded glen in memory of his daughter, Helen. On even a short walk in Glen Helen, visitors can view spectacular wildflowers, 400-year-old trees, limestone cliffs with waterfalls and overhangs, and the beautiful yellow spring for which the local village was named.
An integral part of Antioch College's legacy, Glen Helen is an important curricular resource for professors and students, especially those concentrating on the environmental sciences. The Glen Helen Ecology Institute manages the land and coordinates educational programs in the glen. Programs include Outdoor School, an environmental education program for K-12 school children, and the Naturalist Internship, a teacher education program through which interns teach K-8 environmental science and natural history, including environmental problem solving, geology, stream study, and wildlife ecology.
Other programs in the glen include classes and tours at the Raptor Center (a sanctuary for injured birds of prey) and Trailside Museum programs that offer interpretive displays, maps, exhibits, guide books and literature designed to enhance visitors' understanding and enjoyment of Glen Helen.
Global Seminars on Energy, Food, Health, Governance, and Water
Befitting the college's long tradition of applied liberal arts learning and its socially conscious values and mission, the Global Seminars address present-day problems and challenges related to energy, food, health, governance, and water resources. With faculty and visiting experts, students discuss, analyze, and debate these pressing problems and explore possible solutions. By engaging students in the world beyond campus, the seminars help to orient students toward the work they will be doing during "co-op quarters."
The seminars also dramatically expand the pool of mentors commonly available to students at small colleges.