Welcome to Salem College, and welcome to the Salem Impact program, our general education core! The courses you will take at Salem fall into three areas: your major(s), the Impact, and electives. The major invites you to study an academic area in depth. The Impact is for breadth of study, teaching you to think from different perspectives and enabling you to master a range of foundational academic skills.

The goal of the Salem Impact is to produce creative thinkers and effective communicators, confident women who are prepared to change the world. Students will work closely with faculty in small classes and will go into the community to experience hands-on learning through professional and service-learning opportunities.

Across your four years at Salem, the key features of the Salem Impact include:

  •  the First Year Experience, a variety of seminars focused on such issues such as Education and Equity, Literature and War, and Creative Thinking, in which students work collaboratively on a project, improve their writing and thinking skills, and develop their ability to communicate using technology;
  •  the Global Awareness Seminar, a variety of seminars focused on such topics as Immigration and US Politics, Modern Japanese Culture, and Cuban Literature and Film, in which students enhance their global and environmental awareness; 
  • a Service Learning Seminar, in which students work on a community-related research project, perform 30 hours of hands-on community service, and develop skills required for effective citizenship;
  •  an Internship or Professional Development Experience, in which students will explore career possibilities and develop real-world professional skills;
  •  exploration of a variety of academic disciplines through requirements in science, mathematics, social science, arts, and humanities;
  •  a course focused on women’s roles and the impact of women across cultures and time;
  •  a capstone interdisciplinary experience, including an individual project, aimed at synthesizing the students’ academic experiences and real-life goals.

If you have any questions about the Salem Impact, I would welcome an e-mail at Jenna.Sheffield@salem.edu. I hope that I will see you as a participant in this exciting academic endeavor at Salem.

Sincerely,

Jenna Sheffield
Dean of Undergraduate Studies

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