University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

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The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA or LS&A) is the liberal arts and sciences school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Established in 1841 with seven students and two teachers, the college is currently the largest unit at U-M in terms of student enrollment. It is located on the university's Central Campus, which it shares with the Ross School of Business, the School of Information, the Law School, and other colleges. It is also home to the University of Michigan Honors Program. In March 2013 Helen Zell gave $50 million to LS&A, the largest gift in LS&A history, to support scholarships and stipends for Master's students in creative writing.

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History of LSA

The College of Literature, Science and the Arts was originally designated the Literary Department and was the core of the University of Michigan. From 1841 to 1874, the faculty elected a president that communicated with the regents about department needs. In 1875, Henry Simmons Frieze became the first of the deans of LS&A.

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Residential College

Founded in 1967, The Residential College (RC) is a division of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Jon Wells is the current director of the RC, and is currently teaching courses in English and African American Studies. 86 faculty and staff at the University are associated with the RC, including nine Academic Advisors and four administrators.

Students in the RC take classes in LS&A as well as specially-designed RC courses, many of which are seminar courses with fewer than fifteen students each. All RC students are required to live in the same residence hall, East Quadrangle, for at least their first two years. Since the RC is a part of the LS&A, all LS&A academic requirements apply to it. In addition to the usual concentrations in LS&A, RC students may choose to pursue five additional concentrations (RC website): "Arts and Ideas in the Humanities," "Creative Writing and Literature," "Drama," "Social Theory and Practice," and an option for an "Individualized Major".

A major requirement for RC participation is intensive language training, which consists of two 8-credit courses similar to language immersion, and one 4-credit readings course. Intensive Japanese at the RC has no reading courses, and the semi-immersion curriculum consists of two 10-credit courses. Other languages offered include Spanish, French, Latin, German, Japanese, and Russian.