UMass Amherst

Dean's Book Course Special Sections

The Dean’s Book Course was intentionally designed to be spread over a student’s time here in Commonwealth College, not rushed through in a single semester or even a single year. Because students take the Dean’s Book Course throughout their college careers, during any one semester nearly half of the Commonwealth College population is studying the same book. Thus students from a whole range of classes and majors are brought together into a single community by the shared experience of reading. As students progress through the three levels, their shared experiences accumulate, and they become united by a common culture despite their separate areas of study. Moreover, each year as students progress through the Dean’s Book Course sequence, they return to the seminar table with a new level of knowledge and maturity---and so do their classmates.

Nevertheless, Commonwealth College recognizes the diverse situations and interests of its students, and accommodates this diversity by offering special sections of the Dean's Book Course.

Transfer Students and Late Entrants

Students who join Commonwealth College as sophomores, juniors, or seniors may accelerate their pace through the sequence by taking one of the semester-long, 2-credit "G" sections.

Students Interested in Community Service Learning

In its commitment to community service, the College offers specially designed semester-long, 3-credit CSL sections of the Dean's Book Course. These sections comprise two levels of the DBC sequence, with an additional credit for the hours of community service students perform. (291R Application) (391S Application)