All first-year students are expected to take the 4-credit Ithaca Seminar (ICSM 10500 or ICSM 10800) during their first semester at Ithaca College. For the vast majority of our students, this will be fall semester; however, we also offer 1-2 sections of Ithaca Seminar each spring to accommodate spring matriculators.
Students who fail, withdraw from, or decline to take the Ithaca Seminar in their first semester are still required to fulfill the 4-credit Ithaca seminar requirement as part of the Integrative Core Curriculum. Fall matriculators who do not satisfy the ICSM requirement during their first semester have the following options during the subsequent spring semester:
- Take ICSM 17000 Meeting the Challenges (1 credit) plus 3 additional LA credits
- Repeat ICSM 10500 or 10800
Option 1: ICSM 17000
ICSM 17000 is designed for students who struggled in their first semester and focuses on college success and resilience. As ICSM 17000 is a 1-credit course, students taking ICSM 17000 are also required to take an additional three (3) LA-designated credits at IC. Those 3 credits can be taken at any time during their IC career, but must be above and beyond major requirements and the minimum 12 credits of the CLA. (In other words, if a student takes an 18-credit minor to satisfy the CLA in Humanities & Sciences, then one of the additional LA courses may be used for the ICSM makeup.)
Once students have completed those additional 3 credits, they must contact the ICC Director to request a Course Waiver Substitution so that those credits can be applied to that area and the ICSM requirement shown as complete in Degreeworks.
Option 2: Retake ICSM 10500 or 10800
Occasionally, students have had a generally successful first semester aside from not fulfilling the ICSM requirement. Such students may be invited to join the spring ICSM 10500 or 10800 along with spring matriculators. The ICSM Coordinator and ICC Director may extend this invitation following careful review of profiles of students who failed, withdrew from, or declined to take the Ithaca Seminar; the ICC team invites input from Dean’s offices, faculty advisors, and department chairs regarding the best course of action for students who need to fulfill their ICSM requirement following their first semester at IC.