Policies

C u r r i c u l u m

Each participant is expected to attend the following events:

• One of four six-week courses that meet for approximantely three hours, twice each week, throughout the session
• Weekly colloquia on essays written by SCT faculty and fellows -- these papers will be distributed in advance for paticipants to read. At the colloquium, everyone at the School discusses, debates and thinks as a community of scholars. This communal event is an integral component of the dynamic of the School of Criticism & Theory and, for that reason, is not open to the public.
• The mini-seminars (lecture/seminar courses of one or two weeks) -- these courses will meet twice weekly, once for a public lecture open to the Cornell Community and once for a seminar open only to the participants and faculty of the School.

T u i t i o n  &  F i n a n c i a l  A i d

Tuition for the summer program is $2,500 (a below-cost figure made possible by a Cornell University subsidy).

The School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell has established an aid program to encourage institutional support of participants. The Matching Funds program guarantees that the School of Criticism and Theory will reduce by $300 the tuition fee for any participant whose own institution will provide $300 or more in support of his/her study. We urge you to ask your dean or other responsible administrative officer whether it would be possible for your school to provide funding for tuition ($2,200 after the $300 reduction) or even additional assistance for room and board. Any applicant requesting a Matching Funds reduction must obtain a written statement from the home institution affirming that financial support has been committed for the applicant. This letter must be received by March 1st.

In addition, there are a limited number of full and partial tuition scholarships available for participants with special needs. If you are a U.S. citizen requesting financial aid, please submit page one of your income tax return for 2006. Non-U.S. citizens should send a detailed description of their financial situation. Financial aid awards will be announced at the same time as notice of admission.

T u i t i o n  D e p o s i t

To hold a place in the School, within ten days of being notified of admission the prospective participant must submit a $200.00 non-refundable deposit to be applied to tuition. The remainder of tuition is due on June 1.

A d v a n c e d  C o u r s e  R e g i s t r a t i o n

To enable the School to plan the summer schedule, prospective participants must indicate on the aplication form which one of the six-week courses they wish to attend in order of preference. Applicants should list at least their first and second choices. Upon admission to the School, participants will be notified of their course assignment; acceptance of the offer of admission to the School will constitute acceptance of that course assignment. All participants are enrolled in all of the mini-seminars

L i v i n g  &  D i n i n g  A c c o m m o d a t i o n s

SCT is pleased to offer participants on-campus accommodations at Cascadilla Hall.

For those participants who bring families or prefer to live off-campus, the Housing Office at Cornell can provide a listing of summer rentals and sublets. The phone number for the Housing Office is 607-255-5368. The list of off-campus rooms, apartments and houses is frequently updated at the following website address: housing.cornell.edu.

A p p l i c a t i o n  I n s t r u c t i o n s :

Applicants should submit two copies of the following to School of Criticism & Theory, Cornell University, A.D. White House, 27 East Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14853-1101.

• Completed copy of the application form.
• Statement of no more than two pages describing current scholarly interests and plans and how the School of Criticism & Theory might further those interests and plans; the statement should include information about courses taken and/or taught in criticism and theory
• Sample of recent writing (please send a copy; we cannot guarantee its return)
• Two letters of recommendation mailed to the School directly by the referees
• An up-to-date curriculum vitae (graduate student participants should also have their registrar submit a transcript of their graduate studies directly to the School)
• Non-refundable application fee of $35.00 (please make checks payable to "The School of Criticism & Theory, Cornell University")

The application:

• To access the application, click here.

Faxed applications will not be accepted.

A c c e p t a n c e s  &  D e p o s i t s

Application folders will not be read until after all required items have been received. Applications for admission and for fellowships will be judged beginning March 1. Although applications will be accepted until all places in the School are filled, competition for admission and to particular courses is likely to be very keen. Therefore, candidates are encouraged to mail application materials by February 15 to allow time for their arrival. Decisions on admission and financial aid will be announced on a “rolling basis” beginning in mid-March.

Applicants who have been admitted will have ten days from the date of notification in which to submit a non-refundable $200 deposit against tuition in order to hold their place in the School. The remainder of the tuition is due on June 1.