When a student, in consultation with his/her advisor, determines that an educational goal cannot be met through courses offered, the student may propose to meet this goal through a directed reading. The student must be in good academic standing to pursue a directed reading elective. Directed reading electives are generally not open to summer-term students.

The student must identify a faculty member willing and qualified to direct the work. Only regular members of the School of Theology faculty may supervise directed reading courses or outside projects. Working with the faculty member, the student develops a written proposal to submit to the faculty. The proposal must conform to the ROSE Model and include a substantial bibliography. See theology.sewanee.edu/academics/the-rose-model for more information.

The proposal is submitted by the student, through the proposed instructor, to the dean’s assistant for consideration by the faculty. It must be submitted no later than one week before the last, regularly scheduled faculty meeting of the semester prior to the one in which the student intends to pursue the directed reading.

The associate dean for academic affairs will communicate the results of the faculty’s consideration to the coordinator of academic affairs, who will register the student for the course or will communicate the faculty’s rejection of the proposal to the student.