{"id":312,"date":"2020-03-03T13:47:35","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T19:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/?page_id=312"},"modified":"2026-03-11T10:30:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T15:30:40","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/conversations\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequently Asked Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection><p><!-- begin-migrated-from-panel-builder --><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--gray\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper site-section__inner--top-padding-minimal site-section__inner--bottom-padding-minimal site-section__bg--gray\">\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"site-section__content \">\n\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper site-grid__wrapper-stagger\"\n\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t data-name=\"columns\"\n\t\t\t data-livetext>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__wysiwyg-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content \"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-index=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-autop=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-name=\"column_content\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Conversations and Learning Communities<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t<\/div> <!-- site-section__content -->\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--normal\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper site-section__inner--top-padding-none site-section__inner--bottom-padding-none\">\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"site-section__content \">\n\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper \"\n\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t data-name=\"columns\"\n\t\t\t data-livetext>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t<\/div> <!-- site-section__content -->\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--normal\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper site-section__inner--top-padding-none site-section__inner--bottom-padding-none\">\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"site-section__content \">\n\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper site-grid__wrapper-stagger\"\n\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t data-name=\"columns\"\n\t\t\t data-livetext>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__wysiwyg-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content \"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-index=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-autop=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-name=\"column_content\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#q1\">What are the Conversations and Learning Communities?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#q2b\">What OLE Core credits do these programs fulfill?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#q5\">How do I sign up for one of these programs?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#q12\">Am I required to participate in a Conversation program?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p id=\"q1\"><b>What are the Conversations and Learning Communities? <\/b><\/p>\n<p>Conversation is at the heart of a St. Olaf education. We want students to develop the ability to listen carefully, respond thoughtfully, and be the kind of engaged thinker who makes a conversation more interesting. St. Olaf\u2019s signature Conversation programs are interdisciplinary, team-taught explorations that take students on distinct intellectual journeys through influential texts and ideas that have shaped our past and will guide our future.<\/p>\n<p id=\"q2b\"><strong>What OLE Core credits do these programs fulfill?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Enduring Questions<\/strong> consists of 5 courses that span the course of the first and sophomore years. The program fulfills 7 OLE Core Requirements: in the first year, First-Year Seminar; Writing and Rhetoric; as well as Religion, Faith, and Values; and during sophomore year: Global History and Societies; Writing Across the Curriculum; Creativity; Ethical Reasoning in Context. It has a required first-year J-Term course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Environmental Conversations <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">consists of 3 courses taken throughout the first year. The program fulfills the first year OLE Core Requirements of the First Year Seminar and Writing and Rhetoric. It has a required first-year interim course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Molecular Discovery<\/strong> is a three-course sequence in which students complete\u00a0 2 OLE Core Requirements: First Year-Seminar and\u00a0 Writing and Rhetoric This program includes a first-year J-Term course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Public Affairs Conversation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0is a first-year program that fulfills 3 OLE Core Requirements: First Year Seminar; Writing and Rhetoric; and Ethical Reasoning in Context. It has an optional funded internship opportunity, available to students in the summer and year following completion of the first-year program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Race Matters<\/strong> is a first-year program that fulfills 4 OLE Core GE Requirements: First Year Seminar; Writing and Rhetoric; Power and Race; Social Science. It has a required first-year J-Term course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"q5\"><b>How do I sign up for one of these programs?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>As soon as you confirm your place in the class with your enrollment deposit, you&#8217;ll be able to sign up for the program that seems to be the best fit for you. No application is needed!<\/p>\n<p id=\"q12\"><b>Am I required to participate in a Conversation program?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All in all, about 30% or so of Oles are involved with a Conversation program. While they are awesome for the students who are involved, they are not the only way you\u2019ll get a rigorous, interesting, compelling education at St. Olaf. Evaluate if it fits what you want and how you learn best; if it doesn\u2019t, you won\u2019t be looked down upon or judged for not being a Conner.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t<\/div> <!-- site-section__content -->\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\tclass=\"site-section site-panel__wysiwyg panel panel-wysiwyg site-section__bg--default\"\n\t\t\tdata-depth=\"\"\n\t\t\tdata-js-panel=\"wysiwyg\"\n\t\t>\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"site-section__inner l-wrapper site-section__inner--top-padding-none site-section__inner--bottom-padding-minimal\">\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t<div class=\"site-section__content \">\n\t\t<div class=\"site-grid site-grid__wrapper site-grid__wrapper-stagger\"\n\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t data-name=\"columns\"\n\t\t\t data-livetext>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-grid__col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"site-panel__wysiwyg-content\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"t-content c-tile\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-depth=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-index=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-autop=\"true\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t data-name=\"column_content\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><strong>Didn&#8217;t find the answer you were looking for?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Don&#8217;t hesitate to <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/admissions\/connect\/officers\/\">contact your Admissions Officer<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid__col -->\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div> <!-- .site-grid, .site-grid__wrapper -->\n\t<\/div> <!-- site-section__content -->\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p><!-- end-migrated-from-panel-builder --><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1133,"featured_media":0,"parent":4009,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_spp_custom_css":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-312","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PbTwnq-52","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4485,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312\/revisions\/4485"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/newstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}