Faculty Advising
All majors in the ILA work closely with the DUS and faculty advisors throughout their academic career. Our majors are advised by faculty both in and outside the ILA.
Intensive faculty advising begins when a student is interested in declaring the AMST/IDS major.
Students are encouraged to approach and enlist the help of faculty advisors at two distinct stages of their career as interdisciplinary majors:
- As they declare the AMST/IDS major
- As they commence and complete their capstone experience
The DUS can put you in touch with faculty who have expertise in the questions you want to study. Have a discussion with these experts as you prepare your Proposal of Courses. What advice do faculty experts have about how to focus your research? What Emory classes should be included in your Proposal? Whom else at Emory should you talk to about your emerging interdisciplinary major? Such meetings will also help you identify a faculty co-advisor with whom you will meet in subsequent semesters to discuss class choices and progress.
A co-advisor is a faculty member with expertise related to the student’s emerging senior research topic. Our DUS and faculty can introduce prospective students to possible co-advisors. When declaring the AMST/IDS major, students identify their co-advisor(s) on their Proposal of Coursesand attach a completed Faculty Co-Advisor Consent Form.
Students meets with their co-advisor at least once per semester, for 10-15 minutes. They discuss the student’s choice of courses. What is the overall direction of the major's courses? What upcoming courses might be particularly important to the major's research question?
When the ILA undergraduate committee reviews and approves a student’s Proposal of Courses, they assign the student a major advisor in the ILA.
Our majors generally meet individually with their ILA major advisor at least twice each semester. These meetings focus on course selection and student progress. Are the courses consistent with the student's emerging interdisciplinary senior thesis? Does the student need help finding faculty mentors within and beyond the ILA?
In the spring of their junior year, AMST/IDS majors identify and confirm which faculty will serve as their thesis advisor. (This may or may not be the same faculty member serving as their major advisor or co-advisor).
A thesis advisor mentors the student through their senior thesis beginning in the spring of their junior year. Students are expected to meet with their thesis advisor on a regular basis as they work on their thesis.
In January of their senior year, honors candidates must submit names of their faculty committee members to the College Honors Program (CHP) at ec.honorsprogram@emory.edu.
This committee is typically three faculty - at least one from the ILA and at least one from another department. Email agreements from committee members must come before submitting their names. The CHP website outlines rules for which faculty qualify to serve on committee.
Faculty Co-Advisor Consent Form
Once you have identified your co-advisors, please ask them to complete the consent form on the last page of the Handbook. You will attach the consent form(s) to your Proposal/Checklist of Courses.