John Muir College
Encyclopedia
John Muir College is one of the six undergraduate colleges at the University of California, San Diego
(UCSD). The college is named after John Muir
, the environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club
. It has a humanitarian emphasis focused on the "spirit of self-sufficiency and individual choice". The college opened in 1967, at the height of the American environmentalist
movement triggered in part by Rachel Carson
's book Silent Spring
. John Muir College describes itself as the "Heart of UCSD" and boasts a strong and distinct character after forty years of existence.
, a sequence in natural science or math, and must choose two year-long sequences in two different areas chosen from fine arts, a foreign language or humanities
. In addition, each student must complete two quarters of the "Muir College Writing Program" (MCWP).
Due to JMC's flexible general education requirements, it is very popular among incoming students and receives the most applications each year. Consequently, it employs the most stringent admissions process among the six colleges. The flexibility of the college often encourages a large number of students to pursue multiple bachelor degrees. Muir College's writing program incorporates college level writing over a two-quarter period, with general critical writing during the first quarter and a themed rhetorical analysis program during the second. Also unique to Muir College is the Muir Special Project major, which allows qualified students to earn a Bachelor of Arts
degree by pursuing an individually designed program of interdisciplinary study.
, the colossal statue designed by late French
artist Niki de Saint Phalle
, stands herald over the grounds of the campus. The 8- and 11-story twin residence halls Tenaya
and Tioga
along with the 5-story Tuolumne Apartments stand as testament to the nature-conserving policies of Muir as well as examples of the prevalent architectural style of the 1960s. Muir's connection to California's Yosemite Valley
continues with the Half Dome
Lounge and the dining hall Pines (formerly Sierra Summit). Every Halloween
, Muir students drop a giant pumpkin from the top of the tallest residence hall as part of the Halloween Carnival.
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
(UCSD). The college is named after John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
, the environmentalist and founder of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
. It has a humanitarian emphasis focused on the "spirit of self-sufficiency and individual choice". The college opened in 1967, at the height of the American environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
movement triggered in part by Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
's book Silent Spring
Silent Spring
Silent Spring is a book written by Rachel Carson and published by Houghton Mifflin on 27 September 1962. The book is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement....
. John Muir College describes itself as the "Heart of UCSD" and boasts a strong and distinct character after forty years of existence.
Requirements
John Muir College's general education requirements are more loosely structured than those of the other colleges, with an emphasis on "sequences" and individual study. Each student must complete a year-long sequence in social sciencesSocial sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, a sequence in natural science or math, and must choose two year-long sequences in two different areas chosen from fine arts, a foreign language or humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
. In addition, each student must complete two quarters of the "Muir College Writing Program" (MCWP).
Due to JMC's flexible general education requirements, it is very popular among incoming students and receives the most applications each year. Consequently, it employs the most stringent admissions process among the six colleges. The flexibility of the college often encourages a large number of students to pursue multiple bachelor degrees. Muir College's writing program incorporates college level writing over a two-quarter period, with general critical writing during the first quarter and a themed rhetorical analysis program during the second. Also unique to Muir College is the Muir Special Project major, which allows qualified students to earn a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree by pursuing an individually designed program of interdisciplinary study.
Landmarks
Several of the most notable landmarks on the UCSD campus are located at Muir College. Sun GodSun God (statue)
Sun God is a statue by French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. The statue is a 14-foot multicolored bird-like creature, perched atop a 15-foot-tall horseshoe-shaped rock pedestal....
, the colossal statue designed by late French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
artist Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle
Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine-Marie-Agnès-Brandon Fal de Saint Phalle was a French sculptor, painter, and film maker.-The early years:...
, stands herald over the grounds of the campus. The 8- and 11-story twin residence halls Tenaya
Chief Tenaya
Chief Tenaya was a Native American chief of the Yosemite Valley people in California.-Background:Tenaya's father was the chief of the Ahwahneechee , which means "people of the Ahwahnee" . The Ahwahneechee had become a tribe distinct from the other tribes in the area...
and Tioga
Tioga
-Communities:In the United States:*Tioga, California, former name of Bennettville, California*Tioga, Louisiana*Tioga, New York, a town in Tioga County*Tioga County, New York, a county at the Pennsylvania border*Tioga, North Dakota, a city in Williams County...
along with the 5-story Tuolumne Apartments stand as testament to the nature-conserving policies of Muir as well as examples of the prevalent architectural style of the 1960s. Muir's connection to California's Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of California, carved out by the Merced River. The valley is about long and up to a mile deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Half Dome and El Capitan, and densely forested with pines...
continues with the Half Dome
Half Dome
Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located in northeastern Mariposa County, California, at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar rock formation. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor....
Lounge and the dining hall Pines (formerly Sierra Summit). Every Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, Muir students drop a giant pumpkin from the top of the tallest residence hall as part of the Halloween Carnival.