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Independent Study Projects (ISPs)

Independent Study Projects (ISPs) allow individual students to initiate, design, and execute a credit-bearing course with the help of a faculty advisor.  The topic of an ISP is generally not offered in the established Brown curriculum.  A student is responsible for designing, implementing, and carrying out the coursework him- or herself.

To submit a request for an ISP, a student needs a faculty sponsor and a proposal consisting of a syllabus, a bibliography, and an explanation of the project.  Proposal forms are available at the Curricular Resource Center and on the CRC web site.  The Curricular Resource Center also archives ISPs from previous semesters.  Students can browse the archive, talk with CRC staff about their ideas, and obtain planning sheets for an ISP from the Center.