Between the fall and spring semester, students at the Rhode Island School of Design have been required to participate in Wintersession — a five-week period that serves as a time for students to take courses that are unique from those explored during the semester.
But starting next year, Wintersession will become optional for students after their first year.
RISD officials said that the change aims to return Wintersession to its original purpose of deeply exploring specific disciplines, diving into special topics or learning new experimental techniques, in a statement shared with The Herald by RISD spokesperson Jaime Marland.
Wintersession fees will remain unchanged, but BFA graduation requirements will be reduced from 126 credits to 120, according to the statement. The mandatory Wintersession requirement did not extend to Brown-RISD dual-degree students, who only have to participate during their first year.
The decision was made with student feedback in mind, the statement continued. RISD officials hope this change will provide students with more autonomy over their education, allowing them to take a longer break between semesters.
RISD’s fall semester typically ends in the middle of December. Wintersession then runs from the beginning of January to the start of February, with the spring semester beginning a week later. This results in a two- to three-week break for most students.
For Kevin Chang, a first-year international student from Taiwan, the new policy allows him “to spend more time with people who I cherish back home.”
The policy change also hopes to reinvigorate the program and improve students’ learning, the statement reads. RISD plans to adjust course offerings, exploring the possibility of introducing more independently guided studios, experimental courses, study abroad opportunities and other deeper modes of learning.
Tenley Dugan, a RISD sophomore, said Wintersession is “a good option for people to have.”
Dugan, who spent this past Wintersession taking a textiles course in India, said they plan to continue partaking in Wintersession. “I think it’s something I still see myself always wanting to opt into,” Dugan added.
RISD sophomore Kaz Bradley said they felt the policy change would be helpful as long as it does not lengthen students’ graduation timeline.
Bradley agreed with maintaining the mandatory Wintersession requirement for first-year students, referencing the fact that first-year students typically take a Wintersession class taught in a specific department of their choosing, rather than a foundational studio course.
“It’s really the only chance they get to test out a major,” Bradley said. “It’s more likely for them to be satisfied with the major they pick if they are allowed that experience.”
