Soundings

The award-winning Soundings program brings a rich sampling of the liberal arts to Castleton. Soundings events include concerts, dance performances, films, lectures, workshops with performing artists, and more.

The events provide a place for the Castleton community to gather and promote the Castleton experience.

At any event, you will be joined by your fellow students, faculty, staff, members of the wider Castleton community, and even local school children attending through Castleton’s spectacular Arts Reach programs.

They expand our horizons and help us to see a part of our world in a slightly different way. Beyond this broader cultural awareness, however, they will serve another important purpose in your education. They will offer important resources for you in your coursework and life beyond the classroom.

Although Soundings events are intended for the college community, all students enroll in Soundings as a course during at least two of their semesters. During this course, students attend a specified number of events and take some time after the events to reflect on the experiences.

First-Year Soundings

All first-year students enroll during both semesters of their first year. Soundings I (INT 1051 for 1 credit) takes place in their first semester and then Soundings II (INT 1053 for ½ credit) follows during the second semester. These courses complement the first-year curriculum to make students aware of the broader liberal arts experience and to help them to begin building connections. Transfer students with more than 60 credits begin with Soundings II in their first semester at Castleton.

Junior Soundings

All third-year students enroll in Junior Soundings (INT 3054 for ½ credit) for one semester. This course emphasizes the integration of Soundings and their coursework. At the end of the course, students submit an essay about their Soundings experiences and coursework as they look toward their future studies and life after Castleton.

Students enrolled in Soundings are encouraged to survey the Soundings schedule and to select specific events to attend. Every semester includes a wide array of weekly events at different times of the week, so there are plenty of possibilities to fit anyone’s busy schedule. Students might select events that are familiar and in which they are interested, but they should also step beyond what they know to sample something new and different.