Berkeleyan

General Catalog is a window on Berkeley
New two-year volume is on sale for students — and for those who guide them

03 August 2005

For students embarking on a Berkeley education, the new 2005-07 General Catalog is a 512-page perfect-bound academic candy store of classes to take, fields to sample, and bottom-line information on studying at Berkeley. For faculty and staff, it's the indispensable handbook for advising students and helping them make the most out of Berkeley.

The new catalog — with pedagogical contents stretching from African American Studies to Wood Science and Technology — hit the campus bookstore in June and is available at a discount for departments and units, many of which order the volume in quantity for staff and faculty who work with students.

"Of course students can search courses online, but there is nothing like the printed General Catalog if you want to explore different disciplines, compare majors, or find a class or field you might otherwise have overlooked," says Nancy Chapman of Public Affairs, who has been editor of the catalog for 21 years.

The catalog is "a guide to the breadth, depth, and fascination of the Berkeley academic experience," writes Chancellor Robert Birgeneau in his foreword to the new volume. "Our programs, course offerings, and lists of distinguished faculty members, presented together in this weighty catalog, tell the story of all that Berkeley offers its talented students."

The catalog includes a 100-page introduction to Berkeley and its academic programs, followed by some 400 pages of department and program information, including faculty names and course offerings. The book is sprinkled with campus photos and marginalia, including tips for students, quotes, quick facts, noted alumni, sports history, and the perennially popular Cal trivia quiz (experts can try "Where is 'sophomore lawn'?").

Production of each biennial catalog is a campus collaboration: Courses originate with faculty and departments; the Academic Senate and Registrar manage course approvals and changes; Student Information Systems oversees the course database; and Public Affairs coordinates, edits, and designs the publication. Thereafter, UC Printing Services prints the volume, Mailing Services delivers it, and the Student Store sells it.

Campus departments and units can order copies of the new catalog for their staff and faculty by sending e-mail to catalog@berkeley.edu. Catalogs are $5 each for faculty and staff ordering through departments and units (catalogs are on sale at the Student Store for $10).

Those coordinating unit orders should provide name, department, address, phone number, number of catalogs desired, and a chart string to charge for payment. For details, inquire via e-mail or by phone at 642-0702.