About the Clemente Course

The Clemente Course provides free humanities education to motivated students who might not otherwise have the opportunity for higher education. Begun as a pilot project on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Clemente Course is currently in its 20th year of operation, with approximately 400 students matriculated. Bard College oversees 18 courses. There are a number of other courses in the U.S. and abroad that are operated in conjunction with other institutions.

Photo by Michael Zide Photography

What Makes Us Unique?

The program has enrolled more than 3,000 students, many of whom have earned college credit and continued to further their educations.
The program removes many of the financial barriers to higher education that low-income individuals face: books, carfare, and childcare are provided, and tuition is free.
Bard grants a certificate of achievement to any student completing the Clemente Course and six college credits to those completing it at a high level of academic performance.
Bard also provides information sessions on applying to colleges and offers a two-semester sequel program in New York City, Chicago, and Kingston for graduates who desire to continue their education but are unable to transfer immediately into a regular college degree program.

History and Philosophy

The Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities grew out of recognizing that many low-income residents have limited access to college education and no opportunity to study the humanities. The Clemente Course bridges that gap by making humanities instruction accessible to disadvantaged members of our communities, giving them the opportunity to reengage with education.

Where We've Been and Where We're Going

Our History

Author Earl Shorris piloted the course at the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Center on East 13th Street in Manhattan, New York City, in 1995. In 2000, President and Mrs. Clinton awarded him a National Humanities Medal. Since that time, Bard College has offered the class more than 100 times in 14 states and the District of Columbia. More than 3,000 students have enrolled in the course, many of whom have earned college credit and continued to further their educations. The Clemente Courses have spread well beyond Bard's aegis.
Read more at ClementeCourse.org
Our Philosophy

Bard's Clemente Course in the Humanities offers the opportunity for intellectual development while providing a foundation for additional education and enhanced social and political participation. In so doing, the program unlocks potential in low-income communities that would otherwise go undeveloped. Through the creation of humanities courses in underserved communities nationwide, Bard College works to transform the lives of thousands of individuals who now live in poverty, thereby bringing our nation closer to the ideals of equality, justice, and democracy on which it is founded.
Affiliated Programs

The national director at Bard supervises each Bard Clemente Course. Bard is responsible for the academic program, reviewing for approval the selection of all faculty and course plans, while also providing technical and fundraising assistance. Bard hosts meetings of course directors, faculty, and other interested individuals in order to share experiences and to address issues of common concern, such as student retention, curriculum, pedagogical techniques, and fundraising.

Bard College sponsors an annual conference addressing the philosophy and goals of the Clemente Course. This meeting has helped to generate ideas and to solve problems, while also lending a coherence of approach and a collegial spirit to the national program. The gathering brings together leaders in the movement to offer humanities-based courses in low-income communities in the United States and abroad.
New Directions

Together with operation of the Clemente Course, Bard has taken steps to expand the program in new directions. At some sites, Bard offers an advanced second-year seminar for Clemente Course graduates unable to matriculate immediately into college, but desiring to continue their education. This course, called the Bridge Course, was developed in response to the requests of graduates of the programs in New York City.

Further, Bard piloted an intensive five-week summer version of the Clemente Course at one of its community partners in New York City; it has offered the course at a correctional facility in upstate New York, an initiative that has led to the nationally acclaimed Bard Prison Initiative. 2005 saw the inauguration of a Clemente Course taught in Spanish.

Our Students in Their Own Words

"Before I found the Clemente Course, my life was heading nowhere very fast. I had dropped out of high school and was in a gang. I felt helpless and powerless to change my life around. I went from a high school drop out to someone who was awarded a full scholarship to attend a school with an outstanding academic reputation."

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the goals of the Clemente Course?
What are the goals of the Clemente Course?

The two major goals of the program are:
1. To promote the personal growth, development, and enrichment of course members, thereby preparing them for fuller participation in the economic and political life of our society
2. To create a bridge to enrollment in all forms of higher education for low-income individuals for whom higher education would not normally be an option
The program is based on the belief that by studying the humanities those who are economically and educationally disadvantaged can acquire the cultural capital and conceptual skills necessary to improve their personal and societal situations. Participation in the Clemente Course is itself a positive life experience that will have a strong intellectual and psychological impact on course members, equipping and motivating many participants to go on to college, and more generally, contributing in a lasting way to their personal growth and enrichment.
What are the criteria for admission to the course?
What are the criteria for admission to the course?

There are four criteria for admission to a Clemente Course. Students must:
1. Be older than 17 years
2. Have the ability to read a newspaper in English
3. Belong to a household with income of no higher than 150 percent of the federal poverty level
4. Express a willingness to commit to an eight-month course and to do the required work
How large are the classes and where are they typically held?

How large are the classes and where are they typically held?

Classes are held in a community setting such as a social service agency facility, neighborhood center, church, and occasionally on a college campus, if that institution is located close to the neighborhood in which course participants reside. Students find the community setting familiar, nonintimidating, and convenient. Courses begin with approximately 30 students, and experience has shown that about 55 to 65 percent of entering students complete the program.
Isn't this a high rate of attrition?

Isn't this a high rate of attrition?

In spite of every effort to keep students in the course, a certain amount of attrition is to be anticipated with a population that faces extraordinary personal challenges in everyday life. In light of national college statistics, the Clemente Course has actually had an excellent record of student retention.
What is the Clemente Course curriculum?

What is the Clemente Course curriculum?

The academic program consists of 110 hours of instruction in the humanities. There are 11 two-hour class meetings for each of the sections, and classes meet two evenings a week from October through May. The humanities curriculum is divided into four humanistic disciplines: moral philosophy, literature, art history, and U.S. history. Instruction in critical thinking and writing is also offered and is intended not only to enhance students' powers of expression but also to support them in their assignments in the four humanities disciplines. Although there are no standardized syllabi, there is a requirement that a number of recognized masterpieces in each discipline be covered, with differences in emphasis allowed for by the interests of individual instructors. Although the emphasis is on the great works in the Western tradition, there is plenty of room to represent the voices and approaches of other traditions as well. With the exception of supplemental texts in art history and U.S. history, only primary sources and documents are used as the basis of study and analysis.
Why can't these students simply go to community colleges?

Why can't these students simply go to community colleges?

Many Clemente students, because of their life situations or past educational experiences, have experienced financial or psychological impediments that keep them from even envisioning college as a possibility for themselves. In this program, many of the financial barriers to higher education are removed. Books, childcare, and carfare are provided; tuition is free; and social service support is made available. In addition, the course serves as an extended college orientation program that "demystifies" the college experience by acquainting participants with college-level texts, assignments, professors, decorum, and other serious-minded students.
What kind of institutions are affiliates?

What kind of institutions are affiliates?

The affiliated organizations include social service agencies, neighborhood and youth service centers, universities, and humanities councils. Bard College is committed to establishing new sites throughout the country and welcomes new affiliates. A complete list of current courses and affiliates can be found in the Affiliates section.
What are the advantages of becoming an affiliate?

What are the advantages of becoming an affiliate?

Bard College offers its affiliates technical assistance; faculty and director trainings; fundraising support; a national network for the sharing of information; and the benefits of national initiatives in evaluation, curriculum development, pedagogical seminars, book donations, and college scholarships. In addition, Bard College grants college credit to Clemente Course students who complete the course at a high level of academic achievement and certificates of achievement to those who complete the course but do not meet the requirements for college credit. Bard College closely supervises its affiliated programs and requires review and approval of affiliated host organizations, course directors, faculty, and curriculum. There are also reporting requirements as well as a requisite level of compliance with standard aspects of the program.
How can my organization become an affiliate?

How can my organization become an affiliate?

Establishing a Clemente Course in a new community can be an important, rewarding experience, but it is also an endeavor that takes planning, determination, and the dedication—over many months—to bring to fruition all elements necessary for a course to take place. The process requires that a local individual or community group take on the job of coordinating the project, either as part of one's job or on a volunteer basis. The first step to becoming an affiliate is to review the section For Prospective Affiliates, which explains the key elements of establishing a course. The final part of this section, the Course Implementation Questionnaire, serves as an application. The questionnaire should be submitted to the national office after some initial groundwork has been done in thinking through, researching, and addressing the questions that are posed. This information will help the national Clemente Course office evaluate the potential of a collaborative partnership in your community.
Sample Budget (PDF)

What does it cost to fund a Clemente Course?

Although there are local variations, based on in-kind goods and services offered by the affiliate and/or host organization, it costs approximately $48,000 to run one course for an academic year. The breakdown of expenses can be seen in a sample course budget.
What does it cost to fund a Clemente Course?
How can I contribute to the funding of course?

How can I contribute to the funding of course?

The Clemente Course program is funded, both on the national and local levels, by foundation and government grants, as well as through the generous contributions of committed individuals. Contributions are coordinated through the national office and can be used to support the national program, a student college scholarship fund, or designated for specific local sites. Contributions of any size are welcome, appreciated, and very much needed. In addition, the donation of working computers as well as passes to performances or exhibits offer wonderful opportunities for student enrichment.
Support a Course
What role do state humanities councils play in the program?

What role do state humanities councils play in the program?

State humanities councils have proven to be a very important source of support for the Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities. The Clemente Course is a wonderful opportunity for state humanities councils to advance their mission of bringing the humanities to all Americans, for it enables them to reach more effectively into poor communities than they have typically been able to do. Thus far, councils in Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington State, and Alaska have funded and re-funded local Clemente Courses. In five states—Washington, New Jersey, Alaska, Illinois, and Massachusetts—the humanities councils have taken on the role of "sponsor" of the Clemente program. A sponsor adopts the course as one of its programs, devoting a significant amount of staff time to develop and supervise the course, actively raising funds through its development department, and promoting the program throughout the state. It is expected that additional state humanities councils will soon play a significant role in supporting Clemente Courses in their states.
What volunteer opportunities are available?

What volunteer opportunities are available?

Local courses need tutors for the students, particularly those who are able to help with writing skills. Some programs have incorporated mentors into their programs, as well. High school advisors and college admission officers have also contributed their services in helping Clemente students understand and access opportunities in higher education. One should direct inquiries about volunteering to course directors at local sites.

About the Clemente Course

What Makes Us Unique?

History and Philosophy

Where We've Been and Where We're Going

Our Students in Their Own Words

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the goals of the Clemente Course?

What are the criteria for admission to the course?

How large are the classes and where are they typically held?

Isn't this a high rate of attrition?

What is the Clemente Course curriculum?

Why can't these students simply go to community colleges?

What kind of institutions are affiliates?

What are the advantages of becoming an affiliate?

How can my organization become an affiliate?

What does it cost to fund a Clemente Course?

How can I contribute to the funding of course?

What role do state humanities councils play in the program?

What volunteer opportunities are available?

Clemente Course Resources