Group Independent Study Projects are different from standard courses in that the students in the course must take an active role in the course design before the semester the Group Independent Study Project takes place; they also play an active role in teaching and learning the course content throughout the semester. Each Group Independent Study Project is sponsored by a faculty member who assesses the proposed study, provides advice during the semester, and formally evaluates each student's performance in the course. The faculty sponsor attends at least five (5) meetings and serves as facilitators or guides of the course content, supporting the students and their engagement with the material.

Group Independent Studies (GISPs) differ from Independent Study Projects (ISPs) in that (i) more than one student can participate in the GISP and (ii) other students can enroll for the course on Courses@Brown. The application process is almost identical to ISPs.

At the end of each semester, students participating in Group Independent Study Projects (GISPs), Independent Study Projects (ISPs), and Academic Internships (AIs) are asked to give a presentation about their work over the semester. These presentations allow you to share what you have learned during your Independent Study experience with an audience of your friends, peers, faculty and administrators.

The semester before enrollment, proposals for Group Independent Study Projects are submitted to the independent studies subcommittee of the College Curriculum Council (CCC), a body of faculty, students, and staff who oversee the undergraduate curriculum writ large. Student coordinators at the Curricular Resource Center help students prepare their proposals. To enroll in a GISP, you must be on the original roster submitted with the course proposal, written in the semester before the course offering.

The student coordinator and the faculty sponsor of the Group Independent Study Projects may petition to add students not on the original roster to enroll in an existing GISP; they may do so before the end of the Add/Drop/Shopping Period. Students not on the original roster and wanting to join the course must attend the first class session. By the end of the first week of the semester, the GISP student coordinator(s) must submit their petition to add any student to the roster.

You must submit the Independent Studies proposal the semester before the course being offered by the application deadline for that semester.

• Past GISPs Database - request digital copies of past Group Independent Study Projects. You can also stop by the CRC in the basement of the CareerLAB to browse the earlier Independent Studies proposals.
• Potential GISP Ideas - submit your Group Independent Study Project ideas and find out more about the GISPs your peers are working.