in order to qualify for graduation, all students in the gallatin undergraduate program must successfully complete a final oral examination called the colloquium. the colloquium is an intellectual conversation among four people (the student, the student's adviser, and two other members of the faculty) about a selection of books representing several academic disciplines and historical periods. the colloquium provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their gallatin concentration and to synthesize various experiences studying books, taking courses, doing independent studies and internships into an integrated discussion about several books and themes. in preparing for the colloquium, each student creates a book list of twenty to twenty-five works and writes a brief paper known as the rationale which describes the themes the student plans to discuss in the colloquium.