• Overview
• Degrees & Areas of Study
  • Core Program
    • Philosophy
    • Goals
    • Requirements (Skills & Perspectives)
  • Majors
  • Certification in Secondary Education
  • Associate in Arts Degree
• Experiential Learning
• Faculty
• Catalog and Course Information
• Support
• Academic Forms & Downloads
• Faculty Resources

Skills
Disciplinary Perspectives

SKILLS

Service Learning and Internships (6 areas)
Service Learning and Internship opportunities help students explore, beyond the classroom, skills learned in the curriculum. Theory becomes practice as students serve their neighbors and gain work experience. May overlap with religion residency requirement.

• 1 credit of internship or service learning.

Writing
The writing requirement consists of writing courses in the first and second years, a Writing Intensive (WI) religion course in the third year, an additional WI course in any discipline, and a capstone fourth-year writing project. (15 credits)

• Writing 101
• Writing 202
• Religion 2xx or 3xx (Writing about theology; embedded in several upper-level religion courses. To be taken in the third year.)
• Capstone 404 (capstone writing project combined with public/oral presentation; can be a 400 level religion course, or a senior writing project in any major).
• Additional 3-credit Writing Intensive (WI) course in any discipline.

WI courses are limited to 16 students. Instruction in writing in the discipline, along with opportunities for revision and individual conferences, help students refine their skills and advance to higher levels of writing.

Information Literacy
Information literacy (IL) is the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and responsibly.

• Two 3-credit, IL-certified courses in different disciplines, one at the 200 level or higher.
• Pass standardized IL evaluation.
• IL courses include at least two assignments that require IL skills and offer focused instruction in those skills.

Fulfilling this requirement in two disciplines helps develop cross-disciplinary evaluative skills, a goal of the Core program. IL courses include at least two assignments that require IL skills and offer focused instruction in those skills. IL skills also support life-long learning.

Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning (QR) is the application of mathematical concepts and skills to solve real-world problems. First year students take a QR placement test.

• Math 100 (an introductory QR course) and 3 credits of course work with a certified QR component.
  OR
• Test out of Math 100 and take 6 credits of course work with a certified QR component.

Public Presentation
Public Presentation (PP) courses develop the ability to communicate effectively in the context of formal presentations.

• One 3-credit course (prior to the senior capstone project) with a certified public or oral presentation component.
  OR
• Speech 105

This requirement provides the underpinning for the presentation component in Capstone 404. PP courses include graded speaking assignments and instruction in speaking skills appropriate to the discipline.

Language, Mathematics, or Programming (3 credits beyond perspectives requirement)
Language, mathematics, and programming all involve symbolic language--a system of communication outside one's native speech.

• Modern or sacred language (through the first term of the 200-level)
  OR
• Calculus I (Math 150)
  OR
• any 200-level mathematics or computer science course of at least three credits.

Non-native speakers of English who pass Writing 101 and 202 are exempt from this requirement.

DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES (Focused and Elective)

Focused Distribution Credit in Spiritual, Moral, and Civil Areas (18 credits)

• One 3-credit religion course per year, including Religion 3xx WI.

Moral (3 credits)
Study in this area enhances students' moral life, fostering personal ethics and encouraging responsibility for the wellbeing of others.

• Philosophy 111 (which can also be taken at the 200-level)
  OR
• Psychology/Business 202
  OR
• Social Science 201
  OR
• Social Science 202

Other courses are in the process of being developed.

Civil (3 credits)
Study in this area enhances students' civil life, preparing students to be responsive to local, national, and international contexts.

• Political Science 110

Other courses are in the process of being developed.

Elective Distribution Areas (19 credits)

Aesthetic (3 credits)
The aesthetic requirement focuses on human creativity in the arts.

• Any 3-credit course in art history, studio art, music, theater, or literature.

History and Social Science (6 credits)
The history and social science requirement addresses issues of human society.

• 3 credits of coursework in History.
• 3 credits of coursework in the social sciences (political science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography, or economics).

Physical (3 credits)
The physical requirement encourages physical fitness, skill, kinesthetic awareness, sportsmanship, and health.

Scientific (4 credits)
The scientific requirement focuses on the study of nature and scientific investigation.

• One 4-credit course in biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics

World views (3 credits)
The world views requirement offers a chronological survey of human experience and values.

• Philosophy 110

Total credit requirement in Disciplinary Perspectives: 37 credits
Skills Requirements (not overlapping with Disciplinary Perspectives requirements*): 10 credits
Total Core Program requirements: 47 credits

*Note: Skills requirements sum to 31 credits. With the skills components present in many courses and disciplines, students can fulfill skills requirements while fulfilling disciplinary perspectives requirements. All but ten credits (Writing 101, 202, language, and the internship or service learning project) can be fulfilled in this way.