Mar 19, 2024  
Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2017-2018 
    
Undergraduate Academic Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Core Curriculum


Purpose

The Core Curriculum explores the liberal arts and sciences from a Christian perspective. In core courses students and faculty seek to understand and wisely engage creation and the social order. We investigate diverse aspects of the complexity, coherence and beauty of creation. We interact with historic and contemporary cultures, accepting the longstanding Christian call to seek after truth and beauty, to think critically and constructively, to exercise moral discernment, and to develop habits of just and compassionate action. The curriculum encourages the development of a Christian character that manifests itself in informed and redemptive responses to the world and the needs of the global community.

Objectives

The Core Curriculum seeks to foster:

  • Knowledge of God’s character and purposes as revealed in Scripture and understood in the life of the Church
  • Knowledge and stewardship of the creation in all its complexity, coherence and beauty
  • Understanding of humankind as created, fallen and redeemed, and an appreciation for various perspectives on human nature
  • Understanding of and engagement with global cultures in all their diversity
  • Understanding of diverse ways of knowing about nature, humankind and God, and an ability to draw on multiple disciplinary perspectives when confronting complex problems
  • Development of Christian character, moral discernment and civic responsibility
  • Practice of critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and clear written and oral communication
  • Development of aesthetic sensibilities and practices
  • Habits of physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellness

FIRST YEAR CORE
COR 107 - The Great Conversation: Foundations in Thinking, Reading and Writing  

First year students with transfer credit for a college-level composition course will take
COR 110 - The Great Conversation: Introduction to the Liberal Arts  

Students in selected honors/fellows programs will take instead

COR 108 - The Great Conversation: Foundations in Thinking, Reading and Writing  and
COR 109 - The Great Conversation: Foundations in Thinking, Reading and Writing  

 

La Vida/Discovery requirement

Students will take one of the following:

PED 015 - Discovery  
PED 016 - La Vida Wilderness Expeditions  
PED 017 - Concepts of Wellness  (by petition only)

 

COMMON CORE
BCM 101 - Old Testament History, Literature and Theology  
BCM 103 - New Testament History, Literature and Theology 
BCM 308 - Christian Theology 
HIS 121 - Historical Perspectives on Culture, Belief and Civilization  
NSM 202 - The Scientific Enterprise  

One of the following philosophy courses:
PHI 118 - The Examined Life  
PHI 202 - Philosophy in the Ancient/Medieval World  
PHI 203 - Philosophy in the Early Modern World  
PHI 220 - Philosophy of Religion  
PHI 233 - Environmental Ethics  
PHI 234 - Philosophy of Art and Beauty  
PHI 236 - Contemporary Ethics: Love, Life, Death  


Language Study (8 credits)
One year of foreign language study (in the same language) at the beginning college level is required. 

  • Students who validate language I or language I and II will complete 4 credits each in social sciences, fine arts, and literature.
  • Students who do not validate the language requirement will complete 8 credits of language and 8 credits total in social sciences, fine arts, and literature, with at least two credits from each of those three categories.

Physical Education (each course 0 credits; course fee applied)
Two DIFFERENT courses from PE018-099. Physical Education Activity Classes should be completed prior to junior year. One transcripted varsity sport may fulfill an activity course requirement; second sport or additional seasons cannot be used. Use of club sports participation requires preapproval by the director of physical education. Armed Forces basic training or R.O.T.C. training may also fulfill one activity with documentation.

 

GENERAL CORE - 4 credits from each area; specific exceptions are noted below.

Natural Sciences 
BIO 150 - Biology I: Cells and Genetics - Credits: 4   
BIO 151 - Biology II: Animal Biology - Credits: 4  
BIO 213 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I - Credits: 4   
BIO 222 - Environmental Science - Credits: 4  
BIO 225 - Nutrition - Credits: 4  
BIO 302 - Crops and Society - Credits: 4  
CPS 121 - Introduction to Programming - Credits: 4   
CPS 331 - Artificial Intelligence - Credits: 4  
KIN 213 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I - Credits: 4  
KIN 112 - Introduction to Human Movement Studies - Credits: 4   
MAT 134 - Survey of Calculus - Credits: 4  
MAT 121 - Calculus I - Credits: 4  
MAT 200 - Mathematical Inquiry - Credits: 4  
NSM 220 - Human Biology, Health and Disease - Credits: 4  
PHY 111 - General Physics I - Credits: 4  
PHY 121 - Introductory Physics I - Credits: 4   
PHY 125 - Introduction to Engineering and the Applied Sciences - Credits: 4   
PHY 200 - Astronomy - Credits: 4   
PHY 283 - Modern Physics - Credits: 4   
PHY 293 - Mechanics - Credits: 4   
PHY 372 - Thermal Physics - Credits: 4   

Students with academic credit for both core language I and core language II are eligible to take 8 credits from the following three areas, with a minimum of 2 credits in each. Otherwise, 4 credits in each area are required.

Social Sciences
ECB 101 - Principles of Microeconomics - Credits: 4  
ECB 349 - Leadership in and of Organizations - Credits: 4   
POL 104 - American National Politics - Credits: 4  
POL 312 - Justice - Credits: 4  
POL 322 - American Political Thought - Credits: 4  
PSY 180 - Person in Psychological Context - Credits: 4  
SOC 103 - Social Movements - Credits: 4  
SWK 201 - Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare - Credits: 4   

Fine Arts
ART 150 - Art History: Cave Art to Medieval - Credits: 4  
ART 151 - Art History: Renaissance to Modern - Credits: 4  
ART 152 - American Art History as Cultural Encounter - Credits: 4  
ART 410 - Modern Art Seminar - Credits: 4  
COM 356 - Media Criticism - Credits: 4  
COM 358 - Film and TV Genres - Credits: 4  
FNA 112 - Arts in Concert - Credits: 4  
MUS 241 - A Survey of Musical Masterworks - Credits: 4  
MUS 245 - World Music - Credits: 2  
MUS 337 - Music in Worship - Credits: 4  
ORV 270 - Disegno/Drawing at Orvieto 
THT 234 - Introduction to Theatre - Credits: 4  
THT 243 - Contemporary Theatre: British - Credits: 2   
THT 291 - International Seminar: Studies on British Stage - Credits: 4   

Ensemble Option - Four semesters of ensembles; there is no two semester option.  Ensembles may be taken for one or zero credits; completion of more than one ensemble in any semester still counts as one semester towards the requirement.

    MUS 250 - College Choir 
    MUS 251 - Symphonic Band 
    MUS 252 - Men’s Choir 
    MUS 253 - Gordon Symphony Orchestra 
    MUS 254 - Women’s Choir 
    MUS 257 - Jazz Ensemble 
    MUS 258 - Wind Ensemble 

Literature
ENG 140 - Core Seminar in Literature - Credits: 2 - 4   
ENG 141 - Western Literature - Credits: 4  
EDU 232 - Adolescent Literature - Credits: 4  
SPN 372 - Survey of Latin American Literature - Credits: 4    

 

10/30/2017 - General Core updated for clarity. Changes are not reflected in the printed version.