SPS Core Curriculum and Elective/Supporting Courses
Description
The School of Professional Studies (SPS) offers students a breadth of coursework to prepare them for productive citizenship. After completion of a degree program within SPS, students will be able to:
- Apply effective oral and written communication skills, and present images and information using appropriate media.
- Reason abstractly and think critically.
- Synthesize quantitative information and formulate evidenced-based conclusion.
- Discuss social justice and its impact in a diverse world.
- Utilize skills for living as responsible, ethical and contributing citizens.
- Identify, locate, and effectively and ethically use information from various print and digital sources.
- Analyze and evaluate information from a scientific perspective to develop reasoned solutions to real world problems.
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Course Descriptions: Core Curriculum
Area I: Skills for Life and Work
Writing (3 credits)
ENGL 107 College CompositionDevelops effective writing of evidence-based, thesis-centered academic essays. Emphasizes the research and documentation skills necessary for successful academic writing. Focuses on argumentative essays that build to a substantive research paper. Formerly ENG 107 College Composition.
3 credits
General Education: Foundational Skills Area
FLC Area I Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
Communication (6 credits)
COM 201 Interpersonal CommunicationOffers an introduction to the fundamental theories and principles of interpersonal communication with emphasis on analyzing and assessing the communication skills necessary to create and sustain effective communication in personal and professional relationships.
3 credits
Core Area II: Understanding Self, Society, and Nature
COM 225 Intercultural CommunicationApplies basic principles of intercultural communication to the analysis of specific situations involving cultural differences. Emphasis is on the influence of culture on the communication process, including differences in values, assumptions, and communication. Models of intercultural communication analysis are developed and applied to issues dealing with relations between a dominant society and subcultures, social change, and international relations.
3 credits
Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
COM 290 Public SpeakingExamines theory and practice of public speaking. Students will prepare and present informative and persuasive speeches. Audience analysis, research, speech organization, delivery and effective persuasive strategies will be covered.
3 credits
FLC Area I
Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
Quantitative Literacy (4 credits, course determined by major; check appropriate catalog page)
MATH 108 Finite MathematicsThis is a quantitative literacy and reasoning course designed for education majors and those students intending to study nursing and other allied health fields. Topics include: problem solving, set theory, logic, algebra, and measurement; including unit conversions and dimensional analysis. Additional topics include functions, graphs, systems of equations and inequalities, as well as probability and statistics. Real-world applications will be emphasized throughout the course. Formerly MATH 108 and MAT 108 Elementary Mathematical Modeling.
4 credits
Prerequisites: None
General Education Area: Foundational Skills
MATH 109 Foundations of MathematicsThis quantitative literacy course is intended for social science and humanities majors. The course is designed to teach quantitative reasoning by emphasizing topics, both useful and relevant to a liberal-arts program, that enable students to become quantitatively literate. Topics include financial literacy, unit conversions, an introduction to linear and exponential functions and mathematical modeling, probability and statistics as well as math in politics.Formerly MAT 109 Foundations of Mathematics. This course may not be taken pass/fail by School of Professional Studies students.
4 credits
Prerequisites: None
General Education Area: Foundational Skills
Information Literacy (3 credits)
INT 109 Information LiteracyIntroduces information literacy, skills, and technology tools that support the discovery, analysis, and integration used in critical thinking and constructing knowledge in the classroom and the larger world, including values and legal issues that impact ethical use of these tools.
3 credits
Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
Critical Thinking (3 credits)
PHIL 103 Reasoning and ArgumentationPresents examples of analysis and argumentation in order to examine what constitutes either a deductive and an inductive argument, the notions of validity and truth, the justificatory power of evidence as well as common informal fallacies. The course provides practice in various techniques of argumentation and critical analysis. Formerly PHI 103 Reasoning and Argumentation.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Foundational Skills Area
FLC Area III
Prerequisite CRS 101 - CAS Only
Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
Arts and Humanities (6 credits)
ENGL 150 Writing about LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of literature. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis and discussion, founding argument on close textual reading, and the development and writing of thesis-centered essays about literature. Literary criticism and theory, research methods, and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 267 Multicultural United States LiteratureExamines largely contemporary writings by writers representing the diverse cultures in the US with a consideration of the ways in which difference or "the other" may be constructed. Formerly ENG 200 Multicultural US Literature.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
FNAR 101 Survey: History of Art IExamines the development of painting, sculpture, and architecture from prehistoric times to the end of the Middle Ages. It is recommended that the two survey courses (101 and 102) be taken before advanced courses and, if possible, in chronological order. Formerly ART 101 Survey: History of Art I.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area II
Core Area II: Understanding Self and Society
FNAR 102 Survey: History of Art IISurveys the development of painting, sculpture, and architecture from the Renaissance to the present. Formerly ART 102 Survey: History of Art II.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area II
Core Area II: Understanding Self and Society
HIS 130 Introduction to American CivilizationsExplores the major themes that have shaped the American experience from the Colonial period to 1890. Topics include the Age of Exploration and Discovery, the American Revolution, the causes of the Civil War, and industrialization and urbanization.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry
FLC Area II, History Cluster
HIS 132 Twentieth Century United StatesIntroduces the critical issues of 20th-century United States, including the transition to a post-industrial society, the challenge of the Civil Rights and feminist movements, the development of the modern welfare state, and the consequences of the United States' role as a global superpower.
3 credits
Core Area II: Understanding Self and Society
General Education: Knowledge & Inquiry
HIS 155 The 20th Century WorldReviews the global processes of transformation that characterize world history in the 20th century, integrating the experiences of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Among the topics to be covered are: the two World Wars, the Global Depression, the Cold War, the collapse of the Western dominated imperial order and the rise of nationalism, the effects of modernization and globalization, contemporary global conflicts, and prospects for economic development, democratization, and peace building.
3 credits
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
RST 101 Religion and Human ExperienceAn introduction to the study of religion as an academic discipline. Students examine contemporary expressions and understandings of religion, especially religious traditions other than their own, and the role that religion plays in our time not only in constructive but also in destructive ways. The course examines the expression of religious experience in history as well as psychological and sociological perspectives on religious experience. In addition to methods for studying religion, attention is given to the roles of myth, creed and symbol in religious discourse.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
General Education Area: Values and Beliefs
RST 102 Religions of the WorldA Survey of the great religious traditions of the world - Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the religions of Primal peoples. S pecial emphases will be given to the history, belief systems, ceremonies, and structures of these traditions as they touch upon and reflect the human quest for ultimate meaning. Formerly RST 290 - Religions of the World.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
Gen Ed: Values and Beliefs
Social Sciences (6 credits, courses determined by major; check appropriate Catalog page)
ECON 100 Principles of EconomicsIntroduces the basic principles of economics to students with no prior economic training and provides foundational skills for Economics 101 and Economics 102.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
Prerequisites: successful completion of MATH 102, MATH 108, or MATH 109 is highly recommended
ECON 101 Microeconomics ITeaches how to think like an economist and make more informed decisions. Builds models of economic activity that provide a framework for understanding the real world. Explores the supply-demand model of competitive markets, followed by other models that show how markets operate when they aren't purely competitive. Assesses the proper role of government in the marketplace and how government can improve welfare when markets fail to be efficient. ECON 101 is a prerequisite for all higher-level economics courses and fulfills the Social Science General Education requirement.
3 credits
ECON 102 Macroeconomics IPresents key variables that summarize an economy. Uses economic analysis to explain why economies grow over time but also exhibit repeated cycles of boom and bust. Explores government-level policies that affect an economy as a whole, and models for analyzing their effects. Fulfills the Civic Knowledge General Education requirement and is required for upper level economics courses.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ECON 101 is preferred, but students may take ECON 102 first.
POLS 103 The American Political ProcessOffers an introduction to the American political and governmental system, with emphasis on the processes, institutions, and actors involved in the system. Case studies are used to focus on contemporary issues and their backgrounds. Formerly PSC 123 American Political Process
3 credits
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
PSYC 101 Introductory PsychologyIntroduces the student to the scientific study of the mind and behavior. All major sub-areas of psychology (social, developmental, clinical, physiological, motivation and emotion, sensation and perception) are explored, as well as the major theoretical perspectives (behavioral, cognitive, psychoanalytic, and humanistic). Formerly PSY 121 Introductory Psychology.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area V
Core: Area II
SOCY 100 Introduction to SociologyIntroduces students to the science of sociology and prepares students for upper-level social science course work. Formerly SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area V
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
Scientific Understanding (4 credits)
BIOL 101 Introduction to BiologyExplores various aspects of biology from cell structure to metabolism, diversity and ecology. The course consists of two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Recommended for non-science majors. There is an additional laboratory fee for this course. Formerly BIO 101 Introduction to Biology.
4 credits
FLC Area I
Core Area II
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENVS 101 Discovering Planet EarthIntroduces non-science majors to evolution, earth science, and plate tectonics with an emphasis on the mid-Atlantic region. Labs include use of the scientific method, development of observational skills, computer-assisted learning, and several field trips. There is an additional laboratory fee for this course. Formerly ENV 101 Discovering Planet Earth.
4 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
FLC Area IV
Core Area II: Understanding Self, Society, and Nature
Area III: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Ethics (3 credits—course determined by major; check appropriate Catalog page)
PHIL 245 Ethics IIntroduces the student to social ethics and the concepts of person and community by examining the moral traditions that inform our understanding of the individual. The course traces the focus of ethics from a concern about what kind of person to be to the more modern and narrow concern in how to act in both the public and private domains, acknowledging the ways in which our cultural and historical practices help shape our vision. Formerly PHI 212 The Moral Dimension: Persons and Community.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Values and Beliefs Area
Core Area III: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
PHIL 251 BioethicsExamines the legal and moral issues in areas dealing with the biology of human health and development, for example, experimentation on human subjects, organ transplants, euthanasia, abortion, fetal tissue use, contraception, and other aspects of human reproduction, as well as questions regarding rights to health care. Formerly PHI 211 Applied Ethics: Bioethics.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Values and Beliefs
PHIL 253 Business and Professional EthicsThis course engages the students in an analysis of cases in business and other professions that appear to present a conflict between the demands of institutional practices and the demands of morality. The course presents a Kantian theory of e thics and investigates the cases within the framework of this theory. Formerly PHI 213 Applied Ethics II: Business and Professional Ethics.
3 credits
Core Area III: Ethics and Moral Reasoning
Gen Ed Values and Beliefs
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Course Descriptions: Elective and Supporting Courses
Descriptions for elective and supporting courses can be found in the various program sections of this catalog.