Core Curriculum

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Our curriculum embodies the tradition of a liberal arts education in light of the Catholic faith, which emphasizes a concern with ultimate questions and personal and spiritual development within a diverse world. The Core Curriculum prepares students for global citizenship, stewardship of the Earth, and a productive career by cultivating a passion for intellectual life, a commitment to moral responsibility, and a desire to improve the human condition through socially conscious citizenship.

Courses taken by all: these courses provide a foundation for academic life at the college, explore questions of ultimate meaning, and engage with the broad questions of liberal education.

1. First-Year Seminar
2. Fundamental Philosophical Questions (PH 103)
3. Study of Christian Traditions and Thought (RS 100-level)
4. Junior Seminar

Intellectual Exploration: Intellectual Exploration courses expose students to the breadth of disciplinary learning and the various ways of looking at and understanding themselves and the world. Students will take (or satisfy through transfer equivalent) coursework in each subject area in any semester prior to graduation.

1. Literature & The Arts
2. History & Society
3. Scientific Inquiry
4. Quantitative Reasoning
5. Second Language for students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts

Edmundite Tradition: Courses in the Edmundite tradition explore the Society of Saint Edmund’s rich heritage of Catholic intellectual thought and abiding commitments to social justice and inclusion.  Students will take one course with each of the following designations. These courses may also fulfill areas listed above or may reside in the majors and minors:

1. Catholic Intellectual Tradition
2. Engaging Diverse Identities

Professional Competencies:  A Saint Michael’s education will also develop skills essential to every career choice.  Each major has been designed with the following learning outcomes:

1. Ethical Decision Making
2. Information Literacy
3. Oral Communications
4. Written Communications

The Core Curriculum applies to all students enrolling in fall 2018 and beyond.  Students who enrolled prior to fall 2018 should consult the Liberal Studies Curriculum Transition Plan.

 

List of Courses by Category:

First Year Seminar
FS 102- The Afterlife
FS 110- Purpose, Meaning & Happiness
FS 111- The Examined Life
FS 112- Drama and Culture
FS 113- Creative Writing Seminar
FS 115- The American Environmental Imagination
FS 116- Snow: The Art & Science of Alpine Crystals
FS 117- Joan of Arc
FS 118- Performance Art and Social Justice
FS 122- Music and the Human Experience
FS 123- On Memory
FS 126- Sport Stories
FS 127- Storytelling
FS 128- Journey Stories
FS 139- Resistance and Empowerment
FS 140- Place and Placelessness
FS 147- Skull Wars
FS 149- Africa and Its Peoples
FS 150- Black Voices of Democracy
FS 153- Peace and Justice
FS 154- Race, Gender, & Ethnicity in Media
FS 156- Memoirs of Race, Gender, & Sexuality
FS 158- Society, Identity, & Race
FS-161- Technology and Ethics in Society
FS 162- Science and Technology that Changed History and You
FS 170- Medieval Magic & the Divine
FS 182- The Social Construction of Humanness
FS 184- Robotics, Technology and the Evolving Self

Fundamental Philosophical Questions
PH 103- Introduction to Philosophy

Study of Christian Traditions and Thought
RS 120- Christianity: Past and Present
RS 130- Varieties of Christianity
RS 140- Catholic Christianity

Junior Seminar
JS 300- Media, Technology, Health & Happiness
JS 301- Land,Sea,Sky
JS 302- The Art of Living, Aging, & Dying
JS 303- A Nation Inside and Out
JS 304- Data Visualization
JS 305- The Politics of Queer Cinema
JS 306- Don’t Throw It All Away
JS 307- Rhetorics of Craft
JS 308- Ethics, Science & Technology
JS 309- The Historian’s Craft
JS 310- A Case for Reparations?
JS 311- 21st Century Broadway Musical
JS 312- Voices of Resistance
JS 313- Wisdoms of the East
JS 314- Radical Love, Liberation, & Justice
JS 315- Project Censored: Fake News and Real Journalsim in The Digital Age
JS 325- Economics of Health Care
JS 386- Victimology
JS 387- Food Systems & Sustainability
JS 388- Witches/Indians/Swashbucklers
JS 389- Power, Resistance, & Race
JS 390- Anthropology of Refugees
JS 391- Anthropology of International Development
JS 392- Women’s Literature: Scribbling Women
JS 393- American Wilderness
JS 394- Animal Studies
JS 395- Politics of Global Aids Pandemic
JS 396- Literacy in Middle/High School
JS 397- Psychology of Health/Illness
JS-398 Marriage & Relationships
 

Literature & The Arts
AH 251- Ancient and Medieval Art
AH 252- Renaissance and Modern Art
AH 333- Art Since 1960
AH 347- Saints, Kings and Barbarians
AH 348- Castle and Cathedrals: Art of the High Middle Ages
AM 220- On Looking
AM 227- Foundations of U.S. Latinx Literature and Culture
AM 229- Introduction to Cuban Literature and Culture
AR 115- Digital Animation
AR 127- Ceramics I: Wheelworking
AR 201- Foundations in Art
AR-204- Introduction to Graphic Design
AR 205- Drawing I
AR 206- Typography
AR 208- Mixed Media
AR 209- Painting with Oil
AR 210- Interaction With Color
AR 211- Portraits
AR 214- Digital Animation and Motion Graphics
AR 215- Digital Imaging
AR 217- Introduction to Web Design
AR 219- Painting with Acrylic
AR 225- Sculpture: Subject and Object
AR 235- Sculpture: Site and Installation
AR 261- Kyoto, Japan: Aesthetic Perspective on Place
AR 262- Kyoto, Japan: Summer Study Trip
AR 301- Woodworking Design & Construction
AR 315- Digital Video Art
AR 330- Introduction to Darkroom Photography
AR 332- Eco and Environmental Art
AR 335- Introduction to Digital Photography
AR 340- Intermediate Photography
AR 408- Junior Studio
AR 415- Senior Studio
CL 203- Epic and Heroic Tradition
CL 205- The Greek and Roman Theatre
CL 211- Classical Mythology: The Divinities of Greece and Rome
DA 101- Beginning Dance
DA 102- Ballet I
DA 103- Modern Dance I
DA 105- Jazz I
DA 109- Beginning West African Dance
DA 111- Creative Dance
DA 211- Teaching Creative Dance to Young Children
DA 397- Advanced Dance
ED 241- Literature for Children and Adolescents
EN 110- Seminar in Literary Studies
EN 120- Introduction to Film
EN 200- British Literature I
EN 210- American Literature I
EN 220- British Literature II
EN 230- American Literature II
EN 235- African American Literature
EN 243- Queer Lives, Queer Forms
EN 247- American Literature & Buddhism, 1950-Present
EN 270- Readers
EN 280- Texts
EN 290- Cultures
EN 301- Poetry Writing Workshop
EN 303- Fiction Writing Workshop
EN 305- Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop
EN 325- Critical Theory
EN 326- Old English
EN 330- Tolkien and Medievalism
EN 335- Shakespeare
EN 336- Shakespeare in Performance: On Screen
EN 337- Shakespeare in Performance: On Stage
EN 343- Eighteenth-Century British Literature I
EN 345- American Renaissance
EN 351- Victorian Novel
EN 358- American Naturalism
EN 361- Modernist Poetry
EN 365- 20th Century British Novel
EN 369- Empire and After
EN 370- Major British Writers
EN 371- Major American Writers
EN 375- The Middle Passage
EN 376- African-American Literature
EN 380- Women’s Literature
EN 382- Nature, Perception and Imagination
EN 384- In Wilderness
EN 388- Film and the Environment
EN 410- Senior Seminar
ENG 102- Introduction to Literature
FR 343- Literary Studies in French
FR 435- Readings in Francophone Literature
FR 440- Readings in French Literature
FR 445- Poetry in French
GR 310- Directed Readings in Greek Literature
HU 101- Ancient and Medieval Civilization
HU 102- Modern Civilization
HU 203- Renaissance and Reformation
HU 205- Enlightenment and Revolution
HU 207- The Nineteenth Century
HU 209- The Twentieth Century
HU 225- Environmental Humanities
LA 310- Directed Readings in Latin Literature
MJD 266- Digital Film/TV
MJD 303- Nature and Outdoor Writing
MJD 363- Study Abroad Re-entry
MU 101- Understanding Music
MU 202- Musicianship Lab
MU 209- Reading and Writing About Music
MU 224- Baroque Music
MU 225- Classical Music History
MU 226- Classical-Period and Romantic Music
MU 228- 20th Century Music
MU 253- Opera
MU 242- History of Jazz
MU 243- History of Gospel
MU 244- American Musical Theatre
MU 247- History of Rock
MU 253- Global Issues in Music
MU 261- Private Lessons for Non-Music Majors
MU 271- Intro to African Drumming
MU 316- Instrumentation and Orchestration
MU 333- J.S. Bach
MU 361- Private Lessons Music Majors
MU 364- Advanced Performance Studies
MU 372- String Orchestra
MU 374- Concert Band
MU 375- Jazz Orchestra
MU 376- African Drumming Ensemble
MU 377- Chorale
MU 491- Senior Seminar and Project
PH 221- Existentialism in Literature and Film
SP 343- Literary Studies in Spanish
SP 430- Spanish/Latin American Film
SP 435- Readings in Latin American Literature
SP 440- Readings in Spanish Literature
SP 445- Poetry in Spanish
TH 101- Life in the Theatre
TH 110- Theatre is Imagination
TH-115- Public Presentations
TH 161- Theatre Laboratory: Scenery, Lights, Painting
TH 162- Theatre Laboratory: Costumes
TH 163- Theatre Laboratory: Scenery, Lights, Run Crew
TH 207- Acting Techniques
TH 209- Stagecrafts
TH 210- Shakespeare to Showboats
TH 211- Costume Crafts
TH 213- Singing for the Actor
TH 217- Alexander Technique
TH 220- Designing for the Theatre
TH 270- Mainstage Production Practicum
TH 271- Production Practicum: Acting
TH 272- Production Practicum: Directing
TH 273- Production Practicum: Stage Management
TH 274- Production Practicum: Dramaturgy
TH 275- Production Practicum: Design
TH 301- Western Theatre History from Aeschylus to Zannis
TH 302- Moliere to Modern Drama
TH 303- Modern and Contemporary Theatre
TH 309- Directing
TH 311- Acting for the Camera
TH 321- Playwriting
TH 331- Scenic Design
TH 341- Lighting Design
TH 410- Senior Seminar in Theatre
TH 450- Theatre Tutorial

History & Society
AL 101- Introduction to Language and Linguistics
AM 101- Introduction to American Studies
AM 225- American Childhood
AN 109- Introduction to Anthropology
AN 217- Social Inequalities
ED 231- Education in the 21st Century: Inquiry and Innovation
FR-271- Service and Culture in Senegal
FR 297- Voices of Resistance in the Francophone World
FR 321- Intercultural Québec
GG 101- Introduction to Human Geography
GL 201- Foundations in Global Studies
GL-271- Service and Culture in Senegal
GL-358- Power, Resistance, & Race
GS 101- Gender Studies: Foundations
GS 203- Gender Issues in Society
GS 204- Men & Masculinities
HI 101- U.S. History to 1865
HI 103- U.S. History since 1865
HI 105- Early Modern Europe
HI 107- Modern Europe
HI 108- Medieval World
HI 113- History of Rome
HI 121- The Modern Middle East: An Introduction
HI 141- Traditional East Asia
HI 143- Modern East Asia
HI 161- Early Latin America
HI 163- Modern Latin America
HI 215- Women in American Society
HI 216- Native Peoples of North America
HI 218- History of Modern Ireland
HI 221- Early Caribbean History: Swashbucklers, Slaves, and Servants
HI 223- Modern Caribbean History: Cannons to Cricket
HU 101- Ancient and Medieval Civilization
HU 102- Modern Civilization
HU 203- Renaissance and Reformation
HU 205- Enlightenment and Revolution
HU 207- The Nineteenth Century
HU 209- The Twentieth Century
HU 225- Environmental Humanities
MA 284- History of Mathematics
MJD 101- Media Revolutions: Social, Political, & Psychological Issues
MJD 243- Media and American Politics
MJD 263- Screen Life in Modern Visual Media
MJD 323- Race, Gender and Ethnicity in Media
PH 201- Philosophy of Human Existence
PH 203- Ethics
PH 205- Philosophy of Society
PH 207- Philosophy of Religion
PH 209- Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Environment
PH 351- Otherness and Marginalization
PH 352- Philosophy and Feminism
PH 353- Truth and Propaganda: Ethics & the Media
PH-358- Power, Resistance, & Race
PO 120- Introduction to American National Politics
PO 180- Current Issues in World Politics
PO 245- Introduction to International Politics
PO 261- European Political Thought
PO 285- Introduction to Comparative Politics
PO 290- Canadian Government and Politics
PO 292- Global LGBTQI+ Politics & Culture
PO 299- Identity in Politics
PO 334- Civil Liberties
PO 340- Social Movements and Contentious Politics
PO 365- Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice
PO 371- Feminist Political Thought
RS 210- Old Testament
RS 211- New Testament
RS 216- Early Christianity
RS 217- Medieval Christianity
RS 219- American Protestantism
RS 221- World Christianity
RS 231- American Catholicism
RS 317- Judaism
RS 319- Islam
RS 321- Judaism in the Greco-Roman World
RS 323- Hinduism
RS 325- Buddhism
RS 339- Celtic Christianity
SO 101- Introduction to Sociology
SO 107- Social Problems

Scientific Inquiry
BI 106- Topics in Cellular and Molecular Biology
BI 108- Topics in Organismal Biology
BI 110- Topics in Evolutionary or Ecosystem Biology
BI 151- Introduction to Ecology and Evolution
BI 153- Introductory Cell Biology and Genetics
BI 253- Coral Reef Ecology
BI 254- Coral Reef Ecology Field Trip-Cuba
BI 255- Human Evolution
CH 101- Concepts in Chemistry
CH 110- General Chemistry I
ED 327- Tching Sci & Engineering PK-6
ES 103- Sustainability: Environmental Science Perspective
ES 107- Environmental Science
ES 213- Earth Systems and Processes
ES 253- Coral Reef Ecology
ES 254- Coral Reef Ecology Field Trip-Cuba
GG 102- Introduction to Physical Geography
PS 272- Psychology of Animal Learning and Behavior
PS 274- Behavioral Neuroscience
PY 101- Astronomy
PY 103- Acoustical Foundations of Music
PY 104- Physics and Robotics
PY 107- Meteorology
PY 210- College Physics I
PY 220- General Physics I

Quantitative Reasoning
BU 110- Personal Financial Planning
CS 101- Introduction to Multimedia Computing
CS 111- Introduction to Computer Science I
EC 205- Statistics for Economics
MA 110- Mathematics for Social Justice
MA 112- Mathematics in Context
MA 115- Mathematics for Teachers
MA 130- Elements of Calculus
MA 150- Calculus I
MA 160- Calculus II
PH 250- Logic
PS 213- Psychological Statistics
ST 101- Reasoning with Data and Chance
ST 120- Elementary Statistics
ST 140- Biological Data & Statistics
ST 202- Introduction to Data Science

Second Language for B.A.
FR 101- First Semester French
FR 102- Second Semester French
FR 202- French for Health Professions
GR 101- Elementary Greek
GR 201- Intermediate Greek
LA 101- Introduction to Latin
LA 211- Intermediate Latin
SP 101- First Semester Spanish
SP 102- Second Semester Spanish
SP 202- Spanish for Health Professions

Catholic Intellectual Tradition
AH 251- Ancient and Medieval Art
AH 280- Culture and Society in Medieval Burgundy
AH 347- Saints, Kings and Barbarians
AH 348- Castles and Cathedrals: Art of the High Middle Ages
HI 105- Early Modern Europe
HI 108- Medieval Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World
HI 463- The Franciscans
HU 101- Ancient and Medieval Civilization
HU 203- Renaissance and Reformation
MU 222- Medieval and Renaissance Music
PH 201- Philosophy of Human Existence
PH 203- Ethics
PH 207- Philosophy of Religion
PH 209- Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Environment
PH 221- Existentialism in Literature and Film
PH 311- Medieval Philosophy
PH 319- Major Author/Text: Medieval Christian
PH-338- Major Author/Text: Contemporary (Christian Philosophical Tradition)
RS 210- Old Testament
RS 211- New Testament
RS 216- Early Christianity
RS 217- Medieval Christianity
RS 220- Modern Christian Thought
RS 221- World Christianity
RS 222- Sacrament, Worship, and Ritual
RS 224- Understandings of God
RS 231- American Catholicism
RS 234- Christian Ethics
RS 236- Christian Social Ethics
RS 239- Religion, Ecology and Ethics
RS 240- Christianity and World Religions in Dialogue
RS 328- Christian Health Care Ethics
RS 339- Celtic Christianity
RS 340- Saints and Holiness

Engaging Diverse Identities
AL 250- Intercultural Communication
AM 201- Topics in American Studies
AM 227- Foundations of US Latinx Literature and Culture
AM 229- Introduction to Cuban Literature and Culture
AN 109- Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
AN 217- Social Inequalities
AN 333- Anthropology of Refugees
CR 201- Theories of Crime, Justice, and Race
CR 218- Issues in Contemporary Policing
ED 300- Teaching Social Studies & The Arts, PK-6
EN 235- African American Literature
EN 243- Queer Lives, Queer Forms
EN 376- African-American Literature
ES 306- Environmental Justice
ES 325- The Politics of Food
FR-271- Service and Culture in Senegal
FR 297- Voices of Resistance in the Francophone World
FR 313- Topics in Francophone Culture
FR 321- Intercultural Québec
GL 255- South Africa: Apartheid - Resistance, Revolution and Representation
GL 271- Service and Culture in Senegal
GL 331- Kolkata, India: Immersion through Service in the City of Joy (Study Trip)
GL 358- Power, Resistance, & Race
GS 101- Gender Studies: Foundations
GS 203- Gender issues in Society
GS 204- Men & Masculinities
GS 208- Topics in Gender Studies
GS 308- Advanced Topics in Gender Studies
HI 161- Early Latin America
HI 163- Modern Latin America
HI 215- Women in American Society
HI 216- Native Peoples of North America
HI 221- Early Caribbean History: Swashbucklers, Slaves, and Servants
HI 414- African Slavery in the Atlantic World
JS 305- The Politics of Queer Cinema
JS 310- A Case for Reparations?
JS 395- Politics of Global Aids Pandemic
MJD 255- South Africa: Apartheid - Resistance, Revolution and Representation
MJD 323- Race, Gender and Ethnicity in Media
MU 242- History of Jazz
MU 243- History of Gospel
MU 253- Global Issues in Music
PH 351- Otherness and Marginalization: Levinas and the Alienated
PH 352- Philosophy and Feminisim
PH-358- Power, Resistance, & Race
PO 292- Global LGBTQI+ Politics and Culture
PO 299- Identity in Politics
PO 325- The Politics of Food
PO 340- Social Movements and Contentious Politics
PO 350- State Violence and Justice
PO 351- Politics of the Global AIDS Pandemic
PO 360- Film and Politics
PO 365- Multiculturalism in Theory and Practice
PO 371- Feminist Political Thought
PO 390- Comparative Politics of Oppression
RS 240- Christianity and World Religions in Dialogue
RS 319- Islam
RS 323- Hinduism
RS 325- Buddhism
SO 107- Social Problems
SO 221- Race and Ethnic Relations
SP 313- Topics in Latin American Culture