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Liberal Arts Core Guidebook 2020-21

Liberal Arts Core

The Liberal Arts Core is required of all students singly enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and of all students dually enrolled in the College and the Newhouse School of Public Communications or School of Education, with one exception noted below.

Though the Liberal Arts Core is required of all students dually enrolled as first year students in the College and the Newhouse School of Public Communications, students who transfer to the dual program after their first year as singly enrolled students in the Newhouse School will satisfy general requirements for the dual degree program by completing the Newhouse Core Requirements.

Uniquely Counting Rule

Pertaining to courses that can count toward multiple majors and minors the following restrictions apply. In the following restrictions, uniquely counting means counting toward the completion of only one major or minor within the College of Arts and Sciences/Maxwell.

  1. In order to be awarded a minor in a program: A student must earn at least 6 upper division credits uniquely counting toward the minor.
  2. In order to be awarded a BA in a program: A student must earn at least 12 upper division credits uniquely counting toward the BA.
  3. In order to be awarded a BS in a program: A student must earn at least 15 upper division credits uniquely counting toward the BS.
  4. In the case of the Integrated Learning Majors, a student must earn at least 12 upper division credits uniquely counting towards the BA or BS.

Course Descriptions

Descriptions (as well as course frequency and number-of-credits information) for courses that fulfill any Liberal Arts Core requirement can be found in the Undergraduate Course Catalog.

Dean's Welcome

Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences, home of the liberal arts at Syracuse University. This Liberal Arts Core Guidebook will help you plan your undergraduate studies and take full advantage of all the College has to offer.

A liberal arts education will help you reach your full potential by cultivating your ability to think freely, act ethically and live decisively. Your courses will enable you to appreciate the diversity and richness of the world’s peoples, cultures, and natural processes. Grounded in an Arts and Sciences education, you will be prepared to create change and accomplish great things!

Your assigned College Advisor, and the entire advising team in the College’s Office of Advising and Career Services, are here to help you understand the Core and connect your liberal arts coursework with your major, career opportunities or continued study.

I encourage you to make an appointment with your advisor to discuss any questions or concerns and to create an academic plan to meet your goals. To make an appointment, simply sign on to Orange Success and select the day and time that works best for you.

I offer my sincere congratulations on the achievements that have brought you into the College of Arts and Sciences, and wish you bon voyage on the journey you are about to begin!

Karin Ruhlandt
Dean

  1. Liberal Arts Core Curriculum
  2. The Liberal Arts Core
  3. Diversity and the Liberal Arts Curriculum
  4. Special Note for Students with Advanced Placement Credit
  5. Note for Students Entering the College with an A.A. or A.S. Degree
  6. PART I. The Liberal Skills Requirement
  7. PART II. The Divisional Perspectives Requirement
  8. PART III. The Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement

Liberal Arts Core Curriculum

I. Liberal Skills Requirement

Writing Skills: 3 Courses (8 to 10 credits)

  • Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing (WRT 105, WRT 109) or ENL 211 Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English
  • A Writing-Intensive Course: An approved course in any subject (which may simultaneously satisfy other requirements)
  • Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing (WRT 205, WRT 209) or ENL 213 Advanced Academic Writing and Research for Non-Native Speakers of English

and either

Language Skills: 1-3 Courses (4 to 12 credits): Up through courses numbered 201

or

Quantitative Skills: 2 Courses (6 to 8 credits): Second course may simultaneously satisfy other requirements

II. Divisional Perspectives Requirement

Humanities: 4 Courses (12 credits)

  • At least four courses from the list for the Division including a 2-Course Sequence

Natural Sciences and Mathematics: 4 Courses (12 to 16 credits)

  • At least four courses from the list for the Division including a 2-Course Sequence and one lab course

Social Sciences: 4 Courses (12 credits)

  • At least four courses from the list for the Division including a 2-Course Sequence

III. Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement

Two courses approved for this purpose in any subject (6 to 8 credits)

  • These courses may also satisfy Writing-Intensive, Divisional and/or Major or Minor Requirements
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The Liberal Arts Core

Advising and Career Services encourages all students in the College to meet an Academic Counselor to discuss questions, concerns and create academic plans to meet your goals. Call (315) 443-3150 to make an advising appointment or visit the third floor of the Hall of Languages for a drop-in. We welcome you!

A. Liberal Arts Education

An education in the liberal arts should do at least two essential things:

  • help students to reach a university-level mastery in the most fundamental intellectual skills needed both to explore the world and for effective communication and expression: the use of language and the use of quantitative methods.
  • help students to develop broad and integrating perspectives on the world and human experience, perspectives that draw upon the best of scholarship and research from across the fields of liberal learning. This is done by introducing students to a variety of important parts of the universe of learning and helping them to draw upon and become members of the universal community of learners.

B. The Parts of the Core

The Liberal Arts Core is a set of principles that guides students in the selection of courses and serves to define the common core of a liberal arts education at Syracuse. It was devised and adopted by the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences to assure that each student's course of study includes the most important features of an education in the liberal arts. There are three fundamental parts to the Liberal Arts Core:

  1. The Liberal Skills Requirement
  2. The Divisional Perspectives Requirement
  3. The Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement

The Liberal Skills Requirement assures that each student further develops the fundamental intellectual skill of effective writing and gives the student a choice of whether to satisfy a competency requirement in quantitative skills or a second language.

The Divisional Perspectives Requirement introduces students to something of the great range of liberal fields of inquiry. A liberal education is essentially an education from a diversity of viewpoints. An education is not "free" if it confines students to one or two viewpoints, one field of study, or focuses narrowly on a single professional objective. The disciplines and interdisciplinary studies that constitute the universe of the liberal arts and sciences both complement and compete with each other in the effort to gain the most informed, balanced, and integrating perspectives on the world and human experience. Students need to get a sense of the range and power of liberal studies, and of the controversies and uncertainties that remain a challenge for these studies. In the course of surveying something of this range, they will also be put in a better position to make an informed choice regarding their majors and minors.

The Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement is designed to assure that students reflect upon the relevance of the liberal arts and sciences to ethical and social issues. Every liberal field of study has great ethical and social significance. The courses that satisfy this requirement build on that fundamental fact in order to highlight that significance and to develop in students critical and self-critical intellectual habits of thought.

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Diversity and the Liberal Arts Curriculum

DIVERSITY is one of the University’s five core values. In a college curriculum a commitment to diversity means a commitment to studies that help students to understand the variety of peoples, social groups and cultures that surround, affect, challenge and enrich them. It also seeks to help each student gain an informed and critical understanding of their own social and cultural background by setting it in the context of the backgrounds of others. Liberal education has always promoted the understanding of people of other kinds, times and cultures, but it is only in recent times that the full implications of that ideal have been recognized. Traditionally, a limited selection of social groups and cultures other than those dominant in a society were considered in a liberal course of study, but not a sufficiently rich array was included to allow an adequate, critical understanding of human diversity.

Several departments of the College have explicit missions to provide studies of women, ethnic minorities of the United States, and cultures other than those of Great Britain and Anglo-America. These departments include:

  • African American Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Korean, Latin, Persian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Turkish)
  • Geography
  • History
  • Political Science
  • Religion
  • Sociology
  • Women’s and Gender Studies

In addition to these departments, the College of Arts and Sciences is the home of several interdisciplinary programs offering majors or minors that bring specific focus on groups and cultures that expand our understanding of human diversity:

  • Asian/Asian American
  • Forensic Science
  • Global Political Economy
  • Global Security Studies
  • International Relations
  • Jewish Studies
  • Latino-Latin American Studies
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies
  • Middle Eastern Studies
  • Native American and Indigenous Studies
  • Religion and Society
  • South Asian Studies

These departments and programs, along with others, offer over 50 undergraduate courses on US ethnic minorities, over 45 courses on women’s issues and over 200 courses on cultures and societies outside of Great Britain and Anglo-America. We encourage students to take full advantage of this rich diversity within the curriculum.

A special feature of the Liberal Arts Core called the Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement also directs students to courses in which issues and topics concerning human diversity are studied (see the section on this requirement later in this Guidebook).

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Special Note for Students with Advanced Placement Credit

If you have received the score required on one of these C.E.E.B. Advanced Placement examinations, you will receive credit for the appropriate Syracuse University course(s) and may apply those credits earned toward completing the Liberal Arts core according to this chart.

Note: A maximum of 30 semester hours of credit may be accepted from all forms of extra-institutional and experiential learning, and examination programs (including Syracuse University Advanced Credit Examinations).

Advanced Placement Course Score Required Equivalent Liberal Arts Core Course No. of Credits
Art History 3 HOA 105-106 and counts as a sequence in HUMANITIES 6
Biology [see note 1] 4 BIO 121,123,124 and counts as a sequence and lab in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 8
Chemistry [see note 1] 4 CHE 103 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 4
  5 CHE 106/116 and CHE 107/117 and counts as sequence in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 8
English Language and Composition 4 WRT 105-205 6
English Literature and Composition 4 ENG 151 or 152 or 153 or 117 or 118 [see note 2] and WRT 105 6
Environmental Science 3 EAR 200 in NATURAL SCIENCES and MATHEMATICS 3
Human Geography 4 GEO 105 or GEO 171 in SOCIAL SCIENCES 3
European History 4 HST 111-112 and counts as a sequence in HUMANITIES 6
United States History 4 HST 101-102 and counts as a sequence in SOCIAL SCIENCES 6
World History 4 HST 121, 122 and counts as a sequence in SOCIAL SCIENCES 6
Economics: Microeconomics 4 ECN 101 in SOCIAL SCIENCES 3
Economics: Macroeconomics 4 ECN 102 in SOCIAL SCIENCES 3
Mathematics [see note 1]: Calculus AB [see note 3] 3 MAT 285 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 3
  4 MAT 285 & 286 or MAT 295 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 6 or 4
Mathematics [see note 1]: Calculus BC [see note 3] 4 MAT 295-296 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 8
Mathematics [see note 1]: Calculus AB Sub score Grade – BC Exam [see note 4] 3 MAT 285 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 3
Mathematics: Calculus AB Sub score Grade – BC Exam [see note 5] 4 MAT 285 & 286 or MAT 295 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 6 or 4
Mathematics: Level II (Exams Taken in Puerto Rico) 4 MAT 194 in QUANTITATIVE SKILLS 4
Music Theory 3 HOM/MTC 194 in QUANTITATIVE SKILLS 4
Physics I 3 PHY 101 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 4
Physics II 3 PHY 102 in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 4
Physics B 3 PHY 101-102 and counts as a sequence in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 8
Physics C (Mechanics) 3 PHY 101 or PHY 211 (221) in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 4
Physics C (Electricity and Magnetism) 3 PHY 102 or PHY 212 (222) in NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS 4
Psychology 4 PSY 205 in SOCIAL SCIENCES 3
Statistics 3 MAT 221 4
United States Government and Politics 4 PSC 121 in SOCIAL SCIENCES 3
Comparative Government and Politics 4 PSC 123 in SOCIAL SCIENCES 3
Languages: Chinese Language and Culture 3 CHI 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
  4 CHI 201 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: French Language and Culture 3 FRE 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: German Language and Culture 3 GER 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: Italian Language and Culture 3 ITA 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: Japanese Language and Culture 3 JPS 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: Japanese Language and Culture 4 JPS 201 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: Latin 3 LAT 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
  4 LAT 201 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
  5 LAT 201 and LAT 320 (Language Skills and humanities) 7
Languages: Spanish Language 3 SPA 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
Languages: Spanish Literature 3 SPA 102 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4
  4 SPA 201 in LANGUAGE SKILLS 4

1. Prehealth students should consult with their College Advisor before accepting AP credit for Biology, Chemistry or Math.

2. English: Literature and Composition – If you score a 4 or better on the examination in Literature and Composition, you will receive three credits for ENG 151. Should you subsequently elect to take ENG 151, you will be able to transfer the credit to one of the following: ENG 152, 153, 117 or 118. In addition, you will also receive three credits for WRT 105 for a total of six credits.

3. Students cannot be awarded credit for both MAT 295 and for MAT 285-286. While MAT 295 is usually the most appropriate choice, speak to your academic advisor about which is appropriate for your program.

4. Credit not awarded for both Calculus BC exam and its AB subscore.

If you decide to take the equivalent Syracuse University course for which you have been awarded Advanced Placement or Transfer Credit, the AP or Transfer Credit WILL BE DELETED and you will lose the credit.

If you have questions, contact the A&S Advising and Career Services.

International Baccalaureate Program - Arts and Science students who have completed courses in the IB Program should contact the A&S Advising and Career Services regarding credit toward completing the Liberal Arts Core.

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Note for Students Entering the College with an A.A. or A.S. Degree

Students who have earned college credit before enrolling in Syracuse University, and intra university transfers into the College of Arts and Sciences from schools and colleges that did not require the Liberal Arts Core, should make sure that their transcripts are evaluated by the Office of Advising and Career Services and that their previous work is evaluated in the context of the Liberal Arts Core.

The following applies to students in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In evaluating a transfer student’s prior credits as they apply toward the Liberal Arts Core requirements, the College will handle them as follows:

A.A. or A.S. Completed Elsewhere

Students transferring to Syracuse who have earned an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree shall be required to complete the Liberal Skills and Critical Reflections Requirements of the Liberal Arts Core. Based upon prior course work such students are required to successfully complete four courses in one of the Liberal Arts Core Divisional Perspective Requirements (Humanities: Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences) and successfully complete at least two courses from the list in each of the other two Liberal Arts Core Divisional Perspective Requirements (Humanities; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences), including the completion of at least one natural science laboratory course.

Note: Transfer credit is not accepted for Writing Intensive and Critical Reflections requirements except when completed within an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements.

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PART I. The Liberal Skills Requirement

Quantitative skill and skill in the use of languages are indispensable elements in liberal and general education. The importance of these skills does not diminish after graduation. They are abilities that are in constant need throughout our lives for professional success, for effective and informed citizenship, and to enable us to enjoy and to contribute to the cultural and intellectual riches that depend upon them.

To satisfy the Liberal Skills Requirement of the Liberal Arts Core, students are required to achieve proficiency in writing by successfully taking either WRT 105, WRT 109, or ENL 211; and WRT 205, and a special writing-intensive course prior to taking WRT 205, WRT 209 or ENL 213.

The remainder of the requirement gives students the option of demonstrating a university-level competence in either

  • a language other than English, or
  • the use of quantitative methods to understand and solve problem

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Section A: The Writing Skills Requirement

Students satisfy the Liberal Skills Requirement in Writing by successfully completing three courses. The first of these courses is chosen from Writing Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing (WRT 105) or ENL 211 Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English. During the second year, students will take the higher level Writing Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing (WRT 205) or Advanced Academic Writing and Research for Non-Native Speakers of English (ENL 213). Before WRT 205 or ENL 213 is taken, students will take a Writing-Intensive course in a subject matter other than writing, * a course that has been specially designed to give attention to developing writing ability while studying another subject matter. The list of approved, Writing-Intensive courses will be found in the next section. These courses that fulfill the Writing Intensive Course requirement must be successfully completed by the student in the academic year in which they are listed in the Liberal Arts Core Guidebook.

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Writing Courses

WRT 105 and WRT 205 introduce students to the kinds of writing, reading, and critical thinking that are practiced in a university and expected throughout the curriculum. Students write frequently, in varied forms, for varied purposes of inquiry and instruction. Students whose native language is not English satisfy the requirement by completing ENL 211 and 213. Additional study of English may be necessary for a student prior to entering ENL 211.

Students will take WRT 105 in the fall or spring of their first year and WRT 205 in the spring of their sophomore year. WRT 109/HNR, and WRT 209 are intensive versions of the three writing courses for students in the Honors Program. ENL 211 and 213 satisfy the requirement for students whose native language is not English. Alternatives are listed below.

WRT 105 Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing (3 CREDITS) Study and practice of writing processes, including critical reading, collaboration, revision, editing, and the use of technologies. Focuses on the aims, strategies, and conventions of academic prose, especially analysis and argumentation.

WRT 205 Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing (3 CREDITS) Study and practice of critical, research-based writing, including research methods, presentation genres, source evaluation, audience analysis, and library/online research. Students complete at least one sustained research project.

WRT 109, 209 Studio 1 and 2 (HONORS) (3 CREDITS EACH) These courses are honors versions of WRT 105 and 205 for students of demonstrated exceptional ability. WRT 109 is a prerequisite for WRT 209

ENL 211 Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English (3 CREDITS) Expository writing and reading. Students develop an awareness of the cultural and discourse expectations in written English, through reading and responding to articles on a variety of topics and writing essays of increasing complexity.

ENL 213 Advanced Academic Writing and Research for Non-Native Speakers of English (3 CREDITS) Development of critical reading and thinking skills used in scholarly research in a variety of disciplines. Students learn to summarize, synthesize, critique, and document, and use library resources effectively.

EXEMPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES

Advanced Placement. Students who achieve a grade of 4 or 5 on their CEEB Advanced Placement Exam in Literature and Composition may register for WRT 205. Students who achieve a grade of 4 or higher on the CEEB Advanced Placement Exam in Language and Composition are not required to complete WRT 105 or WRT 205.

Project Advance. Students who have completed WRT 105. To complete the LIBERAL SKILLS in Writing requirement, these students should take WRT 205 in their sophomore year.

Transfer Credit. Course work completed at another college or university will be evaluated in a manner consistent with information provided in the Transfer Student section of this Guidebook (see page 7). Transfer credit however is not accepted for the Writing Intensive requirement except when defined in articulation agreements.

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The Writing Intensive Requirement

Students will take a Writing-Intensive course as a prerequisite to taking WRT 205 in their fourth semester. The courses approved for satisfying this requirement are listed below. Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Writing Intensive Requirement except when they are included in an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements. These courses that fulfill the Writing Intensive Course requirement must be successfully completed by the student in the academic year in which they are listed in the Liberal Arts Core Guidebook.

African American Studies

  • AAS 138: Writing About Black Culture
  • AAS 233: The Caribbean Novel
  • AAS 234: African Fiction
  • AAS 235: African American Drama
  • AAS/WGS 303: Black Women Writers
  • AAS 305: African Orature
  • AAS 312: Pan Africanism
  • AAS 338: Creative Writing Workshop

Art and Music Histories

  • HOA 106 (honors only): Arts and Ideas II
  • HOA 412: From Gothic to Goth
  • HOM 313: Film Music
  • HOM 363: Opera in Society
  • HOM 372: Music in Multicultural America
  • HOM 396: Junior Seminar: Writing about Music
  • HOM 485: Contemporary Indigenous Soundscapes
  • HOM 493: Music and Identity

Anthropology

  • ANT 185 Global Encounters: Comparing World Views & Values Cross-Culturally
  • ANT/SAS/WGS 324: Modern South Asian Cultures
  • ANT/GEO/WGS 367: Gender in a Globalizing World
  • ANT 467: Culture and Mental Disorders
  • ANT 469: Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective

Earth Sciences

  • EAR 325: Introduction to Paleobiology

English and Textual Studies

  • ENG 113: British Literature, Beginnings to 1789
  • ENG 114: British Literature, 1789 to Present
  • ENG 115: Topics in British Literary History
  • ENG 117: American Literature, Beginnings to 1865
  • ENG 118: American Literature, 1865 to Present
  • ENG 119: Topics in US Literary History
  • ENG 121: Introduction to Shakespeare
  • ENG 122: Introduction to the Novel
  • ENG 142: Narratives of Culture: Introduction to Issues of Critical Reading
  • ENG 146: Interpretation of New Media
  • ENG 151: Interpretation of Poetry
  • ENG 152: Interpretation of Drama
  • ENG 153: Interpretation of Fiction
  • ENG 154: Interpretation of Film
  • ENG 155: Interpretation of Nonfiction
  • ENG 156: Interpretation of Games
  • ENG 164: Children’s Literature
  • ENG 170: American Cinema, from Beginnings to Present
  • ENG 171: World Cinema, Beginnings to Present
  • ENG 172: The Literature of War and Peace
  • ENG 174: World Literature, Beginnings to 1000
  • ENG 175: World Literature, 1000 to Present
  • ENG 181: Class and Literary Texts
  • ENG 182: Race and Literary Texts
  • ENG 184: Ethnicity and Literary Texts
  • ENG/WGS 192: Gender and Literary Texts
  • ENG 193: Introduction to Asian American Literature

Geography

  • GEO 171: Geographies
  • GEO 219 (honors only): American Diversity and Unity
  • GEO 272: World Cultures
  • GEO 353: Geographies of Environmental Justice
  • GEO/ANT/WGS 367: Gender in a Globalizing World

History

  • HST 101: American History to 1865
  • HST 102 : American History Since 1865
  • HST 111: Early Modern Europe, 1350-1815
  • HST 112: Modern Europe: Napoleon to the Present
  • HST 121: Global History to 1750
  • HST 122: Global History from 1750
  • HST 201: Research Seminar in History
  • HST 210: The Ancient World
  • HST/MES 318: The Middle East to 1900
  • HST 347: Modern American Politics Through Fiction
  • HST/QSX 348: Queering the Middle Ages?
  • HST 391: Mary Magdalene: History of a Legend
  • HST 398: Saints and Sinners in the Middle Ages
  • HST 399: Utopia and Institution: Early Monasticism

International Relations

  • IRP/PSC 412: Global Governance: The United Nations System

Jewish Studies Program

  • JSP/LIT/REL 131: Great Jewish Writers
  • JSP/REL 215: The Jewish Bible/Christian Old Testament
  • JSP/LIT/REL 235: Travel Narratives and Pilgrimages
  • JSP/LIT/REL 239: Jewish Humor and Satire
  • JSP/REL 307: The Temple and the Dead Sea Scrolls
  • JSP/REL 316: The Torah/ Pentateuch
  • JSP/LIT/REL 333: Yiddish Literature in Translation
  • JSP/REL 337: Shoah: Responding to the Holocaust
  • JSP/REL 338: American Judaism
  • JSP/PHI/REL 435: Modern Jewish Thought

Law in the Liberal Arts

  • LLA 201: Elements of Law

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies

  • QSX/REL 323: Christianity and Sexuality
  • QSX/HST 348: Queering the Middle Ages?
  • QSX/REL 357: Queerly Religious

Literature In Translation

  • LIT/JSP/REL 131: Great Jewish Writers
  • LIT/REL/JSP 235: Travel Narratives and Pilgrimages
  • LIT/JSP/REL 239: Jewish Humor and Satire
  • LIT 256: Blood: A Cultural History
  • LIT/JSP/REL 333: Yiddish Literature in Translation

Maxwell School Of Citizenship And Public Affairs

  • MAX 123: Critical Issues for the United States
  • MAX 132: Global Community

Middle Eastern Studies

  • MES/HST 318: The Modern Middle East to 1900
  • MES 365/REL/SAS 367: God and Beauty in Islamic Art

Philosophy

  • PHI 107: Theories of Knowledge and Reality
  • PHI 109: Introduction to Philosophy (Honors)
  • PHI 111: Plato's Republic
  • PHI 172: Making Decisions
  • PHI 197: Human Nature
  • PHI 241/REL 292: The Human Divine in Christian and Muslim Philosophy
  • PHI/WGS 297: Philosophy of Feminism
  • PHI 319/PSC 399/REL371: God in Political Theory
  • PHI/REL/JSP 435: Modern Jewish Thought

Political Science

  • PSC 387: Ethnic Conflict
  • PSC 399/REL 371/PHI 319: God in Political Theory
  • PSC/IRP 412: Global Governance: The United Nations System

Religion

  • REL/SAS 123: Religious Auto/Biography
  • REL/JSP/LIT 131: Great Jewish Writers
  • REL/JSP 215: The Jewish Bible/Christian Old Testament
  • REL/JSP/LIT 235: Travel Narratives and Pilgrimages
  • REL/JSP/LIT 239: Jewish Humor and Satire
  • REL 261: Faith and Reason in Islamic Thought and Civilization
  • REL/SAS 283: India’s Religious Worlds
  • REL 292/PHI 241: The Human Divine in Christian and Muslim Philosophy
  • REL 301: Ancient Near Eastern Religion and Cultures
  • REL/JSP 307: The Temple and the Dead Sea Scrolls
  • REL 310: Medieval Christianities
  • REL/JSP 316: The Torah/Pentateuch as a Scripture
  • REL 322: Martyrs and Saints in Christian Tradition
  • REL/QSX 323: Christianity and Sexuality
  • REL/LIT/JSP 333: Yiddish Literature in Translation
  • REL/JSP 337: Shoah: Responding to the Holocaust
  • REL/JSP 338: American Judaism
  • REL/QSX 357: Queerly Religious
  • REL/SAS 367/MES 365: God and Beauty in Islamic Art
  • REL 371/PHI 319/PSC 399: God in Political Theory
  • REL 385: Religion in Chinese Society
  • REL 393: Religion at the Limits
  • REL/JSP/PHI 435: Modern Jewish Thought

South Asian Studies

  • SAS/REL 123: Religious Auto/Biography
  • SAS/REL 283: India’s Religious Worlds
  • SAS/ANT/WGS 324: Modern South Asian Cultures
  • SAS/REL 367/MES 365: God and Beauty in Islamic Art

Spanish

  • SPA/LAS 465: Literature and Popular Culture

Women's and Gender Studies

  • WGS 101: Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies
  • WGS/ENG 192: Gender and Literary Texts
  • WGS 201: Global Feminisms
  • WGS/PHI 297: Philosophy of Feminism
  • WGS/AAS 303: Black Women Writers
  • WGS/ANT/SAS 324: Modern South Asian Cultures
  • WGS/SWK 328: Human Diversity in Social Contexts
  • WGS/ANT/GEO 367: Gender in a Globalizing World

Other Schools and Colleges:

David B. Falk College Of Sport And Human Dynamics

  • SWK/WGS 328: Human Diversity in Social Contexts

Only Available for Students in the Renée Crown Honors Program

  • HNR 240: Arts without Borders
  • HNR 260/GEO 219: American Diversity and Unity
  • HNR 260/WGS 200: History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement
  • HNR 340: Good Film, Bad People
  • HNR 340: Fiction Writing Workshop
  • HNR 340: Tell Your Story Walking
  • HNR 360/HST 347: Modern American Politics through Fiction

Notes

  • Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Writing Intensive Requirement except when defined in articulation agreements.
  • These courses may not be used to satisfy the Writing Intensive Requirement if taken prior to Fall 1995.
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Section B: The Language Skills Requirement

Students satisfy the Language Skills option of the Liberal Skills Requirement by demonstrating that they have achieved a certain level of competence in a language other than English by either:

  1. completing a 4-credit language course numbered 201, or a 3- or 4-credit language course numbered 202 or higher (see Advanced Language Work under Exemptions and Alternatives on page 14); or
  2. satisfying one of the requirements listed on the next page under "Exemptions and Alternatives."

Beginners can complete the language requirement with a sequence of three 4-credit courses numbered 101, 102, and 201.

Courses numbered 101, 102, and 201 are available on a regular basis in Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi/Urdu, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

STUDENTS MAY NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR A LOWER LEVEL LANGUAGE COURSE TAKEN AFTER EARNING A GRADE IN A HIGHER-LEVEL COURSE IN THE SAME LANGUAGE.

Generic Course Descriptions

Catalog descriptions may vary slightly from the following, depending on the language; see entries under specific languages. The frequency of offering also may vary for different languages.

XXX (e.g., SPA) 101 LANGUAGE I (e.g., SPANISH I) (4 credits) (only offered in the fall) Introductory proficiency-based course that prepares students to understand, speak, read and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in the language (e.g., Spanish). Prerequisite. No prior experience, or admission by placement testing.

XXX 102 LANGUAGE II (4 Credits) (offered in the spring; some languages offered in the fall) Continuing proficiency-based course that develops communicative abilities in speaking, listening, reading and writing in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in the languages. Prerequisite: Successful completion of XXX 101 or admission by placement testing.

XXX 201 LANGUAGE III (4 Credits) (offered in the spring; some languages offered in the fall) Refines and expands previously acquired linguistic skills in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in the language. Prerequisite: Successful completion of XXX 102 or admission by placement testing.

Exemptions and Alternatives

The following options are also available to fulfill the requirement:

Advanced Placement. Students who score a four in the following examinations thereby demonstrate a competency equivalent to Syracuse University language courses numbered 201 and satisfy the Language Skills Requirement: Chinese Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin, Spanish Literature.

Demonstrated Competence. Students who can show proof of a native or near native competency in a language other than English may seek approval of a petition from the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics to have their LAC Language Skills requirement fulfilled by virtue of their proficiency.

Advanced Language Work. One may fulfill the requirement by completing with a grade of C or better any 3- or 4-credit course taught in a language other than English numbered 202 or above offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.

International Students. Students whose native language is not English may petition to have the language requirement fulfilled by their knowledge of their natural language.

Study Abroad. Programs of Syracuse University Abroad (SUA) in Chile, China, France, India, Italy, and Spain offer the same courses that are available on campus for satisfying the language requirement.

Transfer Credit. Transfer credit for foreign language courses will not be considered for approval until it has been evaluated by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Syracuse University to determine the appropriate course equivalent. Credit will be considered for acceptance by the College if taken at an accredited institution.

Section C: The Quantitative Skills Requirement

A student may satisfy the Quantitative Skills option of the Liberal Skills Requirement by successfully completing a First Course and a different Second Course drawn from the lists below. When planning a program, be aware that many courses in the second course list have prerequisite courses. Some courses appear on both lists.

Any student who completes a calculus course numbered 284 or higher with a grade of C or better is thereby exempt from the need to take an additional course to complete the Quantitative Skills Requirement. Calculus courses numbered 285 or higher may simultaneously be used to partially satisfy the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Divisional Requirement. MAT 284 cannot be used to meet both the Quantitative Skills Requirement and the Natural Science and Mathematics Divisional Requirements. It can only be used to meet one of these requirements.

First Course:

  • MAT 121 Probability and Statistics for the Liberal Arts I
  • MAT 183 Elements of Modern Mathematics
  • MAT 193 Algebra-Infused Precalculus (to be followed by MAT 285 or MAT 295)
  • MAT 194 Precalculus (to be followed by MAT 285 or MAT 295)
  • MAT 221 Elementary Probability and Statistics I
  • MAT 285 Life Sciences Calculus I, or
  • MAT 295 Calculus I

Second Course (Note: Some of these courses have prerequisites):

  • GEO 386 Quantitative Geographical Analysis
  • MAT 122 Probability and Statistics for the Liberal Arts II
  • MAT 222 Elementary Probability and Statistics II
  • MAT 284 Business Calculus
  • MAT 285 Life Sciences Calculus I, or
  • MAT 295 Calculus I
  • MAT 286 Life Sciences Calculus II, or
  • MAT 296 Calculus II
  • MAX 201 Quantitative Methods for the Social Sciences
  • PSC 202 Introduction to Political Analysis
  • PSY 252 Statistical Methods II
  • SOC 318 Introduction to Research
  • *SWK 361 Foundations of Social Work Research *Apply as Non-Arts & Sciences credit

Many students will satisfy the Quantitative Skills Requirement by taking a pair of statistics courses. MAT 121 provides introductions to statistics with emphasis on the analysis of real data sets. It does not assume any prerequisite mathematical preparation, although it is desirable that students have a reasonable level of competence in high school algebra. Students who complete MAT 121 may consider completing the sequence with one of the following: GEO 386, MAX 201, PSY 252, SOC 318, or SWK 361. Consult your advisor.

Only students who have mastered high school algebra should contemplate any of the remaining options for satisfying the quantitative skills requirement.

For Students Not Majoring In Sciences

The sequence MAT 221-222, Elementary Probability and Statistics, is designed for non-science majors and introduces basic concepts of probability and statistics and their applications. It is more mathematically rigorous than MAT 121-122.

For Students Interested in Programs Outside of Arts and Sciences

Students should consult with their academic advisor to determine which sequence will work best for them.

For Students With Strong Mathematics Backgrounds

Students with strong mathematics backgrounds should consider taking calculus. MAT 285 is designed for students planning to major in the social or life sciences, whereas MAT 295 is designed for engineering students and science and mathematics majors. Students with a weak background in trigonometry and analytic geometry should take one of the sequences MAT 194-285 or MAT 194-295.

Exemptions and Alternatives

Advanced Placement. Any student who received 4-6 credits of calculus on the basis of the CEEB Advanced Placement examination satisfies the QUANTITATIVE SKILLS requirement.

Calculus. Any student who completes with a grade of C or better any one calculus course numbered 284 or above has satisfied the QUANTITATIVE SKILLS requirement.

Advanced Credit Exam. Any student receiving 3 or more credits in calculus by advanced credit exam satisfies the QUANTITATIVE SKILLS requirement.

Transfer Credit. Courses transferred to Syracuse need not be retaken for the purposes of the QUANTITATIVE SKILLS requirement. In very exceptional circumstances, e.g. courses completed at a non-accredited institution, students may petition to take a competency examination in any of the courses offered by the Mathematics Department. Students who pass such an examination are deemed to have passed the corresponding course for the purposes of the requirement. Petitions for such examinations should be submitted to the chair of the Mathematics Department.

Placement

To determine the appropriate course for you:

  1. Take the Mathematics Placement Test as indicated in the first term enrollment selection information provided.
  2. Consult the descriptions of mathematics courses and discuss your objectives with your advisor.
  3. Follow the placement advice of the Mathematics Department on the basis of your placement test.

Transfer Students: If you are planning to take any mathematics course numbered 121 or above and have not been granted transfer credit for any such course, you should take the Mathematics Placement Test and consult with your advisor.

Back to Table of Contents

PART II. The Divisional Perspectives Requirement

The requirement that students take four courses in each of the three curricular divisions of the College – the Humanities, Social Science and Natural Science and Mathematics divisions – is designed to promote goals fundamental to a liberal education.

  • To enable students to develop broad perspectives informed by the best of scholarship and research from across the fields of liberal inquiry.
  • To provide a critical understanding of various modes of intellectual inquiry and of how they differ, complement and compete with each other.
  • To enable students to explore the opportunities for upper division studies – including fields in which they might major or minor – so that their subsequent choices will be informed ones.

To satisfy the Divisional Perspectives Requirement:

  1. A student must take four, 3- or 4-credit courses in each of the three curricular divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences – that is, in the Humanities, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Social Sciences divisions.
  2. In each division, two of the courses must constitute an approved sequence. Courses in a sequence may be taken in either order unless one is prerequisite to the other. *
  3. Of the twelve courses used to satisfy the Divisional Perspectives Requirement, no more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division), with the exception of 3-credit HNR courses offered by the Renée Crown University Program. Any course cross listed is considered to belong to each of the departments in the cross listing. Therefore, it counts as one of the maximum of three allowed from a single department to fulfill the Divisional Perspectives Requirement. Experience Credit and Independent Study credit cannot be used to satisfy the Divisional Perspective Requirement.
  4. In each division, no more than one course may be selected from schools and colleges outside the College of Arts and Sciences.
  5. In the Natural Science and Mathematics Division, at least one laboratory course must be included.

* In the lists that follow, courses connected by a hyphen ("-") or otherwise stated constitute a sequence.

Back to Table of Contents

Section A. The Humanities Division

Four courses needed

The Humanities Division encompasses the history, theory, analysis and criticism of language, literature and other texts, religion, art, and music; and the examination of fundamental questions arising in the human search for values, knowledge, purpose, and meaning. These are central concerns of the departments or programs of African American Studies; English; Languages, Literatures and Linguistics; Art and Music Histories; Philosophy; Religion, Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition, and Women's and Gender Studies. Hence, most courses satisfying the Humanities Division requirements come from these departments and programs.

The Humanities List

Students must take at least four courses from the following list, including a two-course sequence (indicated by hyphens), to complete the requirement for four courses in this division. No more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division).

African American Studies

  • AAS 138: Writing About Black Culture
  • AAS 206-207: Introduction to African American Music; Survey of African Music
  • AAS 231-232 African American Literature to 1900; African American Lit: 20th and 21st
  • AAS 233-234: The Caribbean Novel; African Fiction
  • AAS 235: African American Drama
  • AAS 241/REL 281-: African Religions: An Introduction;
    -AAS/REL 345: African American Religious History
  • AAS 302: Contemporary African American Theater
  • AAS/WGS 303: Black Women Writers
  • AAS 304: Workshop: African American Theater
  • AAS 305: African Orature
  • AAS 331: The African American Novel: Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
  • AAS 338: Creative Writing Workshop
  • AAS/REL 345: African American Religious History
  • AAS 361/HOA 386: Art of the Black World
  • AAS/WGS 403: African and Caribbean Women Writers
  • AAS 408: Masters of American Black Music
  • AAS 409: History of Jazz, 1940 to Present
  • AAS 433: Harlem Renaissance: Literature and Ideology
  • AAS 465: The Image of Blacks in Art and Film
  • AAS 470: Internship in African American Studies (when appropriate, by petition)
  • AAS 490: Independent Study (when appropriate, by petition)
  • AAS 540: Seminar in African American Studies (when appropriate, by petition)

Anthropology

  • ANT 185: Global Encounters: Comparing World Views and Values Cross Culturally
  • ANT/LIN 202: Languages of the World
  • ANT 273/REL/NAT 244: Indigenous Religions
  • ANT 326/WGS 327: Africa through the Novel
  • ANT 371/ LIN 371: Dimensions of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism
  • ANT/ LIN 375: Forensic Linguistics
  • ANT 376: Folklore
  • ANT/LIN/WGS 472: Language, Culture, and Society
  • ANT 378/ LIN 373: Language, Variation, and Change

Art and Music Histories

  • * All HOA courses * A sequence in art history can be made up of one HOA 100-level course plus any other HOA course (at any level).
  • * All HOM courses * A sequence in HOM can be made up of any two HOM courses.

Cognitive Science

  • COG courses may be accepted by petition.

Communication Sciences and Disorders

  • CSD 316: Introduction to Applied Phonetics

English and Textual Studies

  • * All ENG courses * A sequence can be made up of any two 100-level ENG courses, any two 200-level ENG courses, or a combination of one 100-level ENG course and one 200-level ENG course, or the combination of ENG 242 and ENG 305.

History

  • HST 111-112: Early Modern Europe, 1350-1815; Modern Europe: Napoleon to the Present
  • HST 210-211: The Ancient World; Medieval & Renaissance Europe
  • HST 310: The Early Middle Ages
  • HST 311: Medieval Civilization
  • HST 312: Reformation of the 16th Century
  • HST/MES 319 : The Middle East in the 20th Century
  • HST 320: Traditional China
  • HST 321: Modern China
  • HST 354: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
  • HST 355: The Italian Renaissance
  • HST 358: Revolution and Civil War in 17th Century England
  • HST/WGS 379: Gender, Race and Colonialism
  • HST/SPA/WGS 417: History of Women in Spain

Honors

  • Any 2-course combination of HNR 240, 340, or 440 including either taken twice

Humanities

  • * All HUM courses *

Jewish Studies

  • JSP courses that are cross-listed with humanities courses.

Languages

  • Arabic: All ARB courses 202 and above
  • Chinese: All CHI courses 202 and above
  • French and Francophone Studies: All FRE courses 202 and above. The following are sequences:
    • FRE 305-306: Evolution and Revolution through the Centuries; From Romanticism to Postmodernism
    • FRE 315-316: French Civilization; Contemporary French Culture
  • German: All GER courses 202 and above
  • Greek**: All GRE courses 202 and above
  • Hebrew: All HEB courses 202 and above
  • Hindi/Urdu: All HIN courses 202 and above
  • Italian: All ITA courses 202 and above. The following are sequences:
    • ITA 202-325: Italian IV; Advanced Language Use
    • ITA 202-326: Italian IV; Italy Today: Language, Media and Culture in Contemporary Italy
  • Japanese: All JPS courses 202 and above
  • Korean: All KOR courses 202 and above
  • Latin**: All LAT courses 202 and above
  • Portuguese: All POR courses 202 and above
  • Russian: All RUS courses 202 and above. The following are sequences:
    • RUS/LIT 331-LIT 226: Russian Culture through Fiction and Film; Dostoevsky and Tolstoy
    • RUS/LIT 331-LIT 227: Russian Culture through Fiction and Film; Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn
  • Spanish:
    • All SPA courses 202 and above.
    • SPA 301-321: Approaches to Reading Texts; Introduction to Spanish Literature
    • SPA 301-: Approaches to Reading Texts;
      -SPA 322/LAS 302: Introduction to Latin American Literature
    • SPA 321-: Introduction to Spanish Literature
      -SPA 322/LAS 302: Introduction to Latin American Literature
  • Turkish: All TRK courses 202 and above

** Any two GRE or LAT courses at or above the 300 level (LAT 310, 320, 410, 420; GRE 310, 320, 410, 420)

Latino-Latin American Studies

  • LAS 302/SPA 322: Introduction to Latin American Literature
  • LAS/SPA 326: Beyond the Screen: Latin American and Spanish Film
  • LAS/LIT/WGS 343: Latina Feminist Theories
  • LAS/SPA 402: Hispanic Journalistic Practices
  • LAS/PHI 425: Post-colonialism and Philosophy
  • LAS/SPA 433: Business Spanish
  • LAS/SPA 461: Nobel Prize Writers of the Spanish-Speaking World
  • LAS/SPA 463: Contemporary Latin American Theater
  • LAS/SPA 465: Literature and Popular Culture
  • LAS/SPA 467: Film and Literature
  • LAS/SPA 471: Contemporary Latin American Literature
  • LAS/SPA/WGS 475: Women, Myth and Nation in Latin American Literature
  • LAS/SPA 479: Perspectives on Mexico and Central America: Literature, Art, Film
  • LAS/SPA 481: The Literature of Latinos in the United States
  • LAS/SPA 489: Hispanic Caribbean Narrative and Film
  • LAS/SPA 493: Afro-Hispanic Topics in Caribbean Literature
  • LAS/SPA 495: Marginal Culture in Hispanic Caribbean Literature
  • LAS/SPA 497: Text and Context in Cuban Revolutionary Literature

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies

  • QSX 112: Sexualities, Genders, Bodies
  • QSX/REL 357: Queerly Religious
  • OSX/REL 323: Christianity and Sexuality

Linguistics

  • * All LIN courses. * The following are sequences:
    • LIN 201-LIN/ANT 202: The Nature and Study of Language; Languages of the World
    • LIN 201-LIN 251: The Nature and Study of Language; English Words
    • LIN 201- LIN 321: The Nature and Study of Language; Introduction to Methodology of Teaching Languages: English/Foreign Language Teaching
    • LIN 201-LIN/ANT 371: The Nature and Study of Language; Dimensions of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism
    • LIN 201-LIN 373/ANT 378: The Nature and Study of Language; Language Variation and Change
    • LIN 201-LIN/ANT 374/SOC 372: The Nature and Study of Language; Topics of Sociolinguistics
    • LIN 201-LIN 392: The Nature and Study of Language; Second Language Acquisition

Literature in Translation

  • * All LIT courses. * The following are sequences:
    • LIT 101-102: Introduction to Classical Literature
    • LIT 101-203: Introduction to Classical Literature; Greek & Roman Epic in English Translation
    • LIT 101-211: Introduction to Classical Literature; Greek & Roman Drama in English Translation
    • LIT 102-203: Introduction to Classical Literature; Greek & Roman Epic in English Translation
    • LIT 102-211: Introduction to Classical Literature; Greek & Roman Drama in English Translation
    • LIT 203-211: Greek & Roman Epic in English Translation; Greek & Roman Drama in English Translation
    • LIT 226-227: Dostoevsky and Tolstoy; Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn
    • LIT 226-RUS/LIT 331: Dostoevsky and Tolstoy; Russian Culture through Fiction and Film
    • LIT 227-RUS/LIT 331: Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn; Russian Culture through Fiction and Film
    • LIT 241-242: Dante and the Medieval World; Petrarch and the Renaissance World
    • LIT 241-245: Dante and the Medieval World; Florence and Renaissance Civilization

Middle Eastern Studies

  • MES/REL/SAS 165: Discovering Islam
  • MES/HST 319: The Middle East in the 20th Century
  • MES/LIT/ARB 336: Arabic Cultures
  • MES 365/SAS/REL 367: God and Beauty in Islamic Art
  • MES/SAS/REL/WGS 465: Beyond the Veil, Gender Politics in Islam

Native American Studies

  • NAT/REL 142: Native American Religion
  • NAT 208: Haudenosaunee Languages and Culture
  • NAT/REL 244 /ANT 273: Indigenous Religions
  • NAT 346 /HOA 387: Native North American Art
  • NAT/REL 347: Religion and the Conquest of America
  • NAT/REL 348: Religion and American Consumerism

Philosophy

  • * All PHI courses * A sequence can be made up of any two 100-level PHI courses, any two 200-level PHI courses, or a combination of one 100-level PHI and one 200-level PHI course with the following exception: the combination of PHI 171 and PHI 172 does not constitute a sequence.

Religion

  • * All REL courses * A sequence can be made up of any REL course and any REL course at the 200-level or above.

South Asian Studies

  • SAS/REL 123: Religious Auto/Biography
  • SAS/REL/MES 165: Discovering Islam
  • SAS/REL 185: Hinduism
  • SAS/REL 186: Buddhism
  • SAS/REL 283: India’s Religious Worlds
  • SAS/REL 367/MES 365: God and Beauty in Islamic Art
  • SAS/REL/WGS 384: Goddesses, Women, and Power in Hinduism
  • SAS/WGS/REL/MES 465: Beyond the Veil: Gender Politics in Islam

Women's and Gender Studies

  • WGS 101-WGS/PHI 297: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies; Philosophy of Feminism
  • WGS 101-301: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies; Feminist Theories
  • WGS 101-: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies;
    -WGS/LAS/LIT 343 Latina Feminist Theories
  • WGS 101-WGS 365 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies; Negotiating Difference: Coming of Age

All WGS courses cross-listed with ENG, HOA, HOM, LIT, PHI and REL in addition to the following:

  • WGS 301: Feminist Theories
  • WGS/AAS 303: Black Women Writers
  • WGS 310: Feminist Inquiries (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS 327/ANT 326: Africa through the Novel
  • WGS/LAS/LIT 343: Latina Feminist Theories
  • WGS 365: Negotiating Difference: Coming of Age Narratives
  • WGS/HST 379: Gender, Race and Colonialism
  • WGS/SAS/REL 384: Goddesses, Women, and Power in Hinduism
  • WGS 400: Selected Topics (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS/AAS 403: African and Caribbean Women Writers
  • WGS 410: Advanced Studies in Feminist Thought (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS/SPA/HST 417: History of Women in Spain
  • WGS/SAS/REL/MES 465: Beyond the Veil: Gender Politics in Islam
  • WGS/ANT/LIN 472: Language, Culture, and Society
  • WGS/LAS/SPA 475: Women, Myth and Nation in Latin American Literature
  • WGS 490: Independent Study (when appropriate, by petition)

Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition

  • WRT 114: Writing Culture
  • WRT 115: Writing, Rhetoric, and the Environment
  • WRT 116: Writing, Rhetoric, and the Social Action
  • WRT 255: Advanced Argumentative Writing
  • WRT 413: Rhetoric and Ethics
  • WRT 422: Studies in Creative Nonfiction
  • WRT 423: African American Rhetoric
  • WRT 424: Studies in Writing, Rhetoric, Identity
  • WRT 428: Studies in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy

Interdepartmental Sequences in the Humanities

  • LIN 201-PHI 251: The Nature and Study of Languages; Logic
  • ANT 185-WGS 101: Global Encounters: Comparing World Views and Values Cross-Culturally; Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  • WGS 101-: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies;
    -LAS/LIT/WGS 343 Latina Feminist Theories
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Section B: The Natural Sciences And Mathematics Division

4 courses needed

The Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division encompasses the investigation of natural phenomena, including the development of predictive explanatory systems, and includes the study of numerical and other abstract structures and relations. These are central concerns of the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Earth Sciences (Geology), Physics, and Mathematics. Hence, most courses satisfying the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division requirements come from these departments.

The Natural Sciences and Mathematics List

Students must take at least four courses from this list, including a 2-course sequence (indicated by hyphens) and a course with a laboratory (indicated by course numbers in bold print) to complete the requirement for four courses in this division. No more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division).

Anthropology

  • ANT 131-ANT 433: Introduction to Biological Anthropology; Human Osteology

Astronomy

  • AST 101: Our Corner of the Universe
  • AST 104: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe
  • * All AST courses * A sequence can be made up of any two 100-level PHY or AST courses, any two 200-level PHY or AST courses, or a combination of one 100-level PHY or AST and one 200-level PHY or AST course.

Biology

  • BIO 121-123 (124): General Biology I & II
  • * All BIO courses *

Chemistry

  • CHE 103-113: Chemistry in the Modern World; Forensic Science
  • CHE 106 (107)-116 (117): General Chemistry Lecture I (General Chemistry Laboratory I); General Chemistry Lecture II (General Chemistry Laboratory II)
  • CHE 109 (129)-119 (139): General Chemistry Lecture I -Honors and Majors (General Chemistry Laboratory I -Honors and Majors); General Chemistry Lecture II -Honors and Majors (General Chemistry Laboratory II – Honors and Majors)
  • Credit is given for CHE 106-116 or CHE 109-119, but not for both. NOTE: this is the same for the lab 107-117 or 129-139.
  • * All CHE courses *

Cognitive Science

  • COG courses may be accepted by petition.

Communication Sciences and Disorders

  • CSD 212-315: Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders; Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms
  • CSD 212-325: Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders; Fundamentals of Hearing Science
  • CSD 212-345: Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders; Speech Science
  • CSD/NEU 409: Cognitive Neuroscience of Speech and Language

Earth Sciences

  • Any EAR course will count toward the divisional requirement of four courses in the natural sciences and mathematics.
  • First Course in the Sequence:
    • EAR 105: Earth Science, or
    • EAR 110: Dynamic Earth, or
    • EAR 203: Earth System Science
  • Second Course in the Sequence:
    • EAR 106: Geohazards & Natural Disasters
    • EAR 111: Climate Change Past and Present
    • EAR 117: Oceanography
    • EAR 200: Selected topics
    • EAR 205: Water and Our Environment
    • EAR 210: History of Earth and Life
    • EAR 225: Volcanoes and Earthquakes
  • Prospective Earth Science majors are strongly encouraged to take the EAR 110-210 sequence. Credit is given for EAR 110 or EAR 105 but not for both.

Geography

  • GEO 155-21: The Natural Environment; Global Environmental Change
  • GEO 155-31: The Natural Environment; River Environments
  • GEO 155-32: The Natural Environment; The Geography of Climate and Weather
  • GEO 455: Biogeography
  • GEO 482: Environmental Remote Sensing
  • GEO 583: Environmental Geographical Information Systems

Honors

  • HNR 250, 350, 450: Honors Natural Sciences & Mathematics Courses
  • HNR 255, 355, 455: Topics in Science with Laboratory Component
  • Any 2-course combination of HNR 250 or 255, 350 or 355, or 450-455, including either taken twice.

Mathematics

  • MAT 285-286: Life Sciences Calculus I, II
  • MAT 295-296: Calculus I, II
  • All MAT courses above 230. (MAT 284 cannot be used simultaneously to meet the divisional perspective requirement and to meet the Quantitative Skills Requirement.)

Physics

  • Four physics courses have no pre-requisites and are recommended as introductory courses. PHY 101 is algebra-based. PHY 211, PHY 312 (“Relativity and Cosmology: Einstein and Beyond”), and PHY 314 (“Quantum Computing Demystified”) have a calculus co-requisite (MAT 285 or MAT 295).
  • PHY 101: Major Concepts of Physics I
  • PHY 102: Major Concepts of Physics II
  • PHY 211 or PHY 215 (221): General Physics I
  • PHY 212 or PHY 216 (222): General Physics II
  • * All PHY courses * A sequence can be made up of any two 100-level PHY or AST courses, any two 200-level PHY courses, or a combination of one 100-level PHY or AST and one 200-level PHY course.

Psychology

  • PSY/NEU 223: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
  • PSY 323: Brain and Behavior
  • PSY 324: Developmental Biopsychology
  • PSY 334: Laboratory in Developmental Biopsychology

Science Teaching

  • * All SCI courses *

Science, Technology, and Society

  • STS course may be accepted by petition.

Other Schools and Colleges

  • * Apply as Non-Arts & Sciences credit
  • David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
    • *NSD 225: Nutrition in Health
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Section C: The Social Sciences Division

4 courses needed

The Social Sciences Division encompasses the history, theory, and investigation of societies, systems, regions, groups and individuals. These are central concerns of the departments of African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Affairs, Psychology, Sociology, International Relations and Women's and Gender Studies. Hence, most courses satisfying the Social Sciences Division requirements come from these departments.

The Social Sciences List

Students must take at least four courses from the following list, including a 2-course sequence (indicated by hyphens) to complete the requirement for four courses in this division. No more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division).

African American Studies

  • AAS/ANT 112-AAS 202: Introduction to African American Studies; Caribbean Society since Independence
  • AAS/ANT 112-: Introduction to African American Studies;
  • -AAS/SOC 254: Comparative Study of American Ethnic Communities
  • AAS/PSC 306-: African American Politics; Politics of Africa
  • -AAS/PSC 341
  • AAS 312: Pan Africanism
  • AAS/HST 332: African American History: Through the 19th Century
  • AAS/HST 333: African American History: After the 19th Century
  • AAS/PSC 341: Politics of Africa
  • AAS/SOC 353: Sociology of the African American Experience
  • AAS/PSC 364: African International Relations
  • AAS/PSC 365: International Political Economy of the Third World
  • AAS/HST 402: Slavery and Abolition
  • AAS/SOC 410: Seminar on Social Change
  • AAS 470: Internship in African American Studies (when appropriate, by petition)
  • AAS 490: Independent Study (when appropriate, by petition)
  • AAS 501: African American Sociological Practice, 1900-1945
  • AAS/WGS 512: African American Women’s History
  • AAS 525: Research Methods in African American Studies
  • AAS 540: Seminar in African American Studies (when appropriate, by petition)

Anthropology

  • ANT 111: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, together with any ANT 200 level or above course, constitutes a sequence except, 202, 273, 326, 376, and 433.
  • ANT 121: Peoples and Cultures of the World, together with any ANT 200 level or above course, constitutes a sequence except, 202, 273, 326, 376, and 433.
  • ANT 141-ANT/HST 145: Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory; Archaeology of and in the Modern World
  • Any ANT course except 131, 185, 202, 273, 326, 376, 433, 472.

Cognitive Science

  • COG courses may be petition.

Communnication Sciences & Disorders

  • CSD 303: Communication in the Classroom
  • CSD 422: Development of Speech and Language
  • CSD 427: Speech and Language Disorders in Children

Economics

  • * All ECN courses *
  • ECN 101-102: Introductory Microeconomics; Introductory Macroeconomics
  • ECN 101-203: Introductory Microeconomics; Economic Ideas and Issues
  • ECN 101-304: Introductory Microeconomics; The Economics of Social Issues
  • ECN 101-310: Introductory Microeconomics; Special Topics in Economics
  • ECN 101-365: Introductory Microeconomics; The World Economy
  • ECN 101-367: Introductory Microeconomics; Economics of Globalization
  • ECN 203-301: Economic Ideas and Issues; Intermediate Microeconomics
  • ECN 203-302: Economic Ideas and Issues; Intermediate Macroeconomics
  • ECN 203-304: Economic Ideas and Issues; The Economics of Social Issues
  • ECN 203-310: Economic Ideas and Issues; Special Topics in Economics
  • ECN 203-311: Economic Ideas and Issues; Intermediate Mathematical Microeconomics
  • ECN 203-365: Economic Ideas and Issues; The World Economy
  • ECN 203-367: Economic Ideas and Issues; Economics of Globalization

Geography

  • GEO 103-203: Environment and Society; Society and the Politics of Nature
  • GEO 103-317: Environment and Society; Geography of Mountain Environments
  • GEO 103-340: Environment and Society; Geography of Oil
  • GEO 103-353: Environment and Society; Geographies of Environmental Justice
  • GEO 103-354/HST 384: Environment and Society; American Environmental History and Geography
  • GEO 103-356: Environment and Society; Environmental Ideas and Policy
  • GEO 103-374: Environment and Society; Environment and Development in the Global South
  • GEO 105-272: World Urban Geography; World Cultures
  • GEO 105-273: World Urban Geography; Geography of Capitalism: The Political Economy of Global Inequality
  • GEO 105-313: World Urban Geography; The United States
  • GEO 105-321/ LAS 321: World Urban Geography; Latin American Development
  • GEO 105-325: World Urban Geography; Colonialism in Latin America
  • GEO 105-331: World Urban Geography; European Union
  • GEO 105-362: World Urban Geography; The European City
  • GEO 171-272: Human Geographies; World Cultures
  • GEO 171-273: Human Geographies; Geography of Capitalism: The Political Economy of Global Inequality
  • GEO 171-313: Human Geographies; The United States
  • GEO 171-340: Human Geographies; Geography of Oil
  • GEO 171-362: Human Geographies; The European City
  • GEO 171-367/ANT/WGS 367: Human Geographies; Gender in the Globalizing World
  • GEO 171-372: Human Geographies; Political Geography
  • GEO 272-273: World Cultures; Geography of Capitalism: The Political Economy of Global Inequality
  • GEO 273-372: World Political Economy; Political Geography
  • All GEO courses except GEO 155, 215, 316, 326, 327, 482, 455, & 583.

History

  • HST 101-102: American History to 1865; American History Since 1865
  • HST 121-122: Global History to 1750; Global History 1750 to Present
  • All HST courses except HST 111, 112, 210, 211, 310, 311, 312, 319, 320, 321, 354, 355, 357, 358, 379, 417.
  • HST 200, when awarded for IB or AP credit, counts as a sequence.

Honors

  • Any 2-course combination of HNR 260, 360, or 460 including either taken twice.

International Relations

  • * All IRP courses *

Jewish Studies

  • JSP/HST 362: Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
  • JSP/MES/PSC/REL 342: Religion and Politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Latino-Latin American Studies

  • LAS 313/HST 323: Modern Latin America
  • LAS 318/ANT 322: South American Cultures
  • LAS/GEO 321: Latin American Development: Spatial Aspects
  • LAS/HST 322: Colonial Latin America
  • LAS/HST 324: Recent Latin American History
  • LAS/PSC 333: Politics of Latin America
  • LAS 335/PSC 334: Mexico and the United States
  • LAS/PSC 358: Latin American International Relations
  • LAS/HST/WGS 371: Gender in Latin American History

Law in the Liberal Arts

  • LLA 201: Elements of Law

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies

  • QSX 111: Queer Histories, Communities, and Politics
  • QSX/HST 348: Queering the Middle Ages?
  • QSX/WGS 438: Trans Genders and Sexualities

Maxwell

  • MAX 123-132: Critical Issues for the United States; Global Community (These courses constitute a sequence and may be taken in any order).
  • All MAX courses except MAX 201, MAX 301, MAX 302, MAX 310, MAX 410.

Middle Eastern Studies

  • MES/HST 318-: Introduction to the Middle East; Politics of the Middle East
  • -MES/PSC 344
  • MES/JSP/PSC/REL 342: Religion and Politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  • MES/PSC 345: Islam and Politics in Asia
  • MES/PSC 349: Politics of Iran
  • MES/PSC 366: Representations of the Middle East
  • MES/HST/PSC 368: Islam and the West (taught in London only)
  • MES/ANT/HTW 382: Health in the Middle East
  • MES/PSC 391: Revolutions in the Middle East
  • MES/PSC 392: Islamism and Islamist Movements
  • MES/PSC 393: Middle Eastern Political Systems
  • MES/PSC 394: History of Islamic Political Thought
  • MES/PSC 395: Democratization in the Muslim World
  • MES/ANT 468: Middle East in Anthropological Perspective

Native American Studies

  • NAT 105: Introduction to Native American Studies
  • NAT/ANT 323: Peoples and Cultures of North America
  • NAT/SOC 441: Federal Indian Policy and Native American Identity
  • NAT/SOC 444: Contemporary Native American Movements
  • NAT/ANT 445: Public Policy and Archaeology
  • NAT/ANT 447: Archaeology of North America
  • NAT/ANT 456: Representations of Indigenous Peoples in Popular Culture
  • NAT/ANT 459: Contemporary Native North American Issues
  • NAT/ANT 461: Museums and Native Americans

Public Affairs

  • PST 101: An Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy
  • PST 351: Global Social Problems

Political Science

  • * All PSC courses *
  • PSC/AAS 306-: African American Politics; Politics of Africa
  • -PSC/AAS 341
  • PSC 308-309: Politics of U.S. Public Policy; Interest Group Politics
  • PSC 324-325: Constitutional Law I; Constitutional Law II
  • PSC 352-353: International Law; International Organization
  • PSC 121 (129): American National Government and Politics (or Honors), together with any of the following courses, constitutes a sequence:
    • PSC 302: Environmental Politics and Policy
    • PSC 303: The Development of the American State
    • PSC 304: The Judicial Process
    • PSC 305: U.S. Congressional Politics
    • PSC/AAS 306: African American Politics
    • PSC 308: The Politics of U.S. Public Policy
    • PSC 309: Interest Group Politics
    • PSC 311: American Political Parties
    • PSC 313: Campaign Analysis
    • PSC 314: Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior
    • PSC 315: Politics and Media
    • PSC 316: The Supreme Court in American Politics
    • PSC 323: Politics of the Executive Branch
    • PSC 324: Constitutional Law I
    • PSC 329: HST 341 The Modern American Presidency
    • PSC 374: Law and Society
    • PSC 469: Global Migration
  • PSC 123: Comparative Government and Politics, together with any of the following courses, constitutes a sequence:
    • PSC 231: Canadian Politics
    • PSC/LAS 333: Politics of Latin America
    • PSC 334/LAS 335: Mexico and the United States
    • PSC 335: Politics of East Asia
    • PSC/AAS 341: Politics of Africa
    • PSC 343: Politics of Europe
    • PSC/MES 344: Politics of the Middle East
    • PSC 346: Comparative Third World Politics
    • PSC 347: Politics of Russia
    • PSC 348: Politics and the Military
    • PSC/MES 349: Politics of Iran
    • PSC 356: Political Conflict
    • PSC/MES 366: Representations of the Middle East
    • PSC 387: Ethnic Conflict
    • PSC 388: Politics of Globalization
    • PSC/MES 391: Revolutions in the Middle East
    • PSC/MES 392: Islamism and Islamist Movements Today
    • PSC/MES 393: Middle Eastern Political Systems
    • PSC/MES 394: History of Islamic Political Thought
    • PSC/MES 395: Democratization in the Muslim World
    • PSC 469: Global Migration
  • PSC 124 (139): International Relations (or Honors), together with any of the following courses, constitutes a sequence:
    • PSC/MES/REL/JSP 342: Religion and Politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    • PSC 348: Politics and the Military
    • PSC 350: Problems in International Relations
    • PSC 352: International Law
    • PSC 353: International Organization
    • PSC 354: Human Rights and Global Affairs
    • PSC 355: International Political Economy
    • PSC 356: Political Conflict
    • PSC 357: U.S. Foreign Policy
    • PSC 359: Foreign Policymaking
    • PSC/PHI 363: Ethics and International Relations
    • PSC/AAS 364: African International Relations
    • PSC/AAS 365: International Political Economy of the Third World
    • PSC 388: Politics of Globalization
    • PSC/GEO 396: European Integration
    • PSC 397: Realism and Power Politics in I.R.
    • PSC 398: How the United States Became a Great Power
    • PSC 469: Global Migration
  • PSC/PHI 125: Political Theory, together with any of the following courses, constitutes a sequence:
    • PSC 307: The Politics of Citizenship
    • PSC 371: Democratic Theory and Politics
    • PSC 373/PHI 317: Political Philosophy: The Social Contract Tradition and its Critics
    • PSC 375/PHI 397: Philosophy of Law
    • PSC 378: Power & Identity
    • PSC 382/PHI 417: Contemporary Political Philosophy

Psychology

  • All PSY courses except PSY 223, PSY 252, PSY 323, PSY 324, PSY 334
  • PSY 205 (or 209), Foundations of Human Behavior (or Honors) and either PSY 274, PSY 335, PSY 336 or PSY 337 constitute a sequence.

Sociology

  • SOC 101-102: Introduction to Sociology; Social Problems
  • SOC 101-SOC/WGS 248: Introduction to Sociology; Ethnic Inequalities and Intergroup Relations
  • SOC 101-SOC/WGS 281: Introduction to Sociology; Sociology of Families
  • * All SOC courses *

Social Science

  • * All SOS courses *

South Asian Studies

  • SAS/ANT/WGS 324: Modern South Asian Cultures
  • SAS/HST 328: Ancient and Medieval India
  • SAS/HST 329: Making of Modern India
  • SAS/HST 375: British Empire

Women's and Gender Studies

  • WGS 201-WGS/SOC 425: Global Feminisms; Feminist Organizations
  • WGS 201-WGS/QSX 438: Global Feminisms; Trans Genders and Sexualities
  • WGS 201-439: Global Feminisms; Women, Gender and Violence in a Transnational Context
  • WGS 201-452: Global Feminisms; Feminism and Postcolonial Studies
  • WGS 201-453: Global Feminisms; Feminisms, Sexualities, and Human Rights in Middle Eastern Societies
  • All WGS courses crosslisted with ANT, ECN, GEO, HST, PSC, PSY, & SOC in addition to the following:
    • WGS 201: Global Feminisms
    • WGS 310: Feminist Inquiries (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS/SWK 326-: Persons in Social Context;
  • -WGS/SWK 328: Human Diversity in Social Contexts
  • WGS/CFE 362: Youth, School and Popular Culture
  • WGS 400: Selected Topics (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS 410: Advanced Studies in Feminist Thought (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS 414: Communication & Gender
  • WGS/QSX 438: Trans Genders and Sexualities
  • WGS 439: Women, Gender and Violence in a Transnational Context
  • WGS/CFE 444: Schooling & Diversity
  • WGS 452: Feminism and Postcolonial Studies
  • WGS 453: Feminisms, Sexualities, and Human Rights in Middle Eastern Societies
  • WGS 490: Independent Study (when appropriate, by petition)
  • WGS/AAS 512: African American Woman’s History

Oher Schools and Colleges

* Apply as Non-Arts & Sciences credit

  • School of Education
    • *EDU/DSP 203: Introduction to Inclusive Schooling
    • *PPE 435: Introduction to Sports Psychology
    • *SPE 311: Perspectives on Disabilities
  • Martin J. Whitman School of Management
    • *LPP 255: Introduction to the Legal System
  • David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
    • *SWK 314-315: Social Welfare Policy and Services I, II
    • SWK/WGS 326-: Persons in Social Contexts;
    • -WGS/SWK 328: Human Diversity in Social Contexts
  • SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
    • EST 390: Social Processes and the Environment

Interdepartmental Sequences in the Social Sciences

In addition to the departmental sequences indicated on previous pages, the following interdepartmental sequences may also be used to fulfill the requirement for a sequence in the Social Sciences.

  • AAS/ANT 112-: Introduction to African American Studies;
  • -AAS 202: Caribbean Society Since independence
  • AAS/ANT 112-: Introduction to African American Studies;
  • -AAS/SOC 254: Comparative Study of American Ethnic Communities
  • ANT 111-MAX 123: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; Critical Issues for US
  • ANT 111-MAX 132: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; Global Community
  • ANT 111-WGS 201: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; Global Feminisms
  • ANT 121-GEO 272: Peoples and Cultures of the World; World Cultures
  • ANT 121-MAX 123: Peoples and Cultures of the World; Critical Issues for US
  • ANT 121-MAX 132: Peoples and Cultures of the World; Global Community
  • ANT 121-WGS 201: Peoples and Cultures of the World; Global Feminisms
  • ANT 141-: Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory;
  • -ANT/HST 145: Archaeology of and in the Modern World
  • ECN 101-MAX 123: Introductory Microeconomics; Critical Issues for the United States
  • ECN 203-MAX 123: Economic Ideas & Issues; Critical Issues for the US
  • ECN 203-MAX 132: Economic Ideas & Issues; Global Community
  • GEO 171-MAX 132: Human Geographies; Global Community
  • GEO 272-MAX 132: World Cultures; Global Community
  • GEO 273-MAX 132: Geography of the World Economy: Capitalism, Inequality, Politics; Global Community
  • HST 101-MAX 123: American History to 1865; Critical Issues for the United States
  • HST 102-MAX 123: American History since 1865; Critical Issues for the United States
  • HST/MES 318-: The Middle East to 1900
  • -MES/PSC 344: Politics of the Middle East
  • PST 101-: Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy;
  • -ECN/WGS 258: Poverty & Discrimination in America
  • PST 101-GEO 203: An Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy; Environmental Problems and Policy
  • PST 101-MAX 123: Introduction to Analysis of Public Policy; Critical Issue for U.S.
  • PST 101-: An Intro to the Analysis of Public Policy;
  • -PSC 121(129): American National Government and Politics (or Honors)
  • PST 101-ECN 203: An Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy; Economic Ideas and Issues
  • PST 101-HST 102: An Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy; American History Since 1865
  • PSC 121(129)-: American National Government & Politics (or Honors);
  • -HST 101: American History to 1865
  • PSC 121(129)- American National Government & Politics (or Honors);
  • -HST 102: American History Since 1865
  • PSC 121(129)-: American National Government & Politics (or Honors);
  • -MAX 123: Critical Issues for the U.S.
  • PSC 123-ANT 121: Comparative Government and Politics; Peoples and Cultures of the World
  • PSC 123-GEO 105: Comparative Government and Politics; World Urban Geography
  • PSC 123-GEO 272: Comparative Government and Politics; World Cultures
  • PSC 123-HST 316: Comparative Government and Politics; Europe Since 1945
  • PSC 123-MAX 132: Comparative Government and Politics; Global Community
  • PSC 124(139)-ANT 121: International Relations (or Honors); Peoples and Cultures of the World
  • PSC 124(139)-GEO 272: International Relations (or Honors); World Cultures
  • PSC 124(139)-GEO 273: International Relations (or Honors); Geography of the World Economy: Capitalism, Inequality, Politics
  • PSC 124(139)-MAX 132: International Relations (or Honors); Global Community
  • PSC 124(139)-WGS 201: International Relations (or Honors); Global Feminisms
  • PSC/PHI 125-ECN 203: Political Theory; Economic Ideas & Issues
  • PSC 129-GEO 219: American National Government & Politics (Honors); American Diversity & Unity (Honors)
  • PSC/MES 344-: Politics of the Middle East; The Middle East to 1900
  • -HST/MES 318
  • SOC 101-AAS/ANT 112: Intro to Sociology; Introduction to African American Studies
  • SOC 101-SOC/AAS 254: Introduction to Sociology; Comparative Study of American Ethnic Communities
  • SOC 101-MAX 123: Introduction to Sociology; Critical Issues for the United States
  • SOC 101-MAX 132: Introduction to Sociology; Global Community
Back to Table of Contents

PART III. The Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement

Students are required to take two courses from the approved list that follows. These courses are designed to encourage students to think critically about social and ethical issues that are relevant to contemporary life. They are from a variety of departments and programs and will demonstrate the relevance of study in the liberal arts to gaining critical perspectives on aspects of contemporary society. Many of these courses may simultaneously be used to partially satisfy other Liberal Arts Core requirements.

Many of the courses that satisfy the Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement promote the University’s core value of diversity. They help students to reflect on the diversity of peoples, social groups and cultures that surround them in contemporary life. Many other courses in the Liberal Arts Curriculum outside those on the list of Critical Reflections courses also serve this goal.

Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Critical Reflections Requirement except when they are included in an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements.

Courses that fulfill the Critical Reflections requirement must be successfully completed by the student in the academic year in which they are listed in the Liberal Arts Core Guidebook.

Courses for the Critical Reflections Requirement

African American Studies

  • AAS/ANT 112: Introduction to African American Studies
  • AAS 202: Caribbean Society since Independence
  • AAS 231: African American Literature to 1900: An Introduction
  • AAS 232: African American Literature: Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
  • AAS 233: The Caribbean Novel
  • AAS 234: African Fiction
  • AAS 235: African American Drama
  • AAS/SOC 254: Comparative Study of American Ethnic Communities
  • AAS/WGS 303: Black Women Writers
  • AAS 305: African Orature
  • AAS/PSC 306: African American Politics
  • AAS 312: Pan Africanism
  • AAS 331: The African American Novel: Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
  • AAS/HST 333: African American History: After the 19th Century
  • AAS 338: Creative Writing Workshop
  • AAS/PSC 341: Politics of Africa
  • AAS/SOC 353: Sociology of the African American Experience
  • AAS/WGS 403: African and Caribbean Women Writers
  • AAS/SOC 410: Seminar on Social Change
  • AAS 433: Harlem Renaissance: Literature & Ideology
  • AAS 501: African American Sociological Practice, 1900-1945
  • AAS/WGS 512: African American Woman’s History

Anthropology

  • ANT/AAS 112: Introduction to African American Studies
  • ANT 185: Global Encounters: Comparing World Views and Values Cross Culturally
  • ANT/REL 221: Morality and Community
  • ANT 325: Anthropology of American Life in Film
  • ANT 326/WGS 327: Africa through the Novel
  • ANT/GEO/WGS 367: Gender in a Globalizing World
  • ANT/SAS 426: Cultures and Politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • ANT 431: Human Variation
  • ANT/WGS 455: Culture and AIDS
  • ANT 467: Culture and Mental Disorders
  • ANT 469: Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective
  • ANT 477: Culture and Conflict

Art And Music Histories

  • HOA 176: The Visual Arts of the Americas
  • HOA 360: Art and Identity
  • HOA 377: Nineteenth Century American Art
  • HOA 378: Twentieth-Century American Art
  • HOM 372: Music in Multicultural America
  • HOM 419: Music and Media
  • HOM 453: Dance in American Culture
  • HOM/WGS 473: Women, Rap and Hip-Hop Feminism
  • HOM 482: Roots of Global Pop
  • HOM 485: Contemporary Indigenous Soundscapes
  • HOM/WGS 494: Music and Gender

Biology

  • BIO/PHI 396/REL 359: Stem Cells and Society

Earth Sciences

  • EAR 106: Geohazards and Natural Disasters
  • EAR 111: Climate Change Past and Present
  • EAR 205: Water and the Environment

Economics

  • ECN 304: Economics of Social Issues

English And Textual Studies

  • ENG 145: Reading Popular Culture
  • ENG 171: World Cinema, Beginnings to Present
  • ENG 172: The Literature of War and Peace
  • ENG 181: Class and Literary Texts
  • ENG 182: Race and Literary Texts
  • ENG 184: Ethnicity and Literary Texts
  • ENG/WGS 192: Gender and Literary Texts
  • ENG 193: Introduction to Asian American Literature
  • ENG 194: Introduction to Latino Literature
  • ENG 195: Arab American Literature and Culture

French And Francophone Studies

  • FRE 407: French Libertine Fictions
  • FRE 409: French Culture and Revolution
  • FRE 412: French Women Writers
  • FRE 417: “Impressions d’Afrique”: Caribbean Gazes

Geography

  • GEO 171: Human Geographies
  • GEO 272: World Cultures
  • GEO 273: Geography of Capitalism: The Political Economy of Global Inequality
  • GEO 314: Hazardous Geographic Environments
  • GEO 353: Geographies of Environmental Justices
  • GEO 363: Cities of North America
  • GEO/ANT/WGS 367: Gender in a Globalizing World
  • GEO 372: Political Geography
  • GEO 374: Environment and Development in the Global South
  • GEO 422: Water: Environment, Society, and Politics
  • GEO 440: Race and Space
  • GEO 563: The Urban Condition

History

  • HST 121: Global History to 1750
  • HST 122: Global History from 1750
  • HST 208: The Middle East since the Rise of Islam
  • HST 222: History of American Sexuality
  • HST/AAS 333: African American History: After the 19th Century
  • HST 341/PSC 329: The Modern American Presidency
  • HST 342/PSC 327: Modern American Political Thought
  • HST 347: Modern American Politics through Fiction
  • HST/QSX 348: Queering the Middle Ages?
  • HST/WGS 349: Women in America: Civil War to Present
  • HST/JSP 362: Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
  • HST/LAS/NAT 372: Race in Latin America
  • HST 373: The Crusades
  • HST/WGS 379: Gender, Race and Colonialism
  • HST 383/PSC 326: Foundations of American Political Thought
  • HST/QSX/WGS 389:LGBT History
  • HST 407: Iraq: Modern Nation to US Occupation

Italian

  • ITA 434: Africa in Italian Literature

Jewish Studies Program

  • JSP/REL 337: Shoah: Responding to the Holocaust
  • JSP/HST 362: Nazi Germany and the Holocaust

Latino-latin American Studies Program

  • LAS 335/PSC 334: Mexico and the United States
  • LAS/LIT/WGS 343: Latina Feminist Theories
  • LAS/SPA 463: Contemporary Latin American Theater
  • LAS/SPA/WGS 475: Women, Myth and Nation in Latin American Literature
  • LAS/SPA 481: The Literature of Latinos in the United States

Law In The Liberal Arts

  • LLA 201: Elements of Law

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer Studies

  • QSX 111: Queer Histories, Communities and Politics
  • QSX 112: Sexualities, Genders, Bodies
  • QSX/REL 323: Christianity and Sexuality
  • QSX/HST 348: Queering the Middle Ages?
  • QSX/REL 357: Queerly Religious
  • QSX/PSC 384: Sexuality and the Law
  • QSX/HST/WGS 389: LGBT History
  • QSX/SOC/WGS 456: LGBT Studies in Sociology

Linguistics

  • LIN 201: The Nature and Study of Language

Literature In Translation

  • LIT 256: Blood: A Cultural History
  • LIT/RUS 331: Russian Culture through Fiction and Film
  • LIT/LAS/WGS 343: Latina Feminist Theories

Maxwell School Of Citizenship And Public Affairs

  • MAX 123: Critical Issues for the United States
  • MAX 132: Global Community

Middle Eastern Studies

  • MES/HST 319: The Middle East in the 20th Century
  • MES/PSC 366: Representations of the Middle East

Native American Studies

  • NAT/REL 142: Native American Religion
  • NAT/REL 347: Religion and the Conquest of America
  • NAT/REL 348: Religion and American Consumerism

Philosophy

  • PHI 171: Critical Thinking
  • PHI 172: Making Decisions
  • PHI 191: The Meaning of Life
  • PHI 192: Introduction to Moral Theory
  • PHI 209: Introduction to Moral Philosophy (Honors)
  • PHI 241/REL 292: The Human Divine in Christian and Muslim Philosophy
  • PHI 245: Philosophy of Sport
  • PHI/WGS 297: Philosophy of Feminism
  • PHI 342/REL 394: Sources of the Self: Finding the “I” in Religion & Philosophy
  • PHI 343: Philosophy of Education
  • PHI/PSC 363: Ethics and International Relations
  • PHI 394: Environmental Ethics
  • PHI/BIO 396/REL 359: Stem Cells and Society
  • PHI/PSC 406: Citizenship from Modernity to Globalization (Offered only in Florence)
  • PHI 411: Philosophies of Race and Identity
  • PHI/PSC/WGS 413: Identity and Difference (Offered only in Florence)
  • PHI 493: Contemporary Ethical Issues
  • PHI 593/REL 551: Ethics and Health Professions

Political Science

  • PSC/AAS 306: African American Politics
  • PSC 310: Refugees in International Politics
  • PSC 314: Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior
  • PSC/WGS 319: Gender and Politics
  • PSC 324: Constitutional Law I
  • PSC 325: Constitutional Law II
  • PSC 326/HST 383: Foundations of American Political Thought
  • PSC 327/HST 342: Modern American Political Thought
  • PSC 329/HST 341: The Modern American Presidency
  • PSC 334/LAS 335: Mexico and the United States
  • PSC 339: Transitions to Democracy
  • PSC/AAS 341: Politics of Africa
  • PSC 345: Capitalism, For and Against
  • PSC 352: International Law
  • PSC 354: Human Rights & Global Affairs
  • PSC/PHI 363: Ethics and International Relations
  • PSC 371: Democratic Theory and Politics
  • PSC 374: Law and Society
  • PSC/QSX 384: Sexuality and the Law
  • PSC 386/WGS/SOC 354: Gender, Militarism, and War
  • PSC 387: Ethnic Conflict
  • PSC/PHI 406: Citizenship from Modernity to Globalization (Offered only in Florence)
  • PSC/PHI/WGS 413: Identity and Difference (Offered only in Florence)

Psychology

  • PSY/WGS 329: Biopsychological Perspectives on Women’s Health
  • PSY 376: Why Good People Do Terrible Things
  • PSY 379: The Social Psychology of Stigma
  • PSY 447: Autism

Public Affairs

  • PST 101: An Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy

Religion

  • REL 106: What is Belief?
  • REL 108: Religion and Its Critics
  • REL 125: Religion and Sexuality
  • REL/NAT 142: Native American Religion
  • REL/ANT 221: Morality and Community
  • REL 252: Ethical Decision Making
  • REL 255: Psychology, Spirituality, Love and Ethics
  • REL/SAS 283: India’s Religious Worlds
  • REL 292/PHI 241: The Human Divine in Christian and Muslim Philosophy
  • REL/QSX 323: Christianity and Sexuality
  • REL 324: Religion and Storytelling
  • REL 326: Religion and Film
  • REL/JSP 337: Shoah: Responding to the Holocaust
  • REL/NAT 347: Religion and the Conquest of America
  • REL/NAT 348: Religion and American Consumerism
  • REL/QSX 357: Queerly Religious
  • REL 359/PHI/BIO 396: Stem Cells and Society
  • REL/WGS/SAS 384: Goddesses, Women and Power in Hinduism
  • REL 394/PHI 342: Sources of the Self: Finding the “I” in Religion & Philosophy
  • REL 395: Religions and the Natural Environment
  • REL 551/PHI 593: Ethics and the Health Professions

Russian

  • RUS/LIT 331: Russian Culture through Fiction and Film

Sociology

  • SOC 102: Social Problems
  • SOC/WGS 230: Intergroup Dialogue
  • SOC/WGS 248: Ethnic Inequalities and Intergroup Relations
  • SOC/AAS 254: Comparative Study of American Ethnic Communities
  • SOC/WGS 281: Sociology of Families
  • SOC 301: Contemporary Asian Americans
  • SOC 305: Sociology of Sex and Gender
  • SOC/AAS 353: Sociology of the African American Experience
  • SOC/WGS 354/PSC 386: Gender, Militarism and War
  • SOC/WGS 364: Aging and Society
  • SOC/AAS 410: Seminar on Social Change
  • SOC/WGS 433: Race, Class, and Gender
  • SOC/QSX/WGS 456: LGBT Studies in Sociology

South Asian Studies

  • SAS/REL 283: India’s Religious Worlds
  • SAS/REL/WGS 384: Goddesses, Women, and Power in Hinduism
  • SAS/ANT 426: Cultures and Politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Spanish

  • SPA 453: Spanish Literature (20th Century)
  • SPA 457: Civil War to Contemporary Spanish Literature and Culture
  • SPA/LAS 463: Contemporary Latin American Theater
  • SPA/LAS 465: Literature and Popular Culture
  • SPA/WGS/LAS 475: Women, Myth and Nation in Latin American Literature
  • SPA/LAS 481: The Literature of Latinos in the United States

Women's And Gender Studies

  • WGS 101: Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  • WGS/ENG 192: Gender and Literary Texts
  • WGS 201: Global Feminisms
  • WGS/SOC 230: Intergroup Dialogue
  • WGS/SOC 248: Ethnic Inequalities and Intergroup Relations
  • WGS 258: Poverty and Discrimination in America
  • WGS/SOC 281: Sociology of Families
  • WGS/PHI 297: Philosophy of Feminism
  • WGS/AAS 303: Black Women Writers
  • WGS/PSC 319: Gender and Politics
  • WGS 325: Economics and Gender
  • WGS/SWK 326: Persons in Social Context
  • WGS/SWK 328: Human Diversity in Social Contexts
  • WGS/PSY 329: Biopsychological Perspectives on Women’s Health
  • WGS/LIT/LAS 343: Latina Feminist Theories
  • WGS/HST 349: Women in America: Civil War to Present
  • WGS/SOC 354/PSC 386: Gender, Militarism, and War
  • WGS/CFE 362: Youth, Schooling & Popular Culture
  • WGS/SOC 364: Aging and Society
  • WGS/ANT/GEO 367: Gender in a Globalizing World
  • WGS/SAS/REL 384: Goddesses, Women, and Power in Hinduism
  • WGS/HST/QSX 389: LGBT History
  • WGS 395: Gender and Popular Culture
  • WGS/AAS 403: African and Caribbean Women Writers
  • WGS/PSC/PHI 413: Identity and Difference (Offered only in Florence)
  • WGS/SOC 433: Race, Class, and Gender
  • WGS 443: Intersectional Feminist Disability Studies
  • WGS/CFE 444: Schooling & Diversity
  • WGS 452: Feminism and Postcolonial Studies
  • WGS/ANT 455: Culture and Aids
  • WGS/SOC/QSX 456: LGBT Studies in Sociology
  • WGS/HOM 473: Women, Rap and Hip-Hop Feminism
  • WGS/LAS/SPA 475: Women, Myth and Nation in Latin American Literature
  • WGS/HOM 494: Music and Gender
  • WGS/AAS 512: African American Women’s History

Writing And Rhetoric

  • WRT 255: Advanced Argumentative Writing
  • WRT 301: Advanced Writing Studio: Civic Writing
  • WRT 413: Rhetoric and Ethics
  • WRT 423: African American Rhetoric
  • WRT 424: Studies in Writing, Rhetoric, Identity
  • WRT 428: Studies in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy
  • WRT 440: Studies in the Politics of Language and Writing

Other Schools And Colleges

* Apply as Non-Arts & Sciences Credit

  • School of Education
    • EDU 310/610: The American School
  • David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
    • *CFS 467: Child and Family in Cross-Cultural Perspectives
    • *SWK 314: Social Welfare Policy and Services I
    • *SWK 315: Social Welfare Policy and Services II
    • SWK/WGS 326: Persons in Social Contexts
    • SWK/WGS 328: Human Diversity in Social Contexts
  • School of Information Studies
    • *IST 443: Critique of the Information Age
    • *IST 456: Information Policies and Decision Making
  • Martin J. Whitman School of Management
    • *LPP 467/767: Management and Ethics
  • Only Available for Students in the Renée Crown Honors Program
    • HNR 260/WGS 200: History of the Women's Suffrage Movement
    • HNR 260: Interrogation: Engine of Justice?
    • HNR 340: Good Film, Bad People
    • HNR 340/HNR 360/ANT 300: Folk Arts, Festival, and Public Display
    • HNR 340/HNR 360: Folk Art and Oral Traditions of India
    • HNR 340/HNR 360/ANT 300: Migrating Memories/Migrating Arts
    • HNR 340: American Parsifal
    • HNR 350: Linked Lenses: Science, Philosophy, and the Pursuit of Knowledge
    • HNR 360: Welcome to Your Future
    • HNR 360: Women’s Rights: A Native American Tradition
    • HNR 360/HST 347: Modern American Politics through Fiction

NOTE: Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Critical Reflections requirement except when defined in articulation agreements.