The Core Curriculum embodies, channels and concretizes the philosophy of education contained in the Mission Statement of the College. It extends over four years, providing a core of shared learning, and a common intellectual experience for all students.  All students take the same core courses.

The following constitutes the Core Curriculum requirements for all students enrolling
in the College beginning Fall 2012. 

CATEGORY A: FRESHMAN FUNDAMENTALS
The first year includes courses designed to give freshman a solid grounding in the academic skills necessary for achievement in college (especially through the Writing in Context sequence, as well as the Modern Language Requirement), the support and resources needed (through the First Year Experience Program) as well as the jumpstart in critical thinking in areas of interest. 

A - 1	FYE (FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE)	1 credit
A - 2	FRESHMAN SEMINAR	3 credits*
A - 3	ENGL 110 & 120: WRITING IN CONTEXT I and II	6 credits
A - 4	MODERN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE	6 credits

A – 1 FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE (FYE) (1 Credit)
A mission-focused introduction to college life, academic expectations and support systems, including a service project as well as a basic introduction to critical thinking and information literacy. The goals of the course derive from the College Motto: “Teach me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge.”

A – 2 FRESHMAN SEMINAR (3 Credits)
Students may fulfill a Core and/or major requirement by opting to enroll in a Freshman Seminar.
The Freshman Seminar program features small seminar-style courses, offering a disciplinary-based “narrow slice” that can be explored in depth to increase student engagement and critical reasoning skills. These courses will be oral communication intensive and student focused. Click here for examples.

A – 3 WRITING IN CONTEXT: (6 credits)
A two semester sequence of courses that emphasize the relationship between reading well and writing well. Literary texts serve as the source material for intensive writing instruction. In order to satisfy each of these courses, a C or better is required.

ENG 110 WRITING IN CONTEXT I: LITERARY INQUIRY
Working with short stories, poems, and non-fiction essays, WIC-I provides students with basic literary analysis skills and develop those skills in oral and written modes of expression. Students work on development of personal and argument-based essays. The course also contains a systematic formal review of grammar and sentence structure. All sections of WIC-I will contain a shared core of texts, in order that students all have the same core knowledge entering WIC-II.

ENG 120 WRITING IN CONTEXT II: ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH
WIC-II takes the basic analytical and writing skills developed in WIC-I, and develops them in depth. The central text of WIC-II is a specific substantial work of the instructor's choice (novel, play, or non-fiction work) around which to focus the writing instruction. This work also serves as a spring-board for the development of research writing. Students are encouraged to find personal and independent ways to connect with the text at hand. A significant introduction to the basics of the research process is included.

DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING NOTE:
Before enrolling in ENG 110, WIC I, some students are required to complete ENG 007 (0 credit), an intense developmental writing course. Students must earn a grade of C or better in ENG 007 in order to enroll in ENG 110.

A – 4 MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES (MLL-I; MLL-II) (6 Credits)
All students are required to take two semesters of language. Placement in courses is based on prior experience and proficiency, and is determined by the MLL placement guidelines.
Students who have demonstrated advanced language proficiency through AP exams (with a score of 4 or 5) will only be required to take one three-credit course.

CATEGORY B: HUMANITIES (9 CREDITS)
9 credits chosen from three out of four disciplines
Students choose from a menu of topic-driven Literature, History, Fine and Performing Arts, and Philosophy options. Students must choose one course each from three out of the four areas as outlined below in order to fulfill their humanities requirement:

B – 1	Literature
B – 2	History
B – 3	Fine and Performing Arts
B – 4	PHIL XXX, Ethics prerequisite

Core Humanities courses are designed with individual, focused topics, combined with a very specific set of shared goals and requirements to ensure that all of the courses within a single grouping are giving students the same skills/methods/ workload/outcomes, while using different content to arrive there. These courses will further develop the writing and oral expression skills of students while introducing them to significant modes of inquiry.

Introductory Courses in relevant majors fulfill the Core Humanities requirement. All Core Humanities courses must be rigorous enough to qualify for major credit in order to qualify for entry into the core curriculum.

CATEGORY C: SOCIAL SCIENCES (9 CREDITS)
9 credits chosen from three out of four disciplines:
Students choose from a menu of topic-driven Business Economics, Sociology, Psychology and Communication options. Students must choose one course each from three out of the four areas as outlined below in order to fulfill their Social Science requirement.

C – 1	Business and Economics
C – 2	Sociology
C – 3	Psychology
C – 4	Communication

The Core Social Science courses are designed with focused topics and will use the specific topic as a lens through which to introduce students to the disciplinary mode of inquiry.
Core Social Science courses feature shared goals (including Quantitative reasoning and Critical Thinking Goals), and departmental requirements to ensure that all of the courses within a single grouping are giving students the same skills/methods/workload/ outcomes, while using different content to arrive there.

Introductory Courses in relevant majors also fulfill the Core requirement. All Core Social Science courses must be rigorous enough to qualify for major credit in order to qualify for entry into the Core curriculum.


CATEGORY D: SCIENTIFIC AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING (9 CREDITS)
This category consists of three courses: One Natural Science course, One Mathematics course, and one additional course in either science or mathematics. All Natural Science and Quantitative Reasoning Core courses (except Mathematical Modeling) must be rigurous enough to count for credit in a major in order to qualify for entry into the Core curriculum.

D – 1	Natural Science	3 credits
D – 2	Mathematics	3 credits
D – 3	Additional Natural Science or Mathematics Course	3 credits

D – 1 Natural Science (3 credits)
Students are required to take one Natural Science course. They may either fulfill this requirement through  Introductory Courses in a natural science, or they may take "Current Topics in Natural Sciences." This is the umbrella term for a series of interdisciplinary courses on contemporary scientific issues. There are multiple topics, so students may take more than one.

D – 2 Mathematics (3 credits)
In order to ensure a rigorous standard of Quantitative reasoning, all students are required to take Mathematical Modeling. Students who are not ready to engage in a college-level mathematics course are offered a series of special tutoring sessions as a pre-requisite to enrolling in Mathematical Modeling.

D – 3 Additional Natural Science or Mathematics Course (3 credits)
Students take three additional credits in scientific, and quantitative skills. Courses are drawn from the Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

CATEGORY E: RELIGION AND ETHICS (9 CREDITS)
Three courses are required in this category, for a total of nine credits: An Introduction to Ethics course offered by the Philosophy department and two Religious Studies requirements. All Core Religious Studies and Philosophy courses must be rigurous enough to count for major credit in order to qualify for entry in the Core curriculum.

E - 1	PHIL XXX Philosophy I: Introduction to Ethics	3 credits
E – 2	RELS 208 Religious Studies I: The Life of Faith	3 credits
E – 3	Religious Studies 2: Topics	3 credits

E – 1 PHIL XXX Philosophy I: Introduction to Ethics (3 credits)

E – 2 RELS 208 Religious Studies I: The Life of Faith (3 credits)
This Introduction to Religion offers students a fundamental knowledge of religious terms and concepts, providing them the opportunity to explore dimensions of Faith and Belief reflected in the Christian Tradition. They will become familiar with non-Christian traditions, and explore disputed issues in religion from a critical perspective. Students will leave this class with a shared knowledge base with which to enter the Topics Requirement.

E – 3 Religious Studies 2: Topics (3 credits)
This course deepens and expands the knowledge gained in the Introductory Course in religious studies, by exposing students to a more focused Religious Studies topic of their choosing.
Prerequisite: RELS 208 Religious Studies I: The Life of Faith