| Course Descriptions for Liberal Studies |
|
| |
|
| ARTS 1303 Art History |
PHIL 2303 Logic |
| ARTS 1316 Drawing I |
PHIL 2316 History of Philosophy I |
| ARTS 1318 Clay I |
PHIL 2317 History of Philosophy II |
| ARTS 2304 Art History II |
PHIL 2324 Informal Logic |
| ARTS 2333 Beginning Paintmaking |
PHIL 3331 Philosophy of Religion |
| ARTS 2366 Watercolor I |
PHIL 3301 Legal Ethics |
| ARTS 3339 Modern Art History |
PHIL 3336 Great Texts |
| ENGL 2322 British Literature I |
PHIL 3337 Theory of Knowing |
| ENGL 2323 British Literature II |
PHIL 4341 Directed Readings |
| ENGL 3301 American Literature I |
PHIL 4342 Senior Seminar |
| ENGL 3302 American Literature II |
RELS 1304 Introduction to Religions
of the World |
| ENGL 3335 Development of English Drama
up to the Moderns |
RELS 2321 Introduction to the Hebrew
Bible |
| ENGL 3336 Shakespeare’s Tragedies
and Romances |
RELS 2322 Introduction to the New Testament |
ENGL 3337 Shakespeare’s Comedies
and
Histories |
RELS 2323 Justice, Peace and Liberation |
| ENGL 3338 Modern and Contemporary
Drama |
RELS 3333 History of Christian Theology
I |
| ARTS 3339- Modern Art History |
RELS 3334 History of Christian
Theology II
|
| ENGL 4310 Modern American Poetry |
RELS 4341 Contemporary Theological
Questions |
| ENGL 4319 Modern and Postmodern Literature |
RELS 4342 Senior Seminar |
| ENGL 4341 Literary Criticism |
SCIE 4345 History and Philosophy of
Science |
| GDES 2313 Graphic Design I |
|
| |
|
| ARTS 1303- Art History |
|
| A general survey course designed to acquaint
the student with the interrelationship between history, culture,
and art. The course covers world visual art and architecture
from prehistory to the late medieval period. In addition
to objective tests on readings and lecture materials, students
will write term papers, essays and web site evaluations.
Fall. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| ARTS 1316- Drawing I |
|
| The emphasis is on the basic concepts of drawing.
Exercises are designed to promote an understanding of form
and expression while developing drawing skills. Subjects
range from inanimate objects to the human figure. The primary
focus is on line and tonal exercises will. A brief period
of the semester will be reserved for understanding and working
with one-point perspective. Fall, Spring. 3 hours.
|
| |
|
| ARTS 1318- Clay I |
|
| The first semester places emphasis on learning
to create original work, while exploring the physical properties
of clay. The vast expressive potential of clay will become
apparent through increased visual awareness of historic and
contemporary ceramic art and through the use of basic ceramic
techniques of forming, glazing, and firing. Knowledge of
basic tools and equipment will be obtained through the use
of hand tools, slab roller, clay extruder, potter's wheel,
and electric and gas-fired kilns. Fall, Spring. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| ARTS 2304- Art History II |
|
| A general survey course covering the development
of art from the Renaissance to the early modern period. This
course is designed to acquaint the student with the interrelationship
between history, culture and art. In addition to objective
tests on readings and lecture materials, student will write
term papers, essays and web site evaluations. Prerequisite:
ARTS 1303. Spring. 3 hours.
|
| |
|
| ARTS 2316- Beginning Painting |
|
| A personal and creative investigation of the
plastic media and its expression of ideas. Assignments are made
which acquaint the person with concepts about space, texture and
color as well as the practicals of canvas construction. Fall, Spring.
3 hours. |
| |
|
| ARTS 2333- Beginning Printmaking |
|
| An introductory course in the principles of
printmaking focusing on monotype, relief, and intaglio processes.
Open to both Art majors and non-majors with an interest in
art and drawing. Prerequisites: ARTS 1311, 1316, 1317, or
equivalent. Fall. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| ARTS 2366- Watercolor I |
|
| An introductory course in the use and application
of watercolor in both tradition and experimental styles,
with emphasis on various skills and techniques involved in
landscape, still life and abstract design as applied to the
secondary school. Prerequisites: ARTS 1311, 1316, 1317, or
equivalent. Fall, Spring. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| ARTS 3339- Modern Art History |
|
| A survey course in which student will study
the development of modern art from impressionism through the
twentieth century. The course will include the historical,
social, economic and political factors that shaped modernism.
Student will become familiar with the major works, art movements
and practitioners of the period. Prerequisites: ARTS 1301
and ARTS 2304. Fall. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| ENGL 2322 British
Literature I |
|
| A continuation of the first survey of British
authors. The course will begin with the major writers of the
Restoration, who favored drama and satire, and end with modern
poetry and short fiction. Major periods to be covered include
the Romantics and the Victorians, with a special focus on
poetry and the development of the novel. Prerequisite: CULF
1318 or comparable transfer course. Spring. 3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 2323 British
Literature II |
|
| A continuation of the first survey of British
authors. The course will begin with the major writers of the
Restoration, who favored drama and satire, and end with modern
poetry and short fiction. Major periods to be covered include
the Romantics and the Victorians, with a special focus on
poetry and the development of the novel. Prerequisite: CULF
1318 or comparable transfer course. Spring. 3 hours |
| |
back to top |
| ENGL 3301 American
Literature I |
|
This course deals with the intellectual history
of our country from the Colonial Period to the Civil War.
Against this backdrop, it concentrates primarily on the more
significant literary figures: poets, short story writers,
novelists. Secondarily, it considers the more important political
and theological writers of the times. This 250-year period
is divided into three eras: the Puritan Age (1620–1720),
the Age of Deism (1720–1820), and Romanticism
(1820–1865). Prerequisite: CULF 1318 or comparable transfer
course. Fall. 3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 3302 American
Literature II |
|
A survey of American literature from the Civil
War to the present. The major periods are the half century
between the Civil War and World War I, the quarter century
between World Wars I and II, and the half century following
World War II. The literary periods
covered are the conclusion of American Romanticism, local
color and regionalism, Naturalism, and Realism. In addition
to analyzing poems, short stories, and novels as independent
aesthetic works, we also relate them to the historical happenings
and zeitgeist
of the times. Prerequisite: CULF 1318 or comparable transfer
course. Spring. 3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 3335 Development
of English Drama up to the Moderns |
| The course will survey English drama from its
liturgical origins through the neoclassical revival. It will
survey representative dramas from the pre-Elizabethan (other
than Shakespeare), Jacobean, Caroline, Restoration periods,
as well as significant dramas of the 18th century. Prerequisite:
CULF 1318 or comparable transfer course. 3 hours |
| |
back to top |
| ENGL 3336 Shakespeare’s Tragedies
and Romances |
| Examines a selection of the playwright’s
later works, with emphasis on the conventions and practices
of Renaissance theater, the Elizabethan social and political
landscape, and developments in genre, theme and style. Selections
to include Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet, King
Lear, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest. Prerequisite:
CULF 1318, ENGL 2300, or comparable transfer course. Fall.
3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 3337 Shakespeare’s Comedies
and Histories |
| Examines a selection of the playwright's earlier
works, with emphasis on the conventions and practices of Renaissance
theater, the Elizabethan social and political landscape, and
developments in genre, theme, and style. Selections to include
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew,
Twelfth Night, Henry V, Richard III. Prerequisite: CULF 1318,
ENGL 2300, or comparable transfer course. Spring. 3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 3338 Modern
and Contemporary Drama |
| An examination of major dramatists of America
and Europe, and of the theoretical, political and social forces
shaping their work. Special attention will be paid to modern
and postmodern theory and the aesthetic movements —
minimalism, theater of the absurd, “new theater,”
etc. Emphasis may be historical, theoretical, thematic or
critical. The course may be repeated for credit as topics
vary. Prerequisite: CULF 1318, ENGL 2300, or comparable transfer
course. 3 hours |
| |
back to top |
| ARTS 3339- Modern Art History |
| A survey course in which students will study
the development of modern art from impressionism through
the 20th century. The course will include the historical,
social, economic and political factors that shaped modernism.
Student will become familiar with the major works, art movements
and practitioners of the period. Prerequisites: ARTS 1303
and ARTS 2304. Fall. 3 hours.
|
| |
|
| ENGL 4310 Modern
American Poetry |
| This course will survey the varied body of poetry
originating with Whitman and Dickinson and flowering in such
movements as the Imagist, Beat, Harlem Renaissance, Black
Mountain and Confessional. A focus will be maintained on the
self-expressed designation of poets as both “American”
and “modern.” Prerequisite: ENGL 2300 or comparable
transfer course. 3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 4319 Modern
and Postmodern Literature |
This course involves study of representative
literary texts from both the modern and postmodern period,
with much discussion devoted to defining the periods and differentiating
modern (1910–1965) from postmodern (1965 and after)
thought and works. 20th century literature is characterized
by revolution and radical experimentation, by both liberal
and reactionary politics and, in general, by agonized conflicts
characterizing a “post-
Enlightenment” response to Eurocentric “master
narratives.” Thus, there will be an emphasis on historical
and cultural contexts of the literature studied. Reading assignments
will include relevant secondary materials on modernism and
postmodernism, as well as on selected authors’ works.
Modernist authors considered might include James Joyce, Virginia
Woolf, Edith Wharton, William Faulkner, Willa Cather, Richard
Wright, Ernest Hemingway, Eugene O’Neill, Flannery O’Connor,
Carson McCullers. Postmodern authors may include John Barth,
Patrick White, Vladimir Nabokov, Thomas King, Margaret Drabble,
Doris Lessing, John Fowles, Edward Albee, Toni Morrison. Prerequisite:
Junior or senior status. Spring, even-numbered years. 3 hours |
| |
|
| ENGL 4341 Literary Criticism |
|
| An introduction to contemporary critical theories
and practices, with some time devoted to clarifying the historical
and philosophical antecedents of these methods. Students write
two short papers, one term paper and take two exams. Prerequisites:
ENGL 2300 or comparable transfer course (for ENGW majors,
CULF 1318 and ENGW 2325) and junior or senior standing, or
permission of the instructor. Fall. 3 hours |
| |
back to top |
| GDES 2313 Graphic
Design I |
|
| An introductory studio course for graphic design
with an emphasis on the principles pf visual organization
in order to communicate a message to a particular audience.
The goal of this course is to develop a general understanding
and a verbal and visual vocabulary to describe, generate
and evaluate basic graphic design objects from conceptual,
visual and technological points of view. Course work employs
handwork and computer technology. Prerequisite: CULF 1319
with a grade of C or higher for all non-GDES majors or consent
of instructor. Fall, Spring |
| |
|
| PHIL 2303 Logic |
|
The use of reasoning to construct an argument
is one of the most powerful tools available to seekers of
wisdom. Starting from certain premises, one builds to a conclusion.
Each step in reasoning comprises an inference. Logic is the
study of reasoning, of argument and inference. It is basic
to all the sciences and humanities as well as to philosophy
and mathematics. While logic has fundamental applications
in law, mathematics and computer science, we derive its greatest
benefit in increased sensitivity to, understanding of, and
ability to use language. Logic can help our communication
skills and help us develop convincing defenses of our viewpoints.
It can help us better understand what we read and
hear and reduce our gullibility. This introductory course
assumes no prior study of logic. Fall. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| PHIL 2316 History of Philosophy I |
|
This course covers a period of almost a thousand
years, beginning with the Greeks circa 600 B.C. and continuing
through the transition from the classical to the medieval
period. Students are introduced to the ways major philosophical
and religious figures in the ancient world variously understood
God, human beings and the universe. It is thus the study of
the intellectual roots of Western civilization. Emphasis is
on primary sources with concentration
on the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and the transition
to a distinctively Christian worldview as represented by St.
Thomas Aquinas. Fall, odd-numbered years. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| PHIL 2317 History of Philosophy II |
|
| Surveys the modern period of Western philosophy
with special attention to Descartes, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx,
Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Prerequisite: Three hours of PHIL.
Spring, even-numbered years. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| PHIL 2324 Informal Logic |
|
| This course teaches skills of argumentation
and logical analysis. It assumes there are certain skills
of inquiry and criticism that can be learned, tested and transferred
to the informal arguments that make up most public controversies.
In contrast to formal logic with its symbolic language and
specialized tools of reason, informal logic employs everyday
examples and ordinary language to teach various skills of
critical thinking. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| PHIL 3301 Legal Ethics |
|
| The readings and course activities will help
students to understand (1) the relationship of law and morality,
(2) notions of justice in different legal philosophies, (3)
the potential corruption of law by ideology, and (4) contemporary
ethical quandaries of practitioners. Fall. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| PHIL 3331 Philosophy of Religion |
|
| The course explores the complex relations between
religion and culture. From a variety of perspectives, the
class studies how different communities have experienced and
understood human spirituality and how they have symbolized,
evaluated and acted upon that understanding. Fall, odd-numbered
years. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| PHIL 3336 Great Texts |
|
| In keeping with the great books tradition, sections
of this course offer opportunities for reading and discussing
classic texts of western civilization. Reading lists vary
so this course may be repeated for credit. The course is open
to all undergraduates, but upper-division standing and some
familiarity with major figures in intellectual history are
recommended. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| PHIL 3337 Theory of Knowing |
|
| Investigates the complex process of human knowing:
its basic structure and limitations. Emphasis is placed on
the students’ discovery of their own cognitional abilities
as a basis for evaluating conflicting theories about human
knowing. Prerequisites: Six hours of Philosophy. Fall, even-numbered
years. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| PHIL 4341 Directed Readings |
|
| Special elective: Research for advanced students
in primary works of philosophy. Course material available
in the works of the following: Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas,
Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Voegelin, Lonergan, Heidegger,
Theories of Interpretation. Although not required, it is recommended
that students enrolling in directed readings have a prior
background in the history of philosophy. Fall. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| PHIL 4342 Senior Seminar
|
|
| Course modeled on the graduate seminar: Primary
sources researched and the results defended. Specialized interests
of advanced Philosophy students are provided with a forum
for exchange and debate. Prerequisite: Six hours of Philosophy.
Spring. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| RELS 1304 Introduction to Religions
of the World |
| This course examines the historical development
and sacred writings of the five major religious traditions
of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. By utilizing historical methodology, the student learns
the context in which major religious ideas emerged. Fall and
Spring, even-numbered years. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| RELS 2321 Introduction to the Hebrew
Bible |
| This course studies ancient Israel in terms
of its history, religion and literature as they are articulated
in the books of the Hebrew Bible. Fall, odd-numbered years.
3 hours. |
| |
|
| RELS 2322 Introduction to the New Testament |
| This course takes a multifaceted approach to
the study of the gospels, the epistles and the Book of Revelation.
The course will emphasize the methodology of historical criticism
for the purpose of identifying the authors of each New Testament
work, as well as their respective theologies and witness to
Jesus Christ. Spring, even-numbered years. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| RELS 2323 Justice, Peace and Liberation |
| This course examines the issues of justice and
peace within the context of the Gospel of Jesus. Beginning
with the social teachings found in the Old and New Testaments,
this course will examine current issues in light of modern
Christian social doctrine. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| RELS 3333 History of Christian Theology
I |
This course introduces students to the development
of Christian faith, understanding and practice from the time
of Jesus through the 13th century. Course material will enable
students to explore the diversity of ways Christians have
understood and practiced their
faith in Jesus as the Messiah who died and rose again for
the salvation of the world. Tracing the history of the various
ways Jesus was understood and celebrated in worship, creed
and sacrament, the developing organization and structure of
the church, the variety of life-styles and ministries of men
and women, and the influence of the constantly changing sociopolitical
environment, the course will provide the background necessary
to understand the roots from which contemporary understandings
of Christianity have developed. The course should be of benefit
to any person interested in understanding the beginnings and
early development of the Christian religion. Prerequisite:
Six hours of religious studies or
philosophy or permission of instructor. Prerequisite hours
must include one of the following: RELS 1315, RELS 1316, PHIL
2316 or PHIL 2317. Fall, even-numbered years. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| RELS 3334 History of Christian Theology
II |
This course begins with the early Middle Ages
and takes us through the present day. Through this tracing
of religious history students will explore the developments
which culminated in the Reformation and the division of Western
Christianity into the various
religious denominations with which we are familiar today.
The course also covers the response of the Roman Catholic
Church to the Protestant Reformers, and the extension of Catholic
and Protestant Christianity to the Americas. The course concludes
with current developments in spirituality, ecumenism, social
justice and the challenges that face Christians who are committed
to communicating effectively the good news of God’s
love to the modern world. This course should be of benefit
to any person who would like to learn more about the historical
causes of the division between Catholics and Protestants,
the impact of Christianity upon developments in the Americas,
and contemporary religious issues and challenges. Prerequisite:
Six hours of religious studies or philosophy or permission
of instructor. Prerequisite hours must include one of the
following: RELS 1315, RELS 1316, PHIL 2316 or PHIL 2317. Spring,
odd-numbered years. 3 hours. |
| |
|
| RELS 4341 Contemporary Theological Questions |
| This course will explore the philosophical and
theological shifts that have taken place since the Enlightenment.
Material will concentrate on one major systematic theologian
(e.g., Karl Rahner), and new theological issues, such as feminist
theology and dialog of world religions. Prerequisite: Twelve
hours of religious studies, which must include either RELS
1315 or RELS 1316, or permission of instructor. 3 hours. |
| |
back to top |
| RELS 4342 Senior Seminar
|
|
| This course is designed to teach an upper-level
student how to research and write an in-depth paper. Students
will be responsible for reading the assigned material and
discussing it in a seminar format. Focus can be on a particular
text or set of texts, issues, or thinkers in the fields of
Scripture scholarship, systematic theology or non-Christian
religious traditions. This seminar can be repeated as topics
vary. Prerequisite: Twelve hours of religious studies or permission
of instructor. Specific topics may have specific prerequisites. |
| |
|
| SCIE 4345 History and Philosophy of
Science |
| An introduction to the philosophy of mathematics
and science by way of a historical analysis of philosophic-scientific
debates. It will include study of the major developments in
the Western world, especially the effects of the scientific
thought on the worldview of different cultures, and their
legal and social institutions. Examples will be drawn from
mathematics, physics, computer science, chemistry and biology.
Questions such as wave-particle duality, the relationship
of mathematics to all of the sciences, and the role of computational
instrumentation in the development of science will also be
considered. The course may be used to satisfy the General
Education requirement for Science in Perspective (for CS,
CIS, history and mathematics majors). This course satisfies
CULF 3330 for Biochemistry, Biology and Chemistry majors.
Same as HIST 4343. Prerequisites: Sixty hours of college credit
and prior completion of six hours of Physics, Chemistry, or
Biology, COSC 1323, 1123, MATH 2321 or PHIL 2303. Fall, Spring,
Summer. 3 hours. |
