Foundations
Foundations courses equip students with basic skills fundamental to all other facets of the
undergraduate course of study. Accordingly, students are urged to meet the foundation requirements
within their first two semesters if at all possible.
Each student must demonstrate before graduation:
Critical Reading & Writing
This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a passing grade
college-level coursework in writing equivalent to English 102.
Understanding & Use of Mathematics
This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a passing grade
college-level coursework equivalent to Mathematics 130, 150, 160 or 170.
Foreign Language
This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a passing grade a
foreign language course at the level of 102. Foreign nationals educated abroad at the high school
level are exempt from the requirement.
Information Literacy
Introduction to these skills will take place in English 102, where students will learn the
basics of library research. This includes the ability to locate both print and electronic sources
by searching library databases for articles and books; effectively using the Internet for academic
purposes; evaluating information critically; and using the information ethically and legally.
Students who place out of English 102 at Dominican University will be required to complete an
Information Access Workshop during their first semester.
Computer Applications
This requirement may be met by placement examination or by completing with a passing grade
in CIS 120 or its equivalent.
LAS Seminars
All students enroll each year in Liberal Arts and Sciences Seminars, the heart
of Dominican’s Core Curriculum. LAS Seminars are small, intimate courses in which students consider
multiple perspectives on universal and urgent questions by reading, discussing, and writing about
the seminar topic.
Students choose from a variety of seminars according to their class standing that explore a
common theme:
Area Studies
As part of the Core Curriculum, students are required to enroll in and
complete with a passing grade one course in each of these seven areas:
Philosophy (PH)
Courses that meet the Philosophy requirement are designed to have students consider philosophy
as part of a reasoned pursuit of wisdom in one’s life. Such courses focus on some of the “big
questions” philosophers typically deal with, such as:
- What makes something “true” or “good?”
- Do human beings have free will?
- Is there more to us than our bodies?
- What’s real?
- Does life have meaning?
Students will gain acquaintance with some of the philosophical positions regarding these
questions and have numerous opportunities to discuss these questions openly and reasonably within
the context of one’s personal and professional life, and as a member of one’s community.
Theology (TH)
Courses that meet the
theology requirement
engage students in a critical study of the methods and sources proper to theological and religious
reflection, so that students will be able to describe specific ways that religious traditions,
especially Catholic Christianity, raise and attempt to answer questions of ultimate meaning and
value. In addition, students will be expected to articulate a theologically informed position on
one or more key questions regarding the transcendent meaning and value of human existence and
experience.
History (HI)
Courses that meet the History requirement are designed to help students develop a sense of
historical perspective as the term is understood by historians. This involves developing an
understanding of the ways societies may change over time and of the importance of sequential
occurrence. Students also gain an awareness of complexity, ambiguity and uncertainty as intractable
conditions of human society through study of the interactions of diverse forces and circumstances
on situations in past societies.
Social Sciences (SS)
A number of disciplines
comprise the social sciences, including Economics, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology.
Courses that meet the social sciences requirement provide students with the conceptual tools
necessary to think independently about social, economic, psychological or political phenomena. They
also become acquainted with various methodologies used to analyze such ideas.
Study in disciplines particularly concerned with analysis of the behavior of individuals,
groups, or institutions and their interactions helps students form a sophisticated—informed,
complex, and thoughtful—response to contemporary problems.
Literature (LT)
English, French, Italian,
Spanish - Two main departments address literature at Dominican: English and Modern Foreign
Languages. Courses that meet the literature requirement help students understand and respond to
works of literature. Such an understanding includes awareness of relationships between authors and
their cultural and historical contexts, as well as critical appreciation of ways found by writers
to express feelings and ideas through language.
Fine Arts (FA)
Several departments address the
arts at Dominican, including Apparel, Art, Communications and Theatre Arts and Music. Courses
meeting the fine arts requirement help students understand and respond to works of fine and
performing arts. This includes an awareness of relationships and interactions between artists and
their cultural contexts, and an appreciation of ways in which the fine arts express feelings and
ideas. This understanding may be gained through personal experience of the creative processes or
through the study of works of art; thus, some studio courses and appreciation courses meet this
requirement.
Natural Sciences (NS)
Relevant disciplines
include biology, chemistry, nutrition and physics. Courses that meet the Natural Sciences
requirement acquaint the student with scientific thought and inquiry. In the process, such courses
help students gain an understanding of fundamental concepts and methodologies of the sciences.
Note: Students may take two of the
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Seminars, excluding the Freshman Seminar, to fulfill two of the seven area requirements.
Consult the
2010-2012
Bulletin and each year’s schedule of classes for area requirements that may be met by
particular seminars.
Multicultural
To meet the Core’s multicultural requirement, each student must complete one course of at least
three semester hours that focuses on:
- The culture or analysis of society or civilization in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and/or
Asia; OR
- The experience, traditions, beliefs, arts or thought of African-American, Asian-American,
Hispanic-American or Native American cultures.
Note: The course submitted in fulfillment of this requirement may be one of the
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Seminars or a course that meets an
Area Studies requirement.
Consult the
2010-2012
Bulletin to determine which courses, including LAS seminars, meet the multicultural
requirement.
Social Media
Study in disciplines particularly concerned with analysis of the behavior of individuals, groups, or institutions and their interactions helps students form a sophisticated—informed, complex, and thoughtful—response to contemporary problems.