Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies
Core Course Descriptions
AMST 425 (3)
The American Experience I
This course uses history and literature to address the foundations of the United States as it developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Emphasis will be on reading original works.
AMST 426 (3)
The American Experience II
A continuation of AMST 425 with a focus on the twentieth century.
ARTS 315 (3)
Art and Literature in World Cultures I
This course explores the ways that art and literature express the values, issues, and day-to-day realities of people throughout the world. Students will explore historical relationships to the art and literature of cultures that include the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
ARTS 316 (3)
Art and Literature in World Cultures II
This course is a continuation of ARTS 315.
BUSI 311 (3)
Business Leadership in the Global Marketplace I
This course reflects on the foundations of business in a modern society and the challenges that leaders face within a changing world economy. In addition to understanding how markets function and the historical problems with markets, students will examine the ethical challenges faced as business leaders establish values that help them make wise decisions for themselves and others. Topics to be explored include market equilibrium and disequilibrium, poverty, labor economics, the role of the public sector, globalization, diversity, business development, and technology.
BUSI 312 (3)
Business Leadership in the Global Marketplace II
This course is a continuation of BUSI 311.
BUSI 413 (3)
Personal Finance
This course introduces the concepts, tools, and applications of personal finance and investments. Focus will be on developing an intuitive understanding of the process of financial planning. Practical applications and examples concentrate on the fundamentals and principles of personal finance.
IDST 397 (2)
Integrative Seminar
Liberal studies students are required each semester to complete successfully the integrative seminar. The integrative seminar is a one-credit course that has three purposes. The first purpose is that the seminar will provide to students the opportunity to synthesize the learning from the other core courses. The second purpose is that the seminar will help students create the required student portfolio that will be presented in the senior year. The third purpose is that the seminar will provide the principal avenue for assessing the program's goals for student learning.
IDST 398 (1)
Integrative Seminar
This course is a continuation of IDST 397
IDST 497 (1)
Integrative Seminar
This course is a continuation of the junior integrative seminar.
IDST 498 (3)
Integrative Seminar
This course concludes the integrative seminar series through the presentation of the senior learning project. Students must satisfactorily pass the senior learning project before they are graduated.
QLIT 305 (4)
Quantitative Literacy
This course emphasizes the practical use of statistics using real data sets. Topics include descriptive statistics with analysis of single and bi-variate data, contingency tables, continuous and discrete probability distributions, the Central Limit Theorem, correlation, linear regression, and statistical hypothesis testing.
SCIE 450 (4)
The What and Wonder of Science
This course will engage students in an in-depth investigation of two areas of scientific controversy, including science and pseudo science (e.g. alternative medicine) and issues related to chemical genetics. The scientific foundation of each topic will be developed first. This will be followed by an analysis of the topic's relationship to key areas such as economics, morality, ethics, and the role of the citizen in society. A major research paper of the students choosing in each topic and presentation will be required.
SOCI 410 (3)
Social Stratification
This course explores the effects of stratification on our social institutions. Topics to be explored include class, gender, ethnicity, and age.
SPEE 400 (3)
Communication in Business and the Professions
This course helps students understand the roles of communication in achieving organizational goals and the diversification of the workforce. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of successful communication, management, and leadership skills. Special emphasis is placed on connecting the course content with the career development activities of students in the program.
THEO 310 (3)
International Learning Experience: Through Eyes of Faith
This is a course designed with two objectives: 1) to deepen a student's understanding of the religious life of the Holy Cross Brothers; 2) to allow students to confront issues of faith and justice by using the framework of Catholic social teaching. Students will study the history, mission and tradition of the Holy Cross Brothers. Then, traveling to Ghana, students will confront issues of faith and justice with the Brothers as their guides. Issues examined will include the environment, poverty, the dignity of the human person, religious life, African spirituality, and the acculturation of Christianity in Ghanaian culture. Extensive reading and a comprehensive reflection paper will be required.
THEO 350 (3)
Christ, the Church, and the Modern World
This course focuses on the mission-centered Christology of Christ as the Sacrament of humanity's union with God. The course uses the three principal documents of the Second Vatican Council to help students gain an understanding and appreciation of the Church as the people of God who are called to continue the mission of Jesus in the modern world.
THEO 450 (3)
The Christian Vocation in the Twenty-first Century World
This course builds on the theological vision examined in RELN 350 by considering the Catholic teaching that laypeople play special roles within the community of faith and the world. The course will examine the Decree on the Laity from the Second Vatican Council, and students will explicate how laypeople participate in the priestly, prophetic, and kingly roles of the Risen Lord within the Church and the world.