A central component of undergraduate study is the University’s Core Curriculum, which embodies the University’s commitment to academic excellence, social responsibility, and ethical awareness. Consistent with its mission, Sacred Heart University provides its students with a core curriculum that is rooted in the liberal arts and Catholic intellectual traditions. The core curriculum is:
I. Foundational Core (30 credits)
The Foundational Core provides students with a broad liberal arts education which includes the development of written and oral communication, critical thinking, information literacy, and mathematical skills that are necessary for academic and professional success.
FYS 125* First Year Seminar (3 credits)
FLO 125 The Art of Thinking (3 credits)
Arts/Design/Communications (3 credits)
History (3 credits)
Literature (3 credits)
College-level Mathematics (3 credits)
Natural/Physical Sciences (3 credits)
Philosophy (3 credits)
Social or Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
Theology/Religious Studies (3 credits)
*A minimum grade of C or better is required.
FYS 125* First Year Seminar (3 credits)
First Year Seminars are designed and taught mainly by full-time faculty on topics that are pertinent to the lives of students, the world in which they live, and the interests of faculty. The seminars are writing and oral communications intensive and introduce students to college-level research skills and principles of information literacy. First Year Seminars are capped at 18 students to ensure that instructors can devote adequate attention to the content of their courses and the development of the proficiencies and skills of each student.
FLO 125 The Art of Thinking (3 credits)
The Art of Thinking provides students with the tools they need to become effective thinkers. This course covers the essential methods and rules of logic, such as inductive and deductive arguments, fallacies, and syllogisms. Using the tools of logic, students read primary texts and arguments with faculty from diverse disciplines.
Foundational Core Courses
The following courses will fulfill Foundational Core requirements for the 2017–2018 academic year. However, not all of these courses will be offered every semester or every academic year. Also, this list is subject to change in subsequent academic years.
Arts/Design/Communications (3 credits each)
| AR 101 | Art in the Western World | 3 |
| AR 104 | American Art: Colonial to Modern | 3 |
| AR 110 | Design: Visual Organization | 3 |
| AR 114 | Digital Design Basics | 3 |
| AR 120 | Drawing I | 3 |
| AR 201 | Studies in Modern Art | 3 |
| CM 101 | Introduction to Media Culture | 3 |
| DA 100 | Introduction to Dance History | 3 |
| MU 102 | History of Jazz | 3 |
| MU 103 | Bach to Beethoven: Their Lives & Music | 3 |
| MU 104 | Brahms to Bernstein: Their Lives and Music | 3 |
| MU 106 | Introduction to Irish Traditional Music | 3 |
| MU 112 | Music in America | 3 |
| MU 114 | Latin American & Caribbean Music | 3 |
| MU 239 | Catholic Church Music | 3 |
| THR 101 | Introduction to Theatre | 3 |
| THR 112 | History of Theatre I | 3 |
History (3 credits each)
| HI 100 | Western Civilization I, Ancient to 1500: Citizenship, Democracy, & Culture | 3 |
| HI 102 | Western Civilization II, Since 1500: Economies, Sciences, & Politics | 3 |
Literature (3 credits each)
| ENG 201 | Experiencing Literature | 3 |
| ENG 220 | Studies in British Literature to 1603 | 3 |
| ENG 223 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENG 224 | Seventeenth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 225 | Restoration & Eighteenth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 226 | Romantic Period in British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 227 | Victorian Period in British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 228 | Twentieth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 229 | British Literature: Special Topics | 3 |
| ENG 230 | Colonial & Federal American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 233 | American Renaissance | 3 |
| ENG 234 | Dickinson to Eliot | 3 |
| ENG 235 | Faulkner to the Present | 3 |
| ENG 236 | Contemporary American Fiction | 3 |
| ENG 239 | Studies in American Literature: Special Topics | 3 |
| ENG 240 | Early American Black Literature | 3 |
| ENG 241 | Black Writers in America | 3 |
| ENG 242 | American Women of Color | 3 |
| ENG 243 | Latin-American Literature in Translation | 3 |
| ENG 244 | Studies in World Literature | 3 |
| FR 251 | Early French Writers | 3 |
| FR 252 | French & Francophone Writers Then & Now | 3 |
| FR 371 | Literary Travelers, Exiles, & Expatriates | 3 |
| FR 372 | Women Writers | 3 |
| FR 373-379 | Topics in French/Francophone Literature | 3-4 CR each |
| IT 251 | Early Italian Writers | 3 |
| IT 252 | Italian Writers Then & Now | 3 |
| IT 290 | The Italian Short Story | 3 |
| IT 371 | Literary Travelers, Exiles, & Expatriates | 3 |
| IT 372 | Women Writers | 3 |
| IT 373-379 | Special Topics in Italian Literature | 3-4 CR each |
| IT 380 | Dante & the Italian Literary Tradition | 3 |
| SP 251/252 | Spanish Literature I and II | 3 CR each |
| SP 353-359 | Advanced Topics in Spanish Literature | 3 |
| SP 261/262 | Masterpieces of Latin-American Literature I and II | 3 CR each |
| SP 263-269 | Special Topics: Latin-American Literature | 3 CR each |
Mathematics (3 credits each unless otherwise noted)
Natural/Physical Sciences (3 credits each unless otherwise noted)
| BI 101 | The Nature of Life | 3 |
| BI 103 | The Human Body | 3 |
| BI 104 | Introduction to Coastal Ecology | 3 |
| BI 107 | Heredity & Society | 3 |
| BI 110 | Zoological Conservation & Behavior | 3 |
| BI 111 | Concepts in Biology I: Molecules to Cells | 3 |
| BI 113 | Concepts in Biology I Laboratory | 1 |
| BI 152 | Environment & Sustainability | 3 |
| BI 174 | Introduction to Coastal Management | 3 |
| BI 176 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 |
| CH 101 | Physical Science | 2 |
| CH 102 | Physical Science Lab | 1 |
| CH 117 | General Organic & Biochemistry: An Overview | 3 |
| CH 120 | Drugs & Their Implications to Society | 3 |
| CH 130 | The Chemistry of Nutrition | 3 |
| CH 140 | Chemistry, Society, & the Environment | 3 |
| CH 151 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CS 100 | Introduction to Information Technology | 3 |
| CS 101 | Web Design and Visual Tools for non-majors | 3 |
| CS 104 | Digital Animation and Gaming for non-majors | 3 |
| CS 106 | Introduction to Information Technology for Business Administration | 3 |
| CS 110 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| CS 171 | Introduction to Computer Gaming | 3 |
| PY 105 | First Half of General Physics I | 3 |
| PY 111 | General Physics I | 3 |
| PY 155 | Science & the Bible | 3 |
| PY 190 | Basic Astronomy | 3 |
Philosophy (3 credits each)
| PH 221 | Historical Development of Philosophy | 3 |
| PH 224 | Introduction to Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PH 229 | Eastern Philosophy | 3 |
| PH 231 | Introduction to the Philosophy of Knowledge | 3 |
| PH 240 | Introduction to the Philosophy of Beauty | 3 |
| PH 251 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| PH 255 | Introduction to Social & Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PH 272 | Introduction to Metaphysics | 3 |
| PH 274 | Existentialism | 3 |
| PH 290 | Foundational Topics in Philosophy | 3 |
Social or Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)
| AN 103 | Archeology | 3 |
| AN 110 | Human Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| AN 230 | Community, Culture & Folklore | 3 |
| CJ 120 | Crime & Criminal Behavior | 3 |
| EC 202 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| EC 203 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| GS 101 | Introduction to Global Studies | 3 |
| PO 121 | Introduction to American Government | 3 |
| PO 122 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| PS 110 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SO 110 | Sociological Imagination | 3 |
| SO 239 | Diversity & Oppression in Contemporary Society | 3 |
| SW 101 | Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
Theology/Religious Studies (3 credits each)
II. Common Core: The Human Journey Seminars: Great Books in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
Sacred Heart University’s academic signature centerpiece, The Human Journey Seminars, provides students with an interdisciplinary understanding of the roots and development of the Catholic intellectual tradition as an ongoing 2,000-year conversation between the Catholic community of thinkers, writers, and artists and the cultures in which they have lived, asking fundamental questions about God, humanity, society, and nature. The seminars engage students in an interdisciplinary exploration of the fundamental claims of the Catholic intellectual tradition; enable students to understand the Catholic intellectual tradition as characterized by open, rigorous, intellectual inquiry in the context of a faith tradition; enjoin students, with faculty, in seminar discussion; and develop students’ reading, writing, and speaking skills.
The seminars are framed by four fundamental and enduring questions of human meaning and value:
- What does it mean to be human?
- What does it mean to live a life of meaning and purpose?
- What does it mean to understand and appreciate the natural world?
- What does it mean to forge a more just society for the common good?
The two seminars are:
CIT I 201: An interdisciplinary study of the early Catholic thinkers, writers, and artists who provide an understanding of the roots of this Tradition and who begin its ongoing conversation about fundamental questions of human existence. (classical period to 17th century.)
CIT II 202: An interdisciplinary study of modern Catholic thinkers, writers, and artists who continue the development of this ongoing conversation about God, humanity, society, and nature. (modern and contemporary periods.)
III. Thematic Liberal Arts Core
Students will select three courses around a common theme which will provide them with a multidisciplinary understanding of that theme. Students will take one course in each of the following liberal arts areas: humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and physical sciences. By exploring contemporary themes such as wellness and well-being, the aesthetic vision and the search for beauty, and freedom, equality, and the common good, this component of the core curriculum will provide a distinctive SHU experience.
Freedom, Equality, and the Common Good
This concentration is designed to prepare students for a life of engaged, responsible, and ethical citizenship in an increasingly interdependent and complex world. Topics include identity and self-determination, political representation and participation, equality of opportunity, cultural diversity, race and discrimination, conflict and cooperation, religious freedom and toleration, immigration, and social welfare.
The Search for Beauty
This thematic framework will consider the intellectual, spiritual, aesthetic, and scientific search for and expression of the beautiful in all its forms. Students will explore and appreciate the fundamental aspiration to unravel and celebrate the innate and intricate beauty of life and of human creativity and inquiry, and will learn how we find emotional and intellectual satisfaction as well as personal and social significance through that understanding.
Wellness and Well-Being
This theme investigates the physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, economic, and environmental dimensions underlying personal wellness and well-being. It will enable students to reflect, articulate, and connect the numerous contributions that allow people to realize their individual potential, engage in meaningful relationships, and contribute to the development and application of knowledge for the betterment of the human community.
The following courses will fulfill the respective themes in the Thematic Liberal Arts Core for the 2017–2018 academic year. However, not all of these courses will be offered every semester or every academic year. Also, this list is subject to change in subsequent academic years.
Thematic Liberal Arts Core Courses
Freedom, Equality, and the Common Good
Humanities
Art
Communication
English
Foreign Languages/Cultures
| FR 203 | Advanced Conversation & Contemporary Issues | 3 |
| FR 280 | French Civilization & Culture | 3 |
| FR 281 | Francophone Civilization & Culture | 3 |
| FR 283 | Franco-Italian Connections | 3 |
| FR 363-369 | Topics in French/Francophone Culture | 3-4 CR each |
| IT 203 | Advanced Conversation & Contemporary Issues | 3 |
| IT 280 | Italian Civilization & Culture | 3 |
| IT 283 | Franco-Italian Connections | 3 |
| IT 363-369 | Special Topics in Italian Culture | 3-4 CR each |
| SP 211/212 | Conversation I and II | 3 CR each |
| SP 363-369 | Advanced Topics in Latin-American Literature | 3 CR each |
History
| HI 207 | History of Latin America to 1826 | 3 |
| HI 208 | History of Latin America Since 1826 | 3 |
| HI 212 | Contemporary Latin America | 3 |
| HI 214 | French Revolution & Napoleon | 3 |
| HI 218 | Modern France | 3 |
| HI 222 | United States History to 1865 | 3 |
| HI 223 | United States History Since 1865 | 3 |
| HI 224 | Society in Colonial America | 3 |
| HI 225 | African-American History | 3 |
| HI 229 | Westward Movement in 19th-Century America | 3 |
| HI 230 | The Civil War | 3 |
| HI 232 | Reconstruction & Post-Civil War America | 3 |
| HI 233 | Gilded Age & Progressive Era | 3 |
| HI 234 | Catholics in American Society | 3 |
| HI 235 | Women in American Society | 3 |
| HI 243 | Golden Age of Greece | 3 |
| HI 246 | Roman History: The Republic | 3 |
| HI 248 | Roman Empire & Christianity | 3 |
| HI 255 | Celtic & Irish History | 3 |
| HI 256 | Thousands are Sailing: The Irish at Home & Abroad 1798-1922 | 3 |
| HI 257 | History & Memory in Modern Ireland | 3 |
| HI 258 | Britain & the Empire 1714-1918 | 3 |
| HI 283 | History of Modern China to 1920 | 3 |
| HI 300 | The Vietnam War | 3 |
Music
Philosophy
| PH 309 | Theories of Justice | 3 |
| PH 310 | Philosophy of Race | 3 |
| PH 311 | Women, Gender, & Philosophy | 3 |
| PH 312 | Philosophy of Marx | 3 |
| PH 315 | Philosophy of Gender | 3 |
| PH 352 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PH 354 | Virtues, Acts, & Consequences | 3 |
| PH 392 | Philosophical Topics in Freedom & Equality | 3 |
Theology/Religious Studies
Natural/Physical Sciences
Biology
| BI 104 | Introduction to Coastal Ecology | 3 |
| BI 107 | Heredity & Society | 3 |
| BI 152 | Environment & Sustainability | 3 |
| BI 265 | Conservation Biology | 4 |
| BI 278 | Coastal Ecology | 3 |
Chemistry
| CH 120 | Drugs & Their Implications to Society | 3 |
Computer Science
Mathematics
| MA 131 | Statistics for Decision-Making | 3 |
| MA 133 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| MA 331 | Probability & Statistics I | 3 |
Social/Behavioral Sciences
Anthropology
Criminal Justice
| CJ 120 | Crime & Criminal Behavior | 3 |
Economics
| EC 202 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| EC 203 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
Political Science
| PO 123 | Human Rights & Social Justice | 3 |
| PO 242 | International Organizations | 3 |
| PO 298 | Democracy | 3 |
| PO 300 | Foundations of Political Thought | 3 |
| PO 308 | Theories of Political Economy | 3 |
| PO 313 | The Politics of European Integration | 3 |
| PO 314 | Middle East Politics | 3 |
| PO 315 | Latin American Politics | 3 |
| PO 316 | South Asian Politics | 3 |
| PO 317 | African Politics | 3 |
| PO 318 | Contemporary European Politics | 3 |
| PO 320 | Modern Political Economy | 3 |
| PO 332 | International Political Economy | 3 |
Psychology
| PS 215 | Social Psychology: Interpersonal Factors | 3 |
| PS 247 | Bimini Cetacean Ecology | 3 |
| PS 275 | Psychology of Women | 3 |
Sociology
| SO 201 | Poverty & Inequality in the United States | 3 |
| SO 237 | Deviance & Social Control | 3 |
| SO 239 | Diversity & Oppression in Contemporary Society | 3 |
| SO 244 | Racial & Ethnic Relations | 3 |
| SO 254 | Society & Economic Change | 3 |
| SO 259 | Social Movements | 3 |
| SO 263 | Sociology of Gender | 3 |
The Search for Beauty
Humanities
Art
Communication
English
| ENG 220 | Studies in British Literature to 1603 | 3 |
| ENG 223 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENG 224 | Seventeenth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 225 | Restoration & Eighteenth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 226 | Romantic Period in British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 227 | Victorian Period in British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 228 | Twentieth-Century British Literature | 3 |
| ENG 229 | British Literature: Special Topics | 3 |
| ENG 230 | Colonial & Federal American Literature | 3 |
| ENG 233 | American Renaissance | 3 |
| ENG 234 | Dickinson to Eliot | 3 |
| ENG 235 | Faulkner to the Present | 3 |
| ENG 236 | Contemporary American Fiction | 3 |
| ENG 237 | Nature Writing | 3 |
| ENG 239 | Studies in American Literature: Special Topics | 3 |
| ENG 240 | Early American Black Literature | 3 |
| ENG 241 | Black Writers in America | 3 |
| ENG 242 | American Women of Color | 3 |
| ENG 243 | Latin-American Literature in Translation | 3 |
| ENG 244 | Studies in World Literature | 3 |
| ENG 253 | Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENG 256 | Playwriting | 3 |
| ENG 371 | Advanced Poetry Writing I | 3 |
| ENG 372 | Advanced Poetry Writing II | 3 |
Foreign Languages/Cultures
| FR 204 | Explorations in French Film | 3 |
| FR 353-359 | Topics in French/Francophone Film | 3-4 CR each |
| IT 204 | Explorations in Italian Film | 3 |
| IT 353-359 | Special Topics in Italian Film | 3-4 CR each |
| SP 353-359 | Advanced Topics in Spanish Literature | 3 |
| SP 363-369 | Advanced Topics in Latin-American Literature | 3 CR each |
History
| HI 207 | History of Latin America to 1826 | 3 |
| HI 214 | French Revolution & Napoleon | 3 |
| HI 218 | Modern France | 3 |
| HI 222 | United States History to 1865 | 3 |
| HI 223 | United States History Since 1865 | 3 |
| HI 224 | Society in Colonial America | 3 |
| HI 230 | The Civil War | 3 |
| HI 232 | Reconstruction & Post-Civil War America | 3 |
| HI 233 | Gilded Age & Progressive Era | 3 |
| HI 234 | Catholics in American Society | 3 |
| HI 235 | Women in American Society | 3 |
| HI 237 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| HI 253 | From Rembrandt to Van Gogh | 3 |
| HI 255 | Celtic & Irish History | 3 |
| HI 256 | Thousands are Sailing: The Irish at Home & Abroad 1798-1922 | 3 |
| HI 257 | History & Memory in Modern Ireland | 3 |
Music
| MU 104 | Brahms to Bernstein: Their Lives and Music | 3 |
| MU 106 | Introduction to Irish Traditional Music | 3 |
| MU 109 | The History of Italian Opera | 3 |
| MU 110 | Women in Music | 3 |
| MU 112 | Music in America | 3 |
| MU 114 | Latin American & Caribbean Music | 3 |
| MU 125 | Music in the Performing Arts | 3 |
| MU 239 | Catholic Church Music | 3 |
Philosophy
| PH 322 | American Philosophy | 3 |
| PH 341 | Aesthetics: Philosophy of Art & Beauty | 3 |
| PH 342 | Philosophy of Performing Arts | 3 |
| PH 343 | Philosophy of Film | 3 |
| PH 344 | Philosophy & Literature | 3 |
| PH 380 | Love in the Western Tradition | 3 |
| PH 391 | Philosophical Topics in Beauty | 3 |
Theology/Religious Studies
Natural/Physical Sciences
Chemistry
Mathematics
| MA 101 | Modern College Mathematics | 3 |
| MA 280 | History of Mathematics | 3 |
| MA 301 | Mathematical Structures & Proofs | 3 |
Physics
Social/Behavioral Sciences
Anthropology
| AN 230 | Community, Culture & Folklore | 3 |
Psychology
Sociology
| SO 202 | Sociology of the Body | 3 |
| SO 215 | Social Psychology: Macro Processes | 3 |
| SO 216 | Changing Families | 3 |
Wellness and Well-Being
Humanities
Communication
English
| ENG 260 | Literature of Illness & Healing | 3 |
History
| HI 214 | French Revolution & Napoleon | 3 |
| HI 218 | Modern France | 3 |
| HI 230 | The Civil War | 3 |
| HI 232 | Reconstruction & Post-Civil War America | 3 |
| HI 233 | Gilded Age & Progressive Era | 3 |
| HI 235 | Women in American Society | 3 |
| HI 237 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| HI 255 | Celtic & Irish History | 3 |
| HI 283 | History of Modern China to 1920 | 3 |
Music
Philosophy
| PH 306 | Problem of Authenticity | 3 |
| PH 315 | Philosophy of Gender | 3 |
| PH 351 | Philosophy of Psychology | 3 |
| PH 353 | Bioethics: Philosophical Approaches | 3 |
| PH 355 | Happiness & the Good Life | 3 |
| PH 380 | Love in the Western Tradition | 3 |
| PH 393 | Philosophical Topics in Wellness | 3 |
Theology/Religious Studies
| TRS 335 | Spiritual Teachers & Thinkers | 3 |
| TRS 338 | Theology and Ethics of Death and Dying | |
| TRS 340 | Bioethics: Religious Approaches | 3 |
| TRS 344 | Virtue Ethics | 3 |
| TRS 364 | Death & Dying in the World Religions | 3 |
| TRS 373 | Religion, Health, & Healing | 3 |
| TRS 393 | Religious Topics in Wellness | 3 |
Natural/Physical Sciences
Biology
| BI 126 | Nursing Anatomy & Physiology I | 3 |
| BI 127 | Nursing Anatomy & Physiology I Laboratory | 1 |
| BI 150 | Biology of Poisons | 3 |
| BI 206 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I | 3 |
| BI 208 | Human Anatomy & Physiology I Laboratory | 1 |
| BI 230 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BI 325 | Immunology | 3 |
| BI 340 | Cancer Biology | 3 |
Chemistry
| CH 117 | General Organic & Biochemistry: An Overview | 3 |
| CH 120 | Drugs & Their Implications to Society | 3 |
| CH 130 | The Chemistry of Nutrition | 3 |
| CH 140 | Chemistry, Society, & the Environment | 3 |
| CH 341 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
Mathematics
| MA 105 | Mathematical Applications for Health Sciences | 3 |
Social/Behavioral Sciences
Anthropology
Economics
| EC 202 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| EC 203 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
Political Science
Psychology
| PS 211 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
| PS 220 | Drugs: Use & Abuse in Contemporary Society | 3 |
| PS 274 | Adult Development | 3 |
| PS 280 | Prevention & Health Promotion | 3 |
| PS 289 | Positive Psychology in Literature & Film | 3 |
| PS 295 | Health Psychology | 3 |
| PS 313 | Abnormal Psychology in Film | 3 |
Sociology
| SO 201 | Poverty & Inequality in the United States | 3 |
| SO 202 | Sociology of the Body | 3 |
| SO 215 | Social Psychology: Macro Processes | 3 |
| SO 216 | Changing Families | 3 |
| SO 234 | Sociology of Health & Healthcare | 3 |
| SO 238 | Youth & Contemporary Society | 3 |
| SO 263 | Sociology of Gender | 3 |