Core Curriculum
The hallmark of a liberal education is that it entices a student to examine the tree of knowledge, to see both the distinction and interdependence of its branches. Through its program, the College of Arts and Sciences offers students the opportunity to examine areas of the humanities and sciences in depth, while exposing them to the breadth of the related disciplines.
The following core curriculum is the basis of the education of all students in the College of Arts and Sciences. This statement of the core curriculum begins with a discussion of the aims of a college education and proceeds to a listing of the various elements of the core requirements.
The College of Arts and Sciences recognizes the value of the distinctive and complementary perspectives of humanities, physical and biological sciences, and the social and behavioral sciences in understanding our world and the human condition. Its core curriculum is designed to enable students to be conversant with the goals, methods, and values of these perspectives and to acquire the habits of mind to appreciate and contribute to the constantly evolving body of knowledge.
In order to understand and place in personal perspectives the world in which they live:
- Students will grasp the relationship between themselves as individuals and their communities, and develop an appreciation for the past’s influence on the present and the cultural differences and challenges posed by increased globalism.
- Students will display the ability to write clearly and effectively, to read texts critically, to articulate ideas, to reason quantitatively and to use appropriate technology.
- Students will develop the analytical tools required for an appreciation of the strengths and limitations of scientific methodologies and their applications to the natural world as well as human behavior.
- Students will acquire basic interpretive tools to develop an appreciation of human creativity in its many forms, and understand its central place in people’s daily lives and rituals.
- Students will appreciate and understand diverse human existence including its spiritual dimension and critically assess their values.
In addition to these broad liberal education objectives, students will develop competence in an academic discipline or area of study.
The Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum
The following are the requirements for the Core Curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences and courses and examinations that fulfill these requirements for students required to complete 120 credits to obtain a Bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University. The A&S Core Curriculum focuses on the following eight areas:
- Aesthetics. Courses in this category will provide students with the knowledge and skills to engage in analyses of artistic work by identifying rules and principles of form in various genres and exploring the development of creative expression across diverse periods and cultures.
- Diversity. Courses in this category will examine in diverse cultural contexts how societies are structured and social inequality is engendered through relations of power.
- Humanities. Courses in this category employ textual analysis, critical thinking, and narrative to formulate arguments about a range of experiences past and present. Through the study of history and literature, students will enrich their comprehension of the complexity, nuance, and fullness of human endeavor.
- Language. Students will attain an intermediate level of mastery in a classical or modern language. In so doing they will experience a sustained engagement with a culture other than their own and enhance their understanding of the structure of language and its significance as a vehicle for cultural expression.
- Rhetoric. To be prepared to speak in public, and to understand the varieties of speech discourse, students will study and practice presentations and other forms of spoken influence.
- Philosophy and Religion. Through discipline-specific study of philosophy and religion, students will critically examine fundamental questions of knowledge, reality, faith, and ethics.
- Science and Mathematics. Science courses in this category will provide students with an understanding of processes of scientific inquiry as applied to natural and physical phenomena in the world around them.
Mathematical courses in this category will provide students with reasoning skills as they apply to quantitative problem solving. Students will gain an understanding of the application of mathematical and computational methodologies and modeling to problems in society and the natural world. - Social Science. Courses in this category will acquaint students with theoretical approaches that explain human behavior and social and institutional structures through various methodologies including critical, qualitative, and quantitative.
A course taken to fulfill one core requirement may not be used to fulfill another core requirement.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Core Curriculum
The following are the requirements for the Core Curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences and courses and examinations that fulfill these requirements for students required to complete a minimum of 120 credits to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree from Seton Hall University.
University Core
All students must demonstrate college-level competence in the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CORE | ||
| CORE 1001 | University Life | 1 |
| CORE 1101 | Journey of Transformation | 3 |
| CORE 2101 | Christianity and Cult in Dial. | 3 |
| CORE 3XXX: Engaging the World | 3 | |
| ENGL 1201 | Core English I | 3 |
| ENGL 1202 | Core English II | 3 |
| Total Hours | 16 | |
Aesthetics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetics | ||
| Complete one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Anthropology of Art | ||
| Art and Human Needs | ||
| Art of the Western World | ||
| American Art | ||
| Evolution of the Film Art | ||
| Introduction to the Theater | ||
| Music and Civilizations | ||
| American Music as an Agent of Change | ||
| Subtotal | 3 | |
Humanities
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | ||
| Complete three courses (nine credits), including one two-semester sequence. 1 | 9 | |
| History of Africa I and History of Africa II | ||
| History of Africa I and HIstory of Africa II | ||
| History of Traditional Asia and History of Modern Asia | ||
| History of Traditional Asia and History of Modern Asia | ||
| Asian Literature in English Translation I and Asian Literature in English Translation II | ||
| Asian Literature in English Translation I and Asian Literature in English Translation II | ||
| The Search for Human Fulfillment | ||
| Classical Mythology | ||
| Greek Civilization | ||
| Roman Civilization | ||
| History of Rhetoric | ||
| Great Books of the Western World I and Great Books of the Western World II | ||
| American Literature I and American Literature II | ||
| World History I and World History II | ||
| Western Civilization I and Western Civilization II | ||
| American History I and American History II | ||
| Middle East 1 from 600 - 1800 and Middle East II 1800 to Present | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of America I and Peoples and Cultures of America II | ||
| History of Latin America I and History of Latin America II | ||
| History of Latin America I and History of Latin America II | ||
| Philosophy and Classical Mind and Philosophy and Modern Mind | ||
| Subtotal | 9 | |
- 1
Courses must be from two different programs or departments, as represented by their four-letter course prefixes.
Language
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Language: Modern and Ancient | ||
| Complete a two-course intermediate language sequence from the following: 2 | 6 | |
| Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic I and Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II | ||
| Intermediate Chinese I and Intermediate Chinese II | ||
| Interm French I and Interm French II | ||
| Interm German I and Interm German II | ||
GREK 2205 & GREK 2206 | and | |
GREK 2207 & GREK 2208 | and | |
| Interm Ital I and Interm Ital II | ||
| Intermediate Japanese I and Intermediate Japanese II | ||
| Intermediate Latin I and Intermediate Latin II | ||
| Interm Russian I and Interm Russian II | ||
| Interm Spanish I and Interm Spanish II | ||
| Spanish for Healthcare I and Spanish for Healthcare II | ||
| Interm. Span Hisp I and Interm Span Hispanics II | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
- 2
Students who place out of Intermediate Language II on an approved placement test have met the language requirement for the B.A. Core.
Transfer students are required to contact the department chairperson before registering for any language course.
Oral Communication/Rhetoric
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication/Rhetoric | ||
| All students who entered Seton Hall before Fall 2024 must take a course that is infused with the Oral Communications proficiency. | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 3 | |
- 3
The list of courses infused with proficiencies can be found here https://www.shu.edu/core-curriculum/upload/CORE-Proficiencies-Approved-Courses-for-Web.pdf
Philosophy and Religion
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy and Religion | ||
| Complete one course from each department: 4 | 6 | |
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Logic | ||
| Ethics 5 | ||
| Philosophy Through Film | ||
| Biomedical Ethics 5 | ||
| Religious Dimension of Life | ||
| Intro to Bible | ||
| Christian Belief-Thought | ||
| Intro to Catholic Theology | ||
| Religions of the World | ||
| History of Asian Relig Reflect | ||
| Contemporary Moral Issues 5 | ||
| Christian Ethics 5 | ||
| Jewish Beliefs and Practices | ||
| Intro to Islam | ||
| Buddhist World Thought-Culture | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
- 4
One Course must be an Ethics Course. Only one Ethics course, as indicated by 5, shall count to fulfill this requirement.
- 5
Ethics course
Mathematics and Science
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Science | ||
| Complete one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Stat Concepts and Methods | ||
| Mathematical Perspective | ||
MATH 1202 | ||
| Stats Models for Soc Science | ||
| Finite Math w Calculus for Bus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus I - Math - Phys Sci | ||
| Transfer students are required to contact the department chairperson before registering for any mathematics course. | ||
| BA students must complete one option from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Introduction to Biology | ||
| Biology in the World Around Us | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Phys I Lab 6 | ||
| Human Anatomy and Phys II and Human Anatomy and Phys II Lab 6 | ||
| General Biology- Organisms and General Biology-Organisms Lab 6 | ||
| General Biology-Cell and General Biology-Cell Lab 6 | ||
| Chemistry and the World Around Us - An Integrative Approach | ||
| Principles of Chemistry I | ||
| Principles of Chemistry II | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Lab I 6 | ||
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab 6 | ||
| Elements of Organic and Biochemistry | ||
| Intro to Physical Science | ||
| Intro to Astronomy | ||
| General Physics I 7 | ||
| General Physics II 7 | ||
| Principles of Physics I 7 | ||
| Principles of Physics II 7 | ||
| Subtotal | 6-8 | |
- 6
Lab must be taken with appropriate lecture.
- 7
For Physics content courses, the laboratory course is optional.
Social Science
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Social Science | ||
| Complete two courses from the following: 8 | 6 | |
| Introduction to Biological Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Culture and Communication: Introduction to Linquistic Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Economics | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Studies | ||
| United States Politics | ||
| Western Political Thought | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Introduction to Social Work | ||
| Women, Culture and Society | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
- 8
Courses must be from two different programs or departments, as represented by their four-letter course prefixes.
Diversity
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Diversity | ||
| Complete one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to African-American Studies | ||
| African-American History I | ||
| African-American History II | ||
| Urban Ed Through Hip Hip | ||
AFAM 3202/ENGL 3523/WMST 3202 | ||
AFAM 3411 | ||
| Race-Nation in Latin America | ||
| Understanding Human Sexuality | ||
| Art, Identity, Representation | ||
| ETW - Rep of the Body-Early Am | ||
| ETW - Meeting the Other | ||
| Gender Power Biblical Interp | ||
| Women and Literature II | ||
| The Social Novel in America | ||
| Women in America to 1869 | ||
| Women in America 1869-Present | ||
| Italian American History | ||
| Native Amer Hist to Removal | ||
| Democracy Slavery Manifest Dst | ||
| Afr American Lives:James Baldw | ||
| Immigration-Race-Citizen in US | ||
| Women-Gender Latin America | ||
| Japanese Masculinities | ||
| Intro to Latino-Latina Studies | ||
| Philosophy and Gender | ||
| Feminist Theories | ||
| Race,Id&Politcs in Pub Admin | ||
| Psychology of Gender | ||
| International Psychology | ||
| Health Psyc in a Diverse Socie | ||
| Cultural Psychology | ||
| Catholicism/Race & Soc Justice | ||
| Womanist,Mujerista & Fem Theol | ||
| Pluralism in Multireligious Am | ||
| Women Gender and Islam | ||
| ST - Islamophobia | ||
| Race, Politics and Theology | ||
| Social Inequalities | ||
| Majority-Minority Relations | ||
| Gender & Sexualities in Social Work | ||
| Disability Studies Soc Work | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Theor. of Devi. and Conformity | ||
| Social Wrk Approach Race Bias | ||
| Re-Discovering Women Science | ||
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 42-43 | |
B.A. Core Curriculum Total: 58-59 credits
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Core Curriculum
The following are the requirements for the Core Curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences and courses and examinations that fulfill these requirements for students required to complete a minimum of 120 credits to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree from Seton Hall University.
University Core
All students must demonstrate college-level competence in the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CORE 1001 | University Life | 1 |
| CORE 1101 | Journey of Transformation | 3 |
| CORE 2101 | Christianity and Cult in Dial. | 3 |
| CORE 3XXX: Engaging the World | 3 | |
| ENGL 1201 | Core English I | 3 |
| ENGL 1202 | Core English II | 3 |
| Total Hours | 16 | |
Mathematics and Science
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Science | ||
| Complete two mathematics courses at the level of MATH 1401 or higher, or one such mathematics course and one computer science course. | 7-8 | |
| Computing for Science Majors | ||
| Intro to Program Design I | ||
| Calculus I 1 | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Calculus I - Math - Phys Sci 1 | ||
| Calculus II - Math - Phys Sci | ||
| Statistics for Science Majors | ||
| Complete two courses designed for science majors, with laboratory, from the following: | 8 | |
| General Biology- Organisms and General Biology-Organisms Lab 2 | ||
| General Biology-Cell and General Biology-Cell Lab 2 | ||
| Principles of Chemistry I 3 | ||
| Principles of Chemistry II | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I 2, 3 | ||
| General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab 2 | ||
| General Physics I 3 | ||
| General Physics II | ||
| Principles of Physics I 3 | ||
| Principles of Physics II | ||
| Physics Laboratory I 2 | ||
| Physics Laboratory II 2 | ||
| Physics Lab and Data Analy I 2 | ||
| Physics Lab and Data Analy II 2 | ||
| Subtotal | 15-16 | |
- 1
Only one of MATH 1401/1501 can be used to satisfy this requirement.
- 2
Lab must be taken with appropriate lecture.
- 3
Only one of CHEM 1107/1123, and only one of PHYS 1701/1705, can be used to satisfy this requirement
Oral Communication/Rhetoric
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication/Rhetoric | ||
| All students who entered Seton Hall before Fall 2024 must take a course that is infused with the Oral Communications proficiency. 4 | 2-3 | |
| Subtotal | 2-3 | |
- 4
The list of courses infused with proficiencies can be found here https://www.shu.edu/core-curriculum/upload/CORE-Proficiencies-Approved-Courses-for-Web.pdf
Philosophy and Religion
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy and Religion | ||
| Complete one course from each department 5 | 6 | |
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Logic | ||
| Ethics 6 | ||
| Philosophy Through Film | ||
| Biomedical Ethics 6 | ||
| Symbolic Logic (BS Students only) | ||
| Religious Dimension of Life | ||
| Intro to Bible | ||
| Christian Belief-Thought | ||
| Intro to Catholic Theology | ||
| Religions of the World | ||
| History of Asian Relig Reflect | ||
| Contemporary Moral Issues 6 | ||
| Christian Ethics 6 | ||
| Jewish Beliefs and Practices | ||
| Intro to Islam | ||
| Buddhist World Thought-Culture | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
- 5
One Course must be an Ethics Course. Only one Ethics course, as indicated by 6, shall count to fulfill this requirement.
- 6
Ethics course
Historical/Aesthetics/Literature
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Historical/Aesthetics/Literature | ||
| Complete two courses from the following: | 6 | |
| History of Africa I and History of Africa II | ||
| History of Africa I and HIstory of Africa II | ||
| Art and Human Needs | ||
| Anthropology of Art | ||
| Art of the Western World | ||
| American Art | ||
| History of Africa I and History of Africa II | ||
| History of Traditional Asia and History of Modern Asia | ||
| History of Africa I and HIstory of Africa II | ||
| Asian Literature in English Translation I and Asian Literature in English Translation II | ||
| Asian Literature in English Translation I and Asian Literature in English Translation II | ||
| The Search for Human Fulfillment | ||
| Classical Mythology | ||
| Greek Civilization | ||
| Roman Civilization | ||
| Evolution of the Film Art | ||
| History of Rhetoric | ||
| Introduction to the Theater | ||
| Great Books of the Western World I and Great Books of the Western World II | ||
| American Literature I and American Literature II | ||
| World History I and World History II | ||
| Western Civilization I and Western Civilization II | ||
| American History I and American History II | ||
| Middle East 1 from 600 - 1800 and Middle East II 1800 to Present | ||
| Peoples and Cultures of America I and Peoples and Cultures of America I | ||
| History of Latin America I and History of Latin America II | ||
| Music and Civilizations | ||
| American Music as an Agent of Change | ||
| Philosophy and Classical Mind and Philosophy and Modern Mind | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
Language/Multicultural
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Language/Multicultural | ||
| Select one of the following options. 7 | 6 | |
| E-1 | ||
| Complete a two-course elementary language sequence: | ||
| Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic I and Introduction to Modern Standard Arabic II | ||
| Introductory Chinese I and Introductory Chinese II | ||
| Elementary French I and Elementary French II | ||
| Elementary German I and Elementary German II | ||
| Elementary Greek I and Elementary Greek II | ||
| Elementary Italian I and Elementary Italian II | ||
| Introductory Japanese I and Introductory Japanese II | ||
| Elementary Latin I and Elementary Latin II | ||
| Elementary Russian I and Elementary Russian II | ||
| Elementary Spanish I and Elementary Spanish II | ||
| E-2 | ||
| Place into Intermediate Language I or above, and select one of the following: | ||
| (a) Complete a two-course intermediate language sequence: | ||
| Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic I and Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic II | ||
| Intermediate Chinese I and Intermediate Chinese II | ||
| Interm French I and Interm French II | ||
| Interm German I and Interm German II | ||
GREK 2205 & GREK 2206 | and | |
GREK 2207 & GREK 2208 | and | |
| Interm Ital I and Interm Ital II | ||
| Intermediate Japanese I and Intermediate Japanese II | ||
| Intermediate Latin I and Intermediate Latin II | ||
| Interm Russian I and Interm Russian II | ||
| Interm Spanish I and Interm Spanish II | ||
| Spanish for Healthcare I and Spanish for Healthcare II | ||
| Interm. Span Hisp I and Interm Span Hispanics II | ||
| (b) Complete two courses from those included in the Philosophy and Religion category or the Historical/Aesthetic/Literature category in this B.S. Core Curriculum | ||
| (c) Complete two advanced language courses (courses taught in a foreign language), with Intermediate Language II as a prerequisite, and counting toward a major in the given language. | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
- 7
Students who place out of Elementary Language II on an approved language placement test can either complete E-1 with a novel language or one of the options listed in E-2.
Transfer students are required to contact the department chairperson before registering for any language course.
Social Science
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Social Science | ||
| Complete two courses from the following: 8 | 6 | |
| Introduction to Biological Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ||
| Culture and Communication: Introduction to Linquistic Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Economics | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Studies | ||
| United States Politics | ||
| Western Political Thought | ||
| Comparative Politics | ||
| International Relations | ||
| Introduction to Psychology | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Introduction to Social Work | ||
| Women, Culture and Society | ||
| Subtotal | 6 | |
- 8
Courses must be from two different programs or departments, as represented by their four-letter course prefixes.
Diversity
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Diversity | ||
| Complete one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to African-American Studies | ||
| African-American History I | ||
| African-American History II | ||
| Urban Ed Through Hip Hip | ||
AFAM 3202/ENGL 3523/WMST 3202 | ||
AFAM 3411 | ||
| Race-Nation in Latin America | ||
| Understanding Human Sexuality | ||
| Art, Identity, Representation | ||
| ETW - Rep of the Body-Early Am | ||
| ETW - Meeting the Other | ||
| Gender Power Biblical Interp | ||
| Women and Literature II | ||
| The Social Novel in America | ||
| Women in America to 1869 | ||
| Women in America 1869-Present | ||
| Italian American History | ||
| Native Amer Hist to Removal | ||
| Democracy Slavery Manifest Dst | ||
| Afr American Lives:James Baldw | ||
| Immigration-Race-Citizen in US | ||
| Women-Gender Latin America | ||
| Japanese Masculinities | ||
HIST 3915/WMST 3332 | ||
| Intro to Latino-Latina Studies | ||
| Philosophy and Gender | ||
| Feminist Theories | ||
| Race,Id&Politcs in Pub Admin | ||
| Psychology of Gender | ||
| International Psychology | ||
| Health Psyc in a Diverse Socie | ||
| Cultural Psychology | ||
| Catholicism/Race & Soc Justice | ||
| Womanist,Mujerista & Fem Theol | ||
| Pluralism in Multireligious Am | ||
| Women Gender and Islam | ||
| ST - Islamophobia | ||
| Race, Politics and Theology | ||
| Social Inequalities | ||
| Majority-Minority Relations | ||
| Gender & Sexualities in Social Work | ||
| Disability Studies Soc Work | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Theor. of Devi. and Conformity | ||
| Social Wrk Approach Race Bias | ||
| Re-Discovering Women Science | ||
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 44-46 | |
B.S. Core Curriculum Total: 60-62 credits
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