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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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:

CORE 1001University Life1
CORE 1101Journey of Transformation3
CORE 2101Christianity and Cult in Dial.3
CORE 3XXX: Engaging the World3
ENGL 1201Core English I3
ENGL 1202Core English II3
Total Hours16

College of Arts and Sciences Core for B.A. Students

Aesthetics
Select one of the following:3
Art and Human Needs
Art of the Western World
American Art
Evolution of the Film Art
COTH 2621
Music and Civilizations
Music of America
Subtotal3
Humanities
Complete nine credits, including one two-semester sequence. *9
Introduction to African-American Studies
History of African Civilization I
and History of African Civilization II
History of African Civilization I
and History of African Civilization 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
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 Culture-America I
and Peoples and Culture-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
Subtotal9
Language: Modern and Ancient
Select six credits at the intermediate level or higher from the following: **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
Interm. Span Hisp I
and Interm Span Hispanics II
Subtotal6
Oral Communication/Rhetoric
Select one course infused with Oral Communications Proficiency ***3
Subtotal3
Philosophy and Religion
Complete one course from each department: ****6
Introduction to Philosophy
Logic
Ethics *****
Philosophy Through Film
Biomedical Ethics *****
Religious Dimension of Life
Intro to Bible
Christian Belief-Thought
Intro to Catholic Theology
Religions of the World
History of Asian Relig Reflect (Hinduism)
Contemporary Moral Issues *****
Christian Ethics *****
Jewish Beliefs and Practices
Intro to Islam
Buddhist World Thought-Culture
Subtotal6
Science and Mathematics
Select six to seven credits of the following:6-7
Introduction to Biology
Biology in the World Around Us
Human Structure-Function I
Human Structure-Function II
Human Anatomy and Physiology I
Human Anatomy and Phys I Lab ******
Human Anatomy and Phys II
Human Anatomy and Phys II Lab
General Biology- Organisms
General Biology-Organisms Lab ******
General Biology-Cell
General Biology-Cell Lab ******
Chemistry and the World Around Us - An Integrative Approach
Principles of Chemistry I
Principles of Chemistry II
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry Lab I ******
General Chemistry II
General Chemistry II Lab ******
Elements of Organic and Biochemistry
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
Intro to Physical Science
Intro to Astronomy
General Physics I
General Physics II
Principles of Physics I
Principles of Physics II
Physics Laboratory I ******
Physics Laboratory II ******
Physics Lab and Data Analy I ******
Physics Lab and Data Analy II ******
Subtotal6-7
Social Science
Select six credits of the following: *6
Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Introduction to Economics
Introduction to Environmental Studies
United States Politics
West Political Thought I
Comparative Politics
International Relations
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to Social Work
Women-Culture and Society
Subtotal6
Diversity
Complete at least one from the following Diversity courses:3
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
The Anthropology of Gender
ETW - Rep of the Body-Early Am
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
Immigration-Race-Citizen in US
Women-Gender Latin America
Philosophy and Gender
Feminist Theories
Race,Id&Politcs in Pub Admin
Psychology of Gender
International Psychology
Cultural Psychology
Catholicism/Race & Soc Justice
RELS/WMST 3340
Pluralism in Multireligious Am
ST - Islamophobia
Race, Politics and Theology
Social Inequalities
Theor. of Devi. and Conformity
Social Wrk Approach Race Bias
Re-Discovering Women Science
Subtotal3
Total Hours42-43
*

Courses must be from two different programs or departments, as represented by their four-letter course prefixes.

**

Students who place out of Intermediate Language II on an approved placement test have met the language requirements for the B.A. Core. Transfer students are required to contact the department chairperson before registering for any language course.

***

All students must demonstrate competence in spoken communication. In order to fulfill this requirement, students must take a course that is infused with the Oral Communications Proficiency. The list of courses that are infused with proficiencies may be found here: https://www.shu.edu/core-curriculum/upload/Core-Proficiencies.pdf.

****

One course must be an Ethics course. Only one Ethics course shall count to fulfill this requirement.

*****

Ethics course.

******

Lab must be taken with appropriate lecture.

Total: 57-59 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:

CORE 1001University Life1
CORE 1101Journey of Transformation3
CORE 2101Christianity and Cult in Dial.3
CORE 3XXX: Engaging the World3
ENGL 1201Core English I3
ENGL 1202Core English II3
Total Hours16

College of Arts and Sciences Core for B.S. Students

Mathematics and Science
Select at least two of the following: *7-8
Computing for Science Majors
Intro to Program Design I
Calculus I
Calculus II
Calculus I - Math - Phys Sci
Calculus II - Math - Phys Sci
Statistics for Science Majors
Select two courses designed for science majors, with laboratory of the following: **8
General Biology- Organisms
General Biology-Organisms Lab ***
General Biology-Cell
General Biology-Cell Lab ***
Principles of Chemistry I
Principles of Chemistry II
General Chemistry I
General Chemistry Lab I ***
General Chemistry II
General Chemistry II Lab ***
General Physics I
General Physics II
Principles of Physics I
Principles of Physics II
Physics Laboratory I ***
Physics Laboratory II ***
Physics Lab and Data Analy I ***
Physics Lab and Data Analy II ***
Subtotal15-16
Oral Communication/Rhetoric
Select one course that is infused with the Oral Communications Proficiency. ****2-3
Subtotal2-3
Philosophy and Religion
Complete one course from each department: *****6
Introduction to Philosophy
Logic
Ethics ******
Philosophy Through Film
Biomedical Ethics *****
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 (Hinduism)
Contemporary Moral Issues ******
Christian Ethics ******
Jewish Beliefs and Practices
Intro to Islam
Buddhist World Thought-Culture
Subtotal6
Historical/Aesthetics/Literature
Complete two of the following courses:6
Introduction to African-American Studies
History of African Civilization I
and History of African Civilization II
History of African Civilization I
and History of African Civilization II
Art and Human Needs
Art of the Western World
American Art
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
or ENGL 3608
& ENGL 3609
Asian Literature in English Translation I
and
Search for Human Fulfillment
Classical Mythology
Greek Civilization
Roman Civilization
Evolution of the Film Art
History of Rhetoric
COTH 2621
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 Culture-America I
and Peoples and Culture-America II
History of Latin America I
and History of Latin America II
Music and Civilizations
Music of America
Philosophy and Classical Mind
and Philosophy and Modern Mind
Subtotal6
Language/Multicultural
Select one of the following options: *******6
E-1
Select one of the following:
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
Interm. Span Hisp I
and Interm Span Hispanics II
(b) Complete two additional courses from Philosophy and Religion, or Historical/Aesthetic/Literature 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.
Subtotal6
Social Science
Complete two of the following courses: ********6
Introduction to Physical Anthropology
Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
Introduction to Economics
Introduction to Environmental Studies
United States Politics
West Political Thought I
Comparative Politics
International Relations
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Introduction to Social Work
Women-Culture and Society
Subtotal6
Diversity
Complete at least one Diversity course from the following:3
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
The Anthropology of Gender
ETW - Rep of the Body-Early Am
Gender Power Biblical Interp
Women and Literature I
The Social Novel in America
Women in America to 1869
Women in America 1869-Present
Italian American History
Native Amer Hist to Removal
Immigration-Race-Citizen in US
Women-Gender Latin America
ITST 3915/WMST 3332
ETW - Meeting the Other
Philosophy and Gender
Feminist Theories
Race,Id&Politcs in Pub Admin
Psychology of Gender
International Psychology
Cultural Psychology
Catholicism/Race & Soc Justice
RELS/WMST 3340
Pluralism in Multireligious Am
ST - Islamophobia
Race, Politics and Theology
Social Inequalities
Theor. of Devi. and Conformity
Social Wrk Approach Race Bias
Re-Discovering Women Science
Subtotal3
Total Hours44-46
*

All students must take two mathematics courses at the level of MATH 1401 Calculus I or higher, or one such mathematics course and one computer science course. Only one of MATH 1401 Calculus I/MATH 1501 Calculus I - Math - Phys Sci can be used to satisfy this requirement.

**

Only one of CHEM 1107 Principles of Chemistry I/CHEM 1123 General Chemistry I, and only one of PHYS 1701 General Physics I/PHYS 1705 Principles of Physics I, can be used to satisfy this requirement.

***

Lab must be taken with appropriate lecture.

****

All students must demonstrate competence in spoken communication. In order to fulfill this requirement, students must take a course that is infused with the Oral Communications Proficiency. The list of courses that are infused with proficiencies may be found here: https://www.shu.edu/core-curriculum/upload/Core-Proficiencies.pdf.

*****

One course must be an Ethics course. Only one Ethics course shall count to fulfill this requirement.

******

Ethics course

*******

Students who place out of Elementary Language II on an approved placement test can complete either option E-1 (with a novel language) or one of the selections in E-2. Transfer students are required to contact the department chairperson before registering for any language course.

********

Students must complete two courses. Courses must be from two different programs or departments, as represented by their four-letter course prefixes.

Total: 60-62 credits

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