College Studies Program

The College Studies program—Philadelphia University‘s general education core curriculum—promotes a strong liberal arts and sciences education alongside the University’s professionally oriented majors. Students progress through a sequence of foundational courses, making connections between disciplines and viewing their own fields of choice through wider social, economic, political and cultural lenses. The liberal arts and sciences form the foundation of every student’s major, bringing classmates together to share a common educational experience and to learn from each other’s diverse perspectives.

Two realities fuel our College Studies program: the inevitability of future change - in the economy, technology, the workplace or career goals - and the necessity for effective communication, critical thinking, research and information literacy skills. The College Studies program at the University promotes the development of these lifelong skills through a structured and progressive approach to the liberal arts and sciences that prepares students for a constantly changing world in which career success requires more than just the latest technical skills. As a program, College Studies comprises about 40 percent of students’ baccalaureate experience and represents the most significant common factor in their education. Offering core courses and options within categories, the program is sequenced over four years to meet the intellectual needs of students at each level of development.

Courses introduce students to the major modes of knowledge, such as the nature of the scientific method and the methods of analysis used by social sciences. They also seek to develop awareness of the connections among academic disciplines. In the first year of study, the primary focus is upon the American experience. Students examine the implications of a multicultural society and its impact on the workplace in the United States, as well as abroad. Courses throughout the remaining years of the program expand students’ understanding of the wider international context. Students may take foreign language courses, as well as regional/area studies to promote an understanding of the increasingly interdependent world.

To promote effective communication skills, the College Studies program has a strong emphasis on writing, with two courses devoted specifically to writing, and other courses in which writing is an important element, including at least one writing-intensive course in every major.

The program’s innovation places the University in the national forefront of efforts to reform general education in higher education. A recent independent outside review described the College Studies curriculum as “a very strong program informed by a progressive vision of general education reflecting the best practice in the field today at a national level.” It has been recognized by the support of major government grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, and the American Council on Education, and recently participated in the Integrative Learning Project sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Sequencing of College Studies Courses

(See table on page 59.)

College Studies courses are sequenced over four years in order to meet the intellectual needs of students at each level of their education. The program is also designed to allow students to begin study in their major in the first year of their undergraduate coursework, unlike general education cores at other institutions. With the exception of the arts and cultures and foreign language groups, which may be taken any time during the four-year program, each category of courses will be taken at a specific time in the student’s major program. Students should consult with their advisors before registering for subsequent semesters. The chart that follows summarizes the sequencing of the College Studies program.

Fundamentals Courses

Students who are under-prepared for university-level reading, writing and mathematics (determined by placement testing) begin the College Studies sequence with appropriate preparatory courses. Fundamentals of College Writing (WRTG-099), Fundamentals of College Reading and Study Skills (READ-099) and Fundamentals of College Mathematics (MATH-099) are listed in the course-description section.

Description of College Studies Groups and Courses

The following provides a description of the categories or groups of courses, which are taken in a prescribed sequence in the College Studies program. The groups and courses are described in the sequence in which students will take them.

Writing Group: Writing Seminar I (WRTG-101) and Writing Seminar II (WRTG-21X)

The College Studies program includes two courses in which writing is a central focus. Students take the first course in the freshman year and the second in the sophomore year. Students who are under-prepared for university-level writing (determined by placement testing) begin the sequence with Fundamentals of College Writing (WRTG-099).

WRTG-099 Fundamentals of College Writing

This is a theme-based writing course designed for students who need additional preparation before taking Writing I. Students who place into this course are given background information about the content of Writing I, which prepares them to read and write college-level academic prose. Students for whom English is a second language take an ESL version of this course, though students should only be placed in WRTG-098ESL after designated faculty members have evaluated a writing sample. Credits may not be applied toward graduation requirements, though the grade, as with other courses, does affect students’ overall grade point average. For more information, see “Fundamentals Courses” in the section “Academic Policies.”

Writing Seminar I

The first of two core writing-specific courses in the College Studies Program, WRTG-101 Writing Seminar I: Finding Philadelphia is a theme-based writing course designed to be taken in the first year of study. The interconnected skills of careful reading, critical thinking and cogent writing are the primary concerns of this course. The seminar has a specific topic, focused on aspects of diversity in the Philadelphia cultural experience. Through reading, discussing and writing about a variety of texts that share a common theme, students learn the rudiments of writing college-level academic papers. Honors and English as a Second Language versions of this course are available.

Writing Seminar II

All versions of this sophomore level writing course focus on problem solving and thinking analytically about professional concerns. Students address key issues in different disciplines and professions. Students select one course from the following: 

Science I and II - two courses

All students will complete two science courses in order to understand the scientific method and its application. Some students will take one science course in their first year and a second the following year, while others will take both College Studies science courses in the first year. Students should take the sequence that meets the requirements of their major and is of greatest interest.

Science I and II

Or

Quantitative Reasoning

The College Studies curriculum requires every Philadelphia University graduate to complete a mathematics education that includes differential and integral calculus, to ensure that our graduates have developed quantitative reasoning skills that strengthen their critical thinking abilities. To fulfill this core curriculum requirement, students must complete the highest calculus course for which they are qualified, up to Calculus I.

Quantitative Reasoning

Arts and Cultures - one course

Courses in this group are divided between those dealing with visual literacy and those that help students “read” the performing arts or explore the notion of aesthetic knowledge itself. This course may be taken at any time.

Historical Understanding I - one course

The course in this category helps students understand the significance of change over time and the way in which our present is shaped by the past. American Transitions focuses on the various transformations of U.S. society since the end of the Civil War, with a special emphasis on Philadelphia as an example of America’s historical development.

HIST-114 American Transitions

Language and Area Studies - two courses

All courses in this group encourage students to value alternative ways of thinking and living and provide knowledge about other societies and cultures. Students may take courses in the language offerings or study cultures in the Area Studies offerings. All courses in this group focus on understanding cultural difference and learning how to learn about other cultures and other societies.

Students may take:

• Two courses in Area Studies; or

• One course in language and one course in Area Studies; or

• Two courses in the same language.

Language Studies:

Students must take sequenced levels of the same language to satisfy foreign language requirements; for example, a student cannot take Spanish I and French I.

Language courses:

ARAB-101, ARAB-102 Arabic I and II

CHIN-101, CHIN-102 Chinese I and II

FREN-101, FREN-201, FREN-301, FREN-401 French I-IV

GER-101, GER-201 German I and II

ITAL-101, ITAL-201, ITAL-301, ITAL-401 Italian I-IV

JAPN-101, JAPN-201, JAPN-301, JAPN-401 Japanese I-IV

SPAN-101, SPAN-201, SPAN-301, SPAN-401 Spanish I-IV

Area Studies: 

Social Sciences I - one course

Courses in this group acquaint students with the social sciences as a way of looking at human behavior. Social Sciences I courses present a global perspective based on the understanding that we live in an increasingly interdependent world. These courses are interdisciplinary and give students a broad introduction to social scientific methods.

Humanities I - one course

Courses in this group examine aspects of the human endeavor through the study of areas such as literature, philosophy, ethics and religion. Using primary texts, these courses address human beliefs and values, including religion and ethical reasoning.

Junior Seminars: Liberal Arts Seminars and Integrative Professional Seminars - two courses

Junior seminars are upper-level writing-intensive courses that explore a specific topic in detail. There are two categories of Junior Seminars: Liberal Arts Seminars, which explore select topics in history, the humanities, and the social sciences; and Integrative Professional Seminars, which feature topics related to the University’s professional majors. Students may take one course from each category or two courses from the Liberal Arts Seminars category.

Liberal Arts Seminars

Go to www.PhilaU.edu/JuniorSeminars before pre-registration to check for additional course offerings in this category.

Integrative Professional Seminars

JSINT-384 Applied Professional Ethics

Go to www.PhilaU.edu/JuniorSeminars before pre-registration to check for additional course offerings in this category.

Capstone Course in College Studies:

COLLST-499 Contemporary Perspectives

The capstone of the College Studies Program, Contemporary Perspectives draws upon the previously completed College Studies courses and makes connections between students’ majors and the liberal arts and sciences. Students explore major economic, political and cultural trends in the post-1945 world. All students complete a final research project, which addresses an issue in the professions in light of current international trends. All students take this 4-credit capstone core course in their senior year. This course is writing intensive and cannot be taken for credit/no credit.

Policies

College Studies and Transfer Students

The University is mindful of the need to be accessible to students who transfer from two-year colleges and other four-year institutions. In general, students who transfer academic credit from other colleges to the bachelor’s degree program at Philadelphia University may have that credit apply toward the requirements of the College Studies Program.

Courses for which credit can be transferred include all of those College Studies courses for which equivalent courses have been completed at other accredited institutions. Since College Studies courses are designed specifically for Philadelphia University, the University will determine transfer course equivalency.

Two specific courses in the College Studies curriculum, Writing Seminar II and Contemporary Perspectives, serve as keystone courses that require students to reflect on liberal-professional connections at Philadelphia University and to integrate the multiple academic skills they have learned in the other College Studies courses they have completed. Therefore, AP/transfer credit is not awarded for Writing Seminar II or Contemporary Perspectives.

Advanced Placement and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits will be accepted under the policy that is currently in effect at the University. Their acceptability to the curriculum will be determined in the same manner as transfer credit from other colleges.

Transfer students should meet with their academic advisors during orientation or at the beginning of their first semester to review whether/how courses taken at other institutions apply to their degree requirements at Philadelphia University.

College Studies Program

Select appropriate number of courses from each block. (Revised June 2010)