Advising and Career Services encourages all students in the College to meet an Academic Counselor to discuss questions, concerns and create academic plans to meet your goals. Call 315.443.3150 to make an advising appointment or visit the third floor of the Hall of Languages for a drop-in. We welcome you!

A. LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION

An education in the liberal arts should do at least two essential things:

• help students to reach a university-level mastery in the most fundamental intellectual skills needed both to explore the world and for effective communication and expression: the use of language and the use of quantitative methods.
• help students to develop broad and integrating perspectives on the world and human experience, perspectives that draw upon the best of scholarship and research from across the fields of liberal learning. This is done by introducing students to a variety of important parts of the universe of learning and helping them to draw upon and become members of the universal community of learners.

B. THE PARTS OF THE CORE

The Liberal Arts Core is a set of principles that guides students in the selection of courses and serves to define the common core of a liberal arts education at Syracuse. It was devised and adopted by the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences to assure that each student's course of study includes the most important features of an education in the liberal arts. There are three fundamental parts to the Liberal Arts Core:

1. The Liberal Skills Requirement
2. The Divisional Perspectives Requirement
3. The Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement
4. The IDEA acronym encapsulates the core concepts of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility.

The Liberal Skills Requirement assures that each student further develops the fundamental intellectual skill of effective writing and gives the student a choice of whether to satisfy a competency requirement in quantitative skills or a second language.

The Divisional Perspectives Requirement introduces students to something of the great range of liberal fields of inquiry. A liberal education is essentially an education from a diversity of viewpoints. An education is not "free" if it confines students to one or two viewpoints, one field of study, or focuses narrowly on a single professional objective. The disciplines and interdisciplinary studies that constitute the universe of the liberal arts and sciences both complement and compete with each other in the effort to gain the most informed, balanced, and integrating perspectives on the world and human experience. Students need to get a sense of the range and power of liberal studies, and of the controversies and uncertainties that remain a challenge for these studies. In the course of surveying something of this range, they will also be put in a better position to make an informed choice regarding their majors and minors.

The Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement is designed to assure that students reflect upon the relevance of the liberal arts and sciences to ethical and social issues. Every liberal field of study has great ethical and social significance. The courses that satisfy this requirement build on that fundamental fact in order to highlight that significance and to develop in students critical and self-critical intellectual habits of thought

The Liberal Arts Core is required of all students singly enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and of all students dually enrolled in the College and the Newhouse School of Public Communications or School of Education, with one exception noted below.

Though the Liberal Arts Core is required of all students dually enrolled as first year students in the College and the Newhouse School of Public Communications, students who transfer to the dual program after their first year as singly enrolled students in the Newhouse School will satisfy general requirements for the dual degree program by completing the Newhouse Core Requirements.

UNIQUELY COUNTING RULE

Pertaining to courses that can count toward multiple majors and minors the following restrictions apply. In the following restrictions, uniquely counting means counting toward the completion of only one major or minor within the College of Arts and Sciences/Maxwell.

1. In order to be awarded a minor in a program: A student must earn at least 6 upper division credits uniquely counting toward the minor.
2. In order to be awarded a BA in a program: A student must earn at least 12 upper division credits uniquely counting toward the BA.
3. In order to be awarded a BS in a program: A student must earn at least 15 upper division credits uniquely counting toward the BS.
4. In the case of the Integrated Learning Majors, a student must earn at least 12 upper division credits uniquely counting towards the BA or BS.

DIVERSITY is one of the University’s five core values. In a college curriculum a commitment to diversity means a commitment to studies that help students to understand the variety of peoples, social groups and cultures that surround, affect, challenge and enrich them. It also seeks to help each student gain an informed and critical understanding of their own social and cultural background by setting it in the context of the backgrounds of others. Liberal education has always promoted the understanding of people of other kinds, times and cultures, but it is only in recent times that the full implications of that ideal have been recognized. Traditionally, a limited selection of social groups and cultures other than those dominant in a society were considered in a liberal course of study, but not a sufficiently rich array was included to allow an adequate, critical understanding of human diversity.

Several departments of the College have explicit missions to provide studies of women, ethnic minorities of the United States, and cultures other than those of Great Britain and Anglo-America. These departments include:

• African American Studies
• Anthropology
• Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish)
• Geography and the Environment
• History
• Political Science
• Religion
• Sociology
• Women’s and Gender Studies

In addition to these departments, the College of Arts and Sciences is the home of several interdisciplinary programs offering majors or minors that bring specific focus on groups and cultures that expand our understanding of human diversity:

• Asian/Asian American Studies
• Forensic and National Security Sciences
• Global Political Economy
• Global Security Studies
• International Relations
• Jewish Studies
• Latino-Latin American Studies
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies
• Native American and Indigenous Studies
• South Asian Studies

These departments and programs, along with others, offer over 50 undergraduate courses on US ethnic minorities, over 45 courses on women’s issues and over 200 courses on cultures and societies outside of Great Britain and Anglo-America. We encourage students to take full advantage of this rich diversity within the curriculum.

If you have received the score required on one of these C.E.E.B. Advanced Placement examinations, you will receive credit for the appropriate Syracuse University course(s) and may apply those credits earned toward completing the Liberal Arts core according to this chart; Academic Rules - Syracuse University - Acalog ACMS™

If you decide to take the equivalent Syracuse University course for which you have been awarded Advanced Placement or Transfer Credit, the AP or Transfer Credit WILL BE DELETED and you will lose the credit.

If you have questions, contact the A&S Advising and Career Services.

International Baccalaureate Program - Arts and Science students who have completed courses in the IB Program should contact the A&S Advising and Career Services regarding credit toward completing the Liberal Arts Core.

Note: A maximum of 30 semester hours of credit may be accepted from all forms of extra-institutional and experiential learning, and examination programs (including Syracuse University Advanced Credit Examinations).

Students who have earned college credit before enrolling in Syracuse University, and intra university transfers into the College of Arts and Sciences from schools and colleges that did not require the Liberal Arts Core, should make sure that their transcripts are evaluated by the Office of Advising and Career Services and that their previous work is evaluated in the context of the Liberal Arts Core.

The following applies to students in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In evaluating a transfer student’s prior credits as they apply toward the Liberal Arts Core requirements, the College will handle them as follows:

A.A. or A.S. Completed Elsewhere

Students transferring to Syracuse who have earned an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree shall be required to complete the Liberal Skills and Critical Reflections Requirements of the Liberal Arts Core. Based upon prior course work such students are required to successfully complete four courses in one of the Liberal Arts Core Divisional Perspective Requirements (Humanities: Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences) and successfully complete at least two courses from the list in each of the other two Liberal Arts Core Divisional Perspective Requirements (Humanities; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences), including the completion of at least one natural science laboratory course.

Note: Transfer credit is not accepted for Writing Intensive, Critical Reflections, and IDEA requirements except when completed within an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements.

Quantitative skill and skill in the use of languages are indispensable elements in liberal and general education. The importance of these skills does not diminish after graduation. They are abilities that are in constant need throughout our lives for professional success, for effective and informed citizenship, and to enable us to enjoy and to contribute to the cultural and intellectual riches that depend upon them.

To satisfy the Liberal Skills Requirement of the Liberal Arts Core, students are required to achieve proficiency in writing by successfully taking either WRT 105, WRT 109, or ENL 211; and WRT 205, and a special writing-intensive course prior to taking WRT 205, WRT 209 or ENL 213.

The remainder of the requirement gives students the option of demonstrating a university-level competence in either

• a language other than English, or
• the use of quantitative methods to understand and solve problems.

Students satisfy the Liberal Skills Requirement in Writing by successfully completing three courses. The first of these courses is chosen from Writing Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing (WRT 105) or ENL 211 Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English. During the second year, students will take the higher level Writing Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing (WRT 205) or Advanced Academic Writing and Research for Non-Native Speakers of English (ENL 213). Before WRT 205 or ENL 213 is taken, students will take a Writing-Intensive course in a subject matter other than writing, a course that has been specially designed to give attention to developing writing ability while studying another subject matter. The list of approved, Writing-Intensive courses will be found in the next section. These courses that fulfill the Writing Intensive Course requirement must be successfully completed by the student in the academic year in which they are listed in the Liberal Arts Core Guidebook.

WRT 105 and WRT 205 introduce students to the kinds of writing, reading, and critical thinking that are practiced in a university and expected throughout the curriculum. Students write frequently, in varied forms, for varied purposes of inquiry and instruction. Students whose native language is not English satisfy the requirement by completing ENL 211 and 213. Additional study of English may be necessary for a student prior to entering ENL 211.

Students will take WRT 105 in the fall or spring of their first year and WRT 205 in the spring of their sophomore year. WRT 109/HNR, and WRT 209 are intensive versions of the three writing courses for students in the Honors Program. ENL 211 and 213 satisfy the requirement for students whose native language is not English. Alternatives are listed below.

WRT 105 Studio 1: Practices of Academic Writing (3 CREDITS) Study and practice of writing processes, including critical reading, collaboration, revision, editing, and the use of technologies. Focuses on the aims, strategies, and conventions of academic prose, especially analysis and argumentation.

WRT 205 Studio 2: Critical Research and Writing (3 CREDITS) Study and practice of critical, research-based writing, including research methods, presentation genres, source evaluation, audience analysis, and library/online research. Students complete at least one sustained research project.

WRT 109, 209 Studio 1 and 2 (HONORS) (3 CREDITS EACH) These courses are honors versions of WRT 105 and 205 for students of demonstrated exceptional ability. WRT 109 is a prerequisite for WRT 209

ENL 211 Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English (3 CREDITS) Expository writing and reading. Students develop an awareness of the cultural and discourse expectations in written English, through reading and responding to articles on a variety of topics and writing essays of increasing complexity.

ENL 213 Advanced Academic Writing and Research for Non-Native Speakers of English (3 CREDITS) Development of critical reading and thinking skills used in scholarly research in a variety of disciplines. Students learn to summarize, synthesize, critique, and document, and use library resources effectively.

EXEMPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES

Advanced Placement. Students who achieve a grade of 4 or 5 on their CEEB Advanced Placement Exam in Literature and Composition may register for WRT 205. Students who achieve a grade of 4 or higher on the CEEB Advanced Placement Exam in Language and Composition are not required to complete WRT 105 or WRT 205.

Project Advance. Students who have completed WRT 105. To complete the LIBERAL SKILLS in Writing requirement, these students should take WRT 205 in their sophomore year.

Transfer Credit. Course work completed at another college or university will be evaluated in a manner consistent with information provided in the Transfer Student section of this Guidebook. Transfer credit however is not accepted for the Writing Intensive requirement except when defined in articulation agreements.

Students will take a Writing-Intensive course as a prerequisite to taking WRT 205 in their fourth semester. The courses approved for satisfying this requirement are listed below. Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Writing Intensive Requirement except when they are included in an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements. These courses that fulfill the Writing Intensive Course requirement must be successfully completed by the student in the academic year in which they are listed in the Liberal Arts Core Guidebook.

Notes

Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Writing Intensive Requirement except when defined in articulation agreements.

Students satisfy the Language Skills option of the Liberal Skills Requirement by demonstrating that they have achieved a certain level of competence in a language other than English by either:

1. completing a 4-credit language course numbered 201, or a 3- or 4-credit language course numbered 202 or higher (see Advanced Language Work under Exemptions and Alternatives); or
2. satisfying one of the requirements listed on the next page under "Exemptions and Alternatives."

Beginners can complete the language requirement with a sequence of three 4-credit courses numbered 101, 102, and 201.

Courses numbered 101, 102, and 201 are available on a regular basis in American Sign Language, Ancient Greek, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi/Urdu, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.

STUDENTS MAY NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR A LOWER-LEVEL LANGUAGE COURSE TAKEN AFTER EARNING A GRADE IN A HIGHER LEVEL COURSE IN THE SAME LANGUAGE.

Catalog descriptions may vary slightly from the following, depending on the language; see entries under specific languages. The frequency of offering also may vary for different languages.

XXX (e.g., SPA) 101 LANGUAGE I (e.g., SPANISH I) (4 credits) (only offered in the fall)

Introductory proficiency-based course that prepares students to understand, speak, read and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in the language (e.g., Spanish). Prerequisite. No prior experience, or admission by placement testing.

XXX 102 LANGUAGE II (4 Credits) (offered in the spring; some languages offered in the fall) Continuing proficiency-based course that develops communicative abilities in speaking, listening, reading and writing in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in the languages. Prerequisite: Successful completion of XXX 101 or admission by placement testing.

XXX 201 LANGUAGE III (4 Credits) (offered in the spring; some languages offered in the fall) Refines and expands previously acquired linguistic skills in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in the language. Prerequisite: Successful completion of XXX 102 or admission by placement testing.

The following options are also available to fulfill the requirement:

Advanced Placement. Students who score a four in the following examinations thereby demonstrate a competency equivalent to Syracuse University language courses numbered 201 and satisfy the Language Skills Requirement: Chinese Language and Culture, Japanese Language and Culture, Latin, Spanish Literature.

Demonstrated Competence. Students who can show proof of a native or near native competency in a language other than English may seek approval of a petition from the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics to have their LAC Language Skills requirement fulfilled by virtue of their proficiency.

Advanced Language Work. One may fulfill the requirement by completing with a grade of C or better any 3- or 4-credit course taught in a language other than English numbered 202 or above offered by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.

International Students. Students whose native language is not English may petition to have the language requirement fulfilled by their knowledge of their native language.

Study Abroad. Programs of Syracuse University Abroad (SUA) in Chile, France, India, Italy, and Spain offer the same courses that are available on campus for satisfying the language requirement.

Transfer Credit. Transfer credit for foreign language courses will not be considered for approval until it has been evaluated by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Syracuse University to determine the appropriate course equivalent. Credit will be considered for acceptance by the College if taken at an accredited institution.

A student may satisfy the Quantitative Skills option of the Liberal Skills Requirement by successfully completing a First Course and a different Second Course drawn from the lists below. When planning a program, be aware that many courses in the second course list have prerequisite courses. Some courses appear on both lists.

Any student who completes a calculus course numbered 284 or higher with a grade of C or better is thereby exempt from the need to take an additional course to complete the Quantitative Skills Requirement. Calculus courses numbered 285 or higher may simultaneously be used to partially satisfy the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Divisional Requirement. MAT 284 cannot be used to meet both the Quantitative Skills Requirement and the Natural Science and Mathematics Divisional Requirements. It can only be used to meet one of these requirements.

Many students will satisfy the Quantitative Skills Requirement by taking a pair of statistics courses. MAT 121 provides introductions to statistics with emphasis on the analysis of real data sets. It does not assume any prerequisite mathematical preparation, although it is desirable that students have a reasonable level of competence in high school algebra. Students who complete MAT 121 may consider completing the sequence with one of the following: GEO 386, MAX 201, PSC 202, PSY 252, SOC 318, or SWK 361. Consult your advisor.

Only students who have mastered high school algebra should contemplate any of the remaining options for satisfying the quantitative skills requirement.

For Students Not Majoring In Sciences

The sequence MAT 221-222, Elementary Probability and Statistics, is designed for non-science majors and introduces basic concepts of probability and statistics and their applications. It is more mathematically rigorous than MAT 121-122.

For Students Interested In Programs Outside Of Arts And Sciences

Students should consult with their academic advisor to determine which sequence will work best for them.

For Students With Strong Mathematics Backgrounds

Students with strong mathematics backgrounds should consider taking calculus. MAT 285 is designed for students planning to major in the social or life sciences, whereas MAT 295 is designed for engineering students and science and mathematics majors. Students with a weak background in trigonometry and analytic geometry should take one of the sequences MAT 194-285 or MAT 194-295.

Calculus. Any student who completes with a grade of C or better any one calculus course numbered 284 or above has satisfied the Quantitative Skills requirement.

Advanced Credit Exam. Any student receiving 3 or more credits in calculus by advanced credit exam satisfies the Quantitative Skills requirement.

Transfer Credit. Courses transferred to Syracuse need not be retaken for the purposes of the Quantitative Skills requirement. In very exceptional circumstances, e.g., students who have completed courses at a non-accredited institution may petition to take a competency examination in any of the courses offered by the Mathematics Department. Students who pass such an examination are deemed to have passed the corresponding course for the purposes of the requirement. Petitions for such examinations should be submitted to the chair of the Mathematics Department.

To determine the appropriate course for you:

1. Take the Mathematics Placement Test as indicated in the first term enrollment selection information provided.
2. Consult the descriptions of mathematics courses and discuss your objectives with your advisor.
3. Follow the placement advice of the Mathematics Department on the basis of your placement test.

Transfer Students: If you are planning to take any mathematics course numbered 121 or above and have not been granted transfer credit for any such course, you should take the Mathematics Placement Test and consult with your advisor.

The requirement that students take four courses in each of the three curricular divisions of the College – the Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences and Mathematics divisions – is designed to promote goals fundamental to a liberal education.

• To enable students to develop broad perspectives informed by the best of scholarship and research from across the fields of liberal inquiry.
• To provide a critical understanding of various modes of intellectual inquiry and of how they differ, complement and compete with each other.
• To enable students to explore the opportunities for upper division studies – including fields in which they might major or minor – so that their subsequent choices will be informed ones.

To satisfy the Divisional Perspectives Requirement:

1. A student must take four, 3- or 4-credit courses in each of the three curricular divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences – that is, in the Humanities, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and the Social Sciences divisions.
2. In each division, two of the courses must constitute an approved sequence. Courses in a sequence may be taken in either order unless one is prerequisite to the other. *
3. Of the twelve courses used to satisfy the Divisional Perspectives Requirement, no more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division), with the exception of 3-credit HNR courses offered by the Renée Crown University Honors Program. Any course cross listed is considered to belong to each of the departments in the cross listing. Therefore, it counts as one of the maximum of three allowed from a single department to fulfill the Divisional Perspectives Requirement. Experience Credit and Independent Study credit cannot be used to satisfy the Divisional Perspective Requirement.
4. In each division, no more than one course may be selected from schools and colleges outside the College of Arts and Sciences.
5. In the Natural Science and Mathematics Division, at least one laboratory course must be included.

* In the lists that follow, courses connected by a hyphen (-) or otherwise stated constitute a sequence.

4 courses needed.

The Humanities Division encompasses the history, theory, analysis and criticism of language, literature and other texts, religion, art, and music; and the examination of fundamental questions arising in the human search for values, knowledge, purpose, and meaning. These are central concerns of the departments of African American Studies; English; Languages, Literatures and Linguistics; Art and Music Histories; Philosophy; Religion; Women’s and Gender Studies; and Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition. Hence, most courses satisfying the Humanities Division requirements come from these departments.

Students must take at least four courses from the following list, including a two-course sequence (indicated by hyphens), to complete the requirement for four courses in this division. No more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division).

4 courses needed

The Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division encompasses the investigation of natural phenomena, including the development of predictive explanatory systems, and includes the study of numerical and other abstract structures and relations. These are central concerns of the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Physics, and Mathematics. Hence, most courses satisfying the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division requirements come from these departments.

Students must take at least four courses from this list, including a 2-course sequence (indicated by hyphens) and a course with a laboratory (indicated by ~ before the course numbers) to complete the requirement for four courses in this division. No more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division).

--- 4 courses needed ---

The Social Sciences Division encompasses the history, theory, and investigation of societies, systems, regions, groups and individuals. These are central concerns of the departments of African American Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Geography and the Environment, History, Political Science, Policy Studies Psychology, Sociology, International Relations and Women's and Gender Studies. Hence, most courses satisfying the Social Sciences Division requirements come from these departments.

Students must take at least four courses from the following list, including a 2-course sequence (indicated by hyphens) to complete the requirement for four courses in this division. No more than three courses may be taken from a single department or program (even if the courses of the department or program are in more than one division).

Students are required to take three courses from the approved list that follows. These courses are designed to encourage students to think critically about social and ethical issues that are relevant to contemporary life. They are from a variety of departments and programs and will demonstrate the relevance of study in the liberal arts to gaining critical perspectives on aspects of contemporary society. Many of these courses may simultaneously be used to partially satisfy other Liberal Arts Core requirements.

Many of the courses that satisfy the Critical Reflections on Ethical and Social Issues Requirement promote the University’s core value of diversity. They help students to reflect on the diversity of peoples, social groups and cultures that surround them in contemporary life. Many other courses in the liberal arts curriculum outside those on the list of Critical Reflections courses also serve this goal.

Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Critical Reflections Requirement except when they are included in an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements.

Courses that fulfill the Critical Reflections requirement must be successfully completed by the student in the academic year in which they are listed in the Liberal Arts Core Guidebook.

NOTE: Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the Critical Reflections requirement except when defined in articulation agreements

Students are required to take two courses to fulfill the IDEA Course Requirement Many of these courses may simultaneously be used to partially satisfy other Liberal Arts Core requirements.

The IDEA course requirement provides undergraduate students the opportunity to explore concepts in social justice, broadly defined. The IDEA acronym encapsulates the core concepts of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility. These concepts are integral to models of social justice, and through their examination students can learn about important values, voices, and lives that have been marginalized and erased, along with strategies to create stronger and more just communities.

Transfer and other credit are not accepted for the IDEA Requirement except when they are included in an Associate Degree as defined in articulation agreements.

IDEA courses may be taught in any of the schools and colleges at the university. They vary greatly in topic area and content.

In addition to satisfying the IDEA requirement in the student's program of study, IDEA courses may also satisfy other distributional, major or minor requirements. The IDEA requirement may be completed at any time, but students are encouraged to do so early in their curriculum if possible.

To view all the applicable courses, please refer to the appropriate section of the Course Catalog.