Program: The Liberal Arts and Sciences Program Code: (LAS)
Program Faculty: Biernat, Buttenhoff, Churchill, Fontaine, Hagen, Haugen, Kallevig, Klaphake, Lukes*, Maitra, Nanoff, Nowak, Smalkoski, Vu (*program director)
Program Description:
We live in an intriguing, diverse world that requires broad educational experience, respect and understanding of human rights and the natural world. We view learning as a journey inward of personal transformation and a journey outward of knowledge, growth and change.
Education in the liberal arts and sciences cultivates the dimensions of human knowledge, creativity and experience that lead to the development of lifelong learners. The critical thinking, leadership and communication skills advanced in this curriculum are essential for continued learning and effective, professional level healthcare and human-services work. The insights, skills and attitudes promoted in a liberal arts education empower citizenship and change.
The educational experience in the liberal arts and sciences reflects our commitment to social justice, diversity and leadership.
Learning in the liberal arts and sciences is divided among six core areas:
Written and Oral Composition and Communication
We stress the importance and value, for both work and personal life, of organizing and presenting ideas logically and coherently in language that is clear and effective.
Humanities
We equip students to engage with the creative works of human culture, past and present, and affirm the value of human imagination as the birthright of every person.
Natural and Physical Science and Mathematics
We engage students in the study of the natural world. Individual topics allow the student to investigate, measure, interrelate and predict scientific phenomena.
Theology
We value the place of the spiritual in the journey toward personal wholeness, respect all forms of religious expression and the way human cultures respond to the ultimate dimension of life.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
We engage students in learning about the elements of a personal, natural and global environment shared with diverse others and the systems, values and behaviors that both affect and are affected by the developing person.
Philosophy
We equip students to think critically and analytically about philosophical and ethical issues involving human dignity, worth, rights, freedom, social justice and responsibility, and the meaning of life, knowledge and truth.
The liberal arts and sciences faculty are dedicated to helping students reach educational goals and enhance their lives through learning. We recognize and appreciate that our students have diverse educational backgrounds and life experiences. We acknowledge that many of the most important educational outcomes of a strong liberal arts and sciences education are those that are the most difficult to measure.
Major Requirements:
LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES CORE (28 CREDITS)
Written/Oral Composition and Communication (2 credits required)
ENGL 110 Composition I
(This must be taken during a student's first year on campus.)
Humanities [4 credits required: 2 credits required in literature (ENGL 209, 210 or 298), 2 credits required in art]
ENGL 209 Memoirs
ENGL 210 Creative Writing
ENGL 250 The Short Story
ENGL 298 Topics in Literature
ART 102 Art and Artists
ART 130 Printmaking
ART 140 Non-visual Art
ART 150 Folk Art
ART 298 Topics in Art
Natural Science and Mathematics (6 credits required)
BIOL 200 Summer Science Immersion
BIOL 240 Anatomy and Physiology I
BIOL 241 Anatomy and Physiology II
BIOL 242 Human Disease
BIOL 245 Applied Microbiology
ECOL 200 Human Ecology
MATH 102 Math in Society I
MATH 103 Math in Society II
Theology (2 credits required)
THEO 101 Human Religious Experience
THEO 110 Sacred Scriptures
THEO 203 Faith
THEO 298 Topics in Theology
Social and Behavioral Science (8 credits required: 4 in PSYC 100 and 2 in SSCS 100; 2 other credits in SSCS electives)
PSYC 100 General Psychology
SSCS 100 Power and Social Change
SSCS 130 Global Studies Seminar
SSCS 200 Human Ecology
SSCS 230 Immigrants and Refugees: Economic, Social and Political Issues
SSCS 298 Topics in Social Sciences
Philosophy (2 credits required: PHIL 200)
PHIL 200 Ethical Problems in Healthcare
At least four additional credits of liberal arts and sciences are required for the A.A.S. degree and the A.S. degree. Individual programs may require specific credits in the liberal arts and sciences. Students are encouraged to refer to their program's curriculum guide in this catalog for program-specific credit requirements.
For information about the two-credit minimum requirement for Core Integrated Learning (CIL), refer to the CIL section of the catalog.
A student who fails to meet minimal grade requirements in a program-required liberal arts and sciences course will not graduate until she or he has either:
reregistered for and satisfactorily repeated the entire course (if the course is not offered for variable credit) or the necessary segments of the course (if the course is offered for variable credit), or
satisfactorily completed a course elsewhere and transferred the credits to the College of St. Catherine
NOTE: Students should have such courses approved prior to registration to be sure that these credits will transfer and fulfill the requirements for graduation.
Students must take liberal arts and sciences courses in the order prescribed by the College and the student's program director.
