Core Curriculum

The Mission of the Canisius Core Curriculum 

The purpose of the Canisius University Core Curriculum is to equip Canisius students with intellectual tools to be intelligent and effective men and women for and with others, who are also better able to seek God in all things, in our contemporary world. 

Such tools are acquired and developed through a broad education in the liberal arts - humanities, social sciences, and natural & quantitative sciences - with a focus on exposing students to the diversity of human experience and a theoretical and practical understanding of individual and social responsibility.

The content and structure of our Core Curriculum is rooted in the humanistic ideals of the Catholic intellectual tradition and in Jesuit pedagogy and mission. This is demonstrated in our Core's emphases on academic excellence, the dialogue of faith and reason, and service and responsibility to humanity, most especially the poor and marginalized.  The Core also seeks to engage Canisius students with the spiritual dimension of life - in others and in themselves - to enable them to seek God in all things and thus develop a deeper and richer solidarity with all of God's people and creation.

Through the Core Curriculum, a student will develop their skills in writing, oral communication, information literacy, and critical thinking - all of which are essential for success in life regardless of one's profession or calling in life.

More information about the core is available on the Academic Affairs Website.

- Dr. Stephen Chanderbhan

Chair, Core Curriculum Committee

(Edited June 30, 2022)

Mission Statement (2007 Core Curriculum Document)

"In the spirit of our mission as an American, Catholic, Jesuit University, our core curriculum is: 

  • Founded in the liberal arts tradition, within the ideal of academic excellence ever working toward the discovery and communication of truth, and
  • Expressive of teaching toward a sense of responsibility to use one's gifts for the service of others and the benefit of society as part of the Jesuit mission of the service of faith and the promotion of justice.

So that we might attend to cura personalis for all of our students and thus prepare them to be men and women for others who strive continually for something more (magis), the core curriculum stipulates both distribution in the liberal arts tradition and cross-disciplinary attributes representing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills we hope to foster in them.

In general, the goals for the core curriculum are to provide:

  • A breadth of knowledge in the liberal arts toward development of reflection and judgment.
  • A focused awareness of the human condition as marked by both cooperation and conflict to which educated people of good will and good spirit bring both thoughtfulness and understanding.
  • A foundation of skills that enables students to turn their knowledge and understanding into academic productivity and a sense of social responsibility."

DESCRIPTIONS OF CORE CURRICULUM COMPONENTS

The Core Curriculum contains the following components: (1) Foundations courses, (2) Breadth of Knowledge (Field) courses, (3) Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge Attribute courses, (4) Cross-Disciplinary Skill courses, and (5) a Core Capstone.

Foundation Courses

The Core Curriculum provides a foundation of four courses: ENG 111 (Academic Writing), ENG 112 (Writing About Literature), PHI 101 (Introduction to Philosophy), and RST 101 (Introduction to Religious Studies).  

These courses, usually completed during the first year, comprise the basic starting point for a humanistic education in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition. Here, students will be introduced to the practices of academic reading and writing, information literacy, critical thinking, and communication.  Further, students will have their first academic experience at Canisius of the concerns that are definitive of our Catholic, Jesuit Core: Diversity, Ethics, Global Awareness, and Justice.  Please click on the Learning Goals tab above for a list of the learning goals and objectives for each Foundation course.

  • ENG 111: Academic Writing
    This course emphasizes the production of academic writing through critical analysis of texts from different topics. These courses are intended to be seminar style with reading and discussion appropriately challenging for first-year students. The motivating goal is that students learn to write to enhance learning, find and evaluate information, practice academic integrity, negotiate the process of revision, and use correct grammar and syntax.
  • ENG 112: Writing about Literature
    This course develops strategies for reading and writing about literature — e.g., poetry, drama, fiction, literary essays — from a variety of cultural traditions. The motivating goal is that students come to understand and interpret primary literary texts, develop writing skills, and develop and organize interpretive essays through the use and evaluation of sources. ENG 112 courses have a significant component devoted to writing instruction and developing information literacy. Students undertake appropriate research activities, write at least 15 pages of polished prose, and revise their writing exercises.
  • PHI 101: Introduction to Philosophy
    This course acknowledges the special place of philosophy - the study of ultimate questions of existence, value, and meaning - in Catholic, Jesuit education. PHI 101 provides a thoughtful examination of philosophical issues, including those of ethics and/or justice, with a concern that students learn to use logical and critical analysis to understand the claims and arguments proposed by classical and contemporary philosophers, including some in the Catholic philosophical tradition.
  • RST 101: Introduction to Religious Studies
    This course acknowledges the special place of studying religion - systems of thought and practice concerning humans' relationship with the transcendent - in Catholic, Jesuit education. RST 101 provides an academic introduction to religion in general, with a concern that students understand the nature and role of religion, religious experience, and religious practice in human life and society, including Catholic (and Jesuit) traditions as well as other world religions.

Breadth of Knowledge (Field) Courses

The Core Curriculum includes a distribution of courses, one in each of seven Breadth of Knowledge Fields encompassing the traditional liberal arts: Religious Studies and Theology (Field 1), Philosophy (Field 2), Literature and the Arts (Field 3), History (Field 4), Social Sciences (Field 5), Natural Sciences (Field 6), and Quantitative Sciences (Field 7). 

Taken together, these courses provide students with a better understanding of the variety of disciplinary norms, specific to each Field, according to which knowledge claims are judged. Ideally, students will become better able to analyze both their inner lives and the world outside themselves from a variety of angles, equipping them to understand better the depth and nuance of the human experience.  Please click on the Curriculum tab above for a list of courses that count for each Field.  Please click on the Learning Goals tab above for a list of the learning goals and objectives for each Field.

NOTE: A course can have only one Breadth of Knowledge (Field) designation.  However, some courses also will count for one Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge Attribute and/or one Cross-Disciplinary Skill.  (For example, one course cannot count for both Field 1 and Field 2 credit; but one course may count for Field 1, Ethics, and Advanced Writing-Intensive credit.)  Also, these Core courses can count for major / minor / program credit.

  • Field 1: Religious Studies and Theology
    Ideally building on RST 101, Field 1 courses enable students to gain a clearer understanding of the role that religion plays in human life through a careful and systematic examination of religious ideas, institutions, values, or patterns of belief and practice.
  • Field 2: Philosophy
    Ideally building on PHI 101, Field 2 courses enable students to understand, articulate, and evaluate the values, principles, and assumptions on which individual and social decisions rest.
  • Field 3: Literature and the Arts
    Ideally building on ENG 111 and/or ENG 112, Field 3 courses enable students to understand the aesthetic dimension of creative work in the fine arts and/or literature and to articulate how that creative work mirrors and shapes human experience.
  • Field 4: History
    Field 4 courses enable students to understand how historians use evidence to study the recorded past, to situate events, artifacts, and experiences in their historical context, and to analyze the process of change over time.
  • Field 5: Social Sciences
    Field 5 courses enable students to explain, interpret, and critically analyze human behavior and social structures from the perspective of the social sciences and their methods.
  • Field 6: Natural Sciences
    Field 6 courses enable students to explain, interpret, and critically analyze the natural world using the scientific method from the perspectives of the various natural sciences.
  • Field 7: Quantitative Sciences
    Field 7 courses enable students to reason quantitatively, abstractly, or computationally about the world using the symbol systems rooted in quantitative measures, logical analysis, and/or algorithms to solve practical problems.

Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge Attribute Courses

The Core Curriculum includes courses focused on each of four areas central to a Catholic, Jesuit education, particularly in contemporary times: Diversity, Ethics, Global Awareness, and Justice.

Taken together, these courses build upon concepts and content from students' Foundations courses to help them develop a well-educated solidarity, as our mission and identity compels us.  Further, they help students to understand the principles that justify various conceptions of individual and social responsibility.  Ideally, this education for justice will help students become more aware of where and how they should act to bring about a more truly just world.  Please click on the Curriculum tab above for a list of courses that count for each Knowledge Attribute.  Please click on the Learning Goals tab above for a list of the learning goals and objectives for each Knowledge Attribute.

NOTE: A course can have only one Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge Attribute designation.  However, some courses also will count for one Breadth of Knowledge (Field) and/or one Cross-Disciplinary Skill.  (For example, one course cannot count for both Ethics and Global Awareness credit; but one course may count for Field 3, Global Awareness, and Oral Communication credit.)  Also, these Core courses can count for major / minor / program credit.

  • Diversity
    (This description is effective in Spring 2023) Courses with a Diversity attribute investigate real examples of how social realities are shaped by actions, policies, and practices regarding multiple intersecting identities in human lives (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, (dis)ability, class, etc.). Some course content must address issues of race/ethnicity in North America. Having a well-educated solidarity implies having the intellectual tools to understand various claims about human identities, as well as the lived experiences and values of various social groups. Ideally, students will become better able to understand how others view their own identities, communities, and associated values, and consequently become more adept at creating an authentic culture of encounter in their communities.
  • Ethics
    Courses with an Ethics attribute enable students to develop a thorough understanding of ultimate value in terms of human agency, happiness, and living well. Special attention will be given to the various theoretical frameworks that make living well intelligible, personally and professionally. An understanding of ethics is an integral part of self-understanding, self-reflective action, and the principled development of one's conscience and character.  Ideally, students will become better able to examine their values critically, discern more accurately what morality demands of them in their actions, and facilitate constructive dialogue with those whose conceptions of fundamental right and wrong differ in principled ways.
  • Global Awareness
    Courses with a Global Awareness attribute enable students to develop an awareness of nations, countries, regions, communities, cultures, peoples, and histories outside of the United States. We live in an essentially interconnected world, and that well-educated students ought to have the intellectual tools to comprehend global events and their implications on more localized concerns.  Ideally, students will become better able to contextualize their own attitudes and choices within their appropriate global context and keep the interconnectedness of our world before their minds as they make decisions in their personal and professional lives.
  • Justice
    Courses with a Justice attribute enable students to develop an understanding of various conceptions of rights, the right ordering of societies, the tensions between justice and power, and the direct and structural causes of various injustices. Since each of us has a responsibility to help to create a more just world, developing one's understanding of justice at theoretical and practical levels will help one to envision how best to fulfill this responsibility.  Ideally, students will become better able to understand the grounds for their societal responsibilities and facilitate constructive dialogue with those whose conceptions of justice and injustice differ in principled ways.

Cross-Disciplinary Skills Courses

Drawing upon the tradition of eloquentia perfecta in the Jesuit Ratio studiorum, our Core Curriculum includes two courses focused on developing students' abilities at communication - one in Writing (Advanced Writing-Intensive) and one in Oral Communication. Development in both of these is undeniably critical for personal and professional success and well-being, especially nowadays as life in the contemporary world requires sensitive and skillful communication with those of widely different backgrounds, experiences, and values. 

Taken together, these courses build upon concepts and content from students' Foundations courses to help them develop habits of speech, writing, and thought that will complement the growth in knowledge and maturity students experience across their Core experience and within their major(s).  Ideally, students' development as effective communicators will help them maintain a sense of community with their interlocutors, as well as help them craft consensus in an increasingly complex world.   Please click on the Curriculum tab above for a list of courses that count for each Skill.  Please click on the Learning Goals tab above for a list of the learning goals and objectives for each Skill.

NOTE: A course can have only one Cross-Disciplinary Skill designation.  However, some courses also will count for one Breadth of Knowledge (Field) and/or one Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge Attribute.  (For example, one course cannot count for both Advanced Writing-Intensive and Oral Communication credit; but one course may count for Field 5, Diversity, and Oral Communication credit.)  Also, these Core courses can count for major / minor / program credit.

  • Advanced Writing-Intensive
    Courses with an Advanced Writing-Intensive designation provide significant emphasis on using writing as a way to learn. The focal concern is that students participate in the process of drafting, re-writing, and editing at an advanced level, with extensive commentary and assistance from instructors.
  • Oral Communication
    ​Courses with an Oral Communication designation enable students to develop abilities to communicate effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts, including face-to-face engagements and group presentations. 

Core Capstone

The Core Curriculum concludes with a Core Capstone, which students should take upon completion of all the other core components, usually in senior year or the second semester of junior year.  In this course, students will have an opportunity to recall, reflect upon, and synthesize what they have learned from their Core classes, especially those bearing Knowledge Attributes (Diversity, Ethics, Global Awareness, Justice). 

This completes an arc of development in their education at Canisius that started in their Foundation courses, but also sets them up to be lifelong learners beyond their time at Canisius with a special concern for the themes emphasized in the Core.  To illustrate the integral unity of the definitive themes of the Core, Capstones will focus on how the themes of the Knowledge Attributes are interconnected and addressed within a particular subject - which may be a subject close to a student's major field of study.  Further, students will be able to engage in enriching dialogue with fellow classmates who have had different experiences of the Core up to that point.  Ideally, a student will be able to trace how their understanding of the elements of their Core experience has developed and will be inspired to continue to keep such matters in the forefront of their minds in whatever they do after graduation.  

Please click on the Curriculum tab above for a list of courses that count for the Capstone.  Please click on the Learning Goals tab above for a list of the learning goals and objectives for the Capstone.

NOTE: There are rare instances in which Capstone courses can count for major / minor / program credit.  Please consult with your major / minor / program advisor.

Courses in the Core Curriculum

Please note that the list of courses provided below is current as of fall 2018, but is subject to change.  Courses are sometimes added to the list of courses in each of the Core Fields and/or Attributes and/or Skills.  Additionally, courses are sometimes removed from the Core Fields and/or Attributes and/or Skills if they no longer fulfill the expectations of the core.  That said, any course used by a student to fulfill a Core requirement must be designated as a Core Field and/or Attribute and/or Skill course in the semester in which the student takes that class.  The most recent information for a given course in a given semester is available in "Look Up Classes," which is accessible via my.canisius.edu during the registration process.    

If you have any questions about whether a particular course counts for Core Credit, please consult with the instructor of the course and/or the Director of the Core Curriculum. 

Foundations

Students must take each of the following classes:
ENG 111Academic Writing3
ENG 112Writing about Literature3
PHI 101Introduction to Philosophy3
RST 101Introduction to Religious Studies and Theology3

Field 1 (Religious Studies and Theology)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 1, which currently includes the following:
CLS 309Greek and Roman Religion3
HIS 302Life and Theology in Colonial Atlantic3
IGSR 300Immersion East Side Seminar3
RST 200Introduction to the Hebrew Bible3
RST 201Introduction to the New Testament3
RST 219History of Eastern Orthodox Christianity3
RST 220Religions of Asia3
RST 221Native American Religions3
RST 224Islam: Tradition and Revival3
RST 229Religious Perspectives on Animals3
RST 230Catholic Belief Today3
RST 231Introduction to Catholic Studies3
RST 237Images of Jesus in Film and Art3
RST 304Women, Gender, and Religion: Judaism, Christianity, Islam3
RST 312Race, Ethnicity, and the New Testament3
RST 314New Testament in Literature and Art3
RST 325Early Christianity3
RST 340Moral Issues Today3
RST 341Catholic Social Ethics: Theological Perspectives3
RST 345Bio-Moral Problems3
RST 347Ecotheology3
RST 355The Problem of Suffering3
RST 360Magic, Science and Religion3

Field 2 (Philosophy)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 2, which currently includes the following:
PHI 211Philosophy of Religion3
PHI 225Logic3
PHI 240Justice3
PHI 241Ethics: Traditions in Moral Reasoning3
PHI 242Ethical Issues in Business3
PHI 243Bio-Medical Ethics3
PHI 244Environmental Ethics3
PHI 245Animal Ethics3
PHI 246Ethics of Technology3
PHI 247Food and Agricultural Ethics3
PHI 252Happiness, Virtue and the Good Life3
PHI 261Philosophy of Law3
PHI 264Justice & the Environment: The Problem of Climate Change3
PHI 267Faith, Reason, and Justice Catholic Social Thought3
PHI 271Philosophy of Human Rights3
PHI 272Gender and Philosophy3
PHI 273Race and Philosophy3
PHI 274Social and Political Philosophy3
PHI 275Global Feminisms3
PHI 280Philosophy of Mind3
PHI 285Black Philosophy3
PHI 291Philosophy of Art3
PHI 292Philosophy of Beauty3
PHI 293Philosophy of Film3

Field 3 (Literature and the Arts)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 3, which currently includes the following:
CLS 205Ancient Greece: Culture and Society3
CLS 206Ancient Rome: Culture and Society3
CLS 207Mythology and Literature3
CLS 214Greek and Roman Tragedy3
DMA 201Introduction to Digital Media3
DMA 2133D Graphics3
DMA 214Digital Design Concepts3
DMA 310Digital Audio/Music Production3
ENG 202Drama3
ENG 211Science Fiction and Fantasy3
ENG 216Literature and Business3
ENG 217Law and Literature3
ENG 218Literature and Medicine3
ENG 219Literature and Psychology3
ENG 223Images of Women in Literature and Film3
ENG 224The Journey in World Literature3
ENG 225The Journey in American Literature3
ENG 233The Quest in Medieval Literature3
ENG 285Animals in Film and Literature3
ENG 294Introduction to Creative Writing3
ENG 316Revising the American Renaissance3
ENG 319GRace, Ethnicity, and Realism in American Literature 1880 through 19303
ENG 319LRise of the American Novel3
ENG 368Native American Literature3
ENG 369Contemporary American Fiction3
ENG 375US Cold War Culture and Counterculture3
ENG 382African American Literature3
FAH 101Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals3
FAH 102Altarpieces, Academies & the Avant-Garde3
FAH 103Survey of Pre-Columbian and Native American Art3
FAH 109History of Architecture3
FAH 110History of Photography3
FAH 159Gender, Identity, and Art3
FAH 210Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art3
FAH 213Greek and Roman Art3
FAH 224Medieval Art3
FAH 245Renaissance Art3
FAH 248Baroque Art3
FAH 265Contemporary Art3
FAH 267Frank Lloyd Wright3
FAH 271Art in Buffalo3
FAH 272Animals in Art3
FAM 115Fundamentals of Music3
FAM 119Masterpieces of Music3
FAM 122History of Rock and Roll3
FAM 123World Musics3
FAM 124America's Music3
FAM 212Canisius and the BPO Experience3
FAM 213Women in Music3
FAM 217Music of the Baroque Period3
FAM 21919th Century Music3
FAM 220Art Music from 1900 to the Present3
FAM 223The World of Music Theater3
FAS 110Two-Dimensional Design3
FAS 120Drawing I3
FAS 130Three-Dimensional Design3
FAS 131Sculpture I3
FAS 141Digital Photography3
FAS 142Travel Photography3
FAS 150Color3
FAS 160Printmaking I3
FAS 170Studio Painting I3
SPA 336Latinos in the US Latino Literature and Film3
SPA 436Detective Fiction: Murderous Seduction3
SPA 444Magic Realism in Fiction & Film from Latin American Origins to a Global Phenomenon3

Field 4 (History)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 4, which currently includes the following:
CLS 103Greek History3
CLS 104Roman History3
CLS 216Race and Ethnicity in the Ancient World3
EVST 259Environmental History of the United States3
HIS 106The Medieval World3
HIS 107History of Modern Europe to 18153
HIS 108History of Modern Europe since 18153
HIS 123History of the United States: The Colonial Period to Reconstruction3
HIS 124History of the United States: 1877 to the Present3
HIS 126America's Story II: The Later Years3
HIS 201United States Military History3
HIS 206History of the Crusades3
HIS 208America's Story II: The Later Years3
HIS 209History of Asia to 18003
HIS 210History of Asia Since 18003
HIS 211Women In The Western World3
HIS 212Power, Politics, and the People: Nineteenth Century Europe3
HIS 213Europe and the World in a Century of Conflict3
HIS 220The History of Food3
HIS 226History of Ireland3
HIS 229The Violent Century in Films3
HIS 233America and the Holocaust3
HIS 235From Jamestown to Yorktown: Making the United States3
HIS 236From Washington to Lincoln: The Making of American Democracy3
HIS 241Women in American History 1880 to Present3
HIS 255African American History3
HIS 260Canada and the World3
HIS 263Wars of Latin America3
HIS 264Latin American History to 18303
HIS 265Latin American History Since 18303
HIS 280The Making of Modern Africa3
PSC 111Western Political Tradition3

Field 5 (Social Sciences)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 5, which currently includes the following:
ANZ 219Animals in the Ancient World3
CLS 209Greek and Roman Archaeology3
CLS 211Archaeology of Pompeii3
CLS 212Borders, Walls, and Immigrants in the Ancient World3
COM 204Relational Communication3
COM 205Media Literacy3
COM 304Family Communication3
CRJ 227Criminal Justice I3
DMA 215Digital Media Culture3
ECO 101Principles of Macroeconomics3
EDE 100Human Growth and Development - Birth through Childhood3
EDS 101Human Growth and Social Development: Adolescence3
EDU 100Exploring the Teaching Profession3
EVST 250Narratives of Nature and Culture3
PSC 103The American Constitution3
PSC 104American Political Process3
PSC 140International Relations3
PSC 150Comparative Government and Politics3
PSC 201Race, Law, and Politics3
PSC 224Congress and the Legislative Process3
PSC 241Human Rights and Globalization3
PSC 242International Organizations3
PSC 250Politics in Latin America3
PSC 336Urban Government and Politics3
PSC 338Refugee Resettlement in the United States3
PSC 360Political Economy of the Developing World3
PSC 370Domestic Conflicts & Peace3
PSY 102Introduction to Psychology II3
PSY 380Science and Pseudoscience in Psychology: Thinking Critically3
SOC 110Introduction to Sociology3
SOC 111Contemporary Social Problems3
SOC 234Environment and Society3
SOC 273Social Movements and Social Change3
SOC 291Gender and Society3
SOC 341Race and Ethnicity3
SPMT 320Psychology of Sport3
WST 201Introduction to Women and Gender Studies3

Field 6 (Natural Sciences)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 6, which currently includes the following
BIO 109Nutrition3
BIO 111Introductory Biology I3
BIO 114Human Biology: Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology3
BIO 116Disease: Myth and Reality3
BIO 120Biology in the News3
BIO 121Human Reproduction3
BIO 132Genes and People3
BIO 166Biology of Birds3
CHM 104Energy, Environment, and Society3
CHM 111General Chemistry I3
CHM 112General Chemistry II3
EVST 110Science of Environmental Problems I3
EVST 111Science of Environmental Problems II3
EVST 300Special Topics The Ecology of Nature and Identity3
GEO 325Introduction to Physical Geography3
GEOL 120Introductory Geology3
PHY 131Earthquakes: Seismology and Society3
PHY 223General Physics for Physical Science Majors I3

Field 7 (Quantitative Sciences)

Students must choose one class that fulfills Field 7, which currently includes the following:
CSC 108Introduction to Web Computing3
CSC 111Introduction to Programming3
CSC 200Computational Thinking on the Internet3
DAT 111Introduction to Reporting and Analysis3
KIN 398Statistics and Research Design3
MAT 105Finite Mathematics3
MAT 106Calculus for the Non-Sciences3
MAT 108College Precalculus4
MAT 109Calculus with Review I4
MAT 111Calculus I4
MAT 115Calculus for Business4
MAT 131Statistics for Social Sciences3
MAT 141Inferential Statistics and Computers for Science4
MAT 150Mathematics and Politics3
MAT 161Mathematics for Elementary Teachers3
MAT 162Mathematics for Middle and High School Teachers3

Advanced Writing-Intensive

Students must choose one class that fulfills the Advanced Writing-Intensive attribute, which currently includes the courses below. (Note that many of these courses also fulfill one of the Breadth of Knowledge Fields; some may also fulfill one of the Cross-Disciplinary Attributes).
ABEC 340Research Methods in Animal Behavior3
ABEC 360Observational Research Methods4
ANT 341Environmental Anthropology3
BCH 403LMolecular Biology Laboratory1
BIO 312Primatology3
BIO 404LGenetics Laboratory1
BIO 432Developmental Biology3
CHM 301LFundamental Physical Chemistry Laboratory1
COM 203Writing for Contemporary Media3
CRJ 285Legal Writing and Advocacy II3
CRJ 455Criminology3
CSC 320The Social Impact of Computing3
EDS 223Foundations of Adolescent Literacy3
ENG 202Drama3
ENG 205Varieties of the Essay3
ENG 218Literature and Medicine3
ENG 219Literature and Psychology3
ENG 223Images of Women in Literature and Film3
ENG 224The Journey in World Literature3
ENG 225The Journey in American Literature3
ENG 233The Quest in Medieval Literature3
ENG 285Animals in Film and Literature3
ENG 294Introduction to Creative Writing3
ENG 383Advanced Academic Writing3
ENG 385Rhetoric and Composition3
ENG 389Business Communication3
ENG 390Tutoring Writing3
FAH 272Animals in Art3
HIS 299Historian's Craft3
HIS 299CHist Craft: Stalinism3
HIS 411History Thesis and Defense3
LEG 201Legal Reasoning, Writing and Advocacy3
PHY 350Modern Physics Laboratory1
PSC 242International Organizations3
PSC 370Domestic Conflicts & Peace3
RST 230Catholic Belief Today3
RST 231Introduction to Catholic Studies3
RST 325Early Christianity3
RST 341Catholic Social Ethics: Theological Perspectives3
SPMT 480Research Methods in Sport3

Oral Communication

Students must choose one class that fulfills the Oral Communication attribute, which currently includes the courses below. (Note that many of these courses also fulfill one of the Breadth of Knowledge Fields; some may also fulfill one of the Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge Attributes).
BIO 353Biology Seminar II1
CHM 481Communicating Research Literature1
CLS 214Greek and Roman Tragedy3
CLS 306Blood, Pus, and Vomit: Studying Ancient Medicine3
CLS 309Greek and Roman Religion3
COM 201Dynamic Presentations3
COM 319Training and Development3
CRJ 280Legal Writing and Advocacy I3
EDS 432Applied Methods of Teaching English: Adolescence3
EDS 433Applied Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Adolescence3
EDS 434Applied Methods of Teaching Modern Languages: Adolescence3
EDS 435Applied Methods of Teaching Science: Adolescence3
EDS 436Applied Methods of Teaching Social Studies3
ENG 147Acting I3
ENG 148Acting II3
ENG 350The Theater Experience3
ENT 101Experiential Entrepreneurship: Creativity, Innovation, Opportunity, and Idea Generation3
FAH 210Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art3
FAH 213Greek and Roman Art3
HIS 126America's Story II: The Later Years3
HIS 208America's Story II: The Later Years3
HIS 309World War I3
HIS 331British Monarchy3
MAT 480Mathematics Seminar1
MLS 201Foundations of Leadership3
MLS 401Mission Command and the Army Profession3
MLS 402Mission Command and the Company Grade Officer3
PED 441Teaching Methods in Physical Education3
PHY 351Advanced Laboratory1
PSC 224Congress and the Legislative Process3
RST 347Ecotheology3
SPA 323Topics in Conversation I Peninsular Culture and Civilization3
SPA 324Topics in Conversation II Latin American Culture and Civilization3
SPE 432Seminar in Teaching and Assessment3
SPMT 430Sport Communications3

Global Awareness

Students must choose one class that fulfills the Global Awareness attribute, which currently includes the courses below. (Note that many of these courses also fulfill one of the Breadth of Knowledge Fields; some may also fulfill one of the Cross-Disciplinary Skills).
ANT 341Environmental Anthropology3
ANZ 219Animals in the Ancient World3
CHM 104Energy, Environment, and Society3
CLS 103Greek History3
CLS 104Roman History3
CLS 205Ancient Greece: Culture and Society3
CLS 206Ancient Rome: Culture and Society3
CLS 209Greek and Roman Archaeology3
CLS 211Archaeology of Pompeii3
CLS 212Borders, Walls, and Immigrants in the Ancient World3
CLS 309Greek and Roman Religion3
CLS 311Alexander the Great3
ENG 224The Journey in World Literature3
ENG 381Postcolonial Literature3
FAH 101Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals3
FAH 102Altarpieces, Academies & the Avant-Garde3
FAH 109History of Architecture3
FAH 110History of Photography3
FAH 159Gender, Identity, and Art3
FAH 210Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art3
FAH 224Medieval Art3
FAH 245Renaissance Art3
FAH 248Baroque Art3
FAH 265Contemporary Art3
FAM 119Masterpieces of Music3
FAM 123World Musics3
FAM 212Canisius and the BPO Experience3
FAM 217Music of the Baroque Period3
FAM 21919th Century Music3
FRC 103Introductory French I3
FRC 104Introductory French II3
HIS 106The Medieval World3
HIS 107History of Modern Europe to 18153
HIS 108History of Modern Europe since 18153
HIS 206History of the Crusades3
HIS 209History of Asia to 18003
HIS 210History of Asia Since 18003
HIS 211Women In The Western World3
HIS 212Power, Politics, and the People: Nineteenth Century Europe3
HIS 213Europe and the World in a Century of Conflict3
HIS 220The History of Food3
HIS 226History of Ireland3
HIS 260Canada and the World3
HIS 263Wars of Latin America3
HIS 264Latin American History to 18303
HIS 265Latin American History Since 18303
HIS 280The Making of Modern Africa3
PED 203Lifetime and Fitness Activities3
PED 204Games and Sports3
PHI 211Philosophy of Religion3
PHY 131Earthquakes: Seismology and Society3
PSC 140International Relations3
PSC 150Comparative Government and Politics3
PSC 241Human Rights and Globalization3
PSC 242International Organizations3
PSC 250Politics in Latin America3
PSC 360Political Economy of the Developing World3
RST 200Introduction to the Hebrew Bible3
RST 219History of Eastern Orthodox Christianity3
RST 220Religions of Asia3
RST 224Islam: Tradition and Revival3
RST 325Early Christianity3
RST 360Magic, Science and Religion3
SPA 103Introductory Spanish I3
SPA 104Introductory Spanish II3
SPA 215Communicating in Spanish3
SPA 217Intro Comp Panorama SocioCultural Latinoamericano3
SPA 444Magic Realism in Fiction & Film from Latin American Origins to a Global Phenomenon3
SPMT 440Global Perspective in Sport3

Justice

Students must choose one class that fulfills the Justice attribute, which currently includes the courses below. (Note that many of these courses also fulfill one of the Breadth of Knowledge Fields; some may also fulfill one of the Cross-Disciplinary Skills).
CRJ 280Legal Writing and Advocacy I3
CRJ 455Criminology3
ECO 401Public Economics3
EDU 250Foundations of Education3
ENG 217Law and Literature3
HIS 201United States Military History3
IGSR 300Immersion East Side Seminar3
IGSR 306Faith/Justice/Globalism in Phi3
JRN 100Introduction to Journalism3
MAT 150Mathematics and Politics3
PHI 240Justice3
PHI 261Philosophy of Law3
PHI 264Justice & the Environment: The Problem of Climate Change3
PHI 267Faith, Reason, and Justice Catholic Social Thought3
PHI 271Philosophy of Human Rights3
PHI 272Gender and Philosophy3
PHI 273Race and Philosophy3
PHI 274Social and Political Philosophy3
PHI 275Global Feminisms3
PHI 285Black Philosophy3
PSC 111Western Political Tradition3
PSC 320American Constitutional Law I3
PSC 321American Constitutional Law II3
PSY 392Prosocial Behavior3
RST 341Catholic Social Ethics: Theological Perspectives3
SOC 273Social Movements and Social Change3
SPA 324Topics in Conversation II Latin American Culture and Civilization3
SPA 436Detective Fiction: Murderous Seduction3

Ethics

Students must choose one class that fulfills the Ethics attribute, which currently includes the courses below. (Note that many of these courses also fulfill one of the Breadth of Knowledge Fields; some may also fulfill one of the Cross-Disciplinary Skills).
CLS 207Mythology and Literature3
CLS 214Greek and Roman Tragedy3
COM 351Media Ethics3
CRJ 382Criminal Justice Ethics3
CSC 108Introduction to Web Computing3
CSC 200Computational Thinking on the Internet3
CSC 320The Social Impact of Computing3
MGT 370Managerial Environment3
PHI 241Ethics: Traditions in Moral Reasoning3
PHI 242Ethical Issues in Business3
PHI 243Bio-Medical Ethics3
PHI 244Environmental Ethics3
PHI 245Animal Ethics3
PHI 246Ethics of Technology3
PHI 247Food and Agricultural Ethics3
PHI 252Happiness, Virtue and the Good Life3
RST 340Moral Issues Today3
RST 345Bio-Moral Problems3
SPMT 302Sport and Ethics3

Diversity

Students must choose one class that fulfills the Diversity attribute, which currently includes the courses below. (Note that many of these courses also fulfill one of the Breadth of Knowledge Fields; some may also fulfill one of the Cross-Disciplinary Skills).
ENG 216Literature and Business3
ENG 223Images of Women in Literature and Film3
ENG 225The Journey in American Literature3
ENG 226Social Justice in Childrens and Young Adult Literature3
ENG 309Transatlantic Modernism3
ENG 315American Literature I3
ENG 316Revising the American Renaissance3
ENG 319GRace, Ethnicity, and Realism in American Literature 1880 through 19303
ENG 319LRise of the American Novel3
ENG 368Native American Literature3
ENG 375US Cold War Culture and Counterculture3
ENG 382African American Literature3
FAH 103Survey of Pre-Columbian and Native American Art3
FAM 213Women in Music3
HIS 123History of the United States: The Colonial Period to Reconstruction3
HIS 124History of the United States: 1877 to the Present3
HIS 235From Jamestown to Yorktown: Making the United States3
HIS 236From Washington to Lincoln: The Making of American Democracy3
HIS 255African American History3
PHI 292Philosophy of Beauty3
PSC 201Race, Law, and Politics3
PSC 338Refugee Resettlement in the United States3
PSY 340Stereotyping and Prejudice3
RST 221Native American Religions3
SOC 111Contemporary Social Problems3
SPE 341Inclusive Strategies3

Core Capstone

Students must take one course designated as a Core Capstone, which currently includes the courses listed below:
ABEC 404Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in Africa3
BIO 477Plants and Society3
CLL 400Humanitas3
COM 414Issues in Integrated Marketing Communications3
DMA 399Social Documentary3
EDU 494Capstone Seminar for Teacher Candidates3
ENG 365English Core Capstone3
ENG 365ENazi Germany in Contemporary World Fiction3
FAH 481The Art of the Selfie3
FAH 483The World of Color3
KIN 480Wellness Be All That You Can Be3
KIN 494Capstone in Kinesiology3
MAT 345Climate and Sustainability3
MGT 446Managerial Policy and Strategy3
PHI 398The City and the Good Life3
PHI 399Ethics, Justice, & the Problem of Poverty3
PSC 442Seminar in International Relations3
PSY 320Cultural Psychology3
PSY 365Psychology of Aging3

Core Pathways

A Core Pathway is a group of courses across Core Fields and/or Attributes and/or Skills that addresses a common theme that is relevant to our mission, but does not duplicate another element of our Core.  Core Pathways are meant to illustrate several ways in which a student’s Core experience can have a common thread of meaning running through classes in several disciplines. 

Students are not required to start a Pathway, nor are they required to complete one; rather, students may choose their Core courses from a Pathway to see a topic of their interest from multiple perspectives. 

The lists below indicate Pathways that have been approved by the Core Curriculum Committee and the courses that have been designated within each Core Pathway.  To see the what each course counts for in the Core, please click on the course number.

For more information about any of the Pathways below, please contact the Director of the Core Curriculum.

For Faculty: if you are interested in submitting an application for a new Core Pathway to be listed below, please contact the Director of the Core Curriculum.

Canisius Camino (Ancient and Medieval Studies)

The following courses fulfill core curriculum requirements and are part of the Canisius Camino Pathway

CLL 400Humanitas3
CLS 103Greek History3
CLS 104Roman History3
CLS 205Ancient Greece: Culture and Society3
CLS 206Ancient Rome: Culture and Society3
CLS 207Mythology and Literature3
CLS 209Greek and Roman Archaeology3
CLS 212Borders, Walls, and Immigrants in the Ancient World3
CLS 209Greek and Roman Archaeology3
CLS 212Borders, Walls, and Immigrants in the Ancient World3
CLS 214Greek and Roman Tragedy3
CLS 309Greek and Roman Religion3
ENG 233The Quest in Medieval Literature3
FAH 101Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals3
FAH 109History of Architecture3
FAH 210Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art3
FAH 213Greek and Roman Art3
FAH 224Medieval Art3
HIS 106The Medieval World3
PHI 211Philosophy of Religion3
PHI 261Philosophy of Law3
RST 200Introduction to the Hebrew Bible3
RST 201Introduction to the New Testament3
RST 219History of Eastern Orthodox Christianity3
RST 314New Testament in Literature and Art3
RST 325Early Christianity3

Global Citizenship

The following courses fulfill core curriculum requirements and relate to being citizens of the world, and thus are part of the Global Citizenship Pathway

ABEC 404Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in Africa3
ANT 341Environmental Anthropology3
CLS 104Roman History3
CLS 206Ancient Rome: Culture and Society3
CLS 209Greek and Roman Archaeology3
CLS 212Borders, Walls, and Immigrants in the Ancient World3
CLS 214Greek and Roman Tragedy3
CRJ 382Criminal Justice Ethics3
ENG 224The Journey in World Literature3
ENG 233The Quest in Medieval Literature3
ENG 368Native American Literature3
ENG 382African American Literature3
FAH 101Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals3
FAH 103Survey of Pre-Columbian and Native American Art3
FAH 109History of Architecture3
FAH 210Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art3
FAM 119Masterpieces of Music3
FAS 142Travel Photography3
GEO 325Introduction to Physical Geography3
HIS 106The Medieval World3
IGSR 306Faith/Justice/Globalism in Phi3
PHI 244Environmental Ethics3
PHI 264Justice & the Environment: The Problem of Climate Change3
PHI 267Faith, Reason, and Justice Catholic Social Thought3
PHI 271Philosophy of Human Rights3
PHI 273Race and Philosophy3
PHI 274Social and Political Philosophy3
PSC 111Western Political Tradition3
PSC 140International Relations3
PSC 150Comparative Government and Politics3
PSC 242International Organizations3
PSC 442Seminar in International Relations3
PSY 320Cultural Psychology3
RST 200Introduction to the Hebrew Bible3
RST 219History of Eastern Orthodox Christianity3
RST 220Religions of Asia3
RST 224Islam: Tradition and Revival3
SOC 273Social Movements and Social Change3
SOC 341Race and Ethnicity3

The following courses are designated as Global Awareness, and thus fulfill the Global Awareness Knowledge attribute in the Core Curriculum and are included in the Global Citizenship Pathway.

ANT 341Environmental Anthropology3
CHM 104Energy, Environment, and Society3
CLS 103Greek History3
CLS 104Roman History3
CLS 205Ancient Greece: Culture and Society3
CLS 206Ancient Rome: Culture and Society3
CLS 209Greek and Roman Archaeology3
CLS 211Archaeology of Pompeii3
CLS 212Borders, Walls, and Immigrants in the Ancient World3
CLS 2193
CLS 309Greek and Roman Religion3
CLS 311Alexander the Great3
ENG 224The Journey in World Literature3
ENG 381Postcolonial Literature3
FAH 101Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals3
FAH 102Altarpieces, Academies & the Avant-Garde3
FAH 109History of Architecture3
FAH 110History of Photography3
FAH 159Gender, Identity, and Art3
FAH 210Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art3
FAH 224Medieval Art3
FAH 248Baroque Art3
FAH 265Contemporary Art3
FAM 119Masterpieces of Music3
FAM 123World Musics3
FAM 212Canisius and the BPO Experience3
FAM 217Music of the Baroque Period3
FAM 21919th Century Music3
HIS 106The Medieval World3
HIS 107History of Modern Europe to 18153
HIS 108History of Modern Europe since 18153
HIS 206History of the Crusades3
HIS 209History of Asia to 18003
HIS 210History of Asia Since 18003
HIS 211Women In The Western World3
HIS 212Power, Politics, and the People: Nineteenth Century Europe3
HIS 213Europe and the World in a Century of Conflict3
HIS 220The History of Food3
HIS 260Canada and the World3
HIS 263Wars of Latin America3
HIS 264Latin American History to 18303
HIS 280The Making of Modern Africa3
PED 203Lifetime and Fitness Activities3
PED 204Games and Sports3
PHI 211Philosophy of Religion3
PHY 131Earthquakes: Seismology and Society3
PSC 140International Relations3
PSC 150Comparative Government and Politics3
PSC 241Human Rights and Globalization3
PSC 242International Organizations3
PSC 250Politics in Latin America3
PSC 2703
PSC 360Political Economy of the Developing World3
RST 200Introduction to the Hebrew Bible3
RST 224Islam: Tradition and Revival3
RST 360Magic, Science and Religion3
SPA 444Magic Realism in Fiction & Film from Latin American Origins to a Global Phenomenon3
SPMT 440Global Perspective in Sport3

Sustainability

The following courses fulfill core curriculum requirements and relate to sustainability, and thus are part of the Sustainability Pathway

ABEC 404Wildlife Ecology and Conservation in Africa3
ANT 341Environmental Anthropology3
BIO 477Plants and Society3
CHM 104Energy, Environment, and Society3
EVST 110Science of Environmental Problems I3
EVST 111Science of Environmental Problems II3
EVST 250Narratives of Nature and Culture3
EVST 259Environmental History of the United States3
MAT 345Climate and Sustainability3
PHI 244Environmental Ethics3
PHI 245Animal Ethics3
PHI 264Justice & the Environment: The Problem of Climate Change3
SOC 111Contemporary Social Problems3
SOC 234Environment and Society3
SOC 273Social Movements and Social Change3

CORE CURRICULUM LEARNING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Courses in the Core Curriculum must meet the following learning goals. Courses may have more learning goals and objectives in addition to those associated with the Core.

Foundations

Foundation ENG 111:  Explore Academic Writing

Goal 1: Read college-level texts pertaining to an academic discipline or topic

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A): recognize the audience and purpose of selected texts within an academic discipline or topic
  • (1B): articulate the meaning of text passages within an academic discipline or topic

Goal 2: Construct a coherent, thesis-driven paper on an academic topic

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A): develop the ability to write a clear introduction that frames the academic topic
  • (2B): demonstrate appropriate conventions of grammar and style for formal writing
  • (2C): articulate a central thesis around which the paper is to be organized
  • (2D): organize the paper effectively with coherent paragraphs
  • (2E): support the thesis with evidence
  • (2F): conclude the paper appropriately for the topic

Goal 3: Develop basic Information Literacy skills

Objectives: Students will:

  • (3A): locate and evaluate print and/or electronic sources appropriate for answering a particular research question
  • (3B): cite sources according to a conventional documentation style (for example, MLA, APA, Chicago) and with academic integrity

Foundation ENG 112: Writing about Literature

Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to understand and critically analyze college-level literary texts.

Objectives:  Students will:

  • (1A)  Understand the use of specific literary terms, traditions, or styles
  • (1B)  Interpret the meanings or significance of a literary text

Goal:  Students will demonstrate the ability to construct a coherent, thesis-driven essay on a literary topic.

Objectives:  Students will

  • (2A) Identify and articulate a central thesis around which the essay is to be organized
  • (2B) Develop a coherent argument that supports a central thesis
  • (2C) Support an argument with evidence from literary texts and/or secondary sources
  • (2D) Find and evaluate print and electronic sources appropriate for answering a specific research question about a literary text.
  • (2E) Cite sources according to MLA documentation style and with academic integrity
  • (2F) Demonstrate appropriate conventions of grammar and style

Foundation RST 101: Introduction to Religious Studies

Content

Goal:  Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of the nature and role of religion, including the Catholic and Jesuit traditions and other world religions.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Demonstrate basic knowledge of Christianity, Judaism, & another world religion, as determined by the instructor

  • (1B) Identify and explain the basic meaning of Catholic beliefs

  • (1C) Identify the key religious terms in the Jesuit tradition

Skills

Goal:  Students will demonstrate their knowledge of religious studies or theology in comparative and reflective exercises.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Identify & analyze connections between different religious beliefs

  • (2B) Find, use, and evaluate information relevant to presenting and defending a thesis

  • (2C) Identify and apply the ethical use of academic standards for using sources

Foundation PHI 101: Introduction to Philosophy

Content

Goal:  Students will demonstrate knowledge of major figures and major themes within the history of philosophy.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Demonstrate knowledge of at least one major figure from three of the four eras in the history of philosophy: Ancient, Medieval, Modern, and Contemporary

  • (1B) Demonstrate a basic understanding of some of the major themes in the history of philosophy, from four of the following six areas: Aesthetics, Epistemology, Theories of Ethics, Logic, Metaphysics, and Theories of Justice

  • (1C) Demonstrate knowledge of a primary philosophical text from the Catholic tradition or a significant aspect of the Jesuit tradition

Skills

Goal:  Students will demonstrate the ability to construct and analyze philosophical arguments.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Construct and explain cogent philosophical arguments

  • (2B) Clarify and analyze claims made in philosophical texts

Breadth of Knowledge Fields

Field 1 (Religious Studies and Theology)

Content

Goal:  Students will demonstrate knowledge in the disciplines fundamentally concerned with religious studies or theology.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Understand the role of religion in the experiences and actions of human life.
  • (1B) Understand religious ideas and religious values in their relationship to religious institutions.
  • (1C) Understand the diversity of patterns of religious belief in the human experience.

Skills

Goal:  Students will demonstrate the skills that will enable them to become critical thinkers on questions of religious substance.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Demonstrate competence in the use and analysis of primary sources.
  • (2B) Demonstrate the ability to understand and explain religious concepts.
  • (2C) Demonstrate the ability to relate course subject matter to the human experience.

Field 2 (Philosophy)

Goal: Students will demonstrate a deepened knowledge of a principle theme and a major era or core figure in the history of philosophy.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Demonstrate knowledge of a major topic or branch in the history of philosophy such as Aesthetics, Epistemology, Ethics, Logic, Metaphysics, and Theories of Justice.
  • (1B) Demonstrate knowledge of a major era in the history of philosophy (Ancient, Modern, Medieval, or Contemporary) or a core figure in the history of philosophy.

Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate and assess philosophical ideas and arguments.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Use philosophical terms and language appropriately in their prose.
  • (2B) Identify and analyze assumptions and premises in philosophical arguments.
  • (2C) Construct philosophical arguments and write cogently about philosophy.
  • (2D) Demonstrate the ability to relate abstract theory to concrete practice.

Field 3 (Literature and the Arts)

Goal: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the aesthetic dimension of human life through the study of literature, art, or music and the ways in which they mirror and shape the human experience.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Identify specific techniques, styles, or formalistic properties of particular examples of literature, art, or music.
  • (1B) Identify the relationship of particular examples of literature, art, or music to the traditions from which they have emerged.
  • (1C) Demonstrate an understanding of how creative work in literature, art, or music mirrors and shapes human experience.

Goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the methods of literary and artistic criticism and interpretation.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Critically evaluate the methods of literary and/or artistic criticism and interpretation employed in the study of literature, art, or music.
  • (2B) Employ the methods of literary and/or artistic criticism and interpretation in the study of literature, art, or music.

Field 4 (History)

Goal:  Students will demonstrate familiarity with the way in which historians analyze change and continuity over time with reference to specific historical events, themes, ideas, and/or individuals.

Objectives:  Students will:

  • (1A) Situate events, people, and/or artifacts in their appropriate historical context.
  • (1B) Recognize the relationship between cause and effect in the process of historical change.
  • (1C) Read and interpret evidence from primary sources and texts.
  • (1D) Read and understand scholarly historical arguments and the way in which they are constructed.

Field 5 (Social Sciences)

Goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of human behavior from the perspective of a social science discipline.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Demonstrate knowledge of the basic concepts and theories of a social science discipline.
  • (1B) Demonstrate knowledge of research methodologies used in a social science discipline.

Goal: Students will utilize a social science discipline to critically evaluate social, cultural, and/or political claims.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Apply social science concepts and theories to concrete problems of human society.
  • (2B) Apply qualitative or quantitative analysis to situations in the world.

Field 6 (Natural Sciences)

Goal:  Students will demonstrate through explanations, interpretations, and critical analyses their understanding of natural phenomena.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Demonstrate valid application of cause and effect reasoning.
  • (1B) Describe patterns of scale, proportion, and quantity in the natural world.
  • (1C) Define natural systems in terms of energy, material components, and processes of change.

Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to reason and communicate so that their actions can have positive impacts on society. 

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Communicate scientific information effectively.
  • (2B) Use qualitative or quantitative data to make rational predictions of natural phenomena.
  • (2C) Apply scientific knowledge to issues impacting society.

Field 7 (Quantitative Sciences)

Goal: Students will be conversant with the essential terminology and concepts of a mathematical, statistical, or algorithmic system.

Objectives:  Students will:

  • (1A) Demonstrate knowledge of the vocabulary and notation of a mathematical, statistical, or algorithmic system.
  • (1B) Demonstrate understanding of the theory behind the concepts and techniques of a mathematical, statistical, or algorithmic system.

Goal: Students will have the appropriate skills and techniques used in problem analysis and solution.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Analyze and apply appropriate quantitative, theoretical, and/or computational techniques to solve problems.
  • (2B) Interpret the results of their analysis clearly. 

Attributes and Skills

Advanced Writing-Intensive 

Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to write an effectively developed logical argument.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Integrate appropriate ideas and evidence, in accordance with course content.
  • (1B) Organize those ideas and that evidence strategically for a given audience and purpose.

Goal: Students will demonstrate an understanding of appropriate or discipline-specific writing styles, standards, and conventions through a process that includes revision.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Write grammatically correct sentences that are fluid and include smooth transitions.
  • (2B) Use vocabulary that is appropriate for the purpose and audience/field.
  • (2C) Employ correct punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and documentation conventions.
  • (2D) Use appropriate citation and attribution of ideas, information, and evidence.

Oral Communication

Goal: Students will compose a message and provide ideas and information appropriate to its topic, audience, setting, and purpose.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Identify the components of effective oral communication of an idea with an argument or thesis supported by evidence. 
  • (1B) Demonstrate the knowledge of how to select appropriate material that will be understood by the audience.
  • (1C) Apply organizational and explanatory strategies suitable to the topic, audience, setting, and purpose of the message that is being delivered.

Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to deliver effective oral presentations.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Speak clearly and employ a rich and imaginative vocabulary with diction and pronunciation appropriate to the context.
  • (2B) Present fluently, maintain eye contact with the audience, and use gestures appropriate to the context.
  • (2C) Define the thesis and/or purpose of the message, use smooth transitions from one section to the next, and end with a clear and direct conclusion.
  • (2D) Demonstrate the effective and judicious use of detail and evidence in substantiating and/or illuminating the presentation’s central thesis.

Diversity

(N.B.: The following Learning Goal and Objectives for Diversity will become effective starting in the Spring 2023 Semester)

Goal: Students will develop their recognition of diversity – including issues of race/ethnicity in North America – at both a theoretical and a practical level.

.Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Interpret the concept of diversity through its application to concrete examples (including at least one example regarding race/ethnicity in North America).
    .
  • (1B) Articulate how the social realities of groups with diverse identities (including at least one example regarding race/ethnicity in North America) have both shaped and been shaped by some power structure(s).

Ethics

Goal: Students will demonstrate the ability to employ ethical reasoning in matters of human concern.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A)  Articulate the fundamental elements of at least two major ethical theories (e.g. deontological, consequentialist, feminist, social contract, virtue theories, etc.).
  • (1B) Articulate the meaning of at least two ethical concepts (e.g. happiness, equality, obligation, virtue, a worthwhile life, responsibility, dignity, rights, etc.).
  • (1C) Apply ethical theories or concepts in analyzing ethical dilemmas and questions.
  • (1D) Defend an ethical position with reference to at least one alternative ethical position.

Global Awareness

Goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history, culture, and/or political systems of societies, states, and peoples other than the United States.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Identify and describe the history, social structures, political institutions, and/or patterns of cultural expression that characterize specific societies, states, and peoples outside the United States.
  • (1B) Identify the various factors that have contributed to the history and development of social structures, political institutions, and patterns of cultural expression that characterize specific societies, states, peoples, and cultures outside the United States.

Goal: Students will demonstrate how their knowledge of geographical regions other than the United States fosters greater awareness of the world in which the students live.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Critically analyze how the history, culture, and/or political systems of geographical regions other than the United States inform the way people outside the United States view themselves.
  • (2B) Critically analyze and reflect on how their knowledge of the history, culture, and/or political systems of geographical regions other than the United States inform the way in which the students understand their relationship to the world.

Justice

Goal: Students will demonstrate an understanding of justice, its relationship to power, and the ways in which causes of injustice may be mitigated and justice promoted.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Compare and contrast differing theories of justice, including the ways in which justice has been defined and conceived.
  • (1B) Describe the factors that are responsible for injustice with particular emphasis upon the relationship of injustice to inequities in the distribution of power.
  • (1C) Describe the ways in which the factors responsible for injustice might be mitigated in the cause of justice.

Goal: Students will think critically about the factors that create, permit, and/or mitigate the conditions of justice or injustice.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (2A) Identify how the distribution of power is embedded in institutions, social structures, and/or codes of conduct.
  • (2B) Critically analyze theories, policies, and practices in so far as they promote either justice or injustice.
  • (2C) Demonstrate how the conditions of injustice might be mitigated by specific forms of action.

Core Capstone

Core Capstone

Goal:  Students will demonstrate understanding of the four core knowledge attributes and integrate them with course themes and content in light of the Jesuit principle of seeking to live a socially responsible life, which underlies the Canisius University mission.

Objectives: Students will:

  • (1A) Integrate one or more theories of ethics with the theme of this course and apply theory to course content.
  • (1B) Integrate one or more theories of justice with the theme of this course and apply theory to course content.
  • (1C) Demonstrate how global awareness informs strategies for responsible citizenship as that awareness applies to the theme and content of this course.
  • (1D) Demonstrate how knowledge of diversity informs strategies for responsible citizenship as that knowledge applies to the theme and content of this course.