Fall 2008
Students are free to choose their Liberal Arts Seminar (LAS) from a range of courses and should not feel compelled to choose the LAS in the field of their chosen area of interest. Each faculty member at Simpson is a good general advisor, so a student interested in a career in marketing is advised just as well by a history professor for the first year. It is then the student’s choice to change advisors starting in the second year after each student has become familiar with the faculty in the area of choice.
CORNERSTONE COURSES
At the foundation of Simpson’s academic program is the Cornerstone Studies curriculum, an interdisciplinary approach to learning designed to help students develop lasting skills in critical thinking and problem solving, as well as providing the skills needed to succeed in a chosen field of study. Each student completes the Cornerstone Studies in the Liberal Arts as part of the requirements for graduation.
ART 101 LA - Discovering Art (CS5)
BIOL 104 LA - Human Biology (CS2A)
COMM 101 LA - Introduction to Communication Studies (CS3)
CMSC 150 LA - Fundaments of Computing I (CS2B)
HIST 101 LA - History of Western Civilization (CS1A)
HUM 101 LA - Western Traditions (CS1A)
MATH 151 LA - Calculus I (CS2B)
MUS 101 LA - Survey of Music Literature (CS5)
MUS 103 LA - Discovering Music (CS5)
PHIL 250 LA - Applied Ethics (CS4A)
PHYS 190 LA - Introduction to Astronomy (CS2A)
POSC 101 LA - American Government (CS3)
PSYCH 101 LA - Introduction to Psychology (CS3)
SOC 101 LA - Introduction to Sociology (CS3)
THTR 112 LA - Discovering Theatre (CS5)
COMPETENCY COURSES
Writing Competency
The Simpson College faculty view writing not simply as a technical skill, but as a method of learning and a mode of achieving self-understanding, self-expression, and intellectual growth. Competency in writing is approached not as a one-time achievement, but as something students develop in increasingly complex situations throughout their college careers. Specifically, the Writing Competency program has two distinct stages, known as "Writing Competency I" and "Writing Competency II."
Writing Competency I. All new freshmen (and transfers who have not taken the equivalent) must pass English 102: Composition and Rhetoric II or English 103, Honors Composition, with a minimum grade of C-. Before taking English 102 or English 103, students must pass English 101: Composition and Rhetoric I or pass out of it with an appropriate ACT score. The following class can assist with meeting this requirement.
ENG 101 LA - Composition and Rhetoric I
These courses are introductions to specific majors. Therefore, they're recommended but not limited to students who intend to major or minor in these areas.
MAGT 131 LA - Management Concepts