Simpson Core Curriculum

The purpose of Inquiry courses is to provide a diverse liberal arts experience. These courses will be offered at the 100-200 level and typically have no prerequisites. Each requirement draws from subdisciplines with recognized expertise in that area of study.

Scientific Inquiry (SI)
These courses focus on empirical data as a means of exploring and answering questions about the natural world. They provide experiences for students to engage in the methods of science, such as hypothesis formation and testing, systematic observation, and analysis of data.

Human Behavior and Society (HBS)
These courses explore individual human behaviors, groups, or systems through methods grounded in social science.

Arts & Creative Expression (ACE)
These courses explore human expressive activities as a means of interpretation and communication, designed to reveal certain meanings and ideas or to elicit specific responses.

Cultural & Textual Inquiry (CTI)
These courses use interpretive methods and critical theories to examine the products and/or practices of human cultures.

Historical Inquiry (HI)
These courses explore the ideas and practices of past societies. These explorations frame the contemporary world’s understanding of how and why historical societies changed over time, as well as these societies’ perspectives of themselves and their worlds.

Data Analysis (DA)
These courses apply quantitative and statistical concepts to solve real-world problems.

Effectively forming a core for the curriculum, Mission courses embrace disciplinary or interdisciplinary frames to develop students’ engagement with key areas of the college’s values and mission statements. They serve a scaffolding function by reinforcing and developing ideas learned in Foundations courses. These courses are aimed at second- and third-year students and are typically taught at the 200-level or 300-level without prerequisites. They may be taught by any department.

Local Studies (LS)
These courses focus on subjects within the historical and present boundaries of the United States while recognizing the nation is a contested and contingent formation encompassing diverse populations. These courses advance students’ understanding of core characteristics from Foundations courses.

Global Studies (GS)
These courses ask students to consider subjects in political and social contexts outside the boundaries of the United States. By acquainting students with the diversity of thoughts, beliefs, and values of non-US societies, these courses advance students’ understanding of core characteristics from Foundations courses. 

Ethical Decision-Making (EDM)
These courses explore ethical decision-making and its relation to our responsibilities to ourselves and others. They generate an understanding of ethics and value systems and practices. Ethical Decision-Making courses revisit some of the key issues discussed in the Foundations courses.

Experiential learning courses consist of approved high-impact practices such as internships, service learning, co-curricular or extra-curricular activities, study abroad, entrepreneurship, collaborative projects, or undergraduate research opportunities. Incoming, first-year students are required to complete TWO distinct experiential learning experiences. May be fulfilled by a course that also fulfills an Inquiry or Mission requirement or a course in the major. Foundations courses cannot carry an experiential learning designation.

The Synthesis course provides an opportunity for students to integrate and reflect on the knowledge they have gained from their Inquiry, Mission, and Experiential Learning coursework. This 0-credit course is aimed at students who have completed at least 96 credits. 

As part of the requirements for majors outlined separately in the catalog, each major includes a Capstone, an Undergraduate Research Experience, a Disciplinary Writing course, and a Disciplinary Speaking course. Departments determine whether these requirements are fulfilled simultaneously or attached to other courses in the major.

Capstone
Capstone courses allow students to demonstrate their abilities as apprentice practitioners in their chosen fields of study. Students will share their work with an audience appropriate to the project as determined by the academic department. Senior research projects, senior seminars and senior exhibitions or performances are examples of possible capstone experiences.

Undergraduate Research Experience (URE)
These courses are designed to immerse students in the processes that professionals in the discipline use to create new knowledge.

Disciplinary Writing (DW)
These courses provide instruction and practice in discipline-specific writing conventions.

Disciplinary Speaking (DSP)
These courses provide instruction and practice in oral communication in the discipline.