Course Descriptions

First-Year Seminar (FYS) courses are designed to excite students' intellectual curiosity in an intimate seminar setting. First-year students engage in interesting and intellectually challenging questions and problems about the nature of reality and the greater or common good through multiple disciplines and from a variety of perspectives. They develop skills in critical and creative thinking through reading important primary texts, writing in response to them, and discussing them with peers. They also develop effective library research and information literacy skills and learn to construct an argument and support it with evidence. Xavier faculty who teach FYS courses are committed mentors, guiding students to think about the evolution of their vocation and their aspirations to contribute to the world. FYS integrates students into the community of scholars at Xavier and establishes a solid foundation on which the other Core Curriculum courses will build.

Qualifying courses: Courses with the “First Year Seminar” attribute

In your first year at Xavier you’ll take either English Composition (ENGL 101) or Rhetoric (ENGL 115). The goal of these courses is to 1) introduce you to writing as a subject of scholarly inquiry grounded in rhetorical theory and knowledge about the writing process and 2) to help you develop effective writing and rhetorical skills through contemporary methods and mediums. Course assignments focus on analytic, research-based argumentation, reflection, and multimodal composing, utilizing tools for effective communication that you will use in your college courses and beyond. Because effective communication and persuasive rhetorical skill can lead to real-world consequences, you’ll also consider the ethical impact of communication and how rhetorical choices can serve the common good in the Jesuit tradition. 

Peoples of the past were different than we are today and thus offer new ways of thinking about what it means to be human. Historians are interested in the ways societies differ and change, as well as how the past still affects the present. In Xavier’s Historical Foundations courses, you will develop historical skills through analytical reading and writing, and you will interpret a variety of texts, images, and/or artifacts within their historical context. By analyzing the complicated process of change over time, grappling with historical questions and arguments, and discovering changing interpretations of past events and peoples, you will be better able to navigate the diverse, complex, and interdependent modern world.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Historical Perspectives” or “Historical Foundations” attribute

In addition to seeking to live good lives, human beings also seek to know what is good. By studying classic works of philosophy, including Plato’s dialogues, you will examine different views of human goodness, tracing them back to the principles on which they depend, and reflecting critically on these principles. This course introduces themes and questions that you will explore throughout the Core Curriculum, and especially in the Ethics/Religion, and Society sequence, including questions about the good in relation to other significant ethical ideas, such as virtue, justice, and duty. You will also develop your ability to identify, understand, and critique a variety of ethical issues. Finally, you will be introduced to other basic human questions and philosophical ways of thinking about them.  

What is the meaning of life? How ought we to live? What is true/truth? How do we practice empathy and compassion in the face of so much human suffering and ecological degradation? This course explores the depths of human experience with the sacred, attending to questions of meaning, hope, justice, and social transformation. Learning from the wisdom of our ancestors, the Jesuit values and the Ignatian tradition will serve as a point of entry for critical thought, creative imagination, and dialogue with other traditions. 

This course will explore the nature of reality through a theological lens. Building upon the Theological Foundations course and drawing upon one or more of the sub-disciplines within theology (e.g. biblical studies, history, systematic theology, spirituality, ethics, interfaith studies), the course will more deeply examine conceptions of the divine, the human person, and nature and why these conceptions matter. The subject matter of the course will be brought into dialogue with Ignatian values such as solidarity with the marginalized, care for creation, justice, and the common good.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Theology Persp/Explorations” attribute

In this course, you will deepen your engagement in philosophical inquiry, considering the nature, power, and limitations of reason. We will reflect on the methods and approaches of philosophy and other disciplines within the Core. All sections of this course share a common text, Descartes’s Discourse on Method, which engages with questions central to the Jesuit tradition, especially concerning the nature of the human person and the existence of God. By reading, discussing, and critiquing classic works of philosophy, you will be invited into a long tradition of reflection on the meaning of our shared humanity, of the world, and of our relation to it. 

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Philosophy Perspectives” attribute

Creative expression through the arts yields an understanding of the world that at times can be uncovered in no other way.  Through this course, you will explore how art is shaped by and shapes individuals or entire societies.  You will write about and/or create, perform and produce works that synthesize technical execution, critical thinking, and expressive communication.  As you do, you will discover new ways to observe and express your ideas imaginatively. 

Students engaged in creative expression through the arts will come to understand the world in meaningful ways through the study and/or creation of art objects.  Students experience these unique perspectives of society and creative artists by becoming engaged with the art through critical writing, or performance of an artwork, or creation of an art object, or technical artistic studies, or by attending art venues. The integration of study and experience in art and/or the creation of art within the constructs of critical analysis stimulate new insights within the student, their imagination and their society often resulting in communicating those expressions and insights to an audience.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Creative Persp/Explorations” attribute

The scientific method has resulted in historically unprecedented changes in our world. In this course you will learn how science functions and practice the scientific method in regular, hands-on experiences that constitute a substantial portion of the course content. You will learn the qualities of a good hypothesis or model, how to assess its validity, the importance of a scientific theory, and the nature of evidence. On completing the course, you will be better able to understand and evaluate scientific claims, as well as claims that misuse, misrepresent, or lack credible evidence (pseudoscience), especially when such claims affect your personal and professional life.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Scientific Persp/Explore” lecture and lab attribute

Mathematics is the study of patterns. It provides a unique way of investigating and understanding the world around us, using as its primary tools exploration, conjecture, and logical argumentation. In this course, by exploring rich mathematical problems, you will further develop your abilities to reason critically; to defend the correctness and validity of your conclusions; to present your results clearly in both written and oral forms; and to experience fresh perspectives on the nature of mathematics.  

These skills are distinctly connected to the understanding of data, where students will use mathematical reasoning and skills to analyze and deconstruct real-world data using quantitative methods.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Math Persp/Explorations” attribute

Language is an essential component of intercultural communicative competence. As part of our shared commitment to become people for others, your study of language is essential to becoming a responsible citizen of your community, your society, and the world. Language and culture are inextricably connected: the geography, history and languages of a society shape its culture. At Xavier, you will engage in the sustained study of a language other than English.  Students of classical and modern languages connect historical and culturally grounded perspectives to contemporary questions, reflecting on their own communities, values, and perspectives in relation to others.

Qualifying Courses: The Second Language requirement is six credits in a single language from point of testing placement, or one 202-level course

Literary study offers a pathway for engaging with ethics, religion, and/or society. This course will explore important ethical questions within the context of the creative imagination. Literary study fosters understanding and empathy with diverse perspectives, facilitates social criticism and change, develops skills of critical thinking and rhetorical strategy, and invites you to reflect upon your personal values as an individual in relation to society.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Lit and Moral Imagination” attribute

Humanistic study has long formed a central part of Jesuit liberal education. Humanities Integrations courses extend Core humanities learning through discipline-based study of complex questions, texts, methods, and modes of inquiry. These courses deepen understanding within a particular humanities field while also emphasizing connections across humanities perspectives and across prior Core coursework. 

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Humanities Elect/Integrations” attribute

The natural sciences extend beyond an exploration of the natural world - they also inform us about our interrelationship to it. In this science elective course, students will improve their understanding of the scientific method and their ability to analyze claims and information regarding science through experiences in lectures and labs. In addition to knowing more about a specific scientific discipline, they will be better able to evaluate the use of science in society and everyday life in an informed manner.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Nat Sci Elect/Integration” lecture and lab attributes

The Social Sciences study human behavior and action in a systematic, rigorous, evidence based, generalizing, objective, and cumulative way. They apply the scientific method, using qualitative and quantitative techniques, to study how people behave and act as individuals, in groups, and in society. In this course, you will analyze social issues using scientific research conducted with diverse populations. You will become better able to describe the role and functions of social institutions, explain human behavior and relationships within complex social systems, and critically analyze social science issues within a larger historical, global, and cultural context. 

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Social Sci Elect/Integrations” attribute

Our experiences of the world may seem absolute, but in many ways they are shaped by cultural factors. The ability to analyze the ways that cultural factors affect experiences and opportunities is invaluable in today’s society. The ability to explain your own cultural perspective and make meaningful comparisons to other cultural perspectives will improve your capacity to live and work in solidarity with others. 

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “Solidarity and Kinship Flag” attribute

E/RS Elective courses provide opportunities for integrative learning by engaging questions concerning the pursuit of justice and the place of ethical responsibility that have emerged in foundational and explorational courses.  E/RS Elective courses, which allow for deeper reflection on how these questions connect up with questions of vocation and profession, encourage students to think synthetically in recognizing the contributions of multiple disciplines and methodologies to ethical discernment.

Qualifying Courses: Courses with the “ERS Focus Elective” attribute