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• undergraduate degree requirements

• the general education program

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 where to start . . .
my.american.edu

to begin:
1. go to the american university web portal, my.american.edu,
log in using your user name and password*, click on
academics; then click on online freshman guide.
2. once at the online freshman guide, complete the information
requested to plan your first semester registration.
3. use this companion planner to complete your online guide.
*If you’re having trouble activating your account or logging on to the portal,
call the technology Help Desk at 202-885-2550.

Cover printed on 100% recycled paper.

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 Welcome to American University!
We are excited that you have chosen to attend American University! We are already preparing for your arrival and need
your help with a critical and immediate task: choosing your first-semester classes. To facilitate this planning process
while you are busy finishing high school, we have developed a Freshman Guide to Registration and Academic Programs in
order to:
• help you identify academic programs and courses that your are interested in pursuing at AU; and
• provide an overview of the university requirements, General Education Program, and major requirements
(when you arrive on campus you will receive the University Catalog, which contains specific degree and
major requirements for all programs).
The Freshman Guide has two components: 1) the Online Guide on the university’s web portal at http//my.american.edu,
and 2) this companion Planner booklet.
You will use this Planner to learn about your intended program of study, university requirements, courses, and so on. With
the Planner, you will use the Online Guide to verify and provide information that will enable your academic advisor to
create a customized course schedule, which takes into consideration your intended major, placement information, and any
other scheduling requirements (e.g., athletics, honors, performing arts, double majors).
To begin
Go to the Online Guide at http://my.american.edu; log in to the portal using your username and password; click on
Academics; then on Online Freshman Guide. As you complete the Online Guide, you can use the Planner to help choose a
field of study, select courses to fulfill the General Education Program, and plan your first semester classes.
To find out more about your major or department
Review the Freshman Guide—both the program sections in this Planner and the program web sites linked through the
Online Guide. Use the Freshman Guide to determine the recommended courses for your intended major.
What if I don’t know what I want to major in?
That’s OK! Use the Freshman Guide to check out the many options you can pursue.
What if I change my mind?
Don’t worry, you’ll be working closely with your advisor to help you figure out the major
or majors that work best for you.
To find out more about the General Education Program
Review the General Education Program section and the list of Gen Ed courses in the Planner. Use the Online Guide to
select courses toward completion of your General Education Program.
To ask questions
Feel free to call or e-mail your academic advisor; contact information is available in the Online Guide and also in the
directory of advisors and offices in this Planner. For technology questions, contact the Help Desk at 202-885-2550.
Orientation
At New Student Orientation you will meet your academic advisor, receive a comprehensive overview of your program, and
learn your first semester class schedule. You will have a chance to ask more questions then. If you have not registered for a
summer orientation, please contact New Student Programs at 202-885-3303 or orientation@american.edu.

The due date: May 21, 2008

Please complete the Online Guide by Wednesday, May 21
to get priority consideration for the courses you identify.
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAM
Constructing Your Education
INTRODUCTION
Overview of the Undergraduate Degree Program
An undergraduate degree at American University
consists of at least 120 hours of course credit divided into
four basic components:
• University Requirements
College Writing and English Competency
University Mathematics
• General Education Requirement
• Major Requirements
• Electives, Second Majors, and Minors
This integrated set of elements will help you build a
broad liberal arts foundation coupled with specialized
knowledge in one or more areas.
ACADEMIC ADVISING AND
REGISTRATION
Academic advising is an essential element of the
educational process. American University requires
advisor-student conferences at least once a semester, but
students have the responsibility for selecting their courses,
meeting course prerequisites, and adhering to university
policies and procedures. The advisor assists the student in
obtaining a well-balanced education and interprets
university policies and procedures.
Students should be aware of the university’s many
advising resources and utilize these resources as needs
arise. Students may consult faculty and peer advisors,
department chairs, deans, and student support services
throughout the university. The university has the
responsibility to ensure that advising resources maintain
high standards for serving students effectively and
efficiently.
Academic advising is required each semester before
students are permitted to register. After their first semester,
students who have obtained prior approval from their
advisors, meet all course requirements, and have no
financial stops on their account may register for classes
online by logging on to my.american.edu. Prior to the
beginning of the registration period, students will be
notified by their AU e-mail account as to the dates when
they will be eligible to register for the upcoming semester.
Courses that require individual approval, such as
independent study, private music study, or internships are
not available for on-line registration.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY CODE
Academic integrity stands at the heart of intellectual
life. The academic community is bound by a fundamental
trust that professors and students alike undertake and
present their work honestly. As a community of the mind,
2
we respect the work of others, paying our intellectual debts
as we craft our own work.
The Academic Integrity Code (“Code”) for American
University defines honorable conduct, outlines attendant
rights and responsibilities, and describes procedures for
handling allegations of academic misconduct. Violating
standards of academic conduct is a serious matter subject
to discipline. Most charges of Code violations are brought
by the university faculty to the Academic Integrity Code
Administrator of the major teaching unit (School or
College) in which the course is taught.
Violations adjudicated under the Code include the
following: plagiarism; inappropriate collaboration;
dishonesty in examinations (in-class or take-home);
dishonesty in papers; work done for one course and
submitted to another; fabrication of data; interference with
other students’ or scholars’ work; bribes, favors, and
threats; and other academic misconduct. Violations of the
Code will be treated seriously, with special attention to
repeat offenders. Sanctions for Code violations may
include failure for the course, a notation on the student’s
permanent record, suspension and dismissal, as well as
other lesser sanctions. Freshman Forgiveness does not
apply to Code violations.
By enrolling at American University and then each
semester when registering for classes, students
acknowledge their commitment to the Code. As members
of the academic community, students must become
familiar with their rights and their responsibilities. In each
course, they are responsible for knowing the requirements
and restrictions regarding research and writing,
examinations of whatever kind, collaborative work, the use
of study aids, the appropriateness of assistance, and other
issues. Students are responsible for learning the
conventions of documentation and acknowledgment of
sources. American University expects students to complete
all examinations, tests, papers, creative projects, and
assignments of any kind according to the highest ethical
standards, as set forth either explicitly or implicitly in this
Code or by the direction of instructors.
The Academic Integrity Code is incorporated in the
university’s Academic Regulations and may be found at:
american.edu/american/registrar/AcademicReg/New/reg80.html
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
All bachelor’s degrees require completion of at least
120 credit hours of course work. Within the total 120
credit hours, students must fulfill the following:
• College Writing and English Competency Requirement
• University Mathematics Requirement
• General Education Requirement
• Requirements for a major, with a minimum of 15 credit
hours completed at American University in upper-level
courses in the major.
• At least 45 credit hours out of the last 60 must be
completed in residence at American University. A
maximum of 75 hours may be transferred towards a
bachelor’s degree.
• Undergraduates may count a maximum of 12 credit
hours of internship and cooperative education field
experience toward the 120 minimum credit hours
required for graduation. The field experience credit hours
that may be counted toward the requirements for a major
or minor program may be fewer, as determined by the
academic department, but may not exceed the maximum
of 12 credit hours.
UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS
College Writing and English Competency Requirement
All students must be able to write in English with a
level of mastery equivalent to the demands of college
course work. In addition, students need to acquire the
critical reading skills needed for all their college courses.
Students satisfy the College Writing and English
Competency requirement by taking one of the required
6-credit course sequences listed below during the freshman
year. Students must achieve a grade of C or better.
Nonnative and native speakers of English must meet the
same requirements.
• LIT-100 College Writing and
LIT-101 College Writing Seminar
• LIT-102 College Writing and
LIT-103 College Writing Seminar
(for students who need extra work on language skills)
• LIT-130 Honors English I and
LIT-131 Honors English II
The College Writing and English Competency requirement
may also be satisfied through:
• Advanced Placement English Test score of 4 or 5.
• Transfer students who present 6 hours of acceptable
composition credit from another institution satisfy the
College Writing and English Competency requirement
by passing the English Competency Examination.
Transfer students who present 3 hours of acceptable
composition credit from another institution may satisfy
the College Writing requirement by passing the course in
the College Writing sequence for which they have not
been given credit with a C or better.
In those cases when a competency examination is
required, students failing the exam twice must enroll in
LIT-180 Writing Workshop and must pass the course with
a grade of C or better.
The English Competency Examination is
administered by the College Writing Program in the
Department of Literature. Students who do not pass the
examination may schedule a meeting with a writing
consultant in the Writing Center who will review the
student’s exam, explain the deficiencies, and offer counsel
about additional work on writing skills through courses,
Writing Center tutorials, or independent study. A
preparation packet for the examination, including a
practice exam, is available at the Department of Literature,
Battelle 237 or the Writing Center, Battelle 228. For more
information about the exam, contact the director of the
College Writing Program at 202-885-3911. To schedule an
appointment at the Writing Center, call 202-885-2991.
Nonnative and native speakers of English must meet the
same requirements, although nonnative speakers are
afforded extra time to complete the English Competency
Examination.
University Mathematics Requirement
All students must demonstrate skills in mathematics
and quantitative reasoning at the college level. Students
who do not satisfy this requirement by examination as
specified below must enroll in an appropriate mathematics
course before the completion of 30 credits at American
University and must continue to enroll each semester until
the requirement is satisfied. After students have
matriculated at American University, no credit toward the
University Mathematics Requirement may be earned
through transfer credit. Students meeting the requirement
through course work must receive a C or better. The
University Mathematics Requirement may be satisfied in
one of the following ways:
• Earning a grade of C or better in any American
University mathematics course at the level of
MATH-15X Finite Mathematics or above or any
American University statistics course in the Department
of Mathematics and Statistics. This includes, for
example: MATH-150 Finite Mathematics, MATH-151
Finite Mathematics, MATH-155 Finite Mathematics:
Elementary Models, MATH-157 Finite Mathematics:
Business, MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics,
MATH-211 Applied Calculus I, MATH-221 Calculus I,
and STAT-202 Basic Statistics.
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics will
recommend placement of students in mathematics courses.
Students whose placement is below MATH-15x Finite
Mathematics must take MATH-022 Basic Algebra before
enrolling in Finite Mathematics. Students whose placement
is above Finite Mathematics may enroll in Finite
Mathematics to satisfy the requirement but are to be
encouraged to enroll in appropriate sections of the course,
as designated by the Department of Mathematics and
Statistics.
Students may also satisfy the University Mathematics
Requirement through examination:
• AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC score of 3, 4, or 5
• AP Statistics score of 3, 4, or 5
• SAT II Mathematics Level II Achievement test score
of 650
• CLEP Calculus examination score of 75%
3
• British A-level mathematics examination with a
passing grade
• International Baccalaureate higher-level mathematics
examination score of 6 or above
Transfer students and graduates of secondary schools
outside the United States may also satisfy this requirement
by:
• Passing one of the examinations given by the
Department of Mathematics and Statistics which
demonstrate competence equivalent to having
successfully completed one of the following courses:
MATH-15x Finite Mathematics, MATH-211 Applied
Calculus I, or STAT-202 Basic Statistics. Only one of
these examinations may be taken and that examination
may be taken only once, during the first semester for
which the student is enrolled in degree status
or
Transferring a course named “Calculus I” or a
mathematics course for which “Calculus I” is the
prerequisite with a grade of B or better from an AG-rated
collegiate institution.
Eligible students should contact the Department of
Mathematics and Statistics for more information about the
Mathematics and Statistics Equivalency Examination.
Mathematics Placement
The Department of Mathematics and Statistics will
evaluate your academic records and send a tentative
placement for mathematics and/or statistics courses to your
academic advisor. During the orientation period before
classes begin, you will have the opportunity to take a
mathematics placement examination and to discuss your
mathematics placement with your academic advisor. You
are also encouraged to contact the department to discuss
your placement and the role of mathematics and statistics
courses in your academic program with a faculty member.
Choosing a Mathematics Course
Before you choose a mathematics or statistics course
for your first semester course registration, you should read
the suggested program for potential majors for the major
field of study in which you are interested. Many
departments list specific mathematics course requirements
for the major and whether the mathematics course should
be taken fall or spring. Please note also that some courses
have prerequisites that must be met prior to enrolling in the
required course.
When the department’s recommendation is the
University Mathematics Requirement, you may select from
the list of courses above. The course descriptions include
the main topics covered and also indicate the level of
preparation needed for each course. Although Finite
Mathematics does satisfy the University Mathematics
Requirement, students with more advanced skills should
enroll in one of the higher-level courses. Students using
MATH-221 Calculus I (or MATH-211 Applied Calculus I)
to satisfy the University Mathematics Requirement should
register for the course in the fall semester if they intend to
4
continue with the calculus sequence (MATH-222 Calculus
II or MATH-212 Applied Calculus II) in the spring.
Students with less mathematics expertise (generally
less than three years of high school mathematics and two
years of algebra) will need further preparation before they
enroll in Finite Mathematics. Students who require this
preparation should enroll in MATH-022 Basic Algebra or
take an algebra course during the summer in order to have
adequate preparation for Finite Mathematics. Students
whose placement is below Finite Mathematics must take
MATH-022 Basic Algebra. Please note that a preparatory
course taken elsewhere may not be used toward satisfying
the University Mathematics Requirement, and MATH-022
Basic Algebra does not carry credit toward graduation, nor
does it fulfill the mathematics requirements for any degree
program.
In addition, for students whose placement is at or
below Finite Mathematics, the University Mathematics
Requirement must be met before enrolling in a General
Education foundation course in the Natural Sciences area.
Students whose placement is above Finite Mathematics
may enroll in a Natural Science foundation course before
or concurrently with the mathematics course. See the
General Education Program chapter for more information
about the General Education requirement.
Students are encouraged to consult a faculty member
in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at
202-885-3120 with any questions about which course is
best suited for their abilities.
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
Each undergraduate must complete at least 36 credit
hours in the degree major and related courses, no fewer
than 15 of which must be earned in upper-level courses
taken in residence at American University.
A grade of C (2.00) or better is required for each
major, major-related, or minor course. Students should
note that a C- does not qualify and any course with a C- or
lower will have to be repeated or an equivalent course
taken to satisfy the major requirement involved. Courses in
the major may not be taken on a Pass/Fail basis without
permission of the student’s dean or department chair.
Declaration of Major
Admission to an undergraduate program at the
university does not automatically constitute admission to a
major program. Acceptance is official only when specific
approval has been granted by the department. Formal
declaration of the major is required no later than the end of
the sophomore year.
Multiple Majors
A student can complete multiple majors by
satisfactorily passing the major and major-related course
work required by the departments or schools. If the majors
are pursued in different schools, the student must designate
when declaring the majors which school he or she will be
registered in and graduated from. The student will need to
satisfy the general requirements of that school only. If a
student is majoring in recognized majors that lead to
different degrees (e.g., B.A. and B.S.), the student
specifies which of the two degrees is to be awarded. A
student may apply the same course to each major program
in which it meets the requirements.
Interdisciplinary Majors
In addition to the established major programs,
students have the option of constructing their own major
programs leading to B.A. or B.S. degrees. Students
interested in developing an individual interdisciplinary
degree program should consult with their advisor and refer
to the University Catalog for more detailed information.
MINOR REQUIREMENTS
Minor programs consist of a minimum of 18 credit
hours, including at least 9 credit hours at the 300-level or
above. For all minors, at least 9 credit hours of the stated
requirements must be taken in residence at American
University. At least 12 credit hours of the minor must be
outside of the course requirements for each major the
student is pursuing. A grade of C (2.00) or better is
required for each course used to satisfy the requirements of
a minor.
Students may earn an interdisciplinary minor by
completing an individually constructed program satisfying
the requirements stated above and consisting of courses
from different disciplines united by a common theme and
modeled after interdisciplinary majors.
Minors are noted on the student’s transcript but do
not appear on the diploma.
ELECTIVES
All students are required to complete 120 credit hours
of course work, including college writing, mathematics,
General Education, and major requirements. Most students
will have more courses to reach the 120 credit total than
are needed to meet these requirements. These additional
courses are electives.
Elective courses are different for each student and
don’t meet any specific requirement, but do count toward
the 120 credit hours needed for an undergraduate degree.
A particular course may meet a requirement for another
major or be in the General Education program, but you
may decide to take it as an elective. For most students,
electives present a great opportunity to explore a possible
second major or minor, investigate a totally new field,
learn a language, write poetry, or try your hand at art,
music, dance, or sports. If you are planning to study
abroad, those courses may meet requirements for your
program, or you may use the opportunity to take elective
courses.
ADVANCED PLACEMENT
Upon recommendation of the appropriate teaching
unit, advanced standing may be awarded or a course
requirement waived for an entering student on the basis of
performance in the College Entrance Examination Board’s
Advanced Placement Examination Program. In some
secondary schools, enriched courses are offered under the
Advanced Placement program. On the basis of scores
achieved on the special examinations given, the applicant
may be granted actual college credit or advanced
placement in courses. A maximum of 30 credit hours
earned in the Advanced Placement Examination Program
may be applied toward a bachelor’s degree.
All newly admitted or already matriculated students
are eligible for course credit, with advanced placement
where appropriate, on the basis of successful performance
in College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Subject
Examinations, provided that the student has not failed or
completed for credit a course comparable in content.
Course credit may be awarded at the discretion of the
teaching unit for specific CLEP Subject Examinations with
a score of 75% or higher. Teaching units approve the
appropriateness of the content of the specific examinations
for awarding credit. Selected CLEP examinations may be
applied to up to four courses to meet General Education
requirements. Credit toward General Education
requirements may be awarded only for examinations taken
prior to entering American University.
Students should consult with their advisors as to how
examinations will apply to their degree programs. Under
no circumstances will students be permitted to retake a
Subject Examination.
CREDIT HOURS: ACADEMIC LOAD
An undergraduate student admitted to and enrolled in
a degree program usually registers for 15 credit hours each
semester so that the required minimum of 120 credit hours
for the bachelor’s degree is completed in four years.
In any given semester, a student must carry a
minimum of 12 credit hours to be classified and certified
(for financial aid, veteran’s benefits, etc.) as full-time for
that semester. Courses that do not carry academic credit
toward a degree (for example, LIT-010 College Reading or
MATH-022 Basic Algebra) are counted toward full-time
enrollment status.
A total of 19 credit hours is the maximum load for a
semester. Undergraduate students wishing to register for
more than 19 credit hours are required to have approval of
their academic advisor and dean. The approval is for the
overload, not permission for a specific course.
Undergraduate students who register for more than
17 credit hours in a semester are charged the full-time
tuition rate with an additional charge for each credit hour
over 17, at the per credit hour rate.
5
GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Developing Critical Intellectual Capacities
INTRODUCTION
The General Education Program is designed for all
undergraduate students regardless of degree program.
Aimed at building a strong intellectual foundation, the
General Education requirements are drawn from five
curricular areas. The program is designed to be completed
during the first two years of study, allowing students
ample time to pursue their major as well as study abroad,
internships, and minors or second majors.
The General Education Program is the cornerstone of
your academic program at American University. This
chapter will help guide you in building a meaningful and
valuable program. As you read through it, you should keep
in mind the following:
• students take a total of ten General Education courses;
two courses in each of five areas
• students begin each Curricular Area by taking a
foundation course, which forms the base for a
second-level course
• all second-level courses are linked to a cluster of
foundation courses, one of which must be taken as a
prerequisite for the second-level course
• no more than two courses from a discipline may be
taken for General Education credit; disciplines are
designated by the course number subject prefix (e.g.,
ANTH, BIO)
• once a student has enrolled, all courses to fulfill
General Education Requirements must be taken at
American University
General Education Program Definitions
Curricular Area (or “Area”): One of the five
content-specific subdivisions of the General Education
Program:
1. The Creative Arts
2. Traditions that Shape the Western World
3. Global and Multicultural Perspectives
4. Social Institutions and Behavior
5. The Natural Sciences
The Area is represented after a course title as the first
number in the following: 1:x, 2:x, 3:x, 4:x, or 5:x.
Foundation course: A 100-level course in the General
Education Program.
Second-level course: A 200-level course in the General
Education Program.
Level: Refers to whether a course is a foundation or a
second-level course. The level is represented after a course
title as the second number in the following: x:1 or x:2.
Cluster: One of two groups of courses (several foundation
courses and a larger number of second-level courses) in a
curricular area.
6
Sequence: A specified order for taking General Education
classes: take a foundation course first and follow it with
one of the second-level courses from the same cluster.
Discipline: Refers to the subject prefix in a course number
regardless of academic department or course content. For
example, the course number PHIL-105 refers to a
philosophy course; the course number RELG-210 refers to
a religion course. Although these courses are in the
Philosophy and Religion Department, they have different
prefixes and are in different disciplines. The course
number ARTH-105 refers to an art history course; the
course number HIST-100 refers to a history course.
Although these courses are both about history, they are in
different disciplines.
Curricular Area Requirements
Students select courses from those that are designated
as General Education courses. Students choose two
courses, one foundation course and one second-level
course in the same cluster, in each curricular area. Each
curricular area offers students a choice of one of two
course clusters comprising several foundation courses, any
of which lead to a larger number of second-level courses.
Courses at the foundation level introduce students to
the fundamental concepts, issues, and achievements in the
curricular area. Courses deal explicitly with the
appropriate processes and standards for gathering and
evaluating information (quantification, experiments,
primary sources, authoritative texts) and interpretation
(methods of investigation and analytic skills) in a specific
disciplinary field. All science foundation courses include
laboratory experience. The courses are designed to help
students achieve a broad view of how different disciplinary
viewpoints and fields of knowledge can contribute to their
understanding of themselves and the world around them.
General Education foundation courses differ from
traditional survey courses by explicitly incorporating a
common set of educational goals. The General Education
Program as a whole, and the courses within it, promote and
develop:
• written and oral communication
• critical thinking, including information literacy
• ethical awareness
• aesthetic sensibility
• diverse perspectives, including race, class, culture,
gender, and academic discipline
• a global point of view
The second-level courses follow a specific group of
foundation courses from one cluster, forming a coherent
curricular sequence and reinforcing the learning objectives
of the foundation course. The foundation courses selected
from a variety of disciplines assure breadth in the student’s
program while the second-level courses build on the
foundation and encourage in-depth study.
Course Selection
Students select two courses, a foundation course
followed by a more specialized course in an approved
sequence, in each curricular area. Students will not be able
to satisfy General Education Requirements with more than
two courses in any one discipline even though a discipline
may have courses included in more than one curricular
area. Courses required for College Writing and University
Mathematics do not count towards the two-course limit.
Prerequisites
A second-level course may not be taken for General
Education credit until after the prerequisite foundation
course has been satisfactorily completed. Students who
have placed at or below Finite Mathematics must satisfy
the University Mathematics Requirement before enrolling
in a foundation course in The Natural Sciences curricular
area. Students who have placed above Finite Mathematics
may take the foundation course in the Natural Sciences
curricular area at the same time they take the course work
satisfying the University Mathematics Requirement, or
even beforehand.
Relation to the Major
Many of the courses in the General Education
Program also meet requirements of undergraduate majors.
Students interested in a double major need to plan ahead if
they expect to fulfill all requirements within 120 credit
hours.
Grading Requirements
To receive General Education credit, a student must
successfully complete a General Education course with a
grade of D or better. Students may elect to take a General
Education course on a Pass/Fail basis. However, if the
course is also being taken to fulfill a requirement for the
major, the grading policies for that program should be
consulted.
Advanced Placement Credit
Students presenting a 4 or 5 on the Advanced
Placement examination, 75% on the CLEP examination, or
grades for which they have received credit from the British
A Levels, CEGEP, International Baccalaureate, German
Abitur, or other international credential for which they
have been granted credit by American University may
apply the credit for up to four courses to meet General
Education requirements in any of the five Curricular
Areas. Credit for General Education may only be awarded
when specific General Education courses, which have been
so designated, match particular exam results (with the
exception of the CEGEP and German Abitur, which are
handled ad hoc) and only for examinations taken prior to
entering American University. Specific information
regarding application of this principle is contained in the
General Education Advanced Placement Credit
Articulation effective for the academic year of admission.
This document is maintained by the General Education
Office and is available in all advising units and online at:
www.gened.american.edu and click on “Students” at the
top of the page.
Transfer Students
Transfer students satisfy their General Education
Requirements through a combination of appropriate
transfer courses and completion of courses in the General
Education Program at American University. Through the
evaluation of equivalent courses taken at another
institution and with the approval of a student’s dean,
transfer credit may fulfill all General Education
requirements. In some cases, students supplement transfer
credit with General Education courses taken at the
university to meet the requirements. The need to satisfy
sequences is waived when both courses in a Curricular
Area are accepted for transfer credit.
Study at Another Institution
Transfer credit may be used to fulfill General
Education requirements through the evaluation of
equivalent courses taken at another institution and with the
approval of the student’s dean. Because of the special
nature of the program, after the student is enrolled in a
degree program at American University no credit toward
General Education Requirements may be earned through
transfer credit.
General Education and the University Mathematics
Requirement
All students must fulfill the University Mathematics
Requirement before enrolling in their first (foundation
level) course in The Natural Sciences curricular area (Area
5), unless they have placed above Finite Mathematics.
Students who have placed above the level of Finite
Mathematics may take the foundation course before or
concurrently with course work taken to satisfy the
University Mathematics Requirement.
THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM:
DISCOVERING THE WORLD
The General Education Program introduces you to a
wide-angle lens view of the world of the intellect. The
General Education curriculum both concentrates your
studies and gives you important choices. Within carefully
selected groups, or clusters, of courses, you will explore
five distinct areas of inquiry: The Creative Arts, Traditions
that Shape the Western World, Global and Multicultural
Perspectives, Social Institutions and Behavior, and The
Natural Sciences. In each area, you will take two courses
in sequence—foundation and second-level—discovering
elements that link and deepen ideas within a discipline or
across different ones.
The General Education Program will also help you
choose your major by exposing you to interesting courses,
fascinating ideas, and excellent faculty from all over the
university. If you already know your major, the General
Education curriculum will strengthen its meaning for you
by placing it in the context of other intellectual disciplines.
Preparing for Your Future
Your major points you toward a career, and focuses
your attention on a particular subset of the intellectual life.
General Education provides insights into the scientific,
7
cultural, social, and aesthetic contexts in which you will several second-level courses linked in the same cluster to
pursue that career: the General Education Program is your the foundation course. The nature of the link differs from
foundation. course to course: sometimes the second course will take a
The rationale behind the General Education Program small slice of the foundation course and investigate it
is both old and new, idealistic and practical. We think you further; or it might move laterally to refocus your study of
should emerge from the university with a breadth of foundation-course subject matter in an entirely different
education; that you should experience the soaring context. Often, faculty will expect you to make the
expression of the arts, that you should understand your connections, thus encouraging the development of your
historical roots, that you should be aware of the global and own critical thinking skills.
intercultural modern world, that you should be aware of Second, we also believe that important skills should
the social institutions and behavior of groups among which be taught (and reinforced) in the context of specific course
you will live your life, and that you should develop content. The General Education Program, therefore, is
important knowledge of the meaning and force of the committed to teach and re-teach these essential skills—
natural and physical world. Those are traditional, yet including critical thinking, writing, quantitative thinking,
up-to-the-minute reasons for general education. use of computers, perspectives of race and gender and
General education has a practical side too. As the class, aesthetic and ethical issues—across the entire
twenty-first century begins, we can predict with certainty General Education curriculum.
that your life will be marked by vast changes. Your plans, Third, the General Education Program, unlike that at
your career, and your jobs are all likely to change (at many other universities and colleges, holds a central place
unpredictable times) throughout your life. Increasingly, the in the priorities of the American University faculty and
only constant in life is change. The foundations of administration. It is central to the mission of the university.
information and knowledge of the profession you enter a Both senior and junior faculty-members teach General
few years from now will almost certainly shift underfoot Education courses; our goal is to get the best teachers in
after you are embarked in it—probably more than once. General Education classrooms, whatever their status.
So, the specifics of what you learn here—especially what Moreover, the program strives to give students the very
you learn in your major—will almost surely count for less best and most innovative teaching available. American
as time passes than the general knowledge you gain and University’s faculty is particularly receptive to innovative
the understanding of how to acquire knowledge. The teaching methods and technology, especially as these
specific will become obsolete several times over, while the methods and technologies encourage active participation
general will endure in significance. Your education “in by students in their own learning. The General Education
general” will position you to adapt, adjust, progress, and Program, in collaboration with the University College and
grow even as your environment swirls and shifts in shape, the Center for Teaching Excellence, officially encourages
giving you a framework for dealing with the unknown and and sponsors innovation in its pursuit of excellence in
for giving meaning to your life in a dynamic era of human undergraduate education.
development.
The General Education Program will stimulate
interests that you will pursue in the years beyond college.
It will raise provocative questions, challenge comfortable
assumptions, and sharpen skills necessary to thoughtful
and effective participation in this complex, constantly
changing world. The program aims to advance your
knowledge, but also your intellectual competence. Aimed
at developing informed, effective minds, the program will
prepare you for life and for making a living.
Building the Foundation
What is special about the General Education Program
at American University?
First, the program is carefully constructed, with a
two-story architecture that leads you from the foundation
of an area of intellectual concern to its higher applications.
This is quite unlike the common and random “cafeteria”
approach of many schools. Our program is carefully
organized into five areas: The Creative Arts, Traditions
that Shape the Western World, Global and Multicultural
Perspectives, Social Institutions and Behavior, and The
Natural Sciences. In each area, you begin by choosing a
foundation course that broadly introduces the subject
matter involved. You complete that area by taking one of

8
PLANNING YOUR GENERAL EDUCATION
As a mirror of our times, the General Education
Program is a dynamic and growing entity. It reviews and
adds new courses on a regular basis. It collaborates with
other academic initiatives and has, for instance, pioneered
new curriculum by offering linked courses and accelerated
courses. Then there are special topic “wild card” courses,
taught by faculty-members seeking to do something more
experimental in the classroom or tackle a specialized topic
of particular timeliness; these change every semester. And
the regular course offerings themselves are not fixed for all
time; courses are retired and new courses brought in as the
educational needs of the student body alter. In all of these
ways, General Education keeps pace with change.
Look over the courses listed in each curricular area
and check off several foundation courses that interest you.
Then look at the cluster of courses to see which
second-level courses are available. Reviewing several
options will help you decide which course sequence to
select.
Remember, you may not take more than two courses
in any discipline—as denoted by the course subject
prefix—for General Education credit.
Most Important Program Regulations
• Take a foundation and second-level course in sequence
from the same cluster in each curricular area.
• Take the foundation course before the second-level
course, unless the credit for the second-level course is
accepted through transfer.
• Do not take more than two courses from any single
discipline as indicated by the subject prefix (for example,
BIO is Biology and HIST is History) for General
Education credit (including transferred courses).
• Fulfill the University Mathematics requirement before
enrolling in The Natural Sciences curricular area, unless
you have placed above Finite Mathematics.
• Once enrolled, all courses to fulfill General Education
requirements must be taken at American University.
• You must pass a General Education course with a
grade of D or better. You may take a General Education
course Pass/Fail if the course is not taken for your major
or if your major program allows the Pass/Fail option.
Questions about General Education
Who has to complete the General Education Program?
All American University undergraduates must fulfill
General Education requirements.
How many courses do I take?
You must take two courses in each of the five
curricular areas (for a total of ten). First select one of two
course clusters in an area. Take from it a foundation course
and then follow it with a second-level course that appears
in the same cluster. This sequencing is essential to the
concept of the program, as each second-level course links
in content to particular foundation courses.
Is it possible to take a second-level course before taking
the foundation course?
No, if you are taking the courses for General
Education credit, the foundation courses serve as a
prerequisite for second-level courses.
What if a course closes before I can register for it or it’s
not offered the semester I want to take it?
Almost all courses are offered at least once a year, so
wait until next semester and see if it fits into your
schedule. Or, you may take a different course if it’s
compatible with your schedule and you’ve met all the
prerequisites. However, if it’s a second-level course, be
sure it’s in the same cluster as the foundation course
you’ve taken.
How many courses may I take from each discipline for
General Education credit?
Although some academic departments have courses
in several Areas, you may not take more than two General
Education courses in a discipline. For example, you may
only take two sociology courses (course numbers
beginning with SOCY) out of your ten General Education
courses.
What grade do I have to get in my General Education
classes?
You must get a D or better in order to get General
Education credit. You may also take a General Education
class on a pass/fail basis. However, if you are taking a
General Education class to fulfill a requirement towards
your major, you may need a different grade. Check with
the appropriate academic department to be sure.
May I take a General Education course, but not for
General Education credit?
Yes, you may be able to count courses in the General
Education Program towards your major or minor
requirements, or for elective credit. Courses are offered for
non-General Education credit under the same course
number.
9
May I spread out my General Education courses over four Where do I go for help in planning my General Education
years? courses?
The program is designed so that it can be completed Students should take the responsibility of planning
in your first two years. You should finish your General which General Education courses they will take, making
Education requirements as soon as possible to keep your sure they follow all program requirements and rules. Each
last years open for off-campus opportunities, such as semester before registering on-line, you will be reminded
internships and study abroad. If you have not yet to review your electronic degree audit report which will
completed your math requirement, it is essential that you indicate what General Education requirements you still
speak to your advisor about its connection to the Area 5 need to fulfill. If you have questions or are having
The Natural Sciences requirement. difficulty in choosing a particular course, your academic
Is there any way I can be exempted from the General advisor or the publications available on campus and
Education requirements? on-line at www.gened.american.edu may be able to assist
No. All undergraduate students at American you. You may also contact the General Education office at
University must complete the General Education Program, 202-885-3879 or e-mail gened@american.edu.
as well as the College Writing and University Mathematics What’s the connection between the General Education
requirements. Program and the University Mathematics Requirement?
May I use my advanced placement credits towards You must fulfill the University Mathematics
General Education requirements? Requirement before enrolling in your first (foundation
Students presenting a 4 or 5 on the Advanced level) course in The Natural Sciences curricular area (Area
Placement examination, 75% on the CLEP examination, or 5), unless you have “placed” above Finite Mathematics. If
grades for which they have received credit from the British you have placed above the level of Finite Mathematics,
A Levels, CEGEP, International Baccalaureate, German you may take the foundation course in Area 5 before or
Abitur or other international credential for which they have concurrently with course work taken to satisfy the
been granted credit may be able to apply the credit for up University Mathematics Requirement.
to four courses to meet the General Education
requirements in any of the five Curricular Areas. Credit for
General Education may only be awarded when specific
General Education courses, which have been so
designated, match particular exam results (with the
exception of the CEGEP and German Abitur, which are
handled ad hoc) and only for exams taken prior to entering
American University. Specific information is contained in
the General Education Advanced Placement Credit
Articulation effective for the academic year of admission.
This document is maintained by the General Education
Office and is available in all advising units and on-line at
www.gened.american.edu and click on “Students” at the
top of the page.
What if I want to take a General Education course at
another school or use a study abroad course for General
Education credit?
Due to the unique nature of General Education
courses and how they’re taught, once students are enrolled,
they must complete all General Education courses at
American University. Courses at other institutions or other
American University courses may not be substituted.
Do transfer students have to complete General Education
requirements?
Yes, transfer students must still fulfill General
Education requirements. However, courses taken prior to
admission to American University will be matched with
General Education courses to determine whether they
qualify for credit in the program. It is technically possible
for all ten courses to be transferred with a dean’s approval.
If a student transfers both courses in one Curricular Area,
the sequencing requirement is waived.

10
CURRICULAR AREA 1: The Creative Arts
The creative arts celebrate the human capacity to
imagine, to create, and to transform ideas into expressive
forms such as paintings, poems, and symphonies. The arts
provide us with a rich record of human cultures and values
throughout time. They enable us to understand and enjoy
the experiences of our senses and to sharpen our aesthetic
sense—that human quality through which we comprehend
beauty. To appreciate the relationship between form and
meaning is to realize that the creative arts, regardless of
their medium of expression, share important principles.
Courses in this curricular area have varied emphases:
the process of creativity, the analysis of the artistic
imagination, or the relationship between artists, their
works, and the societies in which their works are produced.
Students may choose a “hands-on” experience and paint,
draw, design, or write a poem. Alternatively, they may
study both classic and recent works of literature, art,
music, dance, or theatre. All courses in this area challenge
the student to understand creativity and the distinctive
intellectual process of the human imagination.
The Creative Arts: Goals
• examine the nature of creativity, especially imaginative
and intuitive thinking
• situate creative works, and judgments about those
creative works, in their appropriate social and historical
context develop the student’s own creative and
expressive abilities, so that the student can better
understand the qualities that shape an artist’s work
Foundation Courses: Students select a 100-level course
in one of the two clusters.
Second-level Courses: Students select a 200-level course
in the same cluster as the foundation course.
Cluster One: Understanding Creative Processes
Foundation Courses
ARTS-100 Art: The Studio Experience
LIT-105 The Literary Imagination
PERF-110 Understanding Music
PERF-115 Theater: Principles, Plays and Performance
Second-Level Courses
ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing
ARTS-210 The Artist’s Perspective: Painting
ARTS-215 The Artist’s Perspective: Sculpture
LIT-215 Writers in Print/in Person
PERF-200 Dance and Society
PERF-205 Masterpieces of Music
PERF-210 Greatness in Music
PERF-225 The African American Experience in the
Performing Arts
Wild Card Courses
GNED-210 General Education Area 1 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
Cluster Two: Understanding Creative Works
Foundation Courses
COMM-105 Visual Literacy
ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience
LIT-120 Interpreting Literature
LIT-135 Critical Approach to the Cinema
Second-Level Courses
ANTH-225 Language and Human Experience
ARTH-210 Modern Art: 19th and 20th Centuries
LIT-225 The African Writer
LIT-245 The Experience of Poetry
LIT-270 Transformations of Shakespeare
PERF-215 Opera on Stage and Film
PERF-220 Reflections of American Society on Stage and
Screen
PHIL-230 Meaning and Purpose in the Arts
Wild Card Courses
GNED-210 General Education Area 1 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
11
CURRICULAR AREA 2: Traditions that Shape
the Western World
The rich traditions that shape the Western world
convey ideas, visions, and cultural practices that are
shared, lasting, and tenacious. Whether dominant or
prevailing values that many people of Western countries
share or the folk traditions that grow out of small
communities, these deeply rooted phenomena help us
make choices about identity and affinity with family,
community, history, values, and place.
Courses in this curricular area have varied emphases.
Some examine powerful visions that philosophers, political
theorists, historians, religious thinkers, scientists, and
social critics have of the Western experience. Others
explore competing ideas about human nature, liberty and
equality, and the consequences of social change. Finally,
some uncover those traditions growing out of the unique
experiences of women, ethnic groups, and indigenous
peoples as they express and preserve their own principles
of social organization and cultural expression.
All courses in this area emphasize chronology and
share a close attention both to the substance of the past and
the ways to study it. Through direct engagement with
primary texts, students learn to ask questions, debate ideas,
and come to understand the ways that we experience the
events and ideas of the past in our own lives.
Traditions that Shape the Western World: Goals
• explore the diverse historical and philosophical
traditions that have shaped the contemporary Western
world
• read and discuss fundamental texts from those
traditions, situating the texts in their appropriate
intellectual contexts
• develop the student’s ability to critically and
comparatively reflect on religious and philosophical
issues, in dialogue with others both past and present
Foundation Courses: Students select a 100-level course
in one of the two clusters.
Second-level Courses: Students select a 200-level course
in the same cluster as the foundation course.
12
Cluster One: Cultures of the West
Foundation Courses
LIT-125 Great Books That Shaped the Western World
HIST-100 Historians and the Living Past
HIST-110 Renaissance and Revolutions:
Europe, 1400–1815
WGST-150 Women’s Voices through Time
Second-Level Courses
ANTH-235 Early America: The Buried Past
ARTH-205 Art of the Renaissance
HIST-205 American Encounters: 1492–1865
HIST-215 Social Forces that Shaped America
JWST-205 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Civilization
JWST-210 Voices of Modern Jewish Literature
LIT-235 African American Literature
LIT-240 Asian American Literature
LIT-265 Literature and Society in Victorian England
Wild Card Courses
GNED-220 General Education Area 2 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
Cluster Two: Western Heritage and Institutions
Foundation Courses
GOVT-105 Individual Freedom vs. Authority
HIST-115 Work and Community
JLS-110 Western Legal Tradition
PHIL-105 Western Philosophy
RELG-105 The Religious Heritage of the West
Second-Level Courses
COMM-270 How the News Media Shape History
HIST-235 The West in Crisis, 1900–1945
JLS-225 American Legal Culture
LFS-230 The Modernist Explosion: Culture and Ideology
in Europe
PHIL-235 Theories of Democracy and Human Rights
PHIL-220 Moral Philosophy
PHYS-230 Changing Views of the Universe
RELG-220 Religious Thought
SOCY-215 The Rise of Critical Social Thought
Wild Card Courses
GNED-220 General Education Area 2 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
CURRICULAR AREA 3: Global and
Multicultural Perspectives
Global interdependence is a powerful fact of life.
Through an exploration of societies of Asia, Africa, the
Middle East, Latin America and Europe, this curricular
area opens the doors into varied cultures and issues that
challenge a parochial understanding of the world.
Students may select courses that focus on the major
issues of contemporary world politics, including
management of conflict, economic competition, and
environmental threats to the quality of life. Alternatively,
there are courses that emphasize either a comparative or
cross-cultural examination of cultures, societies, polities,
and belief systems and acknowledge the importance of
recognizing and overcoming cultural barriers. Finally,
there are courses which focus on the dilemma of the global
majority—the three-quarters of the world’s population
who live in countries striving for national identity as well
as economic and political development.
All courses in this area encourage a better
understanding of the dimensions of experience and belief
that distinguish cultures and countries from one another
and, conversely, the commonalities that bind human
experience together. The courses aim to stimulate
awareness of the need for enhanced international and
intercultural communication.
Global and Multicultural Perspectives: Goals
• explore those habits of thought and feeling that
distinguish regions, countries, and cultures from one
another
• discuss, in comparative and cross-cultural perspective,
the concepts, patterns, and trends that characterize
contemporary global politics
• develop the student’s capacity to critically analyze
major issues in international and intercultural relations,
especially how categories of difference are organized
within and across cultures and how they affect political
systems
Foundation Courses: Students select a 100-level course
in one of the two clusters.
Second-level Courses: Students select a 200-level course
in the same cluster as the foundation course.
Cluster One: Global Perspective
Foundation Courses
ECON-110 The Global Majority
GOVT-130 Comparative Politics
HIST-120 Imperialism and Revolution
SIS-105 World Politics
SIS-110 Beyond Sovereignty
Second-Level Courses
COMM-280 Contemporary Media in a Global Society
EDU-285 Education for International Development
GOVT-235 Dynamics of Political Change
HIST-225 Russia and the Origins of Contemporary Eurasia
IBUS-200 The Global Marketplace
LFS-200 Russia and the United States
SIS-215 Competition in an Interdependent World
SIS-220 Confronting Our Differences/Discovering Our
Similarities: Conflict Resolution
SIS-255 China, Japan and the United States
SOCY-225 Contemporary Arab World
Wild Card Courses
GNED-230 General Education Area 3 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
Cluster Two: Multicultural Experience
Foundation Courses
ANTH-110 Culture: The Human Mirror
LIT-150 Third World Literature
RELG-185 Forms of the Sacred: Religions of the East
SIS-140 Cross-Cultural Communication
SOCY-110 Views from the Third World
Second-Level Courses
ANTH-210 Roots of Racism and Interracial Harmony
ANTH-215 Sex, Gender, and Culture
ANTH-220 Living in Multicultural Societies
ANTH-230 India: Its Living Traditions
HIST-250 Civilization and Modernization: Asia
LFS-210 Latin America: History, Art, Literature
RELG-210 Non-Western Religious Traditions
SIS-210 Human Geography: Peoples, Places, and Cultures
SIS-245 The World of Islam
SIS-250 Civilizations of Africa
SOCY-235 Women in the Third World
Wild Card Courses
GNED-230 General Education Area 3 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
13
CURRICULAR AREA 4: Social Institutions Cluster One: Institutions
and Behavior Foundation Courses
Studying the foundations of contemporary American COMM-100 Understanding Media
society reveals the elements of complex social systems, the ECON-100 Macroeconomics
way individuals function in varied social settings, and the GOVT-110 Politics in the United States
root causes of social behavior. In comprehending the
mechanisms and rules that give shape to complex societies, SOCY-150 Global Sociology
we gain strength to influence institutional processes. Second-Level Courses
Through reflection on principles that explain human AMST-240 Poverty and Culture
behavior, we create understanding of our interpersonal COMM-275 Dissident Media: Voices from the
experiences. Underground
Courses in this curricular area are of three kinds:
those that use one of the traditional social science ECON-200 Microeconomics
disciplines to provide an overview of the interaction of FIN-200 Personal Finance and Financial Institutions
individuals and the institutions that shape our economic, GOVT-210 Political Power and American Public Policy
political, and social experience; those that focus on a GOVT-215 Civil Rights and Liberties
single institution and the complex ways in which it affects
our lives; and those that use a societal dilemma as the entry PHIL-240 Ethics in the Professions
point for discovering the ways in which the quality of SOCY-210 Inequality: Class, Race, Ethnicity
individual life is protected or challenged in various WGST-225 Gender, Politics, and Power
settings.
Wild Card Courses
The many and distinct disciplines that contribute to
this area are united by a self-conscious dedication to the GNED-240 General Education Area 4 Topic
modes of inquiry of contemporary social science, as Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
applied to the American experience. As strongly as it topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
emphasizes the substance of knowledge, this curricular
area emphasizes how we create knowledge and arrive at Cluster Two: Social Behavior
understanding.
Foundation Courses
Social Institutions and Behavior: Goals ANTH-150 Anthropology of American Life
• study the institutions, systems, and patterns of PSYC-105 Psychology: Understanding Human Behavior
governance and of economic and social organization that SOCY-100 American Society
underlie contemporary societies
WGST-125 Gender in Society
• place policy options and their consequences in their
Second-Level Courses
appropriate social and political context, drawing on
classic and contemporary theories of human organization EDU-205 Schools and Society
• develop the student’s capacity to critically reflect on HFIT-245 Gender, Culture and Health
the organization of societies and the relationship between HIST-210 Ethnicity in America
the individual and the society, using the distinctive HIST-220 Women in America
methods of inquiry appropriate to the study of social JLS-200 Deprivation of Liberty
institutions
JLS-215 Violence and Institutions
Foundation Courses: Students select a 100-level course JLS-245 Cities and Crime
in one of the two clusters. PSYC-205 Social Psychology
Second-level Courses: Students select a 200-level course PSYC-215 Abnormal Psychology and Society
in the same cluster as the foundation course.
PSYC-235 Theories of Personality
SOCY-205 The Family
Wild Card Courses
GNED-240 General Education Area 4 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.

14
CURRICULAR AREA 5: The Natural Sciences Cluster One: The Living World
Through observation and analysis of the physical and Foundation Courses
biological world, scientists discern basic principles that BIO-100 Great Experiments in Biology
explain natural phenomena and unravel many mysteries. BIO-110 General Biology I
Whether chemist, biologist, physicist, or experimental
PSYC-115 Psychology as a Natural Science
psychologist, scientists rely on theory and experimentation
to test and refine understanding of our bodies, our complex Second-Level Courses
environment, and the universe. ANTH-250 Human Origins
All courses in this curricular area focus on the nature BIO-200 Structure and Function of the Human Body
of scientific reasoning, discovery, and invention through
BIO-210 General Biology II
the systematic exploration of basic concepts within their
historical context. Foundation courses unite “hands-on” BIO-220 The Case for Evolution
scientific experimentation, inductive reasoning, and CHEM-205 The Human Genome
deductive analysis with the study of basic principles such ENVS-240 Oceanography
as the structure of matter, biological evolution, human
behavior, and thermodynamics. The second-level courses ENVS-250 Living in the Environment
include both traditional advanced study in each discipline HFIT-205 Current Concepts in Nutrition
as well as integrative courses such as oceanography, earth PSYC-200 Behavior Principles
sciences, astronomy, and human biochemistry and health. PSYC-220 The Senses
This curricular area conveys a respect for the natural
world, extends scientific literacy, and refines the modes of PSYC-240 Drugs and Behavior
thought that characterize scientific inquiry. Wild Card Courses
GNED-250 General Education Area 5 Topic
The Natural Sciences: Goals Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
• study the makeup and workings of the natural world topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.
and the beings inhabiting it
• examine the historical development and current status Cluster Two: The Physical World
of scientific methods, concepts, and principles, allowing
contemporary scientific knowledge to be placed in its Foundation Courses
proper context CHEM-100 The Molecular World
• develop the student’s own problem-solving and CHEM-110 General Chemistry I
laboratory skills, so that the student can better understand PHYS-100 Physics for the Modern World
how scientific research works PHYS-105 College Physics I
PHYS-110 University Physics I
General Education and the University Mathematics Second-Level Courses
Requirement
All students must fulfill the University Mathematics CHEM-205 The Human Genome
Requirement before enrolling in their first (foundation CHEM-210 General Chemistry II
level) course in The Natural Sciences curricular area (Area CHEM-220 Environmental Resources and Energy
5), unless they have placed above Finite Mathematics. CHEM-230 Earth Sciences
Students who have placed above the level of Finite
Mathematics may take the foundation course before or CHEM-250 Criminalistics, Crime, and Society
concurrently with course work taken to satisfy the ENVS-240 Oceanography
University Mathematics Requirement. PHYS-200 Physics for a New Millennium
PHYS-205 College Physics II
Foundation Courses: Students select a 100-level course
in one of the two clusters. PHYS-210 University Physics II
Second-level Courses: Students select a 200-level course PHYS-220 Astronomy
in the same cluster as the foundation course. Wild Card Courses
GNED-250 General Education Area 5 Topic
Special topics offered for second-level credit; specific
topics are listed each semester in the Schedule of Classes.

15
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Dean Kay J. Mussell
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Tom Husted
Academic Counselors
Marla Boren 202-885-6370 mboren@american.edu
undecided students T–Z; intended majors in Audio Production, Audio Technology, Biochemistry, Chemistry,
Computer Science, Multimedia, Performing Arts, or Physics
Cheryl Gindlesperger 202-885-2476 cgindle@american.edu
undecided students H–L; intended majors in Anthropology, Health Promotion, History, Sociology,
or Women’s and Gender Studies
Anne Kaiser 202-885-1144 akaiser@american.edu
varsity athletes; intended majors in Biology, Economics, Environmental Studies, or Marine Science
Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970 jramsay@american.edu
undecided students D–G ; intended majors in American Studies, Education, Jewish Studies, Language and Foreign Studies,
Mathematics, Philosophy, or Statistics
Alicia Mandac 202-885-2438
undecided students C and M–R; intended majors in Art History, Graphic Design, Literature, or Studio Art
Doug Vibert 202-885-2584 dvibert@american.edu
undecided students A, B, and S; intended majors in Psychology
Undergraduate Advising Center Battelle 100
202-885-2453 fax 202-885-1085
www.american.edu/cas

which academic counselor (determined by the first letter of

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) takes your last name) you should contact for advice.
particular pride in the broad range of its programs and in Note: If you are selecting a mathematics course for
its interactive approach to learning. As a student in CAS, your first semester, make your best judgment about what
you will have many opportunities to develop your level of math is appropriate for you based on your
interests, values, and skills. You may wish to begin or mathematics background. When registering you for
continue a foreign language in preparation for a study classes, your academic counselor may determine that a
abroad program or pursue a love of the arts in a painting or different level is more appropriate. You will be notified if
theater course. We invite you to view your first year at this occurs. In any case, you will take a mathematics
American University as an opportunity to explore all the placement examination during orientation that will ensure
possibilities. your preparedness for the correct level of math. Please
A majority of first year students have not yet decided keep in mind that even though certain math courses are
on an academic major. All students are expected to declare recommended under specific majors listed below, you may
an academic major by the end of the sophomore year. This need to take a prerequisite course first.
is an opportunity to pursue study in depth and synthesize
academic knowledge. If you think you know what you will Course descriptions begin on page 43.
major in, we invite you to look for that major’s suggested
program described under the departmental sections of this
chapter and to follow the guidelines about what to take
during your first year at American University. If you, like
most of your peers, are still considering a number of
different majors, please follow the suggested program
below for undecided CAS students. This program will
keep your options open to major in anything American
University offers. The CAS advising staff provides
assistance to students to help them decide on a major.
Please feel free to contact the academic counselor
affiliated with a major you are considering or, if you are
completely undecided, consult the list above to determine

16
 AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM
Suggested Program for CAS Students Who Are Coordinator Joe Dent
Still Deciding on a Major Battelle T49 202-885-2981
amstds@american.edu
First Semester
Academic Counselor Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970
• College Writing
jramsay@american.edu
• University Mathematics Requirement (for potential
majors requiring math beyond Finite Mathematics) The American Studies Program offers a Bachelor of
• Three or four General Education foundation courses Arts in American Studies with a concentration in related
or fields such as government, anthropology, literature,
Two or three General Education foundation courses and history, or communication. A minor is also available.
one elective American studies allows students to explore the
cultural complexity of the United States. Courses examine
Second Semester Americans’ intellectual and political traditions, social
• College Writing Seminar movements, creative arts, popular media, folklore, and
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in ethnicity. Students learn to use and interpret such cultural
fall) resources as great books and paintings, diaries and letters,
life histories and interviews, community celebrations,
• Three or four General Education courses material culture, and popular music. American studies
or students draw together the tools and insights of several
Two or three General Education foundation courses and disciplines to discover what Americans share as well as
one elective how they differ.
Graduates with a B.A. in American Studies are well
prepared for graduate study or for employment in a variety
of government offices, museums, social agencies, and
private-sector organizations.

American Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken in
fall or spring)
• AMST-140 Washington, DC: Life Inside a
Monument (3)
or
AMST-206 American Dreams/American Lives (3)
• Two or three General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• AMST-240 Poverty and Culture 4:2 (3)
• Two or three General Education courses

17

DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY
Chair Bill Leap
Battelle T23 202-885-1830
anthro@american.edu
www.american.edu/cas/anthropology
Academic Counselor Cheryl Gindlesperger 202-885-2476
cgindle@american.edu
The Department of Anthropology offers a Bachelor
of Arts in Anthropology and minors in anthropology and
public anthropology. Courses in anthropology train
students to explore the conditions which shape everyday
life in the contemporary world and in earlier times. Faculty
specialty include urban anthropology, mid-Atlantic
archaeology, anthropology of development, media studies,
bio-cultural anthropology, and race, gender, and social
justice studies. Our students pursue internships in the
Washington, D.C. area and study abroad experiences, and
participate in faculty research projects. Many also take
second majors or minors in such areas as journalism,
economics, women’s and gender studies, foreign
languages, and international studies, or pursue pre-
medicine or pre-law programs. Anthropology graduates
find careers in academic settings, research, government
service, museums, schools, healthcare facilities, and
community -based organizations.
Students considering a major in anthropology are
invited to contact departmental faculty members to
determine how degree requirements will best meet their
interests, needs, and career goals.
Anthropology
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (STAT-202
Basic Statistics (4) is recommended but not required)
• ANTH-110 Culture: The Human Mirror 3:1 (3)
• General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• ANTH-250 Human Origins 5:2 (3)
• Two General Education courses
• Elective
18
DEPARTMENT OF ART
Chair Luis Silva
Katzen 101B 202-885-1670
Academic Counselor Alicia Mandac 202-885-2438
The Department of Art offers the Bachelor of Arts in
Art History and Graphic Design, as well as the Bachelor of
Fine Arts and the Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art. These
areas of study can also be taken as minors.
The study of art awakens the ability to undertake a
serious exploration of visual form, opens the mind to the
special meanings encoded in visual language, and develops
the creative, expressive, and analytic abilities inherent in
all people. In studio courses, students learn to see with
acuity, to explore forms in nature or from the imagination,
and to make images that are formally coherent and
personally expressive. In art history courses, students are
introduced to the art of civilizations past and present, learn
how to interpret works of art critically and historically, and
discover how art functions both to reflect and to shape
social values. In graphic design courses, students develop
an understanding of the dynamic power of visual imagery
and learn to apply their knowledge of the formal elements
of art to the production of effective graphic
communication.
Multimedia integrates text, graphics, animation,
audio, and video. Reflecting the different skills required to
accomplish this integration, it blends practices and
technologies from graphic design, computing, and
communication to prepare students to design and develop
multimedia projects from a fine arts perspective.
American University’s new Katzen Arts Center
provides our students with a state of the art facility for the
investigation and pursuit of both the visual and performing
arts. The Art Department’s offices, classrooms, and studios
are equipped for the instruction of drawing, painting,
printmaking, sculpture, design, computer graphics,
multimedia, and ceramics.
As well as multiple performance stages and a full
array of classroom and studio facilities, the Katzen Arts
Center contains more than 30,000 square feet of gallery
space. The many world-class museums in Washington,
D.C. also form an integral component of students’
experience at American University. Further, students have
the option of studying fine arts and art history through the
study abroad programs.
Graduates with art degrees become practicing artists,
teachers, museum professionals, architectural
preservationists, art consultants, graphic designers, and
more.
 Graphic Design
Art History
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
Suggested Program for Potential Majors First Semester
First Semester • College Writing
• College Writing • ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3)
• ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3) • ARTS-100 Art: the Studio Experience 1:1 (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses • GDES-200 Introduction to Graphic Design (3)
• Elective • GDES-220 Computer Literacy for Design (3)
Second Semester Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar • College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement • University Mathematics Requirement
• ARTH-205 Art of the Renaissance 2:2 (3) • GDES-210 Introduction to Typography (3)
or • General Education course
ARTH-210 Modern Art: Nineteenth and Twentieth • Elective
Centuries 1:2 (3)
• General Education course DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
• Elective French, Italian or German language course
Chair Victoria Connaughton
Hurst 101 202-885-2176
Fine Arts/Studio Art
Academic Counselor Anne Kaiser 202-885-1144
Suggested Program for Potential Majors akaiser@american.edu
First Semester The department offers programs leading to the
• College Writing Bachelor of Science in Biology, the Bachelor of Arts in
• ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing 1:2 (3) Environmental Studies, and the Bachelor of Science in
Marine Science (see also Environmental Studies). Minors
or are available in biology and in environmental science. The
ARTS-210 The Artist’s Perspective: Painting 1:2 (3) department provides basic training in the life sciences,
• ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3) emphasizing modern advances in the areas of molecular
genetics, embryology and development, conservation
• General Education foundation course
biology and evolutionary ecology.
• Elective Faculty members conduct research in numerous areas
Second Semester including biodiversity, cave biology, cell biology,
• College Writing Seminar conservation biology, evolutionary ecology, immunology,
marine science, marine mammals, microbiology,
• University Mathematics Requirement molecular genetics, neurobiology, oceanography, tropical
• ARTH-210 Modern Art: Nineteenth and Twentieth reefs, and vertebrate physiology. Students are encouraged
Centuries 1:2 (3) to participate in faculty research projects and to present
• ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing 1:2 (3) their results at the annual student research conference.
Students also have the opportunity to visit, observe, and
or intern at some of the nation’s most prestigious biological
ARTS-210 The Artist’s Perspective: Painting 1:2 (3) research centers, including the National Institutes of
• General Education course Health (NIH), National Institute of Mental Health,
Smithsonian Institution, Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), National Aquarium in Baltimore, and the
National Zoo and to participate in numerous enriching
opportunities via American University’s study abroad
program. Internship and study abroad participation can
usually be used to partially fulfill students’ degree
requirements.
The Department of Biology offers courses that
combine traditional education with the training necessary

19
for today’s professional marketplace. The curriculum is
designed to allow individuals maximum choice of course
selection after departmental requirements have been met.
In addition to training for a career or graduate study in
biology, experience has shown that bachelor’s students are
extremely well prepared for medical, dental, and veterinary
schools.
Biology
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics (3) (if eligible)
or
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible)
(either course fulfills the University Mathematics
Requirement)
• BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4)
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4)
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2 (4)
• CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2(4)
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
or
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible) (if not taken in the
fall)
or
MATH-222 Calculus II (4) (if eligible)
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Chair James E. Girard
Beeghly 104 202-885-1750
Academic Counselor Marla Boren 202-885-6370
mboren@american.edu
Accredited by the American Chemical Society, the
department offers programs leading to the Bachelor of
Science in Chemistry or Biochemistry; minors in both are
also available.
Chemistry is the science that deals with the
composition of materials, their structures and properties,
the transformations they undergo, and the energy changes
that accompany these transformations.
Faculty members conduct research in biochemistry,
organic chemistry, environmental chemistry, analytical
chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and carbohydrate
chemistry. Students are encouraged to participate in
research projects at all levels. Students also have the
opportunity to visit, observe, and intern at government
laboratories in Washington, including the National
20
Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the
National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Besides training for a career or graduate study in
chemistry, bachelor’s students are prepared for medical,
dental, veterinary, or other health professional schools,
engineering programs, and business careers where
technical expertise is needed.
Chemistry
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics (3) (if eligible)
or
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible)
(either course fulfills the University Mathematics
Requirement)
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) (if eligible)
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) (if eligible)
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) (if not taken in
the fall)
or
CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4)
• One or two General Education courses
Biochemistry
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH 170 Precalculus Mathematics (3) (if eligible)
or
MATH 221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible)
(either course fulfills the University Mathematics
Requirement)
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) (if eligible)
• BIO 110 General Biology I (4) (if eligible)
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) (if eligible)
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1(4) and
BIO 110 General Biology I (4) (if not taken in the fall)
or
CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4) and
BIO 210 General Biology II 5:2 (4)
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE,
AUDIO TECHNOLOGY, AND PHYSICS
Chair Angela Wu
McKinley100 202-885-1476
Academic Counselor Marla Boren 202-885-6370
mboren@american.edu
The Department of Computer Science, Audio
Technology, and Physics provides programs in three
disciplines that stand at the forefront of most scientific and
technical areas. Students in these programs learn the
fundamentals of a discipline while preparing themselves
for careers in the sciences or technology. In addition, the
department is able to provide innovative cross-discipline
courses so that students can gain a broader education.
Washington, D.C. affords students access to many
governmental, cultural, scientific, and historical
institutions. These institutions serve as an important
research resource and as a source of employment for
students with the strong technological background
provided by these programs.
Audio Technology
The Bachelor of Science in Audio Technology, the
Bachelor of Arts in Audio Production, and a minor in
audio technology are offered. The B.S. in Audio
Technology prepares students for careers in the audio,
entertainment, acoustics, computer, and electronics fields,
while the B.A. in Audio Production concentrates on audio
and music production within the broader context of a
liberal arts education. These programs concentrate on the
art and science of audio and music technology, including
sound synthesis and electronic music production,
multitrack studio recording, analog and digital electronics,
physics/acoustics, and digital audio workstations. Students
gain real-world experience by interning at a professional
recording studio, radio or television station, theater, or
other such facility.
Computer Science
The Bachelor of Science and a minor in Computer
Science are offered. The B.S. in Computer Science allows
students to choose or design a concentration or an
application area. Students intending to pursue graduate
studies or careers in software and systems development
take the computer science concentration. Students can
take a sequence of interrelated courses in an application
area to prepare them for professional careers including but
not limited to entrepreneurship, management, consulting,
international services, multimedia, audio technology,
environmental studies, or scientific computing. The
program is sufficiently flexible to allow students to take a
second major or minor in an area to apply their knowledge
of computer science.
Physics
The Bachelor of Science in Physics, a minor in
physics, and a minor in applied physics are offered.
Courses focus on the study of physical phenomena and
properties of the universe: gravitation, electricity and
magnetism, atomic and nuclear structure, fundamental
particles, and the properties of matter.
In our high-technology society, people with
undergraduate physics backgrounds are employed in
research labs and engineering fields, work in consulting
companies, or pursue graduate studies. Physics graduates
are in diverse fields such as computer systems analysis and
design, fiber-optics telecommunications systems, medical
physics, acoustics, environmental science, digital audio
and multimedia technology, science education, and science
policy. Educational facilities include general laboratories,
as well as laboratories in physics education, experimental
physics, computational physics, and neural computing.
Audio Production
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken
fall or spring)
• ATEC-101 Fundamentals of Audio Technology (3)
and ATEC-102 Audio Technology Laboratory (1)
• General Education foundation courses
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• General Education courses
Audio Technology
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics (3) (if eligible)
or
MATH-211Applied Calculus I (4) (if eligible)
or
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible)
(either course fulfills the University Mathematics
Requirement)
• ATEC-101 Fundamentals of Audio Technology (3)
and ATEC-102 Audio Technology Laboratory (1)
• PERF-120 Music Fundamentals (3)
21
• General Education foundation course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3)
or
COMM-105 Visual Literacy 4:1 (3)
• General Education courses
Computer Science
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH-221 Calculus I (if eligible) (4) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement)
• CSC-280 Introduction to Computer Science I (4) (if
eligible: students must demonstrate computer literacy
and mastery of finite mathematics)
• General Education foundation course (lab science)
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4)
• CSC-281 Introduction to Computer Science II (3)
• General Education foundation course
• Elective
Physics
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement)
• PHYS-110 University Physics I 5:1 (4)*
• General Education foundation course outside of
physics
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) (if eligible)
• PHYS-210 University Physics II 5:2 (4)*
• General Education course outside of physics
• Elective
* PHYS-110 University Physics I and PHYS-210
University Physics II, the introductory courses for the
major, also fulfill the General Education requirements in
Curricular Area 5.
22
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
Chair John Willoughby
Roper 105 202-885-3770
Academic Counselor Anne Kaiser 202-885-1144
akaiser@american.edu
The goal of the Department of Economics is to
enable its graduates to develop answers to the important
economic questions that face our society and other nations
of the world. Emphasis is placed on viewing economic
problems in both their domestic and international contexts.
The department offers the Bachelor of Arts and the
Bachelor of Science in Economics as well as an economics
minor.
The B.S. in Economics provides rigorous training in
economics, econometrics, and quantitative skills and
prepares students for a research position or graduate work
in economics. Within the B.A. in Economics students may
choose the general or international track and students have
the flexibility of a double major with other departments in
the College of Arts and Sciences, or the School of
International Service, Kogod School of Business, School
of Public Affairs, and School of Communication.
The university’s location in Washington, D.C. allows
students and graduates to obtain employment and internships
in several of the world’s most important economic
institutions, including the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund, research institutes, and the Treasury, Labor,
and Commerce Departments. Many of our graduates find
policy-making positions in the public and private sectors of
both the United States and other nations.
Economics
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) (if eligible) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement)
• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
or
Elective and General Education foundation course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4)
or
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (for B.S. in Economics)
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3)
• Two or three General Education courses
or
Elective and two General Education courses
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, TEACHING,
AND HEALTH
Dean Sarah Irvine-Belson
Gray 120 202-885-3720
Academic Counselor (Elementary Education)
Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970
jramsay@american.edu
Academic Counselor (Health Promotion)
Cheryl Gindlesperger 202-885-2476
cgindle@american.edu
The School of Education, Teaching, and Health
prepares undergraduate students to teach in elementary and
secondary schools. The accredited programs emphasize a
strong liberal arts background as well as solid grounding in
educational theory, research and professional practice.
Beginning in their first year, students work closely with
faculty advisors to develop carefully constructed programs
of study that meet licensure, university and major
requirements. Students may earn either a Bachelor of Arts
in Elementary Education or complete a second major in
Secondary Education. Both programs lead to certification
to teach in the District of Columbia and eligibility for
certification in over 45 states.
Students frequently participate in school-based
internships or other hands-on experiences early in their
programs. To prepare teachers to work effectively with
culturally diverse learners, students are placed in both
urban and suburban schools throughout the Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area for the methods practicum and
student teaching. Elementary education students are placed
in both primary and intermediate grades and secondary
education students are placed in both middle and senior
high school classrooms.
A minor in educational studies is offered for students
interested in the study of education as a liberal or social
science discipline, or for those who intend to do graduate
work in education or a related field. A minor in special
education is also offered for students interested in working
with individuals with learning differences.
The Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion is an
interdisciplinary program which provides rigorous
academic preparation in exercise physiology, human
physiological chemistry, wellness programming, health
psychology and nutrition, as well as organizational and
human resource management through courses offered by
the Departments of Chemistry and Psychology and the
Kogod School of Business. Opportunities are available at
federal agencies and many private organizations dealing
with health, wellness, education, managed care and
physical fitness to fulfill the internship requirement of the
program.
The major prepares undergraduate students for a
health promotion career in a corporate, community,
commercial, or school environment, or for graduate work
in health-related fields. A health promotion minor is also
available.
There are also a wide variety of wellness and activity
classes offered, including women’s health, nutrition,
aerobic dance, water aerobics, high-level conditioning,
weight training, personal defense, martial arts, swimming,
tennis, golf, fencing, volleyball, soccer, and SCUBA.
Elementary Education
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• MATH-150/151 Finite Mathematics (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement)
• ARTS-100 Art: the Studio Experience 1:1 (3)
or
PERF-110 Understanding Music 1:1 (3)
• Health and Fitness course (HFIT-xxx) (1)
• SOCY-100 American Society 4:1 (3)
• General Education foundation course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• Mathematics elective (MATH-xxx or STAT-xxx;
teaching certification requirement)
• EDU-205 Schools and Society 4:2 (3)
• EDU-321 Field Experience: Observation and
Analysis (1)
• Two General Education courses
Health Promotion
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken
fall or spring)
• PSYC-105 Psychology: Understanding Human
Behavior 4:1 (3)
• Two or three General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• HFIT-200 Lifetime Health and Fitness (3)
• Two or three General Education courses
23
 BIO-100 Great Experiments in Biology 5:1 (4)
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROGRAM and/or
Department of Biology CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4)
Environmental Studies Program Director or
Kiho Kim CHEM-100 The Molecular World 5:1 (4)
Hurst 101 202-885-2176
• ENVS-102 Seminar in Environmental Issues (1)
Academic Counselor Anne Kaiser 202-885-1144
akaiser@american.edu • General Education course or elective
Second Semester
Issues concerning the environment have a significant • College Writing Seminar
role in shaping social, economic, and political structures at
both national and international levels. Environmental • BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2(4) or
studies programs offered by the Department of Biology ENVS-250 Living in the
include a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies, Environment 5:2 (3)
Bachelor of Science in Marine Science, and a minor in and/or
environmental science. CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4)
The B.A. in Environmental Studies consists of a core
and a set of related courses. The core courses provide a or
solid foundation based on the natural as well as the social CHEM-220 Environmental Resources and Energy 5:2 (3)
sciences. Students build on the core by choosing from an • ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3)
approved list of related courses spanning many disciplines
or
including courses in the School of International Service,
School of Public Affairs, and the College of Arts and ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3)
Sciences. A carefully chosen program of related courses, or
made in consultation with a faculty advisor, allows GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (3)
students to tailor a program of study suited to their specific
or
interests and professional goals.
Students are also encouraged to gain practical field SIS-105 World Politics 3:1(3)
experience through internships at the many public and • Elective
private environmental organizations in the Washington,
D.C. area such as the Environmental Protection Agency Marine Science
(EPA), National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), Smithsonian Institution, Chesapeake Bay Suggested Program for Potential Majors
Foundation, and Nature Conservancy, and via student
research projects. Finally, students are able to participate First Semester
in additional opportunities via American University’s • College Writing
study abroad program. Participation in internships, • MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics (3) (if eligible)
research and/or study abroad can usually be used to
or
partially fulfill students’ degree requirements.
Graduates of the program will be prepared for MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible)
employment in the natural resource fields dealing with (either course fulfills the University Mathematics
basic and applied scientific interests as well as Requirement)
management and policy making. • BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1(4)
• CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4)
Environmental Studies Second Semester
Suggested Program for Potential Majors • College Writing Seminar
First Semester • BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2(4)
• College Writing • CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4)
• MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) • MATH-222 Calculus II (4)
or or
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
(fulfills the University Mathematics Requirement)
• BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4)
or

24
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
Chair Robert Griffith
Battelle 137 202-885-2419
history@american.edu
Academic Counselor Cheryl Gindlesperger 202-885-2476
cgindle@american.edu
History covers the full range of human experience:
the arts and sciences; politics, diplomacy, and war;
economic and technological change, and the development
of communities and cultures. The history major helps
students grasp the range and complexity of human
behavior. It also encourages them to develop skills in
research, writing, and oral presentation.
The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in History
which consists of 39 credit hours including courses U.S.,
European, Latin American, Asian and Middle Eastern
history, and culminates with the two-semester major
seminar in which every history major designs, researches,
writes and presents a senior thesis. The department also
offers a history minor.
History students benefit from the matchless historical
resources of the Washington D. C. A wide range of
internships is available in archives, museums, government
agencies and other area organizations. Students majoring
in history may find employment in national, state and local
governments, in museums and historic sites, in libraries
and archives, in business and nonprofit organizations, and
in elementary or secondary education. An understanding of
the past, together with skill in research and critical analysis
is excellent preparation for law school and for graduate
school in history and related disciplines.
Advanced Placement
Prospective history majors may qualify for 3
advanced placement (AP) credits toward the major in both
American and European history (for a total of 6 credits),
provided the appropriate AP examination grade is a 4 or 5.
Students cannot receive AP credit towards the major if
they also take the comparable survey courses in either
American history (HIST-205 and HIST-206) or European
history (HIST-110). A satisfactory International
Baccalaureate (IB) examination may count toward
fulfilling a specific course requirement for the major.
Entering students with academic credit for IB
examinations in history courses should consult with the
department. A total of 6 AP and IB credits can be counted
toward the history major.
History
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• 100- or 200-level history course (HIST-1xx or
HIST-2xx)
• Two General Education foundation courses
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement
• 100- or 200-level history course (HIST-1xx or
HIST-2xx)
• Two General Education courses
JEWISH STUDIES PROGRAM
Director Pamela Nadell
Battelle 155 202-885-2423
Academic Counselor Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970
jramsay@american.edu
The program offers the Bachelor of Arts in Jewish
Studies. Minors in Jewish studies and Israel studies are
also available.
The Jewish Studies Program encompasses the study
of 4,000 years of Jewish civilization. Throughout their
long history the Jewish people have interacted with other
cultures and religions of the world. Accordingly, the
Jewish Studies Program examines the influences Judaism
has had on other civilizations and the impact of the
environment on the development of Jewish life and
thought. Upon graduation, majors often go into Jewish
communal work, teaching, Hillel Foundation staffing, or
social work.
A major in Jewish studies requires 39 credits.
Courses from a wide range of university departments
explore Jewish history, literature, current affairs, culture,
and the arts. Jewish studies majors must also take Hebrew
language courses through the intermediate level or
demonstrate equivalent competence, and write a senior
thesis that requires research and originality.
Jewish Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• HEBR-116 Hebrew, Elementary Modern I (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement
• HEBR-117 Hebrew, Elementary Modern II (3)
or
JWST-210 Voices of Modern Jewish Literature 2:2 (3)
• Two General Education courses
25
DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND
FOREIGN STUDIES
Chair Olga Rojer
Asbury 330 202-885-2139
LFS Undergraduate Advisor Gail Riley 202-885-1452
Asbury 336 griley@american.edu
Academic Counselor Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970
jramsay@american.edu
The department offers Bachelor of Arts programs in
French, German, Russian, or Spanish Studies as well as
two joint B.A. programs: Language and Area Studies (with
the School of International Service), which combines
language study with international relations, and Foreign
Language and Communication Media (with the School of
Communication), which consists of language-oriented
courses and a rich variety of communication courses.
Language and area studies majors are available in
French/Europe, German/Europe, Russian/Area Studies, or
Spanish/Latin America. Foreign language and
communication media tracks are available in French,
German, Russian, or Spanish combined with broadcast
journalism, print journalism, public communication, or
visual media. In addition, the department has joined with
the Kogod School of Business to offer a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration and Language and
Culture Studies.
Many students select a minor in a foreign language in
conjunction with their major study in another field. Minors
are available in Arabic, Chinese, French, German,
Japanese, Russian, or Spanish studies. Students may opt
for a language and area studies minor in French/Europe,
German/Europe, Italian/Europe, Japanese/Asia,
Russian/Area Studies, or Spanish/Latin America.
Language courses are offered as well in Hebrew, Korean,
Persian, Portuguese, Swahili, and Turkish each semester.
Language courses at various levels, from beginning
to advanced, develop skills in speaking, reading, writing,
and understanding the language. In addition, content
courses are taught in the foreign language on various
aspects of ethnic heritage and civilization such as
literature, art, history, and political life. Advanced classes
are open to nonmajors, potential majors, and minors. Many
undergraduates supplement their majors with a 15-credit
hour certificate in French, German, Russian, or Spanish
translation or in Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL).
French, German, Russian, or Spanish Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
26
• Two General Education foundation courses
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• General Education course
• Elective
* Students with three years of high school preparation in a
language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
with four years of high school preparation in a language
normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
completed two or more years of study in French, German,
Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
Foreign Language and Communication Media
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
Tracks are available in French, German, Russian, or
Spanish combined with broadcast journalism, print
journalism, public communication, or film and media arts.
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken in
fall or spring)
• COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3)
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
or
COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3) (if not taken in
fall)
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• Two General Education courses
* Students with three years of high school preparation in a
language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
with four years of high school preparation in a language
normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
completed two or more years of study in French, German,
Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
Language and Area Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken in
fall or spring)
• SIS-105 World Politics 3:1(3)
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• Area studies course
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education courses
* Students with three years of high school preparation in a
language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
with four years of high school preparation in a language
normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
completed two or more years of study in French, German,
Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE
Chair Jonathan Loesberg
Battelle 237 202-885-2998
Academic Counselor Alicia Mandac 202-885-2438
The Department of Literature offers a Bachelor of
Arts in Literature and minors in literature and cinema
studies.
Literature holds a unique position among the
disciplines. Because both its medium and its object of
study are language, literature serves as a point of
convergence for issues that concern aesthetics,
psychology, sociology, law, philosophy, anthropology, and
history. At the same time, literature explores these issues
from the perspective of an author’s singular imagination.
By allowing us to look at the world through the eyes of
others, literature offers us a method for engaging with the
various cultural and personal issues of society in an
experiential fashion. Consequently, as we seek to interpret
the model of the world depicted in texts, literary study
develops and enhances analytical and communication
skills and can lead us to enduring insights about ourselves
and the world.
Within a program designed to ensure both breadth
and depth of study, literature majors are encouraged to
work closely with their advisors to develop a program
individually-tailored to their intellectual and professional
aspirations. In addition to courses in British and American
traditions, the Department of Literature also offers courses
in other European and non-European literatures and the
curriculum recognizes film as one of the premier narrative
forms of our time. Literature majors may choose to
concentrate on the literature of a particular nation or
historical period, the work of one or two major authors, a
genre such as poetry or the novel, creative writing, or some
aspect of the cinema. Students are also encouraged to
construct interdisciplinary majors addressing such pivotal
subjects as Modernism, contemporary urban life, Medieval
studies, and women’s and gender studies.
In the conviction that good thinking depends upon
the ability to articulate ideas clearly, the Literature
Department fosters careful attention to written expression.
Papers written for literature courses are especially
challenging, requiring synthesis and evaluation, as well as
clarity and persuasiveness. Students are encouraged to take
at least one creative writing course in order to encounter
the challenge of creating a new interpretive vision of the
world and to explore the power of self-definition that
derives from imaginative and thoughtful self-expression.
Washington, D.C.’s business and cultural institutions
provide a wide range of internship opportunities for
literature majors, many involving writing or editing in
settings such as arts organizations, radio and television
stations, government agencies, galleries and museums,
theaters, and the offices of publishers and literary agents.
These internships enable students to put skills learned in
27
literature classes to practical use. Abilities developed by
literature majors—analytic, written and oral
communication, and reading skills—are marketable and
highly valued by employers. Literature majors also come
to recognize the crucial role aesthetics and creativity play
in living meaningful and satisfying professional and
personal lives.
Literature
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• LIT-105 The Literary Imagination 1:1 (3)
or
LIT-120 Interpreting Literature 1:1 (3)
• Two additional General Education foundation courses
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement
• One of the following survey courses:
LIT-150 Third World Literature 3:1 (3)
LIT-210/211 Survey of American Literature I/II (3)
LIT-220/221 Survey of British Literature I/II (3)
LIT-225 The African Writer 1:2 (3)
LIT-235 African-American Literature 2:2 (3)
LIT-240 Asian American Literature 2:2 (3)
• General Education course
• Elective
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND
STATISTICS
Chair Jeffrey Hakim 202-885-3120
Gray 103
mathstat@american.edu
Academic Counselor Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970
jramsay@american.edu
The department offers the Bachelor of Science in
Applied Mathematics, Mathematics, and Statistics, and
minors in mathematics, quantitative methods, and
statistics.
Mathematics may be studied for its own sake—pure
mathematics—or as a professional tool for application to
the problems of other disciplines—applied mathematics. In
addition to working in the academic area as teachers and
researchers, mathematicians are employed throughout
industry, as well as public and private agencies concerned
with science, technology, and the social sciences,
particularly policy and analysis. A strong mathematical
28
background, either in the form of a major or minor, is a
very attractive qualification for graduate or professional
school applications, particularly in law, medicine,
business, economics, and the social, natural, and life
sciences. Entering students are encouraged to include
mathematical course work early in their academic
programs to provide a foundation for more advanced work
which may be necessary preparation for post graduate
work or study. Applied topics include the study of
mathematical models of physical systems, organizational
theory, social models, and a variety of other technical
applications and theoretical investigations.
Mathematics students study quantitative models of
physical and social systems using a variety of theoretical
and applied techniques. Mathematics majors receive firm
grounding in the theory and techniques of algebra,
analysis, and other fields as a basis for professional
employment, for graduate studies in mathematics, or as a
structured foundation for professional schools such as law,
business, and medicine. Majors may take a second major
in secondary education in the School of Education,
Teaching, and Health. Given the extreme shortage of
mathematics teachers, students are strongly urged to
consider this option.
The science of statistics involves the proper design,
development, and application of techniques for the
effective collection, organization, analysis, and
presentation of information. Statistics contributes
organizational and analytical techniques that provide new
insights in a wide range of specialized fields, ranging from
the physical and life sciences to business, law, history,
literature, and the social sciences. Often a statistician must
come to understand a problem that is hidden in the
unfamiliar language of a client. The statistician must
reformulate the problem, using the language of
mathematics in a way that permits a workable analysis and
can be explained easily to the client.
Using these techniques, statisticians can be
instrumental in providing the proper allocation of
resources, suggesting policy changes, or answering many
important practical questions. The diversity of applications
as well as the study of useful analytical techniques attracts
many students to statistics. The statistics program provides
the foundation for graduate work and employment.
For students who are considering a major in
mathematics or applied mathematics, the usual beginning
course is MATH-221 Calculus I. Those with advanced
placement credit or those who have taken a year or more of
calculus in high school may begin with MATH-222
Calculus II or a higher-level course. For students who wish
to take this calculus sequence, but who do not feel ready to
begin the courses with their present background,
MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics is appropriate.
Students with exceptional preparation, at or above the level
of BC calculus, are encouraged to contact the department
chair for advice before selecting their courses.
Within the statistics major students may choose from
tracks in mathematical or applied statistics. Students who
are considering a major in statistics should consult with an DEPARTMENT OF PERFORMING ARTS
advisor in the department during their first semester to plan
a schedule best suited to their interests. The first year of Chair Gail Humphries Mardirosian
study can include calculus or statistics, or both. The Katzen 101B 202-885-3429
introductory statistics sequence is STAT-202 Basic www.american.edu/cas/perarts
Statistics followed by STAT-302 Intermediate Statistics. Academic Counselor Marla Boren 202-885-6370
Students who have AP credit for statistics should enroll in mboren@american.edu
STAT-302 in the spring semester of their freshman year. Music Program Director Nancy Jo Snider 202-885-3872
Students with AP credit in both calculus and statistics nsnider@american.edu
should consult the department for advice before selecting
Theatre, Musical Theatre, and Dance Program
their courses.
Director Carl Menninger 202.885.3414
menninge@american.edu
Mathematics
Suggested Program for Potential Majors Performing Arts Majors
ƒ Bachelor of Arts in Music
First Semester
ƒ Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts: Musical Theatre
• College Writing
ƒ Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts: Theatre
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement) In addition, the department has joined with the Kogod
School of Business to offer a Bachelor of Science in
• CSC-280 Introduction to Computer Science I (4) Business and Music.
• Two General Education foundation courses Performing Arts Minors
Second Semester ƒ Dance Theatre
• College Writing Seminar ƒ Music
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) (if eligible) ƒ Theatre
• CSC-281 Introduction to Computer Science II (3) Faculty
• Two General Education courses ƒ A diverse team of educators who are working
professional artists who stress a synthesis of broad-
Statistics based intellectual knowledge, skills training in
multiple artistic disciplines, adaptability, and
Suggested Program for Potential Majors professionalism.
First Semester Performance Opportunities
• College Writing ƒ The new Katzen Arts Center provides exceptional
venues for each of the department’s programs
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4) (if eligible) (fulfills the including:
University Mathematics Requirement)
o 200-seat recital hall
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
o 100-seat studio theatre
or
o teaching studios and practice rooms
CSC-280 Introduction to Computer Science I (4)
o organ, harpsichord, piano, instrumental,
• Two General Education foundation courses percussion, and vocal studios
Second Semester o classrooms designed for performing arts and arts
• College Writing Seminar management
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4) (if eligible) o arts management resource center
• CSC-280 Introduction to Computer Science I (4) o performing arts library housing thousands of
volumes of music scores, books, and recordings
or
ƒ The Harold and Sylvia Greenberg Theatre on
STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) Wisconsin Avenue is a venue for theatre, music, and
or dance performances including:
CSC-281 Introduction to Computer Science II (3) o 300-seat theatre
or o scene shop
STAT-302 Intermediate Statistics (3) o costume shop
• Two General Education courses o state-of-the-art equipment

29
ƒ There are several active student-run performing • One of the following: PERF-142 University Chorus
organizations in dance, music, and theatre. (1), PERF-143 University Singers (2), PERF-144
ƒ The department’s open casting policy makes auditions University Orchestra (1), PERF-145 Chamber Ensembles
and participation in all production available to non- (1), or PERF-146 Jazz Ensemble (1)
majors as well as performing arts major and minors. • General Education course
Admissions
ƒ All intended performing arts majors are required to Performing Arts: Musical Theatre
audition before formal acceptance in the degree
program.
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
ƒ Auditions are held each semester, and intended majors First Semester
are encouraged to audition before their first semester • College Writing
of study, but may do so after matriculation at
• University Mathematics Requirement
American University.
• PERF-227 Musicianship I (3)
ƒ More information on audition requirements for each
program is available at www.american.edu/cas/perarts or
ƒ Incoming students should check with their advisors PERF-120 Music Fundamentals (3)
for important event dates and first semester production • PERF-251 Fundamentals of Acting I (3)
dates. or
ƒ Incoming students intending to double major in a PERF-260 Production I: Stagecraft (3)
performing arts major should also seek advising with
the department during orientation. • Applied voice/dance course
Artistic Community and Alumni • General Education foundation course
ƒ The Washington, D.C. artistic community provides Second Semester
important experiential opportunities for students, and • College Writing Seminar
its seasoned professionals interface with faculty and • PERF-227 Musicianship I (3)
students on a regular basis.
or
ƒ In-residence appointments allow students to directly
interact with prominent artists in the field. PERF-120 Music Fundamentals (3)
ƒ Performing arts alumni work in prestigious regional, • PERF-261 Production II: Introduction to Design (3)
national, and international venues. or
PERF-251 Fundamentals of Acting I (3)
Music or
Suggested Program for Potential Majors PERF-252 Fundamentals of Acting II (3)
First Semester • Applied voice/dance course
• College Writing • General Education course
• MUS-122 Private Instrumental or Vocal Study (2)
Performing Arts: Theatre
• PERF-124 Harmony I (3)
• PERF-227 Musicianship I (3) Suggested Program for Potential Majors
• One of the following: PERF-142 University Chorus First Semester
(1), PERF-143 University Singers (2), PERF-144 • College Writing
University Orchestra (1), PERF-145 Chamber Ensembles
• University Mathematics Requirement
(1), or PERF-146 Jazz Ensemble (1)
• PERF-115 Theatre: Principles, Plays, and
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Performance 1:1 (3)
Second Semester
• PERF-251 Fundamentals of Acting I (3)
• College Writing Seminar
or
• University Mathematics Requirement PERF-260 Production I: Stagecraft (3)
• MUS-122 Private Instrumental or Vocal Study (2) • General Education foundation course
• PERF-125 Harmony II (3) Second Semester
• PERF-228 Musicianship II (3) • College Writing Seminar
• PERF-252 Fundamentals of Acting II (3)

30
or
PERF-251 Fundamentals of Acting I (3)
or
PERF-260 Production I: Stagecraft (3)
• Theatre course
• Two General Education courses
DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND
RELIGION
Chair Amy Oliver
Battelle 120 202-885-2140
aoliver@american.edu
Academic Counselor Jack Ramsay 202-885-3970
jramsay@american.edu
The Department of Philosophy and Religion offers a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. Minors are also
available in philosophy and in religion. Philosophy
explores the most basic questions about truth, meaning,
reality, and human existence. It offers the challenge of
interpreting the work of individuals who have created our
intellectual traditions. Philosophy probes the nature of the
real world, the basis of human values, and the foundations
of reason. Students at American University approach these
issues through study of both historical literature and
contemporary developments. The emphasis in philosophy
courses upon analytical thinking and clear writing is
excellent preparation for many careers, including law,
government, and other public professions. A background
in ethics is increasingly important in positions that deal
with public policy.
Students who major in philosophy generally have
higher scores on standardized tests for admission to
graduate and professional schools. From 2001–2004,
philosophy majors nationally, and among all disciplines,
scored first in both the verbal and analytic portions of the
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and, among
humanities and social sciences departments, second in the
quantitative portion.
Philosophy
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• PHIL-105 Western Philosophy 2:1(3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
• Foreign language or elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement
• PHIL-220 Moral Philosophy 2:2 (3)
or
PHIL-235 Theories of Democracy and
Human Rights 2:2 (3)
• General Education course
• Elective
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Chair Anthony Riley
Asbury 319 202-885-1710
Academic Counselor Doug Vibert 202-885-2584
dvibert@american.edu
The Department of Psychology offers the Bachelor of
Arts in Psychology. A minor is also available. Psychology
is both a social and a natural science. Its purpose is to
understand behavior, thoughts, and emotions.
Psychologists conduct both basic and applied research.
The department has active research programs in eating
disorders, perception, anxiety disorders, memory,
motivation, learning, depression, choice behavior,
smoking, drug use and abuse, neuropsychology, program
evaluation and the process of psychotherapy.
Majors in psychology often use their B.A. as a
foundation for graduate work or for employment in mental
health programs, social services, development agencies,
research laboratories, personnel departments, the courts,
public administration or in many organizations throughout
the private sector. Graduate study in psychology beyond
the B.A. is necessary for the independent practice of
psychology. A psychology minor (combined with majors
in the fields of business, justice, communication,
government, history, economics, languages or the arts)
also has proved rewarding for many students.
Psychology
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) (if eligible) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement)
• PSYC-105 Psychology: Understanding Human
Behavior 4:1 (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses outside of
psychology
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• PSYC-115 Psychology as a Natural Science 5:1 (3)
and
PSYC-116 Psychology as a Natural Science Lab 5:1 (1)
• Two General Education courses outside of psychology
• Elective
31
DEAPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Chair John Drysdale
Battelle T19 202-885-2488
Academic Counselor Cheryl Gindlesperger 202-885-2476
cgindle@american.edu
Faculty and students of the Department of Sociology
hold to the common purpose of education and research for
social justice. Sociological knowledge and research skills
can help to create effective policies and programs for
social change on local and global levels. The department
has a strong commitment to public sociology and to
empowering students to build equitable, humane, diverse
and sustainable social institutions.
The Department of Sociology offers the Bachelor of
Arts in Sociology, as well as a minor. Sociology majors
use their B.A. as a foundation for graduate study as well as
for employment in a variety of private and public sectors
related to social justice and social advocacy. These include
non-profit organizations, policy-oriented agencies,
development, human rights, business, and research. A
sociology minor can be especially helpful for students with
majors in business, government, justice, economics,
international service, education or communication.
Sociology
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• SOCY-150 Global Sociology 4:1 (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
• Elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (STAT-202
Basic Statistics (4) is recommended)
• Sociology course at the 200 level (SOCY-2xx)
• General Education course
• Elective
32
WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES
PROGRAM
Director Gay Young
Battelle T49 202-885-2981
Academic Counselor Cheryl Gindlesperger 202-885-2476
cgindle@american.edu
The Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) program is
an interdisciplinary program encompassing feminist
studies, masculinity studies, and sexuality studies. The
program is committed to a multicultural curriculum that
sustains and integrates diverse perspectives. WGS courses
emphasize participatory education in which student
involvement, critical thinking, and personal insight are
encouraged and made relevant in the learning process.
Many faculty members with national and international
reputations for their scholarly work on
women’s/gender/sexuality issues regularly teach WGS
courses as well as courses in other departments and
programs that count toward the WGS major/minor.
Students who major or minor in WGS gain
experience off-campus in the nation’s capital through an
internship placement in an organization or agency whose
mission embraces some aspect of women’s/
gender/sexuality studies. Student interns are actively
sought by organizations focused on the arts, advocacy of
all kinds, communication, employment and training issues,
law and policy, reproductive rights and health, social
research in a wide range of fields, support services for
survivors of violence and abuse, and U.S. politics.
Students have access to powerful networks that can give
substantial support in career development at organizations
in Washington, D.C. such as the Institute for Women’s
Policy Research, Amnesty International, the National
Partnership for Women and Families, the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute, Advocates for
Youth, EMILY’s List, and the National Museum of
Women in the Arts.
Women’s and Gender Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) (fulfills the University
Mathematics Requirement)
• WGST-125 Gender in Society 4:1 (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• WGST-150 Women’s Voices through Time 2:1 (3)
• Two General Education courses
• Women’s and gender studies elective
PREPROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
Pre-engineering
American University offers a cooperative five-year
engineering program with the University of Maryland in
College Park. Students combine the advantages of both
liberal arts and professional education and are awarded
two bachelor’s degrees in a five year period.
Students spend three years on the American
University campus concentrating in a major field in the
College of Arts and Sciences. In the third year, with
recommendation of a pre-engineering advisor, students
apply to the engineering program at the University of
Maryland. After admission to the program, the fourth year
of study is spent there. Once the student completes the
requirements for the American University major (generally
at the end of the fourth year), the first bachelor’s degree is
awarded. After completion of the engineering requirements
during the fifth year, the student receives a bachelor’s
degree in engineering from the University of Maryland.
Please see the University Catalog for detailed
program requirements. For more information, consult
Professor Teresa Larkin, Department of Computer
Science, Audio Technology, and Physics at 202-885-2766.
Prelaw
Students planning to attend law school may major in
any discipline. The university does not offer a prescribed
prelaw major. The student interested in prelaw preparation
follows the normal procedure for declaring a major in one
of the schools or departments or in gaining approval for an
interdisciplinary program of study.
Whatever the choice of major, the prelaw student’s
program should be supported by a broad selection of
courses from mathematics, the natural sciences, the social
sciences, and the humanities. Courses recommended by
law schools also include philosophy, literature and
advanced writing courses, history, political science,
accounting, business administration, economics,
mathematics, languages, and other courses demanding
logical thinking, analytical reasoning, or verbal
proficiency.
Please see the University Catalog for information on
law school requirements and the Law School Admission
Test (LSAT). Students contemplating law school should
consult with one of the prelaw advisors listed in the
directory.
Premedicine
The premedical programs of the College of Arts and
Sciences are available to students throughout the university
to help them prepare for professional study in medicine,
dentistry, veterinary medicine, and other health-allied
careers.
Traditionally premedical students have majored in
the natural sciences. However, the medical professions are
also seeking well-rounded students with a broadly-based
liberal education, reflecting the social, ethical, and cultural
roles played by health care professionals. Students
interested in medical careers may major in any field, but
must make careful plans to take the necessary preparatory
courses in a timely fashion.
Most health professional schools require certain
foundation courses in science and mathematics, along with
a full year of college-level writing. All science courses
must include laboratory components. Undergraduate
students who wish to matriculate at a professional school
directly after graduation from American University must
submit applications at the end of the junior year.
Therefore, the basic requirements should be completed in
the freshman and sophomore years
Please see the University Catalog for the
recommended sequence of courses for premedical
students. For more information, consult Christopher
Tudge, Premedical Programs Coordinator, Department of
Chemistry at 202-885-2033 or ctudge@american.edu, or
got to: www.american.edu/cas/prog_premed.cfm
33
KOGOD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Dean Richard M. Durand
Associate Dean for Academic Programs Lawrence P. Ward
Director, Programming and Student Activities Allison E. Holcomb
Student Activities Manager Tracy Landers
Assistant Director Undergraduate Admissions Judith E. Byers
Academic Assistant Derek J. Hewlett
Director of Undergraduate Programs Jesse A. Boeding
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs Jonathan Post
Academic Advisors
If your last name begins with A–F, V–Z: Teia Robinson 202-885-2318 arobinso@american.edu
If your last name begins with G–K, S–U: Katie Ezekiel 202-885-1911 ezekiel@american.edu
If your last name begins with L–R: Jonathan Post 202-885-1864 post@american.edu

Office of Undergraduate Programs

phone: 202-885-1914 fax: 202-885-1108
bizundergrad@american.edu
www.kogod.american.edu/advising

The Kogod School of Business (KSB) offers the fun introduction to the study of business. Business 1.0 uses
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) a variety of different learning tools including small group
and the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration discussions, team presentations, and lectures.
and Language and Culture Studies (BLC), and the In later semesters, students study accounting concepts
Bachelor of Science in Business and Music (BAM), as along with the legal and ethical dimensions of decision-
well as, minors in business administration, finance, making that impact contemporary organizations. The upper
information systems and technology, international division also features coursework in organizational
business, and marketing. behavior, business finance, international business,
The undergraduate business program provides operations management, and business strategy.
students with a sound understanding of the major As students progress through the program, they select
functional areas of business while focusing on the an area of specialization in accounting, finance,
communication, teamwork, and real world problem- information systems and technology, international
solving skills needed for successful professional careers. business, international finance, international management,
Kogod’s philosophy is that undergraduate business international marketing, management, marketing, or real
education should be based on a broad liberal arts estate. And finally, Kogod students also have the option to
foundation. Accordingly, the first two years of study focus incorporate their interest in other academic disciplines by
on the five curricular areas of the General Education designing an interdisciplinary area of specialization.
Program and additional course work to develop the
necessary background knowledge, skills, and competency Course descriptions begin on page 43.
that apply to the study of business. The foundation work
includes courses in college writing, mathematics (applied
calculus and statistics), economics, and cross-cultural
communication.
The BSBA core emphasizes broad business
functions, global perspectives on commerce, and the
essential role of technology in the marketplace. It also
provides background in the production and marketing of
goods, the financing of products and organizations, and the
management of people and enterprises. During the first
semester, freshmen take the Kogod gateway course, KSB-
100 Business 1.0., which provides a unique, hands-on, and

34

Business Administration (BSBA)
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing (3)
• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) *
• KSB-100 Business 1.0 (3)
• MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement). **
• One General Education or foreign language course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar (3)
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) *
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
• Two General Education or foreign language courses
* ECON-100 Macroeconomics and ECON-200
Microeconomics are required for all business majors and
also satisfy General Education requirements in Curricular
Area 4.
** Students with a stronger background in mathematics
may take MATH-221 Calculus I. Students needing to
strengthen their quantitative skills should begin with
MATH-157 Finite Mathematics: Business. All Kogod
students must satisfy both the Applied Calculus and
Statistics requirements.
Business Administration and Language and
Culture Studies (BLC)
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing (3)
• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) *
• KSB-100 Business 1.0 (3)
• MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement). **
• Foreign language course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar (3)
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) *
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
• Foreign language course
• General Education course
* ECON-100 Macroeconomics and ECON-200
Microeconomics are required for all business majors and
also satisfy General Education requirements in Curricular
Area 4.
** Students with a stronger background in mathematics
may take MATH-221 Calculus I. Students needing to
strengthen their quantitative skills should begin with
MATH-157 Finite Mathematics: Business. All Kogod
students must satisfy both the Applied Calculus and
Statistics requirements.
Business and Music (BAM)
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing (3)
• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) *
• KSB-100 Business 1.0 (3)
• MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) (fulfills the
University Mathematics Requirement). **
• PERF-110 Understanding Music 1:1 (3)***
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar (3)
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) *
• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
• PERF-205 Masterpieces of Music 1:2 (3)***
• General Education course
* ECON-100 Macroeconomics and ECON-200
Microeconomics are required for all business majors and
also satisfy General Education requirements in Curricular
Area 4.
** Students with a stronger background in mathematics
may take MATH-221 Calculus I. Students needing to
strengthen their quantitative skills should begin with
MATH-157 Finite Mathematics: Business. All Kogod
students must satisfy both the Applied Calculus and
Statistics requirements.
*** PERF-110 and PERF 205 are required for BAM and
also satisfy General Education requirements in Area 1.
35
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Dean Larry Kirkman
Senior Associate Dean Rodger A. Streitmatter
Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs Rose Ann Robertson
Director, Undergraduate Affairs Jonnel Clothier 202-885-2090 clothier@american.edu

Academic Advisors
If your last name begins with A–F: Erin Curtin 202-885-2079 ecurtin@american.edu
If your last name begins with G–O: Kurt Gunderson 202-885-2088 kurtg@american.edu
If your last name begins with P–Z: Farida Khatchadourian 202-885-2038 farida@american.edu

Mary Graydon Center 300

phone: 202-885-2061 fax 202-885-2019
http://soc.american.edu/

The goal of the School of Communication (SOC) is Communication studies, journalism, and public
to develop liberally educated and professionally trained communication majors are required to take a minimum of
communicators who are equipped intellectually and 80 credit hours of non-communication course work, with
ethically to convey the issues of contemporary society. The at least 65 of the hours in the traditional liberal arts and
school makes full use of all the resources of Washington, sciences. Film and media arts students complete a
DC, the communications capital of the world and one of minimum of 78 credit hours outside the field of
the largest media production centers in the country. The communication. Required course work for all
school’s hands-on, practical programs tap the expertise at communication majors includes 3 credit hours in both
work in Washington, including TV, radio, print, and online American history and economics (or marketing for public
journalists; media strategists in the nonprofit, government communication and film and media arts students). All SOC
and political arenas; and documentary, education, and majors must complete a minor or second major in any field
social advocacy media producers. Internships, work outside of communication.
opportunities, and class assignments in the nation’s capital
all contribute to experience-based learning. Course descriptions begin on page 43.
SOC offers a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in
one of three fields: Journalism, Public Communication, or
Film and Media Arts. SOC also offers a Bachelor of Arts
in Communication Studies. A Bachelor of Arts in Foreign
Language and Communication Media is offered in
conjunction with the Department of Language and Foreign
Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). A
minor in communication is also available.
The following professional programs are offered
within the communication majors: broadcast journalism
emphasizes radio and television news reporting,
broadcasting, and a basic knowledge of production; print
journalism provides instruction in reporting, interviewing,
and editing; public communication focuses on strategic
communication techniques, and teaches students to
develop persuasive messages for a variety of audiences;
and film and media arts develops the ability to write and
produce in the areas of film, video, computer multimedia,
and photography, and to analyze visual images and media.

36

Communication:
Communication Studies
Journalism
Public Communication
Film and Media Arts
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
Students planning to major in communication may
take COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 either in the
fall or the spring of the freshman year. Students interested
in using COMM-105 Visual Literacy 1:1, COMM-270
How the News Media Shape History 2:2, COMM-275
Dissident Media: Voices from the Underground 4:2 or
COMM-280 Contemporary Media in a Global Society 3:2
to satisfy General Education requirements should consult
their academic advisor before selecting the course.
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement
• COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3)
• General Education foundation course in area 1
• General Education foundation course in area 3
or
Elective
or
Foreign language course (consult with academic advisor)
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3) ) (if not
taken in fall)
• COMM-209 Communication and Society (3) (Public
Communication majors only)
or
COMM-105 Visual Literacy 1:1 (Film and Media Arts
majors only)
• General Education foundation course in area 2
• General Education foundation course in area 5
or
Elective
Foreign Language and Communication Media
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
Tracks are available in French, German, Russian, or
Spanish combined with broadcast journalism, print
journalism, public communication, or film and media arts.
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken in
fall or spring)
• COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3)
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
or
COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3) (if not taken in
fall)
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• Two General Education courses
* Students with three years of high school preparation in a
language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
with four years of high school preparation in a language
normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
completed two or more years of study in French, German,
Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
37
SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
Dean Louis W. Goodman
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Maria Green Cowles
Undergraduate Advising Coordinator Suzanne Skillings

Academic Advisors
If your last name begins with A–C: Meagan McKee 202-885-2483 mckee@american.edu
If your last name begins with D–I: Julie Wickham 202-885-1609 jwick@american.edu
If your last name begins with J–M: Justina Grubor 202-885-1705 grubor@american.edu
If your last name begins with N–Sm: Shawn Hillman 202-885-1665 hillman@american.edu
If your last name begins with Sn–Z: Suzanne Skillings 202-885-1608 sskill@american.edu

Advising Office
SIS 107 fax 202-885-2494
www.american.edu/sis/

The School of International Service (SIS) provides
undergraduates with a challenging program that explores
the political, social, economic, and ethical challenges of an
interdependent world. Students interested in a
comprehensive understanding of world affairs frequently
pursue the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. The
Bachelor of Arts in Language and Area Studies allows
students to focus with greater depth on a particular
language and region of the world. Both majors draw on a
variety of course offerings within SIS, as well as from
departments across campus and in AU Abroad programs
around the world. A minor in international studies is also
available.
The SIS curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts
while focused on skills necessary to succeed in this rapidly
changing world. Students develop knowledge about and an
understanding of cultures and societies different from their
own. They acquire an appreciation for the relationship
between domestic and international issues, policies and
processes. Our programs teach students research and
technology skills that may be applied to graduate study or
to a variety of careers The SIS community is unique in its
a commitment to international service, in the public and
private sectors, at home and abroad. Our alumni include
diplomats, lawyers, business leaders, bankers, professors,
scientists, journalists, military officers, government
officials, as well as leaders in international organizations
such as the United Nations.
All SIS undergraduates complete required classes in
international affairs and foreign language. Students
pursuing a B.A. in International Studies take two courses
in economics and one research methods course. They
choose one regional area of specialization from the
following: Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, Middle
East, or Russia and Central Eurasia. Students also select
one concentration in a functional field from among the
following: comparative and international race relations,
global environmental politics, international business
relations, international communication, international
development, international economic relations,
international politics, Islamic studies, peace and conflict
resolution, and United States foreign policy.
Students earning a B.A. in Language and Area
Studies pursue coursework on the history and culture of a
particular region of the world, and master the language
spoken there. Options for majors include: French/Europe,
German/Europe, Spanish/Latin America, and Russian/Area
Studies.
Study abroad, though not mandatory, is a vital
component of our programs. With careful planning, a
number of credits from AU Abroad programs may satisfy
SIS major requirements.
Course descriptions begin on page 43.

38

International Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken
fall or spring)
• SIS-101 Leadership Gateway (1)
• SIS-105 World Politics 3:1 (3)
• Foreign language course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• SIS-140 Cross Cultural Communication 3:1 (3)
• Foreign language course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education courses
Note: SIS-105 World Politics, SIS-140 Cross Cultural
Communication, ECON-100 Macroeconomics and
ECON-200 Microeconomics are required for international
studies majors and also satisfy General Education
requirements.
* Students with three years of high school preparation in a
language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
with four years of high school preparation in a language
normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
completed two or more years of study in French, German,
Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
Language and Area Studies
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (may be taken in
fall or spring)
• SIS-105 World Politics 3:1(3)
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education foundation courses
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• Area studies course
• Major language (French, German, Russian, or Spanish)
course at appropriate level *
• One or two General Education courses
* Students with three years of high school preparation in a
language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
with four years of high school preparation in a language
normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
completed two or more years of study in French, German,
Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
39
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Dean William LeoGrande
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Margaret A. Weekes
Ward Building 310
www.american.edu/spa/
The School of Public Affairs (SPA) is committed to
education and research programs in the field of public
affairs. An interest in public affairs reflects a concern for
people and how they interact with government institutions
and political systems. Students are able to pursue this
interest through a comprehensive educational experience
that includes classroom instruction, individual research,
and practical professional training. Through its three
departments, the Department of Government, the
Department of Justice, Law and Society, and the
Department of Public Administration and Policy, the
school provides a comprehensive and unified approach to
the study of public affairs in the United States and around
the world. Each program is designed to focus on specific
career interests, including careers in government and
not-for-profit organizations, but all are multidisciplinary,
issue and policy oriented, and adapted to Washington’s
unique educational opportunities.
Washington is an ideal location for studying public
affairs. As the site of national government and as a world
capital, the city provides students with vivid evidence of
the interrelationships of domestic and international
politics. Students can observe first hand the political,
economic, and environmental forces shaping public affairs
and public policy. As an integral part of the curriculum,
internships in private and public organizations lend a
practical dimension to the academic programs and provide
the opportunity to interact with policy makers.
Washington’s facilities for scholarly research and personal
enrichment include such government institutions as the
Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the
Smithsonian Institution, as well as many departmental and
agency libraries.
SPA offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political
Science; Interdisciplinary Studies: Communication, Legal
Institutions, Economics, and Government (CLEG); Justice;
and Law and Society. Minors are also offered in political
science, justice, and public administration and policy.
Students planning to major in political science,
CLEG, justice, or law and society are advised to
complement their major course work with courses drawn
from other social science disciplines. No more than two
40
courses in any one discipline may be used to satisfy
General Education Requirements, even though a discipline
may have courses included in more than one curricular
area. Therefore, it is recommended that General Education
courses be selected from offerings in international service,
economics, sociology or other departments where possible.
Course descriptions begin on page 43.
Suggested Program for SPA Students Who Are
Still Deciding on a Major
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (must be taken
fall or spring of freshman year)
or
Elective
• Elective
or
JLS-101 Introduction to Law (3)
• GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (4)
or
JLS-103 Critical Issues in Justice (3)
• General Education foundation course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• Elective
or
JLS-110 Western Legal Tradition 2:1 (3)
• GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (3)
or
JLS-104 Introduction to Systems of Justice (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
or
One General Education foundation course and one elective
 Second Semester
DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT • College Writing Seminar
Chair Candice Nelson Ward Building 230 • University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
202-885-6200 fax 202-885-2967 fall)
Academic Counselors or
Kate Bruffett 202-885-6200 bruffett@american.edu Elective
Briana Weadock 202-885-6200 bweado@american.edu • ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3)
Nathan Williamson 202-885-6200 nwillia@american.edu • General Education courses
or
The Department of Government offers two
Elective
challenging degree programs: the Bachelor of Arts in
Political Science and the Bachelor of Arts in CLEG, an Note: ECON-100 Macroeconomics and ECON-200
interdisciplinary major that incorporates four fields: Microeconomics are required for CLEG majors and also
communication, legal institutions, economics, and satisfy General Education requirements in Curricular Area 4.
government. Both majors give students an understanding
of political institutions and processes that will help them Political Science
influence public policy on important national and
international issues. A minor in political science is also Suggested Program for Potential Majors
available. First Semester
The Department of Government makes use of the
opportunities available from its location in the nation’s • College Writing
capital for the teaching and study of political science and • University Mathematics Requirement (must be taken
public affairs. fall or spring of freshman year)
The department’s undergraduate program focuses on or
government and public affairs as an aspect of a broad
General Education foundation course
liberal arts education. It prepares the student for an
enlightened role in national, community, and world affairs. • GOVT-130 Comparative Politics 3:1(3)
This program can lead to a career in public affairs or any or
private or not-for-profit area that deals with the growing General Education foundation course
interrelationship between the public and private sectors. It
also provides a solid and comprehensive foundation for the • GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (4)
student who plans to pursue further education before • General Education foundation course
entering a career in politics or public affairs, governmental or
administration, law, teaching, or research.
Elective
Second Semester
Interdisciplinary Studies: Communication,
Legal Institutions, Economics and • College Writing Seminar
Government (CLEG) • University Mathematics Requirement (if not fulfilled in
fall)
Suggested Program for Potential Majors or
First Semester General Education course
• College Writing • GOVT-130 Comparative Politics 3:1(3)
• University Mathematics Requirement (must be taken or
fall or spring of freshman year) General Education foundation course
or • SIS-105 World Politics 3:1 (3)
General Education foundation course or
or SIS-110 Beyond Sovereignty 3:1 (3)
Elective • Elective
• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3)
• GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (4)
• JLS-104 Introduction to Systems of Justice (3)

41

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, LAW AND
SOCIETY
Chair Deirdre Golash Ward Building 266
202-885-2948 fax 202-885-2907
Academic Counselors
Carl Cook 202-885-2936 ccook@american.edu
Linda Spicer 202-885-6456 lspicer@american.edu
The Department of Justice, Law and Society has one
of the oldest programs in the field of justice in the United
States. The full-time faculty in the department have
educational backgrounds in law, criminology, criminal
justice, philosophy, political science, sociology, and social
work. The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Justice
or in Law and Society. The justice curriculum provides a
base of knowledge about justice systems (criminal, civil,
and juvenile), why and how they relate to one another, and
what impact they have on society. The law and society
major cuts across traditional disciplinary boundaries and
provides students with a background in law, justice, social
sciences, humanities, and public policy. A minor in justice
is also offered.
The B.A. in Justice, with concentrations in criminal
justice or criminology, analyzes the foundations, functions,
policies and procedures of justice. Crime and deviance are
major policy concerns in American society, and systems of
justice are the major public policy response for dealing
with these problems. Cross-cultural and international
perspectives are brought to bear when they shed light on
the nature of crime and deviance or on the workings of
American systems of justice. The B.A. in Law and Society,
with concentrations in humanities or social sciences,
examines the role of law as it permeates social, political,
and economic institutions. The complex relation of law
and justice, broadly conceived, is the central consideration
in this program. Drawing on the social sciences and
humanities, it offers an historical and international
perspective on legal issues. Both undergraduate majors can
be considered prelaw majors. The department’s programs
prepare students for law school and further graduate study,
as well as for entry-level positions and professional careers
in the justice field.
42
Justice
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (must be taken
fall or spring of freshman year)
• JLS-104 Introduction to Systems of Justice (3)
• Two General Education foundation courses
or
One General Education foundation course and one elective
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• JLS-103 Critical Issues in Justice (3)
• Two General Education courses
or
One General Education foundation course and one elective
Law and Society
Suggested Program for Potential Majors
First Semester
• College Writing
• University Mathematics Requirement (must be taken
fall or spring of freshman year)
• JLS-101 Introduction to Law (3)
• JLS-202 History of International Thought and Law (3)
• JLS-110 Western Legal Tradition 2:1 (3)
or
General Education foundation course
Second Semester
• College Writing Seminar
• University Mathematics Requirement (if not taken in
fall)
• JLS-201 Philosophical Problems in the Law (3)
• One or two General Education courses
• Elective
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Introductory and General Education Program
Courses
Course Numbers
Each course is designated by a subject code and a
course number. The subject code identifies a particular
academic discipline or teaching unit in the curriculum;
e.g., ANTH-xxx, Anthropology or ECON-xxx, Economics.
The number identifies the level of the course.
Freshmen usually take courses at the 100- and 200-level.
Courses numbered below 100 do not carry credit toward
graduation.
The title of the course follows the number. General
Education courses indicate the curricular area and level at
the end of the title; e.g., 2:1 identifies a course in
Curricular Area 2 at the foundation level and 5:2 is a
second-level course in Area 5. The course value is
expressed in credit hours, and appears in parentheses after
the course title and General Education designation.
For example:
ANTH-110 Culture: The Human Mirror 3:1 (3)
ANTH = subject code (Anthropology)
110 = course number
3: = General Education area
1 = General Education level
(3) = course credit value
Fall and Spring Course Offerings
Although many courses are offered every semester,
some courses are offered only in either the fall or spring.
Some courses have prerequisites which must be completed
before you can register for them. Although you will only
be choosing courses for your first fall semester at this time,
descriptions for courses offered in the spring, including
any prerequisites which should be taken in the fall, are also
listed.
To receive General Education credit, the foundation
course must precede the second-level course and
second-level courses must be in the foundation course
“cluster,” that is, the foundation course is a prerequisite for
the second-level course. A General Education second-level
course may not be taken for General Education credit prior
to its foundation prerequisite course.
G = General Education Program Course
COURSE SUBJECT INDEX
Page #
AMST American Studies ...............................44
ANTH Anthropology .....................................44
ARTH Art: Art History ..................................45
ARTS Art: Studio .........................................45
GDES Art: Graphic Design ...........................45
ATEC Audio Technology..............................45
BIO Biology...............................................46
FIN Business: Finance...............................46
IBUS Business: International Business ........46
KSB Business .............................................46
MGMT Business: Management.......................46
CHEM Chemistry ...........................................47
COMM Communication ..................................47
CSC Computer Science ..............................48
ECON Economics..........................................48
EDU Education ...........................................48
ENVS Environmental Studies .......................48
GOVT Government........................................49
HFIT Health and Fitness ..............................49
HIST History................................................51
IDIS Interdisciplinary: Multi-Ethnic Studies 53
JLS Justice, Law and Society ....................53
JWST Jewish Studies ....................................54
LFS Language and Foreign Studies ...........54
ARAB Arabic.....................................54
CHIN Chinese ....................................55
FREN French .....................................55
GERM German ..................................55
HEBR Hebrew ...................................55
ITAL Italian .......................................55
JAPN Japanese ...................................56
RUSS Russian ...................................56
SPAN Spanish ...................................56
LIT Literature............................................56
MATH Mathematics .......................................58
MUS Applied Music....................................59
PERF Performing Arts..................................59
PHIL Philosophy..........................................60
PHYS Physics ...............................................61
PSYC Psychology .........................................61
RELG Religion..............................................62
SIS International Service ..........................62
SOCY Sociology ...........................................63
STAT Statistics .............................................64
WGST Women’s and Gender Studies ............64
43
 American Studies
AMST-140 Washington, D.C.: Life Inside a Monument
(3) Explores the unique nature of Washington as an
international city, national capital, black-American cultural
center, and home for its varied residents. Discussions
include tensions between federal presence and local
democracy, tourism, political and cultural activities,
migration and immigration, geography, and the cityscape
and neighborhood life.
AMST-206 American Dreams/American Lives (3) An
interdisciplinary study of key themes in American
self-definition including equality, opportunity, and the
changing landscape, as articulated by theorists and as
challenged by an increasingly diverse urban and
technological nation. Explores changing American ideals
and experiences, with emphasis on ordinary citizens as
well as institutions.
G AMST-240 Poverty and Culture 4:2 (3) Students explore
and debate rival theories about the causes and
consequences of poverty. Why poverty occurs, why
certain people are poor, how poverty influences family
and community life, and how the poor respond to their
situation and sometimes try to change it. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: COMM-100 or ECON-100 or
GOVT-110 or SOCY-150. (SPRING)
Anthropology
G ANTH-110 Culture: The Human Mirror 3:1 (3) People
around the world create and use systems of symbols to
express their identities as members of social groups. This
course draws on diverse life-cycle experiences in tribal,
state-level, and post-colonial societies to explore ways
that both tradition and contact with other cultures
contribute to the cultural pluralism of the contemporary
world.
G ANTH-150 Anthropology of American Life 4:1 (3) How
race, gender, class, ethnicity, age, and region affect
Americans’ experiences of interwoven historical,
economic, political, scientific, religious, and cultural
processes.
G ANTH-210 Roots of Racism and Interracial Harmony
3:2 (3) Examines why racism has often characterized the
relations between human groups, and compares these
cases with other societies which have been nonracist.
Social stratification, ideas about the nature and role of
individuals, and economic factors are considered within
and across cultures. The course links analysis of the past
to possible social action. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185
or SIS-140 or SOCY-110.
G ANTH-215 Sex, Gender, and Culture 3:2 (3) How
economic systems, social structures, and values construct
and redefine biological distinctions between women and
men. Includes gender in egalitarian societies; origins and
consequences of patriarchy; gay and lesbian cultures;
gender, politics, and social change. Case studies from
tribal, state-level, and post-colonial contexts. Prerequisite
44
for General Education credit: ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or
RELG-185 or SIS-140 or SOCY-110.
G ANTH-220 Living in Multicultural Societies 3:2 (3)
Foreign trade, foreign aid, tourism, and migration
establish ties between peoples and cultures in spite of
political and historical divisions. This course examines
the effect of international migration and the growing
“one-world” economy on the daily lives of peoples
around the world and in the emerging multicultural urban
centers in the United States. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ANTH-110G or LIT-150G or
RELG-185G or SIS-140G or SOCY-110G. (SPRING)
G ANTH-225 Language and Human Experience 1:2 (3)
Examines language and its contribution to creativity, and
how knowledge of language enriches human experience.
Includes imagery and metaphor building through
language; the effects of topic, speaking situation, and
gender on creativity in tribal, state-level, and
post-colonial contexts; and ways written language recasts
and redefines human imagination. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: ARTH-105 or COMM-105 or
LIT-120 or LIT-135.
G ANTH-230 India: Its Living Traditions 3:2 (3) The rich
diversity among peoples and cultures of India through
time and the significance of various traditions for
contemporary life. Individual experiences of caste, class,
gender, and sect are examined, as are outside influences
on social patterns and modes of thought, revealing
complex interplay between tradition and modernity, India
and the West. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ANTH-110G or LIT-150 or RELG-185 or SIS-140 or
SOCY-110.
G ANTH-235 Early America: The Buried Past 2:2 (3) An
introduction to how archaeology reconstructs this
country’s historic past. The course looks at the way
archaeologists use both artifacts and written records to tell
the story of life in the seventeenth through the nineteenth
centuries. Emphasis on artifact and document
interpretation, architecture, consumerism, African
diaspora, and early non-Anglo settlers. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: LIT-125 or HIST-100 or
HIST-110 or WGST-150. (SPRING)
G ANTH-250 Human Origins 5:2 (3) The contributions that
physical anthropology and archaeology can make toward
an understanding of the origins and development of
humankind. Includes genetics, the principles of evolution
as applied to humans, the nonhuman primates and their
behavior, human fossils, and the archaeology of the New
and Old Worlds. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or PSYC-115.
ANTH-251 Perspectives in Cultural Anthropology (3)
Exploration of a variety of current perspectives in cultural
anthropology. The kinds of questions anthropologists ask
in seeking to understand cultural variation and diverse
human experience. The relevance of anthropology to life in
a changing, multicultural world.
ANTH-253 Introduction to Archaeology (3)
Archaeology as a subfield of anthropology. Includes the
 history of archaeology, methods of archaeological
excavation and analysis, the historical archaeology of
seventeenth and eighteenth century America, paleolithic
archaeology in the Old World, the prehistory of North and
South America, and other current discoveries and issues
within the field. (SPRING)
ANTH-254 Language and Culture (3) Examines
connections between language, culture, and society.
Includes grammars as systems of knowledge; language and
cognition; structure of everyday discourse; language
diversity; speech communities; language change; literacy
and language planning. (SPRING)
Art History
G ARTH-105 Art: The Historical Experience 1:1 (3) An
introduction to works of art in historical context. Western
art from prehistory to the present with in-depth study of
such major architectural monuments as the Parthenon,
Chartres Cathedral, St. Peter’s in Rome, and such artists
as Michelangelo, Raphael, El Greco, Gentileschi,
Rembrandt, the French Impressionists, and Picasso.
G ARTH-205 Art of the Renaissance 2:2 (3) Architecture,
sculpture, painting, and prints of renaissance Italy and
Northern Europe. Considers the interplay of art with
philosophy, theology, and social change, and examines
the artistic legacy and rich creative achievements of a
culture inspired by classical antiquity. Prerequisite for
General Education credit LIT-125 or HIST-100 or
HIST-110 or WGST-150.
G ARTH-210 Modern Art: Nineteenth and Twentieth
Centuries 1:2 (3) An introduction to the art of the
modern period. Presents in cultural and historical contexts
the work of major artists such as David, Goya, Delacroix,
Monet, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse, Duchamps,
Pollock, and many others. Emphasizes what is unique
about modern art and the expanding conception of
creative expression in our era. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ARTH-105 or COMM-105 or LIT-120
or LIT-135.
Studio Art
G ARTS-100 Art: The Studio Experience 1:1 (3) This
beginning studio course introduces students to painting,
drawing, sculpture, and design combined with visual
literacy. The course focuses on the interrelationship of
hand, eye, and mind to create informed works of art that
engage larger critical, formal, or cultural dialogues and
relate basic visual language to analytic and creative
processes of the artist.
G ARTS-205 The Artist’s Perspective: Drawing 1:2 (3)
This introductory drawing course examines observation as
a tool of discovery. Students explore traditional and
conceptual notions of looking and experiment with
different materials, techniques, and practices in order to
examine visual perception. The course investigates
drawing as a two-dimensional and three-dimensional
medium. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ARTS-100G or LIT-105G or PERF-110G or PERF-115G.
G ARTS-210 The Artist’s Perspective: Painting 1:2 (3)
This introductory painting course utilizes surface, color,
and composition as well as technical procedures to
introduce students to formal, conceptual, and social issues
inherent in painting. These concepts may be explored
through the use of models, still life, and landscape.
Students learn the language of painting and its context in
contemporary art. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or PERF-110 or PERF-115.
G ARTS-215 The Artist’s Perspective: Sculpture 1:2 (3)
This introductory sculpture course investigates
three-dimensional concerns, focusing on observation,
process, form, and object as a means of arriving at
content. Students are introduced to traditional and
contemporary art practices and explore a variety of
materials, techniques, and tools. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or PERF-110 or
PERF-115.
Art: Graphic Design
GDES-200 Introduction to Graphic Design (3) A studio
design course integrating materials, visual principles, and
the design process to solve graphic communication
problems. Students develop fluency in visual language to
form a basis of aesthetic judgement and develop methods
of analysis and inquiry which underlie creative thinking.
Studio practice combines with class critiques and site
visits.
GDES-210 Introduction to Typography (3) Theory and
analysis of letter forms as design and symbol. Study of
typefaces, arrangement, and setting. Exploration of the use
of typographic resources to create hierarchy, enhance
communication, and support meaning.
GDES-220 Computer Literacy for Design (3)
Concentration on the development of technical skills by
enabling students to use the computer as a tool for solving
design problems. The course is geared towards foundation
knowledge in using desktop publishing, illustration, digital
imaging, and new media software, along with other
technical and hardware computer issues.
GDES-230 Graphic Design History (3) Graphic images
have been used from prehistory to the computer age. A
lecture-discussion format presents the historical context for
the graphic arts of calligraphy, typography, book design,
diagramming, and illustration. Emphasis on the
relationship of these applied arts to the fine arts,
technology, and social history, as well as the application of
this visual language to contemporary design problems.
Audio Technology
ATEC-101 Fundamentals of Audio Technology (3)
Anatomy of audio components; generation, transmission,
and detection of sound; properties of sound; electricity and
magnetism with applications to transducers, preamplifiers,
amplifiers, tuners, and tape decks; electromagnetic waves,
AM, FM, and PM modulation; and elements of AM and
FM tuners. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
45
 ATEC-102 Audio Technology Laboratory (1)
Experiments to accompany ATEC-101 are performed
weekly on loudspeaker directivity, amplifier frequency
response, amplifier power output, tape recorder frequency
response, wow and flutter, and distortion measurements.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
Biology
G BIO-100 Great Experiments in Biology 5:1 (4) The core
of biology is the scientific experiment. This course,
through lecture and laboratory, focuses on some classic
experiments that introduce students to the modern study
of biology and scientific method. Experiments include the
molecular basis of mutation, separation of complex
biologically important molecules, and the construction of
demographic tables. Prerequisite: completion of the
University Mathematics Requirement, or concurrent
enrollment in MATH-170 or MATH-211 or STAT-202.
G BIO-110 General Biology I 5:1 (4) An in-depth
introduction and exploration of the study of life from
atoms, molecules, and organelles to the cellular levels of
organization. Emphasis on cell structure and function,
energetics and metabolism, the gene, molecular genetics,
and evolution. The laboratory component introduces the
scientific method and experimentation through the study
of microbes, plants and animals. Prerequisite: completion
of the University Mathematics Requirement or concurrent
enrollment in MATH-170 or MATH-211 or MATH-221.
Note: this course is recommended for science majors, or
pre-medical or honors students only.
G BIO-200 Structure and Function of the Human Body
5:2 (3) The human organism as a paradigm for biological
organization. The relationship between structure and
function of organ systems. Disease processes in the
context of normal physiology; social concerns from a
biological perspective. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or PSYC-115.
G BIO-210 General Biology II 5:2 (4) An exploration of the
origins of planet Earth and life. Emphasis on the
organismal and higher levels of biological organization.
The diversity of life through a survey of the three
domains, various kingdoms and their phylogenetic
relationships. The form and function of plants and
animals. A consideration of the interrelationships between
organisms and environment. The laboratory component
explores the diversity of life at the organismal and higher
levels of biological organization. Studies include form
and function of plants and animals, dissection of the rat,
and selected systems. Prerequisite: BIO-110. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or
PSYC-115. Note: this course is recommended for science
majors, or pre-medical or honors students only.
(SPRING)
G BIO-220 The Case for Evolution 5:2 (3) What is
evolution, how and why does it occur, and what does it
tell us about the world around us? This course reviews the
process of evolution from the initial organic soup that
existed some four billion years ago to the relatively recent
46
emergence of humans. It investigates why species change
over time, both in their individual characteristics and their
relative abundance, and examines how cultural and
technological advances are influencing the current and
future biological evolution of humans. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or
PSYC-115.
Business: Finance
G FIN-200 Personal Finance and Financial Institutions
4:2 (3) Provides the background for making personal
financial decisions within a social and institutional
context and developing future financial plans. Shows how
to set financial goals, devise strategies to attain them, and
understand the tradeoffs inherent in the decision making
process. Includes cash flow control, banking, credit, taxes,
financing houses and automobiles, insurance,
investments, and estate planning. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: COMM-100 or ECON-100 or
GOVT-110 or SOCY-150.
Business: International Business
G IBUS-200 The Global Marketplace 3:2 (3) An
exploration of the global business environment, with a
focus on the cultural dimensions involved in conducting
business across national boundaries, as well as the role
that business plays in both the international economy and
in the preservation of finite world resources. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: ECON-110 or GOVT-130
or HIST-120 or SIS-105 or SIS-110. Note: This course is
designed for non-business majors only and should not be
taken by students who have a declared or intended major
in business administration.
Business
KSB-100 Business 1.0 (3) Business is an exciting and
dynamic environment. This course is the initial step in
becoming a student of business. It provides a broad
introduction which enables students to gain an appreciation
of the complex nature of business and a sense of what is
required to operate a successful business. In this course
students learn what a business is, how it operates, and why.
They learn how business impacts society and the effect
society has on business. Students gain an understanding of
the various entities that influence business, such as the
economy, customers, suppliers, the government, and the
global community, and discover the interrelated tasks and
operations that must occur for a business to be successful.
Business: Management
MGMT-201 Global Corporate Citizenship (3)
Understanding the complexity of the business environment
requires an understanding of business as a citizen.
Certainly a good business citizen obeys the law, but is that
sufficient? Good business citizenship also requires
participation in the social order and accepting and
perpetuating common values. This course prepares
 students to be managers and leaders of businesses that
practice good citizenship in the global economy.
Chemistry
G CHEM-100 The Molecular World 5:1 (4) A general
introduction to chemistry leading to biochemistry and the
chemistry of life. Study of the composition of materials,
their structures and properties, related energy conversions,
and the use of molecular genetic information. Questions
of scientific inquiry and the scientific method in cultural
and historical contexts are considered. Prerequisite:
completion of the University Mathematics Requirement,
or concurrent enrollment in MATH-170 or MATH-211 or
STAT-202.
G CHEM-110 General Chemistry I 5:1 (4) A general
introduction to chemistry: the scientific method; atomic
structure; stoichiometry and chemical reactions; heat
changes; electronic structure of atoms; molecular
geometry; and liquid, solid, gas, and solution chemistry.
Provides a sound basis in concepts, vocabulary, and
analytical problem solving. Related laboratory work
covers the scientific method, measurements using
scientific apparatuses, collection and manipulation of
data, error analysis, and illustration of scientific
principles. Prerequisite: completion of the University
Mathematics Requirement, or concurrent enrollment in
MATH-170 or MATH-211 or STAT-202.
G CHEM-205 The Human Genome 5:2 (3) The human
genome is the DNA book of life, containing information
to create networks of proteins that construct a human
being. The course discusses how the genome was read,
how variants in DNA information are detected, and how
interactions of networks of proteins are deciphered. Also,
how this information changes views of disease, medical
treatments, and our image of ourselves as a species. Can
environmental factors override our genes (nurture vs.
nature)? Substantial focus on ethical and social issues
related to genetic testing, gene therapy, and our
understanding of race. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or CHEM-100 or
CHEM-110 or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110 or
PSYC-115.
G CHEM-210 General Chemistry II 5:2 (4)
Oxidation-reduction reactions, reaction rates, equilibrium
and its relation to thermodynamics, acid-base chemistry
and its practical applications, electrochemistry, molecular
bonding theory, and nuclear chemistry. Related laboratory
work covers titration techniques, spectroscopic analysis,
kinetics experiments, and introduction to qualitative and
quantitative analysis. Prerequisite: CHEM-110/110G.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: CHEM-100G
or CHEM-110 or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110.
(SPRING)
G CHEM-220 Environmental Resources and Energy 5:2
(3) General discussion of the chemistry of our
environment, including description of the ideal unpolluted
environment and a historic view of pollution. Classes and
interactions of pollutants with the environment are
described. Emphasis is placed on understanding the
chemistry of pollutants and how they affect our quality of
life. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
CHEM-100 or CHEM-110 or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or
PHYS-110.
G CHEM-230 Earth Sciences 5:2 (3) Combines geology,
geophysics, and geochemistry in describing the evolution
of our planet, the deep structure of the earth, its plate
tectonic evolution, and interaction of the crust with the
hydrosphere, biosphere, and atmosphere. Occasional
laboratory demonstrations and field trips. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: CHEM-100 or CHEM-110 or
PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110.
G CHEM-250 Criminalistics, Crime, and Society 5:2 (3)
This course presents the unique and challenging
application of science to law. The focus is on the
scientific aspects of criminal investigations and judicial
process. The course includes an overview of forensic
science, the identification of illicit drugs, fibers, hairs,
accelerants, gun shot residues, and explosives by
chemical analysis, as well as DNA profiling. Emphasis is
placed on the techniques of sampling a crime scene and
the use of physical evidence to help solve cases. Students
learn how to unlock the mystery of crimes through
application of physical and chemical techniques.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: CHEM-100 or
CHEM-110 or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110.
Communication
G COMM-100 Understanding Media 4:1 (3) Building on
students' individual and collective experiences of mass
media (print, film, radio, television, and digital media),
this course analyzes American media institutions: their
development and social role; the economic and political
constraints they face; and their effect on us as a society
and as individuals.
G COMM-105 Visual Literacy 1:1 (3) Introduces students
to ways of understanding visual images in a variety of
contexts: art, media (including film, photography,
television, graphic design), and drawing. Students learn
about aesthetics as well as the production aspects of
visual images; they discover intuitive dimensions of
seeing as well as the major influence of culture on visual
symbols and constructs.
COMM-209 Communication and Society (3) The central
role communication processes play in human life and
society, with consideration of the practical ramifications as
well as the theoretical implications of communication.
Communication process issues involving gender, race,
culture, ethnicity, class, and conflict and power are also
analyzed.
G COMM-270 How the News Media Shape History 2:2
(3) The impact that the print and broadcast news media
have had on America. The role and value of a free press,
always powerful and usually responsible. How radical
writers helped start the American Revolution to how
today’s reporters influence contemporary political events.
47
 Prerequisite for General Education credit: GOVT-105 or
HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105 or RELG-105.
G COMM-275 Dissident Media: Voices from the
Underground 4:2 (3) The evolution and impact of
alternative media as forces for social change. How
dissident groups have used non-establishment media such
as suffragist and Socialist journals, African-American and
gay presses, counterculture tabloids, Christian-right
newsletters, and the “zines” of the 1990s to organize and
bring about reform. Also examines the power of
communication, the interplay between media and society,
and the complex role of politically dissident media in
American history. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: COMM-100 or ECON-100 or GOVT-110 or
SOCY-150.
G COMM-280 Contemporary Media in a Global Society
3:2 (3) An exploration of the relationship between
international communication and foreign policy, with an
emphasis on the traditions, practices, legal aspects,
government controls, and attitudes in various countries
and their impact on freedom of thought and expression.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ECON-110G
or GOVT-130 or HIST-120 or SIS-105 or SIS-110.
Computer Science
CSC-100 Computers and Information (3) A first course
for studying computers and information. Provides a
foundation for using computers in other courses and
curricula for research, communication, and writing.
Hands-on experience in productivity enhancement,
software, hardware, systems development, use of the
Internet and World Wide Web, and future directions and
trends for computers and information.
CSC-280 Introduction to Computer Science I (4)
Problem solving and algorithm development. Structured
programming, basic data types and canonical structures;
arrays and subprograms; recursion. Social implications of
computing. Elementary applications from business and
science. Prerequisite: MATH-15x Finite Mathematics or
equivalent, and CSC-100.
CSC-281 Introduction to Computer Science II (3)
Continuation of problem solving. Emphasis on larger
programs built from modules. Introduction to abstract data
structures: stacks, queues, graphs and trees and their
implementations and associated algorithms. Elementary
numerical methods. Prerequisite: CSC-280. (SPRING)
Economics
G ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) An introduction to
the basic principles of macroeconomics, stressing national
income, unemployment, inflation, economic growth,
depression, prosperity, international economics, economic
development, alternative approaches to economics, and
current issues and controversies.
G ECON-110 The Global Majority 3:1 (3) Introduction to
the plight of less-developed countries, to alternative paths
of development, and to the relationships between the
more-developed and less-developed countries. The central
48
theme of economic development is based on elementary
economic theory. Equally important, human dimensions
of development are emphasized through the use of novels
and films from less-developed countries.
G ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) The basic principles
of microeconomics and their applications; supply and
demand, operation of markets, consumer and enterprise
behavior, competition and monopoly, income distribution,
discrimination, and alternative approaches to economics.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: COMM-100G
or ECON-100 or GOVT-110 or SOCY-150.
Education
G EDU-205 Schools and Society 4:2 (3) A
multidimensional view of schools, teachers, and students.
This social and intellectual foundation course serves as a
basis for studying contemporary education and the issues
of racism, sexism, finance, governance, innovations, and
the social context of American education. The course
includes lectures, discussion groups, cooperative learning,
Internet activities, and independent projects. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105
or SOCY-100 or WGST-125.
EDU-212 Methodology of Sign Language (3) The
principles of manual communication and some principles
of American Sign Language (ASL) are introduced.
Learning signs and gaining expressive and receptive skills
are stressed.
EDU-280 Education for Social Justice (3) Analysis of
the nature and impact of race, class, gender, and
exceptionality in education. Emphasis on how schools
have served as vehicles of oppression and opportunity for
social groups in our society. Engagement in change agency
to promote social justice in schools and society.
G EDU-285 Education for International Development 3:2
(3) The conserving role of education as a socializing
agent and the liberating role of education as an engine of
change. Special attention is given to the social and
economic impact of education in national development,
especially in the Third World. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ECON-110 or GOVT-130 or HIST-120
or SIS-105 or SIS-110. (SPRING)
EDU-321 Field Experience: Observation and Analysis
(1) Observation and analysis of diverse school settings,
examining philosophies, curriculum, and teacher and
administrator roles, using informal and formal means of
data collection with particular emphasis on classroom
interactions.
Environmental Studies
ENVS-102 Seminar in Environmental Issues (1) This
seminar for beginning environmental studies majors
introduces the domain of environmental science as a
discipline. The scientific, economic, and social issues
underlying major environmental problems are presented
through faculty and guest speakers, readings, and
discussions.
 ENVS-104 Issues in Marine Science I (1) This course for
students entering the marine science program is an
introduction to major issues in marine science. The course
helps students develop critical understanding of the
scientific process through readings on current issues in
marine science, discussions, and interaction with guest
speakers.
ENVS-105 Issues in Marine Science II (2) A
continuation of ENVS-104. This course introduces
students to the range of activities in carrying out scientific
research through readings, lectures, guest speakers, and
field trips. Includes developing research interests, writing
research grant proposals, the peer review and publication
process, and the impact of research findings on society at
large. Prerequisite: ENVS-104. (SPRING)
G ENVS-240 Oceanography 5:2 (3) The study of the sea
from a global perspective. Emphasis on chemical and
physical oceanography as it affects life in the seas and the
world economies. Includes origin of the oceans, basic
navigation, marine geography, plate tectonics, heat
budgets, climatology, meteorology, winds, currents,
waves, tides, productivity, and fisheries. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or
CHEM-100 or CHEM-110 or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or
PHYS-110 or PSYC-115.
G ENVS-250 Living in the Environment 5:2 (3) An
introduction to environmental science. This course
focuses on key principles that govern how nature works,
the interactions between human society and ecosystems,
and current and potential solutions to environmental
problems. Includes energy flow through ecosystems,
properties of natural communities and human societies,
resource conservation and management, and
environmental ethics. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or PSYC-115.
Government
G GOVT-105 Individual Freedom vs. Authority 2:1 (3)
The study of major philosophical discussions of the
conflict between individual freedom and authority with
analysis of the relation between this conflict and the
problem of organizing a government.
G GOVT-110 Politics in the United States 4:1 (3-4) Study
of major philosophical concepts that shaped government
in the United States combined with an analysis of
contemporary political institutions and behavior, focusing
on the American governmental system. Four-credit
sections include Washington laboratory experiences.
Note: students may not receive credit for both GOVT-110
and GOVT-120.
GOVT-120 Introduction to American Politics (3-4)
Pluralism, constitutional bases of government, political
participation and elections, and the major national
institutions involved in policy making. Note: students may
not receive credit for both GOVT-120 and GOVT-110.
G GOVT-130 Comparative Politics 3:1 (3) How different
societies, both Western and non-Western, have
approached the political problems of order and
responsiveness. The relationships, in a cross-cultural
perspective, between the individual and the state; social
and economic processes; culture and behavior.
G GOVT-210 Political Power and American Public Policy
4:2 (3) Introduction to political power and how the
domestic policy process works; how to evaluate American
domestic policy; and the content of several major
domestic policies such as energy, environment, health,
education, welfare, economic stability, labor, and justice
and social order. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: COMM-100 or ECON-100 or GOVT-110 or
SOCY-150.
G GOVT-215 Civil Rights and Liberties 4:2 (3) The legal,
political, and philosophical status of rights and liberties
protected under the Constitution and laws of the United
States; how political processes affect the definition of
rights. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
COMM-100 or ECON-100 or GOVT-110 or SOCY-150.
GOVT-231 Third World Politics (3) Political order and
change in selected countries in Africa, Latin America, and
Asia, emphasizing nation building, ideology, development,
and the role of the military. (SPRING)
GOVT-232 Politics of Postindustrial Societies (3)
Comparative study of participation, public policy, and
policymaking in postindustrial societies. The effects of
technology and science on values and social change.
(SPRING)
G GOVT-235 Dynamics of Political Change 3:2 (3)
Theoretical perspectives on political change together with
case studies of societies in which the status quo has
broken down. Emphasis on the political, cultural, social,
and psychological aspects of domestic crisis and
revolution, with the objective of increasing awareness and
appreciation of other nations and their struggles.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ECON-110 or
GOVT-130 or HIST-120 or SIS-105 or SIS-110.
GOVT-240 Metropolitan Politics (3) The growth of
cities and metropolitan areas. Evolution of the city and its
surrounding areas as a focus of public policy. Analysis of
decision making techniques, intergovernmental relations,
and ethnic politics. Implications of financial resources and
suburban attitudes on metropolitan politics and policy
making.
Health and Fitness
HFIT-100 Beginning Swimming (1) Designed for
students who are unable to maintain themselves in deep
water. Students overcome the fear of the water and learn to
feel at ease in aquatic environments while learning basic
swimming skills. (SPRING)
HFIT-101 Intermediate Swimming (1) Instruction in
swimming skills and techniques for students interested in
perfecting their swimming strokes, endurance, and
associated aquatic skills. Prerequisite: HFIT-100 or ability
to pass beginner’s test. (SPRING)
HFIT-120 Beginning Martial Arts (1) Introductory
course for the beginner to develop the basic skills of the
martial arts. Physical and mental discipline are stressed, as
49
well as self-defense techniques. Flexibility, balance,
endurance, and strength are improved. The course prepares
the student to advance to the Tae Kwon Do rank of Yellow
Belt.
HFIT-121 Intermediate Martial Arts (1) Continuation of
the development of the martial arts skills. Additional
techniques and forms are presented. The course prepares
the student to advance to the Tae Kwon Do rank of Green
Belt. Prerequisite: HFIT-120 or permission of instructor.
HFIT-125 Personal Defense (1) Introduction to the basic
principles of self-defense. Emphasis is placed on
perfecting the basic skills and techniques in protecting
oneself. Physical conditioning, strength, and flexibility are
attained, along with the understanding of the legal and
psychological aspects involved in personal defense.
HFIT-130 Walking and Jogging (1) Designed for all
levels of walkers and joggers. Enables individuals to
design their own programs based upon goals such as
cardiovascular conditioning, muscle toning, weight loss,
and long-term health. (SPRING)
HFIT-140 Beginning Fencing (1) A general overview of
the techniques, strategies, and psychology of foil fencing,
with an emphasis on the historic perspectives and
traditions from a variety of cultures. There is a dual
emphasis on developing physical skills and studying the
implementation of tactics in situations in the world of
fencing.
HFIT-150 Beginning Golf (1) Designed for the beginning
player. Skill work consists of grip, stance, and swing
techniques for putting, short irons, middle irons, and
woods. Special emphasis is placed on rules, terminology,
and etiquette.
HFIT-163 Yoga (1) Through yoga exercise designed for
all levels, participants increase flexibility, balance, and
strength. Combining physical activity and lectures,
students learn breathing and relaxation techniques, proper
alignment, stress reduction, and how to heighten physical
and mental awareness.
HFIT-170 Recreational Activities (1-3) Topics vary by
section, may be repeated for credit with different topic.
Development of skills, techniques, and knowledge of
selected individual, dual, and team activities with emphasis
on seasonal sports, including volleyball and soccer.
HFIT-180 Beginning Tennis (1) Designed for beginners
who have had little or no playing experience or formal
instruction. Students learn the forehand, backhand, serve,
volley, history, scoring, rules, and basic strategy.
HFIT-193 Aquatic Fitness/Water Aerobics (2) Develops
cardiovascular fitness through aquatic activities as an
alternative to weight bearing forms of exercise. Emphasis
on current theories of exercise physiology in personal
conditioning programs. Includes body mechanics,
hydrodynamics, program design and water safety.
HFIT-195 Principles and Techniques of Weight
Training (2) An overview of muscle anatomy, exercise
physiology, and biomechanics as they apply to the
development of muscle strength. Systems and principles of
50
weight training. Practical experience in strength
development through a progressive resistance program.
HFIT-197 Group Aerobic Fitness (2) Using aerobic
activity to develop and maintain body awareness in five
major areas: cardiovascular and muscular endurance,
flexibility, muscular strength, and promotion of ideal body
composition through activity with music. The goal is the
reduction of emotional tension, greater productivity,
improved performance, formation of fat-burning enzyme,
and a healthier cardiovascular system.
HFIT-200 Lifetime Health and Fitness (3) The
physiological, sociological, and psychological aspects of
fitness and health are introduced. Emphasis is placed on
developing self-responsibility for total wellness. Students
will participate in fitness activities and classroom
instruction and discussions.
G HFIT-205 Current Concepts in Nutrition 5:2 (3)
Provides an understanding of basic nutritional concepts
and current available information. Enables students to
make informed decisions about their nutritional
requirements and diet choices. Includes fiber versus fat;
vegetarianism; effects of food on mood; current USDA
and FDA policy issues; eating disorders; and national
hunger issues. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
BIO-100 or BIO-110 or PSYC-115.
HFIT-210 SCUBA (2) A balanced curriculum in skin and
SCUBA diving, providing practical skill development in
the pool and a thorough grounding in the physics,
physiology, technology, and history of sport diving. Note:
must be taken with HFIT-211 for certification. Students
are responsible for cost of personal equipment.
HFIT-211 SCUBA Certification Laboratory (1)
Includes five open-water dives in salt and fresh water,
additional equipment training, and an introduction to boat
as well as shore staging for sport diving. Basic rescue
techniques are introduced. The laboratory, in conjunction
with the standard course, is sufficient to qualify the student
as a certified basic diver under the standards of a
nationally recognized certifying organization. Prerequisite:
must be taken concurrently with HFIT-210.
HFIT-230 Cross Training (2) Improvement of
cardiovascular and muscular fitness through various
aerobic activities. Students develop personal conditioning
programs. Classroom discussions include diet theory,
circuit training, flexibility, and specificity of exercise.
Pre/post fitness assessment tests are administered.
HFIT-240 Modern Theories of Health and Wellness (3)
An introduction to disease patterns and trends in the
United States and how lifestyle choices may be risk factors
for diseases. Approaches to health and medical care
including health promotion, alternative medicine, managed
care organizations, health policies.
G HFIT-245 Gender, Culture and Health 4:2 (3) Provides
basic understanding of gender and cultural issues
affecting health. Emphasis is placed on male/female and
ethnic disparities in health status and how these gender
and cultural indicators affect behavioral risk factors. The
relationship between health and other factors such as
 religion, social class/socioeconomic status, acculturation,
migration, and globalization are also studied. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105
or SOCY-100 or WGST-125.
HFIT-250 Strategies in Stress Reduction (3) The nature
and causes of stress, its effect on the human body, and both
cognitive behavioral approaches as well as relaxation
techniques to control it. The course offers a holistic
approach to stress management through a combination of
lecture and laboratory on skills in relaxation. Methods
include deep breathing, mental imagery, progressive
muscular relaxation, muscle massage, art therapy, journal
writing, value assessment and clarification, physical
exercise, and meditation.
HFIT-270 First Aid, CPR, and Medical Emergencies
(3) Training in first aid and CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary
Resuscitation). Determination of the emergency and the
course of action for rendering appropriate care.
Information on the prevention and care of wounds,
application of dressings and bandages, choking
procedures, musculoskeletal system injuries, burns, heat
and cold injuries, emergency rescue techniques.
Certification by the National Safety Council; First Aid
Level 3 and CPR/BLS-B.
HFIT-273 Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries (3)
Introduction to the field of sports medicine in the areas of
injury evaluation, care, rehabilitation, and prevention.
Includes emergency procedures, legal issues, taping, use of
modalities, nutrition, strength and conditioning, and
psychological aspects of sports medicine. (SPRING)
HFIT-280 Sports Psychology (3) Examines the mental
and emotional dimensions of human performance. Sport
and exercise are the primary focus, but the principles
studied encompass the whole of human action. Both
theoretical understanding and practical application of the
concepts and skills used to enhance performance are
emphasized.
History
G HIST-100 Historians and the Living Past 2:1 (3)
Explores the theory and practice of the study of the past.
Focuses on the ways in which our thinking is affected by
our beliefs about the past; we reconstruct, explain, and
evaluate past events; we organize knowledge about the
past; and we analyze and evaluate the “lessons of the
past.” (SPRING)
G HIST-110 Renaissance and Revolutions: Europe, 1400–
1815 2:1 (3) The political, economic, and cultural
emergence of Europe into world leadership during the
period 1400–1815, stressing the problems of building or
rebuilding political and social order, including the
attempts to spread European civilization to other parts of
the world.
G HIST-115 Work and Community 2:1 (3) In key
historical contexts such as the industrial revolution, the
development of New World plantations, and the
transformation of farming, this course explores the
changing relations between work and community. When
have people found the opportunity to exert autonomy and
creativity at work? How have evolving work relations
influenced household composition, family roles, and
cultural traditions?
G HIST-120 Imperialism and Revolution 3:1 (3) The
impact of imperialism and revolution since the nineteenth
century, particularly on Asia and Latin America.
Analyzes theories of imperialism and Western stimulation
of nationalism, revolution, racial confrontation, and
cultural and demographic transformation. Concentrates
particularly on China, Vietnam, and Cuba. Identifies
patterns of poverty, instability, and conflict in the
“developing” world.
HIST-202 The Ancient World: Greece (3) From Minoan
Crete through Alexander the Great. Literary and artistic
masterpieces in their historical settings. Emphasis on
ancient sources.
HIST-203 The Ancient World: Rome (3) From the
Etruscans through Constantine. The interplay of
constitution and empire, and the changing views of ethical
conduct. Emphasis on ancient sources. (SPRING)
G HIST-205 American Encounters: 1492–1865 2:2 (3) The
history of the United States to 1865: the expansion and
transplantation of European civilization; the Native
American response; the sectional contest over slavery; the
birth of the American feminist movement; and the
beginnings of the industrial revolution. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: LIT-125 or HIST-100 or
HIST-110 or WGST-150.
HIST-206 The United States from Emancipation
through World War II, 1865–1945 (3) American history
from the end of the Civil War to the end of World War II.
Modernization of America and resulting problems. Growth
of U.S. power in international affairs. Roots and
development of social and political change in America.
(SPRING)
HIST-207 The United States since 1945 (3) Introductory
course on the last half century of U.S. history. Growing
cultural diversity of the American people and
interrelatedness of international and domestic affairs.
Impact of the Cold War and challenges to traditional
ideologies and political solutions.
HIST-208 African-American History to 1865 (3)
Beginning with a review of literature citing pre-Columbian
contacts between Africa and the Western hemisphere, this
course covers the Atlantic slave trade, the African presence
in Colonial America, the American Revolution,
nineteenth-century American slavery, the Underground
Railroad and the Civil War. The course utilizes historical
eyewitness accounts, maps, popular culture, and museum
exhibitions to explore the arrival and historical journey of
Africans in Colonial, Revolutionary, and Antebellum
America.
HIST-209 African-American History 1865 to Present
(3) Beginning with a review of the Civil War, this survey
chronicles the history of African-Americans to the present
time. The course uses historical and literary texts and
makes use of cultural resources such as films, recordings,
51
 art works, and museum exhibitions to explore the richness
of this legacy and its impact on the development of
American culture and history. (SPRING)
G HIST-210 Ethnicity in America 4:2 (3) Explores how
ethnicity has shaped American institutions and behavior
patterns from 1607 to the present. Largely a nation of
immigrants, this country reflects the racial, religious, and
national characteristics of those who migrated here,
whether voluntarily or as slaves. Includes ethnicity’s
influence on family, politics, civil rights, and foreign
policy. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100 or WGST-125.
(SPRING)
G HIST-215 Social Forces that Shaped America 2:2 (3)
The history of race, class, and gender in the United States
from the war for independence to the present. The focus is
on how these forces existed and continue to exist as
intersecting material realities and contributors to the
social attitudes held by residents of the United States.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: LIT-125 or
HIST-100 or HIST-110 or WGST-150.
G HIST-220 Women in America 4:2 (3) Incorporating a
multidisciplinary perspective and both primary and
secondary readings, this course examines change and
continuity in the experience of American women from the
mid-nineteenth century to the present. Focuses on social
and political movements of special concern to women,
including suffrage, birth control, women’s liberation, and
contemporary antifeminism. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100
or WGST-125. (SPRING)
HIST-221 History of Britain I (3) Political, social, and
cultural development in Britain to 1689. Parliament,
common law, civil war, plague, rebellion, concepts of
kingship, and the conflict of church and state.
HIST-222 History of Britain II (3) Britain has been
regarded as a model for political, economic, and social
development. This course examines phenomena that have
defined Britain’s place in the world, such as the ascension
of parliament, the industrial revolution, and the growth of
empire, to understand what is unique about Britain and
which elements of the British historical experience are
more broadly shared. (SPRING)
G HIST-225 Russia and the Origins of Contemporary
Eurasia 3:2 (3) Russia has been termed a “riddle
wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” An examination
of the major influences that have shaped Russia helps
solve this mystery. Influences include geography,
autocracy, social and multi-ethnic composition,
economics, relations with the West, and the ideologies of
Orthodoxy, Nationalism, and Marxism. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: ECON-110 or GOVT-130 or
HIST-120 or SIS-105 or SIS-110. (SPRING)
G HIST-235 The West in Crisis, 1900–1945 2:2 (3) The
West has experienced world wars, the Great Depression,
America’s New Deal, and communist and Nazi
revolutions and dictatorships. How crises and wars
emerged from a conflicted Western heritage, and how
52
communism, fascism, and the New Deal were responses
to problems of modernity and progress emanating from
different national histories. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or
PHIL-105 or RELG-105.
HIST-241 Colonial Latin America (3) Conquest and
change in Indian civilization; imperial politics; race and
class; Indian labor and the Black legend; imperial
economic relations; imperial reform and revolution.
HIST-242 Latin America since Independence (3)
Problems in creating nations; militarism, dictatorship, and
democracy; sources of underdevelopment; reform and
revolution in the twentieth century. (SPRING)
HIST-245 Modern Jewish Civilization (3) Surveys
Jewish responses to the challenges of modernity. Examines
the creation of new Jewish communities in America and
Israel, shifts in Jewish political status, and innovations in
Jewish religious and intellectual history such as Zionism
and Hasidism. (SPRING)
HIST-248 Introduction to Middle Eastern History (3)
The Middle East escapes any single definition; it has no
readily-defined geographic, ethnic, religious, or political
boundaries. This course surveys the historical experiences,
institutions, and events that have connected the region's
diverse peoples from the rise of Islam to the present.
G HIST-250 Civilization and Modernization: Asia 3:2 (3)
Compares the great civilizations of China, India, and
Japan; their interaction with the West; and their
transformation from the nineteenth century. Analyzes
modernization and why Asian societies changed so
differently; why revolutions wracked China and
communism triumphed; Japan’s emergence as a premier
industrial state; and how India balances tradition,
modernity, and democracy. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185
or SIS-140 or SOCY-110.
HIST-288 Oliver Stone’s America (3) Director Oliver
Stone’s influence on popular views of recent U.S. history
has raised important questions about artistic license, the
nature and uses of historical evidence, and the shaping of
popular historical consciousness. This course addresses
these issues while assessing both scholarly opinion and
popular beliefs about the Kennedy assassination, the
Vietnam War and antiwar movement, the 1960s
counterculture, Watergate, U.S. policy in Central America,
and the 1980s capitalistic culture.
 Interdisciplinary: Multi-Ethnic Studies
G IDIS-210 Contemporary Multi-Ethnic Voices 4: 2 (3)
This course examines how ethnicity affects the
organization of society, the relationship between and
among the individual, communities, and society, and how
artists negotiate their own understanding of ethnicity in
contemporary American society. Literature, films, theatre,
walking tours, and a community service project introduce
students to the critical concepts, patterns, and issues that
reflect multi-ethnic perspectives. The course also explores
the relationship between ethnicity, values, and ethics in
American society and fosters critical thinking based on
reasoned evidence. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100 or
WGST-125. (SPRING)
Justice, Law and Society
JLS-101 Introduction to Law (3) A general introduction
to law and the legal system, including a survey of
substansive law in both civil and criminal arenas. Students
learn how the legal system operates and the basic
categories of law, as well as discussing controversial issues
in each area of law.
JLS-103 Critical Issues in Justice (3) Political, legal,
economic, and social problems of justice emphasizing
crime, deviance, and other conduct resulting in such
socially disapproved labels as mentally ill, delinquent, and
criminal. Moral and theoretical issues involved and
mechanisms for remedying injustice and controlling
socially disapproved behavior.
JLS-104 Introduction to Systems of Justice (3) An
overview of the formal mechanisms of social control as
manifested by the components of the criminal justice
system (legislatures, planning agencies, law enforcement,
courts, and corrections), civil justice systems, and such
other mechanisms as civil commitment. Alternatives to
formal processing including diversion, pretrial screening
and dispute-settlement programs.
G JLS-110 Western Legal Tradition 2:1 (3) From the
biblical era to the American experiment, the Western
legal tradition encompasses primitive, divine, natural,
canon, secular, and common law. This course examines
the key legal documents and issues of the tradition
including the Code of Hammurabi, the Ten
Commandments, the trials of Socrates and Jesus, the
Magna Carta, the Rule of Law, and Common law.
G JLS-200 Deprivation of Liberty 4:2 (3) Analysis of the
values, costs, and logic of the manners in which classes of
people (e.g., criminals, drug abusers, the mentally ill) are
defined as dangerous; analysis of the specific means of
limiting their ability to harm others, the public order, or
themselves. Emphasis on imprisonment,
institutionalization, probation, capital punishment, and
enforced treatment. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100 or
WGST-125.
JLS-201 Philosophical Problems in the Law (3) This
course provides an introduction to the philosophical
perspective of the law. Issues discussed include the nature
of law and judicial decision making, criminal
responsibility, the justification of punishment, and the
moral basis of property rights. The course emphasizes
analytical reading and writing. Prerequisite: JLS-101.
(SPRING)
JLS-202 History of International Thought and Law (3)
This course explores the evolution of thought in
international relations from 500 BCE though 1960,
emphasizing the history of political philosophy of
international relations, history, and international law.
JLS-205 Introduction to Criminology (3) Development
of theories of criminology and criminal justice over the
course of history with special attention to the period from
1700 to the present. Review and evaluation of
contemporary knowledge and theories of crime.
JLS-206 Justice and Deviant Behavior (3) Consideration
of conformity and deviance in the light of broader issues of
social justice (poverty, racism, sexism, alienation, etc.), of
interactions between persons and groups that engage in
and sanction deviance, of the role of ideology in the
definition of deviance, and of the social policy
consequences of deviance definition.
JLS-211 Contemporary Issues in American Law
Enforcement (3) Policy formulation; operational
procedures; patrol; performance measurement; women and
minorities in policing; labor-management relations;
corruption; political accountability; use of force; citizen
complaints. (SPRING)
G JLS-215 Violence and Institutions 4:2 (3) The capacity
for violence by agents of an institution acting in service of
organizational goals. Through evaluation of case studies,
students gain an understanding of the dynamics of
institutional violence and its threat to human life. Includes
hazardous workplaces, unethical experimentation,
dangerous products, torture and terrorism, police and
prison use of deadly force, and the death penalty.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ANTH-150 or
PSYC-105 or SOCY-100 or WGST-125. (SPRING)
G JLS-225 American Legal Culture 2:2 (3) The law has
become one of the most important regulators in American
culture. How did this happen? This course explores the
transformation of American legal culture from the
colonial era to the present, considering such issues as the
challenges of crime, the Cold War and civil rights, the rise
of the surveillance state, and images of law in popular
culture. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105 or
RELG-105.
G JLS-245 Cities and Crime 4:2 (3) Have crime and the
urban environment always been linked? Their relationship
from biblical times to the present, including the criminal
underworld in the eighteenth century; the emergence of
juvenile delinquency following the industrial revolution;
the literary imagination and mid-nineteenth century urban
crime; and crime in developing countries. Prerequisite for
53
 General Education credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or Taught in English. Prerequisite for General Education
SOCY-100 or WGST-125. credit: GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105
JLS-253 Juvenile Delinquency: Causes, Prevention and or RELG-105. (SPRING)
Treatment (3) Development of the individual through Foreign language courses:
childhood and adolescence as it relates to delinquency and Students with three years of high school preparation in a
crime; special characteristics of juvenile criminality; language normally place into 200-level courses. Students
current principles, policies, and practices for its prevention with four years of high school preparation in a language
and control. Factors producing delinquency. Juvenile normally place into 300-level courses. Students who have
detention, juvenile court, training schools, and treatment of completed two or more years of study in French, German,
the offender. (SPRING) Russian, or Spanish at the pre-college level should take the
Jewish Studies computerized placement tests for those languages, which
are available on the web portal. To take the test, after
G JWST-205 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Civilization logging on to my.american.edu, click on Language
2:2 (3) Examines the independent Jewish states that Placement and follow the instructions. Placement tests for
flourished in Palestine, the rise of the most important Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese may be taken during
Jewish communities outside the ancient Jewish homeland, summer or welcome week orientation in the Language
and the foreign influences that shaped not only the Resource Center (LRC), Asbury Building, lower level.
political life of the Jews but also their internal
Arabic
organization and their creativity. Prerequisite for General
ARAB-102 Arabic Elementary I (4) Introduction to
Education credit: LIT-125G or HIST-100G or
modern standard Arabic used in formal situations,
HIST-110G or WGST-150G.
meetings, instruction in schools and universities around the
G JWST-210 Voices of Modern Jewish Literature 2:2 (3)
Arab world, and the media. The phonology and script of
Explores a variety of literary works analyzing the
the language, important syntactic structures, morphology,
historical experience of modern Jewish communities in
understanding simple material including frequent structural
Europe, as well as the United States and Israel,
patterns and vocabulary.
emphasizing how migration, racism, industrialization, and
ARAB-103 Arabic Elementary II (4 ) Continuation of
political change affected these Jews and their Judaism.
ARAB-102. Prerequisite: ARAB-102 or equivalent.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: LIT-125G or
ARAB-202 Arabic Intermediate I (4) Further practice in
HIST-100G or HIST-110G or WGST-150G. (SPRING)
conversation; acquisition of new grammatical structures
Language and Foreign Studies and vocabulary. Includes cultural topics related to customs,
history, geography and literature. Prerequisite: ARAB-103
G LFS-200 Russia and the United States 3:2 (3) A
or equivalent.
comparative study of the two superpowers, Russia and the
ARAB-203 Arabic Intermediate II (4) Continuation of
United States, through an interdisciplinary approach with
ARAB-202. Prerequisite: ARAB-202 or equivalent.
emphasis on the major similarities and differences. The
ARAB-302 Advanced Arabic I (3) This course introduces
course draws primarily from international studies,
elements in the more advanced grammatical structures of
political science, history, literature, and the arts. Taught in
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) using a functional
English. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
approach, and helps students develop skills in literary
ECON-110 or GOVT-130 or HIST-120 or SIS-105 or
genres necessary for understanding authentic readings and
SIS-110.
discourse. Promotes the active use of MSA by using
G LFS-210 Latin America: History, Art, Literature 3:2
literary and culturally authentic selections of texts.
(3) Latin America’s history through the words of the
Emphasis is on the development of effective application of
writer, the brush of the painter, the pen of the cartoonist,
thematic contexts from readings, and developing accuracy
and the lens of the photographer. Analysis of how the
in written and oral communication. The course reviews
Latin (Spanish, Portuguese and Islamic), African, and
and reinforces previously acquired grammatical structures,
indigenous cultural heritages have combined to produce a
and expands vocabulary through extensive practice and
unique culture. Separate sections taught in English and
analysis of MSA style from literary, political, social, and
Spanish. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
economic aspects of Arab culture and language.
ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185 or SIS-140 or
Prerequisite: ARAB-203 or equivalent.
SOCY-110; and, prerequisite for Spanish section: three
ARAB-303 Advanced Arabic II (3) Continuation of
years of college Spanish or permission of instructor.
ARAB-302. Prerequisite: ARAB-302 or equivalent.
G LFS-230 The Modernist Explosion: Culture and
Ideology in Europe 2:2 (3) Studies the development of
the modernist movement in Europe in the first third of the
twentieth century, with special emphasis on the German
Weimar republic, 1918–1933. The course examines
primary works of literature, visual art, music, and film (in
English translation) in the context of political history.

54
Chinese
CHIN-112 Chinese, Elementary I (5) Prepares students
to function in everyday situations in the Chinese-speaking
world. Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and
grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts
through speaking, reading, writing and listening
comprehension.
CHIN-113 Chinese, Elementary II (5) Continuation of
CHIN-112. Prerequisite: CHIN-112 or equivalent.
CHIN-212 Chinese, Intermediate I (5) Refinement of
basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of
vocabulary and grammatical structures and further
development of communicative skills. Prerequisite:
CHIN-113 or equivalent.
CHIN-213 Chinese, Intermediate II (5) Continuation of
CHIN-212. Prerequisite: CHIN-212 or equivalent.
CHIN-312 Advanced Chinese I (3) This course promotes
the active use of Chinese in culturally authentic contexts.
Emphasis on the development of fluency and accuracy in
oral and written communication. Includes social,
economic, and political aspects of Chinese culture.
Prerequisite: CHIN-213 or equivalent.
CHIN-313 Advanced Chinese II (3) Continuation of
CHIN-312. Prerequisite: CHIN-312 or equivalent.
French
FREN-122 French, Elementary I (4) Prepares students to
function in everyday situations in the French-speaking
world. Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and
grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts
through speaking, reading, writing and listening
comprehension. Designed for students with no prior
experience with French.
FREN-123 French, Elementary II (4) Continuation of
FREN-122. Prerequisite: FREN-122 or equivalent.
FREN-222 French, Intermediate I (4) Refinement of
basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of
vocabulary and grammatical structures and further
development of communicative skills. Content focuses on
cultural patterns in the French-speaking world.
Prerequisite: FREN-123 or equivalent.
FREN-223 French, Intermediate II (4) Continuation of
FREN-222. Prerequisite: FREN-222 or equivalent.
FREN-322 Advanced French I (3) Promotes the
advanced active use of French in culturally authentic
contexts. Emphasis on the development of fluency and
accuracy in oral and written communication. Designed for
students who have completed the intermediate level.
Prerequisite: FREN-223 or equivalent.
FREN-323 Advanced French II (3) Continuation of
FREN-322. Prerequisite: FREN-322 or equivalent.
German
GERM-132 German, Elementary I (4) Prepares students
to function in everyday situations in the German-speaking
world. Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and
grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts
through speaking, reading, writing and listening
comprehension. One class per week emphasizes oral
communication. Designed for students with no prior
experience with German.
GERM-133 German, Elementary II (4) Continuation of
GERM-132. Prerequisite: GERM-132 or equivalent.
GERM-232 German, Intermediate I (4) Refinement of
basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of
vocabulary and grammatical structures and development of
basic writing skills. Content focuses on cultural patterns in
the German-speaking world. One class per week
emphasizes oral communication skills. Prerequisite:
GERM-133 or equivalent.
GERM-233 German, Intermediate II (4) Continuation
of GERM-232. Prerequisite: GERM-232 or equivalent.
GERM-332 German Conversation and Composition I
(3) Promotes the advanced active use of German in
culturally authentic contexts. Emphasis on the
development of fluency and accuracy in oral and written
communication. Written and oral exercises focus on a
broad range of communicative genres. Prerequisite:
GERM-233 or equivalent.
GERM-333 German Conversation and Composition II
(3) Continuation of GERM-332. Prerequisite: GERM-332.
Hebrew
HEBR-116 Hebrew, Elementary Modern I (3) Focuses
on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and grammatical
structures in culturally authentic contexts through
speaking, reading, writing and listening comprehension.
Designed for students with no prior experience in Hebrew.
HEBR-117 Hebrew, Elementary Modern II (3)
Continuation of HEBR-116. Prerequisite: HEBR-116 or
equivalent.
HEBR-216 Hebrew, Intermediate Modern I (3)
Refinement of basic language skills in a cultural context.
Expansion of vocabulary and grammatical structures and
development of communicative skills. Prerequisite:
HEBR-117 or equivalent.
HEBR-217 Hebrew, Intermediate Modern II (3)
Continuation of HEBR-216. Prerequisite: HEBR-216 or
equivalent.
Italian
ITAL-118 Italian, Elementary I (3) Prepares students to
function in everyday situations. Focuses on the acquisition
of basic vocabulary and grammatical structures in
culturally authentic contexts through speaking, reading,
writing and listening comprehension. Designed for
students with no prior experience with Italian.
ITAL-119 Italian, Elementary II (3) Continuation of
ITAL-118. Prerequisite: ITAL-118 or equivalent.
ITAL-218 Italian, Intermediate I (3) Refinement of
basic language skills. Expansion of vocabulary in a
cultural context. Development of communicative skills.
Reading and writing as auxiliary skills. Prerequisite:
ITAL-119 or equivalent.
ITAL-219 Italian, Intermediate II (3) Continuation of
ITAL-218. Prerequisite: ITAL-218 or equivalent.
ITAL-318 Italian Conversation and Composition I (3)
Promotes the advanced active use of Italian in culturally
authentic contexts. Emphasis on the development of
55
fluency and accuracy in oral and written communication.
Designed for students who have completed the
intermediate level. Prerequisite: ITAL-219 or equivalent.
ITAL-319 Italian Conversation and Composition II (3)
Continuation of ITAL-318. Prerequisite: ITAL-318 or
equivalent.
Japanese
JAPN-114 Japanese, Elementary I (5) Prepares students
to function in everyday situations in the Japanese-speaking
world. Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and
grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts
through speaking, reading, writing and listening
comprehension.
JAPN-115 Japanese, Elementary II (5) Continuation of
JAPN-114. Prerequisite: JAPN-114 or equivalent.
JAPN-214 Japanese, Intermediate I (5) Refinement of
basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of
vocabulary and grammatical structures and further
development of communicative skills. Prerequisite:
JAPN-115 or equivalent.
JAPN-215 Japanese, Intermediate II (5) Continuation of
JAPN-214. Prerequisite: JAPN-214 or equivalent.
JAPN-314 Advanced Japanese I (3) Promotes the
advanced active use of Japanese in culturally authentic
contexts. Emphasis on the development of fluency and
accuracy in oral and written communication. Includes
social, economic, and political aspects of Japanese culture.
Prerequisite: JAPN-215 or equivalent.
JAPN-315 Advanced Japanese II (3) Continuation of
JAPN-314. Prerequisite: JAPN-314 or equivalent.
Russian
RUSS-144 Russian, Elementary I (5) Prepares students
to function in everyday situations in the Russian-speaking
world. Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and
grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts
through speaking, reading, writing and listening
comprehension. Designed for students with no prior
experience with Russian.
RUSS-145 Russian, Elementary II (5) Continuation of
RUSS-144. Prerequisite: RUSS-144 or equivalent.
RUSS-244 Russian, Intermediate I (5) Refinement of
basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of
vocabulary and grammatical structures and further
development of communicative skills. Content focuses on
cultural patterns in the Russian-speaking world.
Prerequisite: RUSS-145 or equivalent.
RUSS-245 Russian, Intermediate II (5) Continuation of
RUSS-244. Prerequisite: RUSS-244 or equivalent.
RUSS-342 Russian Conversation and Composition I (3)
Promotes the advanced active use of Russian in culturally
authentic contexts. Emphasis on the development of
fluency and accuracy in oral and written communication.
Review of grammatical structures and vocabulary
expansion through extensive reading. Problems of style
and creative use of language. Prerequisite: RUSS-245 or
equivalent.
56
RUSS-343 Russian Conversation and Composition II
(3) Continuation of RUSS-342. Prerequisite: RUSS-342 or
equivalent.
Spanish
SPAN-152 Spanish, Elementary I (4) Prepares students
to function in everyday situations in the Hispanic world.
Focuses on the acquisition of basic vocabulary and
grammatical structures in culturally authentic contexts
through speaking, reading, writing and listening
comprehension. Designed for students with no prior
experience with Spanish.
SPAN-153 Spanish, Elementary II (4) Continuation of
SPAN-152. Prerequisite: SPAN-152 or equivalent.
SPAN-252 Spanish, Intermediate I (4) Refinement of
basic language skills in a cultural context. Expansion of
vocabulary and grammatical structures and further
development of communicative skills. Content focuses on
cultural patterns in the Hispanic world. Prerequisite:
SPAN-153 or equivalent.
SPAN-253 Spanish, Intermediate II (4) Continuation of
SPAN-252. Prerequisite: SPAN-252 or equivalent.
SPAN-352 Spanish Conversation and Composition I (3)
Promotes the advanced active use of Spanish in culturally
authentic contexts. Emphasis on the development of
fluency and accuracy in oral and written communication.
Prerequisite: SPAN-253 or equivalent.
SPAN-353 Spanish Conversation and Composition I (3)
Continuation of SPAN-352. Prerequisite: SPAN-352 or
equivalent.
Literature
LIT-100 College Writing (3) Develops students’ skills in
reading with understanding, summarizing and synthesizing
information accurately, and writing correct, reasoned
prose. Note: Completion of LIT-100 and LIT-101 with
grades of C or better fulfills the university College Writing
and English Competency Requirement.
LIT-101 College Writing Seminar (3) Continues the
work begun in LIT-100, stressing the student’s abilities to
construct extended arguments, to synthesize diverse
materials, and to pursue library research. Prerequisite:
LIT-100 or equivalent. Note: Completion of LIT-100 and
LIT-101 with grades of C or better fulfills the university
College Writing and English Competency Requirement.
(SPRING)
LIT-102 College Writing (3) LIT-102 is a specially
designed version of LIT-100. It is aimed at students whose
language skills need special attention and has a required
one-on-one conference with the course instructor. Note:
Completion of LIT-102 and LIT-103 with grades of C or
better fulfills the university College Writing and English
Competency Requirement.
LIT-103 College Writing Seminar (3) LIT-103 is a
specially designed version of LIT-101. It is aimed at
students whose language skills need special attention and
has a required one-on-one conference with the course
instructor. Prerequisite: LIT-102 or equivalent. Note:
Completion of LIT-102 and LIT-103 with grades of C or
 better fulfills the university College Writing and English
Competency Requirement. (SPRING)
G LIT-105 The Literary Imagination 1:1 (3) Explores the
fundamental imaginative processes that underlie and
connect the activities of literary creation and literary
understanding. Besides reading works by both male and
female writers chosen from a variety of times and places
to represent each of the major genres, students also do
critical and creative writing of their own.
G LIT-120 Interpreting Literature 1:1 (3) Analysis and
interpretation of literary texts: poetry, drama, and prose
fiction. The general process through which one comes to a
more comprehensive understanding of literary works.
Since interpreting entails the ability to communicate
understanding, the course also teaches the writing of
interpretive criticism.
G LIT-125 Great Books that Shaped the Western World
2:1 (3) This course enriches students’ knowledge and
appreciation of Western civilization by familiarizing them
with some of the most important literary texts in Western
literature from Homer through the nineteenth century. In
addition to studying these works for their literary artistry,
the course addresses the cultural context of these works,
the ethical issues they address and the pivotal roles they
have played in Western society, and what it means to call
a work “a classic.”
LIT-130 Honors English I (3) Limited to first-year
students by invitation. Note: Completion of LIT-130 and
LIT-131 with grades of C or better fulfills the university
College Writing and English Competency Requirement.
LIT-131 Honors English II (3) Limited to first-year
students by invitation. Note: Completion of LIT-130 and
LIT-131 with grades of C or better fulfills the university
College Writing and English Competency Requirement.
(SPRING)
G LIT-135 Critical Approach to the Cinema 1:1 (3)
Analysis of film content and style through screenings and
substantial readings in aesthetic theory and film history.
Also considers social issues, cultural artifacts, and forms
of artistic expression.
G LIT-150 Third World Literature 3:1 (3) An introduction
to literature written by writers from the Third World:
Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The emphasis is on
contemporary fiction and the ways that this writing
depicts cultural and political change brought about by the
impact of outside forces.
LIT-210 Survey of American Literature I (3) A
historical study of American writers and their contributions
to the diversity of American literary forms and intellectual
life, from the Puritan settlement to Dickinson and
Whitman. Writers are appraised aesthetically, both
individually and in cultural context.
LIT-211 Survey of American Literature II (3) A
historical study of American writers and their contributions
to the diversity of American literary forms and intellectual
life, from post–Civil War to the present. Writers are
appraised aesthetically, both individually and in a cultural
context. (SPRING)
G LIT-215 Writers in Print/in Person 1:2 (3) Offers
students the opportunity to study works by contemporary
authors and then to continue their exploration of these
works in meetings with the writers. Features locally and
nationally prominent writers, including American
University writing faculty. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or PERF-110 or
PERF-115.
LIT-220 Survey of British Literature I (3) A historical
exploration of a range of writers in the British tradition,
from Chaucer through the eighteenth century. Writers are
examined as individual artists and as representatives of
their age.
LIT-221 Survey of British Literature II (3) A historical
exploration of a range of writers in the British tradition,
from the Romantic period through the twentieth century.
Writers are examined as individual artists and as
representatives of their age. (SPRING)
G LIT-225 The African Writer 1:2 (3) Contemporary
African literature, with special emphasis on the role of the
writer. The course includes many of the major African
literary works of the last sixty years—fiction, poetry, and
drama—and at the same time focuses on the African
writer’s unique role as creator of functional art.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ARTH-105 or
COMM-105 or LIT-120 or LIT-135. (SPRING)
G LIT-235 African-American Literature 2:2 (3) A survey
of African-American literature beginning with the poet
Phillis Wheatley and the slave narratives of the 1700s and
concluding with Malcolm X and Toni Morrison. The
emphasis is on the continuity of black writing within its
historical and cultural contexts. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: LIT-125 or HIST-100 or HIST-110 or
WGST-150. (SPRING)
G LIT-240 Asian American Literature 2:2 (3) The recent
explosion of Asian American literature—defined as
literature by writers of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian,
Pakistani, and Filipino descent living in North America—
warrants close and historically-informed analysis. This
course considers works by Asian American writers in
light of orientalism, issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and
identity, and historical pressures such as immigration
policies and independence movements. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: LIT-125 or HIST-100 or
HIST-110 or WGST-150. (SPRING)
G LIT-245 The Experience of Poetry 1:2 (3) Without
dwelling on “professional” terminology and technique,
the course aims to make poetry more accessible and
enjoyable through reading, writing, and discussion.
Students are asked to write some poetry along with
traditional papers, but the poetry assignments are
designed to reassure those who doubt their creativity.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ARTH-105 or
COMM-105 or LIT-120 or LIT-135.
G LIT-265 Literature and Society in Victorian England
2:2 (3) The connections between literary works and their
social context. The course is divided into significant
cultural subjects, such as the effect of scientific
57
 advancement on society at large, how Victorians
perceived themselves at home and at work, and how
issues of political reform affected literary works.
Readings include historical studies, as well as novels and
poems. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
LIT-125 or HIST-100 or HIST-110 or WGST-150.
(SPRING)
G LIT-270 Transformations of Shakespeare 1:2 (3)
Shakespeare’s use of dramatic form, such as tragicomedy,
masque, and spectacle. In addition, students learn about
the interrelationship between form and meaning by seeing
how the cultural myths encoded in these genres become
transformed in different ages, media, and cultures.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ARTH-105 or
COMM-105 or LIT-120 or LIT-135.
Mathematics
Note: Students should consult the department for advice
and placement testing for appropriate mathematics and
statistics courses.
MATH-022 Basic Algebra (2) An introduction to algebra.
Includes a review of integer and rational numbers; solving
linear equations in one or two variables; word problems;
polynomials and rational expressions; radicals; the
quadratic formula; and some graphing techniques. Note:
Intended for students with inadequate preparation for other
courses in mathematics. No academic credit is received for
this course, nor does it fulfill the mathematics requirement
for any degree program. Credit equivalent is listed only for
the purpose of determining full-time student status.
MATH-150 Finite Mathematics (3) Review of algebra,
sets, linear equations and inequalities, nonlinear
inequalities, interest problems, systems of linear equations,
functions and graphs, and elementary data analysis.
Prerequisite: three years of high school mathematics or
equivalent. Note: For students who need extra work on
mathematical skills. No credit toward mathematics major.
Students may not receive credit for more than one course
numbered MATH-15x.
MATH-151 Finite Mathematics (3) Review of algebra,
sets, linear equations and inequalities, nonlinear
inequalities, interest problems, systems of linear equations,
functions and graphs, and elementary data analysis.
Prerequisite: three years of high school mathematics or
equivalent. Note: No credit toward mathematics major.
Students may not receive credit for more than one course
numbered MATH-15x.
MATH-155 Finite Mathematics: Elementary Models
(3) Study of mathematical subjects including linear,
quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, and
logarithmic functions, in the context of difference
equations models. Emphasizes concepts and applications
using numerical, graphical, and theoretical methods. Also
includes an introduction to the mathematical subject of
chaos. Prerequisite: three years of high school
mathematics or equivalent. Note: No credit toward
mathematics major. Students may not receive credit for
more than one course numbered MATH-15x.
58
MATH-157 Finite Mathematics: Business (3)
Fundamentals of algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic
functions with emphasis on applications to problems in
business and economics and the natural sciences.
Prerequisite: three years of high school mathematics or
equivalent. Note: Intended primarily for students planning
to take MATH-211 Applied Calculus I. No credit toward
mathematics major. Students may not receive credit for
more than one course numbered MATH-15x.
MATH-170 Precalculus Mathematics (3) Fundamentals
of algebraic, logarithmic, exponential, and trigonometric
functions for students planning to take MATH-221.
MATH-15x and MATH-170 may not both be used to
fulfill the mathematics requirements for any major
program. Prerequisite: three years of high school
mathematics, or MATH-15x, or permission of department.
MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (4) Continuity, limits,
differentiation, and integration. Applications to biological,
social, and environmental sciences and business.
Prerequisite: MATH-15x or four years of high school
mathematics. Note: No credit toward mathematics or
applied mathematics major, but together with MATH-212
meets calculus requirement for applied statistics. Students
may not receive credit toward a degree for both
MATH-211 and MATH-221.
MATH-221 Calculus I (4) Real numbers; coordinate
systems; functions; limits and continuity; differentiation
and applications; trigonometric functions; indefinite and
definite integration and applications; fundamental theorem
of integral calculus. Prerequisite: MATH-170 or four
years of high school mathematics. Note: Students may not
receive credit toward a degree for both MATH-221 and
MATH-211.
MATH-222 Calculus II (4) Techniques of integration,
calculus of exponential and logarithmic functions, infinite
series, power series representations, and analytic geometry.
Prerequisite: MATH-211 or MATH-221, or permission of
department.
Applied Music
MUS-100 Class Instrumental Study (1) Beginning study
in piano. Prepares the student for private study.
Prerequisite: permission of department.
MUS-101 Class Vocal Study (1) Basic principles of
singing. Prepares the beginning student for private study,
for more effective choral singing, etc. Prerequisite:
permission of department.
MUS-121 Private Instrumental or Vocal Study (1)
Students may enroll in private study for voice, piano,
organ, guitar, or other orchestral instruments. Prerequisite:
major or minor in Performing Arts or participation in
instrumental ensembles, and permission of department.
MUS-122 Private Instrumental or Vocal Study (2)
Students may enroll in private study for voice, piano,
organ, guitar, other orchestral instruments, conducting or
composition. Prerequisite: major or minor in Performing
Arts or participation in instrumental ensembles, and
permission of department.
 Performing Arts
PERF-102 Modern Dance I (3) Students learn
interrelationships between dance and society, which form
the context for movement expression. Skill development is
accompanied by a study of twentieth century
choreographers and the social conditions shaping their
artistry. Readings, videos, concerts, classwork, written
work, and work in technique enhance participants’
knowledge.
PERF-103 Beginning Jazz Dance (3) Study of jazz as a
form emerging from African immigrant encounters with
American society. The development of jazz dance in
America covers the history of minstrelsy, vaudeville, and
music theater. Technique development is augmented by
readings, videos, readings, concerts, and written papers.
PERF-104 Beginning Ballet (3) Study of ballet from the
sixteenth century European courts, as a form expressing
the power and hierarchy of various monarchs, to its
contemporary manifestations. Readings, videos, and
concerts provide a social context while development of
technical skill helps cultivate proficiency and
understanding.
PERF-108 Beginning Tap Dance (3) Study of tap’s
emergence as a cross-cultural integration of Irish and
African forms in the United States and of its development
as a creative expression for urban African Americans.
Technical development is augmented by readings, videos,
concerts and written papers.
G PERF-110 Understanding Music 1:1 (3) An introduction
to musical language through listening and comprehension.
The fundamentals of acoustics, melody, harmony, form,
texture, and color in a wide range of music from ancient
and global music to European concert music. Includes
listening and concert attendance requirements.
G PERF-115 Theatre: Principles, Plays, and Performance
1:1 (3) An overview of the principles of drama from the
ancient Greeks to contemporary society. The class draws
on theatre history and social context, the reading of great
literature, critical analyses, and artistic exploration to
culminate in the experience which is the essential element
of the art itself—performance.
PERF-120 Music Fundamentals (3) Introductory study
of musical notation and theory including rhythm, intervals,
scales, keys, chords, and musical forms.
PERF-124 Harmony I (3) The principles of part-writing
and harmonic progression through compositional and
analytical work in which students harmonize given
melodies or basses. Materials are limited to tonal music,
triads and seventh chords with their inversions, cadences,
harmonic progression, and simple modulations.
Prerequisite: PERF-120 or equivalent experience in music.
PERF-125 Harmony II (3) A continuation of part-writing
and harmonic progression through compositional and
analytical work. Materials include more complex
structures, chromatically altered chords, and modulation to
distant keys. Prerequisite: PERF-124. (SPRING)
PERF-142 University Chorus (1) Prepares and presents
major works of the choral and choral-orchestral literature.
Prerequisite: audition.
PERF-143 University Singers (2) Small, highly select
choral ensemble which prepares and presents advanced
literature appropriate to a chamber ensemble. Rehearsals
are also dedicated to appropriate pre-professional training
of ensemble vocalists. Includes occasional tours and
off-campus performances. Prerequisite: audition.
PERF-144 University Orchestra (1) Prepares and
presents works of orchestral literature, occasionally in
collaboration with the AU Chorus and other Department of
Performing Arts ensembles. Prerequisite: audition.
PERF-145 Chamber Ensembles (1) String, mixed, and
wind ensembles which prepare and present selected
chamber music literature. Prerequisite: audition.
PERF-146 Jazz Ensemble (1) Prepares and performs
selected jazz works including standards, traditional big
band era arrangements, and charts of more progressive,
international, and fusion styles. Ensemble works in both
big band and small combo format. Prerequisite: audition.
PERF-161 Gospel Choir (1) Prepares and presents woks
of gospel vocal and choral literature. Prerequisite:
audition.
G PERF-200 Dance and Society 1:2 (3) Students learn
about the cultural importance of dance throughout history,
including its ritual, social, and theatrical functions.
Students discover the diverse ways and cultural contexts
in which people express fundamental experiences and
emotions through dance. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or PERF-110 or
PERF-115. (SPRING)
PERF-202 Modern Dance II (3) Continuation of
PERF-102. Study of additional choreographers and the
social context of their work. Skill development is
augmented by readings, videos, concerts and written
papers, promoting and understanding of the role of dance
as a form of creative expression that gives insight into
society. Prerequisite: PERF-102 or permission of
instructor.
PERF-203 Intermediate Jazz Dance (3) Continuation of
PERF-103. Analysis of jazz as an integral part of a creative
expression in America and as developed by
choreographers in a variety of twentieth century dances.
Technical work is augmented by readings, videos,
concerts, and written papers. Prerequisite: PERF-103 or
permission of instructor.
PERF-204 Intermediate Ballet (3) Development of
technical skills and performance ability in classical ballet
vocabulary. Prerequisite: PERF-104 or permission of
instructor.
G PERF-205 Masterpieces of Music 1:2 (3) Listening to
and analyzing masterpieces of Western music from the
Middle Ages to the present day. The course includes a
variety of genres and styles with background study into
the historical era and particular composers. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or
PERF-110 or PERF-115. (SPRING)
59
 PERF-208 Intermediate Tap Dance (3) Study of the
impact of segregation on the development of tap and the
form’s resurgence in the 1970s as a corollary to the civil
rights movement. Also, the use of tap by contemporary
artists. Technical development is augmented by readings,
videos, concerts, and papers. Prerequisite: PERF-108 or
permission of instructor.
G PERF-210 Greatness in Music 1:2 (3) Study of the
concept and meaning of greatness in music through the
Western classical canon, world music, vernacular and
popular music, and performance. Readings and lectures
examine the aesthetic criteria for greatness in each area
and offer students an opportunity to evaluate and critique
diverse genres of music. Course readings are drawn not
only from music but also other arts. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or
PERF-110 or PERF-115.
G PERF-215 Opera on Stage and Film 1:2 (3) Classics of
operatic repertoire. Through readings, viewing
videotapes, and attending live productions, students
confront the literary sources, dramatic and musical
structures, cultural forces, and the social, political, and
historical environments that shaped the works and gave
them life. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ARTH-105 or COMM-105 or LIT-120 or LIT-135.
(SPRING)
G PERF-220 Reflections of American Society on Stage
and Screen 1:2 (3) Artistic and cultural developments
and societal phenomena as reflected in stage, film, and
television performance in the twentieth century United
States. By reading the written versions and viewing the
productions, students investigate and analyze the
relationships between the creative artists, their produced
works, and the societal contexts within which they
originated. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ARTH-105 or COMM-105 or LIT-120 or LIT-135.
G PERF-225 The African American Experience in the
Performing Arts 1:2 (3) African American contributions
to uniquely American forms and institutions in the
performing arts. The course examines the artistic and
cultural implications of these forms—from minstrelsy,
vaudeville, and tap dance to jazz, blues, and gospel—set
against the societal phenomena that shaped them, as well
as the influence of African Americans on the broad range
of performing arts genres, including musical theatre,
drama, comedy, dance, and film. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ARTS-100 or LIT-105 or PERF-110 or
PERF-11G.
PERF-227 Musicianship I (3) The practical techniques of
reading, hearing, sight singing, playing, and conducting
simple (diatonic) musical materials and the methods by
which those tasks are accomplished. Includes lab work in
keyboard skills, conducting, score reading, and
improvisation. Prerequisite: PERF-120 or equivalent
musical experience.
PERF-228 Musicianship II (3) The continuation of
reading, sight singing, playing, and conducting scores into
chromatic and modal materials. Includes lab work in
60
keyboard skills, conducting, score reading, and
improvisation. Prerequisite: PERF-227 or equivalent
musical experience. (SPRING)
PERF-251 Fundamentals of Acting I (3) Beginning
performance skills for actors, including elementary scene
study, stage movement, and role analysis.
PERF-252 Fundamentals of Acting II (3) A continuation
of study in beginning performance skills for actors.
Includes scene study, textual analysis, and character
exploration. Prerequisite: PERF-251 or permission of
instructor.
PERF-260 Production I: Stagecraft (3) Techniques of
stagecraft including scenery, properties, lighting, and
sound, along with theatrical production philosophy and
organization and an overview of the process of design.
Mandatory lab sessions provide experience in scenic
construction, basic electricity and stage lighting, and
live-performance support.
PERF-261 Production II: Introduction to Design (3)
Continuation of PERF-260. Concentrates on the artistic
concepts of technical production and how production
concepts are realized in stage performance. Prerequisite:
PERF-260. (SPRING)
Philosophy
G PHIL-105 Western Philosophy 2:1 (3) A historical
introduction to the Western philosophical tradition.
Students closely examine classic and contemporary texts
on the nature of reality, truth, morality, goodness, and
justice; the possibility of knowledge; faith, reason, and the
existence of God; and the issue of freedom and
determinism.
PHIL-200 Introduction to Logic (3) Basic principles of
inductive and deductive reasoning. Text and exercises
supplemented by readings and discussions in history,
philosophy, and applications of logic.
G PHIL-220 Moral Philosophy 2:2 (3) The theories
concerning the nature of goodness found in Western
philosophy. The major discussion issues are traditional
principles for evaluating goodness and telling right from
wrong; the difference between fact and value; the
justification of normative judgments; objectivity in ethics;
and the relationship between moral and nonmoral
goodness. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105 or
RELG-105.
G PHIL-230 Meaning and Purpose in the Arts 1:2 (3)
Leading theories of the nature, purpose, and meaning of
artistic activities and objects examined through writings
of philosophers, artists, and critics of ancient and modern
times. Both Western and non-Western viewpoints are
considered. Student projects apply critical ideas to
particular works in an art form familiar to them.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ARTH-105 or
COMM-105 or LIT-120 or LIT-135.
G PHIL-235 Theories of Democracy and Human Rights
2:2 (3) This course analyzes traditional Western theories
of democracy and rights, both separately and in relation to
 each other, as well as contemporary approaches such as
Habermasian, post-modern, feminist, and critical race
theory. It also considers the East-West debate on human
rights. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105 or
RELG-105.
G PHIL-240 Ethics in the Professions 4:2 (3) This course
provides a framework for thinking generally about ethics,
and more specifically about professional ethics. In
addition, it addresses ethical dilemmas that arise in the
professions of government, law, business, medicine, the
media, and the academy. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: COMM-100 or ECON-100 or
GOVT-110 or SOCY-150.
Physics
G PHYS-100 Physics for the Modern World 5:1 (4) The
laws and rules that govern nature and the physical
universe are beautiful yet mysterious. Physics is the
science that tries to find these laws by observation,
measurement, and testing of hypotheses. The course
traces the development of the scientific method and work
that forms the basis for studying mechanics, waves,
sound, light, and electricity. Includes laboratory.
Prerequisite: completion of the University Mathematics
Requirement or concurrent enrollment in a mathematics
or statistics course that has MATH-15x Finite
Mathematics as a prerequisite.
G PHYS-105 College Physics I 5:1 (4) General physics as
defined as the study of the properties and interactions of
matter and energy using scientific methodology. Covers a
full range of subjects in classical mechanics and in
thermodynamics, including lab experiments in mechanics,
heat, and sound. Prerequisite: MATH-170 or equivalent.
G PHYS-110 University Physics I 5:1 (4) General physics
as defined as the study of the properties and interactions
of matter and energy using scientific methodology. Uses
calculus-based mathematical methods in solving physical
problems. Covers a full range of subjects in classical
mechanics and thermodynamics, including lab
experiments in mechanics, heat, and sound. Prerequisite:
MATH-221, may be taken concurrently.
G PHYS-200 Physics for a New Millennium 5:2 (3) In an
interactive lab/lecture environment, students have the
opportunity to explore topics in electricity and
magnetism, light and optics, and modern physics.
Emphasis is placed on inquiry-based activities that utilize
these topics as a foundation for understanding current
technological advancements. Prerequisite: PHYS-100.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: CHEM-100G
or CHEM-110G or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or
PHYS-110.
G PHYS-205 College Physics II 5:2 (4) Incorporates the
standard subjects in electricity and magnetism (fields,
potentials, DC and AC circuits, electromagnetic waves),
geometrical and physical optics, and an introduction to
quantum physics. Includes lab experiments in electricity,
magnetism, light, and sound. Prerequisite: PHYS-105.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: CHEM-100G
or CHEM-110 or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110.
(SPRING)
G PHYS-210 University Physics II 5:2 (4) Uses
calculus-based mathematical methods in solving physical
problems. Incorporates the standard subjects in electricity
and magnetism (fields, potentials, DC and AC circuits,
electromagnetic waves), geometrical and physical optics,
and an introduction to quantum physics. Includes lab
experiments in electricity, magnetism, light, and optics.
Prerequisite: MATH-221 and PHYS-110. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: CHEM-100 or CHEM-110
or PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110. (SPRING)
G PHYS-220 Astronomy 5:2 (3) Theories of the formation
of the universe, its structure and evolution over time.
Stars, planets, and galaxies are born and change over the
years; supernovae, neutron stars, pulsars, black holes,
quasars, and solar systems are formed. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: CHEM-100 or CHEM-110 or
PHYS-100 or PHYS-105 or PHYS-110.
G PHYS-230 Changing Views of the Universe 2:2 (3)
Study of science as a tradition that shaped and was shaped
by the Western world. This is a course about science—
how scientific thought, practice, and culture developed. It
explores changing concepts in the physical sciences from
their earliest roots to modern times, and discusses the
interaction between the physical sciences and other
aspects of society. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105
or RELG-105.
Psychology
G PSYC-105 Psychology: Understanding Human
Behavior 4:1 (3) Survey of the social bases of behavior
and the individual foundations of group and social
behavior. The concepts and methodologies of psychology
in such areas as social learning, motivation, personality,
sex similarities and differences, and abnormal behavior.
The interaction between the individual and social
institutions is emphasized.
G PSYC-115 Psychology as a Natural Science 5:1 (3)
Through lectures and discussion, students are introduced
to the many experimental questions addressed in
psychology, e.g., biological bases of behavior,
conditioning and learning, memory and cognition, and
drug use and abuse, as well as to the specific methods
used in psychological research and the general research
approaches used in science. Prerequisite: completion of
the University Mathematics Requirement or concurrent
enrollment in a mathematics or statistics course that has
MATH-15x Finite Mathematics as a prerequisite. Must be
taken concurrently with PSYC-116.
G PSYC-116 Psychology as a Natural Science Lab 5:1 (1)
Through laboratory experiments and simulations, students
are exposed to the various techniques, procedures, and
designs used in the study of behavior. Prerequisite:
completion of the University Mathematics Requirement
or concurrent enrollment in a mathematics or statistics
61
 course that has MATH-15x Finite Mathematics as a
prerequisite. Must be taken concurrently with PSYC-115.
G PSYC-200 Behavior Principles 5:2 (3) The experimental
analysis of behavior (EAOB) systematically relates a
behavior’s probability to its consequences (reinforcement
and punishment). Principles derived from the EAOB are
used to explain simple animal learning, stimulus control,
behavioral sequences and patterning, verbal and other
complex human behavior, and emotion. Issues raised by a
behavioral approach to human conduct are discussed.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: BIO-100 or
BIO-110 or PSYC-115.
G PSYC-205 Social Psychology 4:2 (3) The processes of
social thinking, such as the attribution of causality and the
relation of attitudes to behavior; social influence, such as
conformity, obedience, and persuasion; and social
relations, including aggression, altruism, prejudice, and
attraction. Focus on the individual in social settings.
Research methods are emphasized. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or
SOCY-100 or WGST-125.
G PSYC-215 Abnormal Psychology and Society 4:2 (3)
Focuses on behavior labeled as abnormal by society.
Abnormal behavior as a function of the individual’s
interaction with social institutions (family, school, legal
system, mental-health system, etc.). Introduction to the
major concepts, theories, and issues of abnormal
psychology. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100 or WGST-125.
G PSYC-220 The Senses 5:2 (3) An introductory discussion
of why things appear as they do. Investigation of our
perceptual experiences—their origins, refinements,
interpretations, and applications. Discussion of scientific
theory and research on the senses. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: BIO-100 or BIO-110 or
PSYC-115.
G PSYC-235 Theories of Personality 4:2 (3) Students
explore and critically compare four major approaches to
understanding uniqueness in human behavior, emotion,
and thought: holistic, dynamic, learning, and
trait/biological. Class debates, exercises, and a paper help
students use these theories to understand their own and
others’ personalities. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100 or
WGST-125.
G PSYC-240 Drugs and Behavior 5:2 (3) This introduction
to psychoactive drugs and their effects includes an
overview of general physiology, neurochemistry, and
pharmacology as well as a survey of the basic
physiological, pharmacological, and behavioral effects of
drugs. The course focuses on the etiology and
consequences of addiction and dependence. Critical
evaluation of research methodology in drug assessment is
stressed. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
BIO-100 or BIO-110 or PSYC-115.
62
Religion
G RELG-105 The Religious Heritage of the West 2:1 (3)
The contribution of religion to Western civilization. The
eastern Mediterranean roots of Western religions, the
emergence of Christianity in the Greco-Roman world, and
the rise of Islam. The mature religious synthesis of
Medieval Europe. Modern secularism’s challenge to this
tradition.
G RELG-185 Forms of the Sacred: Religions of the East
3:1 (3) An introduction to the method of studying the
history of religions. A brief survey of primal religions and
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam provides a basis for
comparative analysis of the major Eastern religions:
Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religion, and Shinto.
G RELG-210 Non-Western Religious Traditions 3:2 (3)
How non-Western religious traditions function as systems
of symbols, how they interact with both indigenous
religious traditions and external religious traditions such
as Islam and Christianity, and how they respond to
modernization and imperialism. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185
or SIS-140 or SOCY-110.
G RELG-220 Religious Thought 2:2 (3) Religion and
religion’s role in life. Beginning with modern approaches
to the study of religion, this course examines religious
ways of defining the human situation, the quest for
salvation, wholeness, and transcendence, and the problem
of speaking about the divine within the terms of modern
culture. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or JLS-110 or PHIL-105 or
RELG-105. (SPRING)
International Service
SIS-101 Leadership Gateway (1) This course highlights
theory-based leadership skills and serves to introduce
students to the international resources of Washington, D.C.
as a global city. Special attention is given to the variety of
leadership styles and roles and to practical applications and
diversity, culture, and complexity issues. Students design a
leadership portfolio built upon field work.
G SIS-105 World Politics 3:1 (3) Patterns of conflict and
cooperation in a rapidly-changing world. The primary
focus is on concepts and theories which provide a
framework for analyzing and understanding contemporary
issues. The course examines the behavior of states and
other international actors, seeks to explain foreign
policies, and identifies the main characteristics of
interaction among states.
G SIS-110 Beyond Sovereignty 3:1 (3) The role of the
sovereign state in a world of complex interdependence
and the tension between nationalism and the necessity of
cooperative global problem solving. Is the state becoming
obsolete? Is global policy possible in such areas as
environmental protection, resource management, and
containment of the destructiveness of modern weapons?
G SIS-140 Cross-Cultural Communication 3:1 (3)
Examines the impact of culture on perception, thought
patterns, values, and beliefs in order to better understand
 the behavior of individuals in different cultures. Specific
concerns include cross-cultural conflict and negotiation;
the relationship between dominant cultures and
subcultures; the issues of race, gender, and class in
various societies; and the dynamics of cross-cultural
adjustment.
SIS-161 Civilizations of Asia (3) Comparative study of
the major historical, political, and cultural traditions of
Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Southeast Asian peoples.
SIS-206 Introduction to International Relations
Research (3) Introduction to scientific method, data
gathering, research design, statistical analysis, and
computer applications for international relations and
comparative studies research. The course is designed for
the beginning student and employs a hands-on approach.
The course also develops the analytical skills students need
as active consumers of research findings. Applications are
geared to research projects to be encountered in
subsequent SIS courses.
G SIS-210 Human Geography: Peoples, Places, and
Cultures 3:2 (3) A topical investigation of the
interrelationships between human institutions and their
surrounding environment. Provides a systematic spatial
perspective to the interaction between physical, cultural,
ecological, economic, and political systems on both local
and global scales. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185 or SIS-140
or SOCY-110.
G SIS-215 Competition in an Interdependent World 3:2
(3) Economic competitiveness is a major contemporary
issue, not only for the major powers, but also for newly
industrializing countries and for developing nations. The
forces affecting international competition and
competitiveness are discussed through an examination of
both domestic issues (debt, deficit, innovation, trade,
education) and international issues, both political and
economic. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ECON-110 or GOVT-130 or HIST-120 or SIS-105 or
SIS-110.
G SIS-220 Confronting Our Differences/ Discovering Our
Similarities: Conflict Resolution 3:2 (3) This course on
conflict resolution examines our interdependent world and
fosters greater intercultural awareness and
communication. It encourages students to explore their
own sense of identity, attitudes and behavioral choices,
and how they affect and are affected by differences and
similarities encountered with others. The course employs
experiential learning activities. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ECON-110 or GOVT-130 or HIST-120
or SIS-105 or SIS-110.
G SIS-245 The World of Islam 3:2 (3) The “inner dynamic”
of Islamic culture and an inside look at the workings of
Islamic society—a society seen as a whole with its own
characteristic inner force and propellant. Original
readings illustrating the Islamic paradigm and discussion
of the complex relationship among reform, renewal, and
fundamentalism stemming from this paradigm.
Prerequisite for General Education credit: ANTH-110 or
LIT-150 or RELG-185 or SIS-140 or SOCY-110.
G SIS-250 Civilizations of Africa 3:2 (3) By concentrating
on African societies and states, ancient and modern, the
course aims to create a greater understanding of, and
empathy with, the Africans: the diversity, history, culture,
accomplishments, and problems of the people and their
continent; and the interaction of their culture with Islam
and the West. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185 or SIS-140 or
SOCY-110.
G SIS-255 China, Japan and the United States 3:2 (3) A
multidisciplinary introduction to China and Japan that
explores the history, culture, social structure, literature,
art, politics, economics, and foreign relations of these
important countries. Particular attention is paid to the
context of East Asian international relations. Prerequisite
for General Education credit: ECON-110 or GOVT-130
or HIST-120 or SIS-105 or SIS-110.
SIS-258 Contemporary Russia (3) Russia’s
contemporary political culture and its historical, economic,
geographic, and social roots.
SIS-264 Contemporary Middle East (3) The Middle
East’s contemporary political culture and its historical,
economic, geographic, and social roots, with special
attention to the Arab world.
SIS-276 Contemporary Latin America (3) Major
political, social, and economic change in Latin America,
its foundations, factors accelerating and impeding it, and
prospects and trends.
Sociology
G SOCY-100 American Society 4:1 (3) American pluralism
and the variety of social arrangements and relationships
found in American society. The emphasis is on how
society is stratified; how organizations and institutions
influence the way Americans think, talk, feel, and act; and
how different groups (racial and ethnic) and divisions
(gender and class) within society have differential access
to power and privilege.
G SOCY-110 Views from the Third World 3:1 (3)
Introduction to the sociology of the Third World through
study of the works of its own intellectuals and political
leaders. Reflections on Third World societal structures
and explanations of dilemmas of development and of
strategies for overcoming these dilemmas. The course
links texts to their Third World context.
G SOCY-150 Global Sociology 4:1 (3) An introduction to
sociology that focuses on the process of global social
change as a critical factor in understanding contemporary
societies. It emphasizes macrosociology (the study of
large organizations and whole societies) and the creation
of today’s global society, including similarities and
differences within it. Two major themes—modernization
and globalization—are emphasized and their implications
for individuals, groups, communities, societies, and
governments are explored.
63
G SOCY-205 The Family 4:2 (3) The family as a social
institution in a changing society. Social inequalities of
class, race, ethnicity, and gender as key factors in shaping
diverse forms and experiences in family life. Theoretical
and actual alternatives to family patterns as well as the
future of the American family. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ANTH-150 or PSYC-105 or SOCY-100
or WGST-125.
G SOCY-210G Inequality: Class, Race, Ethnicity 4:2 (3)
Structured inequality in society in socioeconomic, racial,
and gender terms. How the individual’s life and
experiences are circumscribed and structured by his or her
position in the social stratification system. How and why
stratification systems emerge and are reproduced and their
alternatives. Prerequisite for General Education credit:
COMM-100 or ECON-100 or GOVT-110 or SOCY-150.
G SOCY-215 The Rise of Critical Social Thought 2:2 (3)
Issues about social science as a critical vision of society;
imagined social possibilities and their comparison to
existing social institutions. Secondary themes are
individual development, community, large societal
institutions, the effects of industrialism and capitalism,
and the limits of social science knowledge as a guide to
social planning and social action. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: GOVT-105 or HIST-115 or
JLS-110 or PHIL-105 or RELG-105.
G SOCY-225 Contemporary Arab World 3:2 (3) The
social, economic, and political structure of the Arab
World with special emphasis on the impact on this region
of the rise and fall of oil revenues. A macrosociological
approach places the region in the global political economy
and introduces students to its problematics and
historical-cultural specificity. Prerequisite for General
Education credit: ECON-110 or GOVT-130 or HIST-120
or SIS-105 or SIS-110.
G SOCY-235 Women in the Third World 3:2 (3) Focusing
on Third World women and social change in different
cultural contexts and in the global political-economic
system, this course emphasizes the centrality of women in
the rapidly changing world, particularly in terms of work,
distributive justice, development policy, democratization,
and the environment. Prerequisite for General Education
credit: ANTH-110 or LIT-150 or RELG-185 or SIS-140
or SOCY-110G. (SPRING)
Statistics
Note: Students should consult the department for advice
and placement testing for appropriate mathematics and
statistics courses. See also the University Mathematics
Requirement section of this guide.
STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) Classification of data,
averages, dispersion, probability, frequency distributions,
confidence intervals, tests of significance, nonparametric
techniques, simple regression, and correlation. A package
of computer programs is used to demonstrate various
statistical techniques. Separate sections are available for
business, economics, psychology, education, sociology,
64
and government majors. Prerequisite: MATH-15x Finite
Mathematics or permission of the department.
STAT-302 Intermediate Statistics (3) Acquisition and
development of statistical methods that are used commonly
throughout the social sciences, the physical sciences, and
governments for research as well as for routine planning
and forecasting. Methods include techniques for estimation
and inference with qualitative and quantitative data
focusing on regression, correlation, analysis of variance
and nonparametric statistics. Prerequisite: a grade of C or
higher in STAT-202, or permission of department.
(SPRING)
Women’s and Gender Studies
G WGST-125 Gender in Society 4:1 (3) This course
focuses on the social construction of gender along with
other forms of social inequality; representations of gender
that permeate all forms of cultural experience; and
theoretical arguments regarding key issues such as
equality, ethics and politics, as well as debates at the
frontier of gender theory.
G WGST-150 Women’s Voices through Time 2:1 (3) The
distinctive contributions of women to Western artistic and
intellectual traditions. Significant articulations of human
experience expressed by women through literature, art,
and history; how such traditions became established and
how women, despite obstacles, have produced lasting
works of ideas and imagination.
G WGST-225 Gender, Politics, and Power 4:2 (3) This
course explores the ways in which the social and cultural
construction of sexual difference influences the nature
and practice of political life in a variety of countries. It
examines the ways in which power is gendered and
studies how gender has served as a basis for political
organization and a critique of public life. Prerequisite for
General Education credit: COMM-100 or ECON-100 or
GOVT-110 or SOCY-150. (SPRING)
ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2008–2009

SUMMER 2008
June 19–20 New Student Orientation Session I
June 23–24 New Student Orientation Session II
June 26–27 New Student Orientation Session III
June 30–July 1 New Student Orientation Session IV
July 7–8 New Student Orientation Session V
July 10–11 New Student Orientation Session VI
August 17–24 Fall Welcome Week
August 18–21 Freshman Service Experience

FALL 2008
August 24 Fall classes begin
September 1 Labor Day; no classes,
university offices closed
September 3 Mathematics Equivalency Examination
The academic calendar is divided into fall and spring
September 8 Last day to add a fall class semesters of approximately 15 weeks each and summer
October 17 Fall break sessions of varying lengths. Other sessions of varying
October 10 English Competency Examination duration are offered on and off campus. The last week of
the fall and spring semesters is set aside for final
October 24 Last day to drop a fall class (mid-term) examinations. If no final examination is given, the course
October 24–26 Family Weekend will meet for a final class during the scheduled final
October 27 Spring 2009 advance registration begins examination period.
November 26–30 Thanksgiving break The holidays and vacations usually observed by the
university are as follows: Labor Day; Thanksgiving
December 8–9 Fall final examinations (Wednesday through Sunday); Christmas Eve/Christmas
December 10 Fall study day, no classes Day and New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day (included in the
December 11–15 Fall final examinations mid-year intersession break); Martin Luther King, Jr. Day;
Inauguration Day (every four years); Memorial Day; and
Independence Day. Spring break is the week following the
SPRING 2009 spring semester midterm. Classes continue until 10:40 p.m.
January 12 Spring classes begin the evening before a holiday or vacation period.
January 19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day;
no classes, university offices closed
January 21 Mathematics Equivalency Examination
January 26 Last day to add a spring class
March 6 Last day to drop a spring class
(mid-term)
March 8–15 Spring break
March 30 Summer 2009 and fall 2009 advance
registration begins
April 29 Study day; no classes
April 30–May 6 Spring final examinations

65
DIRECTORY

GENERAL INFORMATION 202-885-1000 www.american.edu

Note: For dialing from outside Washington, D.C., all
university phone numbers have an area code of 202.

ACADEMIC ADVISORS School of Public Affairs (SPA)

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Ward Building
Undergraduate Advising Center Department of Government fax 885-2967
Battelle 100 885-2453 fax 885-1085 Kate Bruffett 885-6200 bruffett@american.edu
Marla Boren 885-6370 mboren@american.edu Briana Weadock 885-6200 bweado@american.edu
Cheryl Gindlesperger 885-2476 cgindle@american.edu Nathan Williamson 885-6200 nwillia@american.edu
Anne Kaiser 885-1144 akaiser@american.edu
Alicia Mandac 885-2438 Department of Justice, Law and Society fax 885-2907
Jack Ramsay 885-3970 jramsay@american.edu Carl E. Cook 885-2936 ccook@american.edu
Doug Vibert 885-2584 dvibert@american.edu Linda Spicer 885-6456 lspicer@american.edu

Kogod School of Business (KSB) Pre-Engineering Advising

Undergraduate Programs 885-1914 fax 885-1108 Professor Teresa Larkin 885-2766
Katie Ezekiel 885-1911 ezekiel@american.edu Physics/CAS
Jonathan Post 885-1864 post@american.edu Premedical Advising
Teia Robinson 885-2318 arobinso@american.edu Professor Christopher Tudge 885-2033
Chemistry/CAS ctudge@american.edu
School of Communication (SOC) Prelaw Advising
Mary Graydon Center 300 fax 885-2019 Doug Vibert (CAS) 885-2584
Erin Curtin 885-2079 ecurtin@american.edu Jonathan Post (KSB) 885-1864
Kurt Gunderson 885-2088 kurtg@american.edu Suzanne Skillings (SIS) 885-1608
Farida Khatchadourian 885-2038 farida@american.edu Linda Spicer (Justice, Law and Society/SPA) 885-6456
Nathan Williamson (Government/SPA) 885-6200
School of International Service (SIS)
SIS 107 fax 885-2494 UNIVERSITY OFFICES
Justina Grubor 885-1705 grubor@american.edu Admissions, Undergraduate 885-6000
Shawn Hillman 885-1665 hillman@american.edu fax: 885-6014
Meagan McKee 885-2483 mckee@american.edu Athletics and Recreation 885-3000
Suzanne Skillings 885-1608 sskill@american.edu Campus Ministries 885-3320
Julie Wickham 885-1609 jwick@american.edu Disability Support Services 885-3315
Financial Aid 885-6100
fax: 885-6014
General Education Program 885-3879
Health Center 885-3380
Housing and Dining Programs 885-3370
International Student & Scholar
Services (ISSS) 885-3350
Orientation/New Student Programs 885-3303
Registrar 885-2200
fax: 885-1052
Student Accounts 885-3541

66
INDEX Sociology ................................................................ 32
Course Descriptions ........................................... 63
Academic Calendar ............................................... 65
Women’s and Gender Studies ................................. 32
Academic Integrity Code ........................................ 2
Course Descriptions ........................................... 64
Advanced Placement ............................................. 5
Preprofessional Programs ........................................ 33
Advising and Registration, Academic................... 2
Pre-engineering................................................... 33
Advisors and University Offices........................... 67
Prelaw................................................................. 33
Campus Map.................................inside back cover
Premedicine ........................................................ 33
College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) ..................... 16
College Writing and English Competency
Suggested Program for CAS Students
Requirement....................................................... 3
Who are Still Deciding on a Major..................... 17
Course Descriptions............................................... 43
American Studies .................................................... 17
Course Subject Index............................................... 43
Course Descriptions........................................... 44
Course Numbers ...................................................... 43
Anthropology ......................................................... 18
General Education Program .................................. 6
Course Descriptions........................................... 44
Introduction ............................................................... 6
Art .......................................................................... 18
General Education Program Definitions.............. 6
Course Descriptions........................................... 45
Curriculum Area Requirements........................... 6
Biology ................................................................... 19
Planning your General Education.............................. 9
Course Descriptions........................................... 46
Questions about General Education...................... 9
Chemistry ............................................................... 20
Area 1: The Creative Arts........................................ 11
Course Descriptions........................................... 47
Area 2: Traditions that Shape the Western World... 12
Computer Science, Audio Technology, and Physics 21
Area 3: Global and Multicultural Perspectives........ 13
Course Descriptions............................... 48, 45, 61
Area 4: Social Institutions and Behavior ................ 14
Economics .............................................................. 22
Area 5: The Natural Sciences ................................. 15
Course Descriptions........................................... 48
Kogod School of Business .................................... 34
Education, Teaching, and Health............................. 23
Course Descriptions ........................................... 46
Course Descriptions........................................... 48
Mathematics Requirement, University ................ 3
Environmental Studies ............................................ 24
School of Communication (SOC) ........................ 36
Course Descriptions........................................... 48
Course Descriptions ........................................... 47
Health Promotion ................................................... 23
School of International Service (SIS) .................. 38
Course Descriptions........................................... 49
Course Descriptions ........................................... 62
History .................................................................... 25
School of Public Affairs (SPA) ............................. 40
Course Descriptions........................................... 51
Suggested Program for SPA Students
Jewish Studies ........................................................ 25
Who Are Still Deciding on a Major.................... 40
Course Descriptions........................................... 54
Government ............................................................ 41
Language and Foreign Studies ................................ 26
Course Descriptions ........................................... 49
Course Descriptions........................................... 54
Justice, Law and Society ......................................... 42
Literature ................................................................ 27
Course Descriptions ........................................... 53
Course Descriptions........................................... 56
Undergraduate Degree Program ........................... 2
Mathematics and Statistics ...................................... 28
Degree Requirements ............................................... 3
Course Descriptions..................................... 58, 64
University Requirements .......................................... 3
Performing Arts....................................................... 29
College Writing and English Competency
Course Descriptions........................................... 59 Requirement ........................................................ 3
Philosophy and Religion ......................................... 31 University Mathematics Requirement ..................... 3
Course Descriptions..................................... 60, 62 Major Requirements ................................................. 4
Psychology .............................................................. 31 Minor Requirements................................................. 4
Course Descriptions........................................... 61 Electives .................................................................. 5
Advanced Placement ................................................ 5
Credit Hours: Academic Load.................................. 5

67
Map Directory
Main Campus Building # Offices Building # Offices Building # Washington College of Law
Anderson Hall 42 Academic Affairs 17 Justice, Law and Society, Dept. of 32 4800 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Asbury 12 Academic Support Center 37 Language and Foreign Studies, Dept. of 12
Battelle-Tompkins 36 Accounting, Dept. of 30 Language Resource Center 12 Tenley Campus Building #
Beeghly 11 Admissions, Undergraduate 5 Library, University 40 Dunblane House 1
Bender Arena 24 Admissions Welcome Center 43 Literature, Dept. of 36 Constitution 2
Bender Library 40 American Studies Program 36 Management, Dept. of 30 Residence Halls
Butler Pavilion 26 Anderson Computing Complex 42 Marketing, Dept. of 30 Federal Hall 3
Centennial Hall 43 Anthropology, Dept. of 36 Mathematics and Statistics, Dept. of 47 Capital Hall 4
Child Development Center 8 Art, Dept. of 22 Multicultural Affairs 26 Congressional Hall 5
Clark 45 Arts and Sciences, College of (CAS) 36 New Student Programs 26
Eric Friedheim Quadrangle 35 Athletics 25 Parking and Traffic 3 Offices Building #
Financial Aid 4 AU Abroad 2 Performing Arts, Dept. of 22 University Relations 2
Fletcher Gate 1 Bender Arena 24 Philosophy and Religion, Dept. of 36 Alumni Programs
Glover Gate 21 Biology, Dept. of 33 President, Office of the 20 Development Office
Gray 47 Bookstore (Campus Store) 26 Provost, Office of the 17 Media Relations
Hamilton 5 Business, Kogod School of (KSB) 30 Psychology, Dept. of 12 University Marketing
Hannay Gate 50 Campus Life, Office of 26 Public Administration and Policy, Dept. of 32 University Publications
Hughes Hall 19 Career Center 26 Public Affairs, School of (SPA) 32 Washington Semester Program 2
Hurst 33 Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) 33 Public Safety 3
Ilene Zatkin-Butler Garden 27 Chapel (Kay Spiritual Life Center) 31 Reeves Aquatic Center 25 Off Campus
Jacobs Intramural Field 9 Chemistry, Dept. of 11 Registrar, Office of the 12 4000 Brandywine Street NW
Katzen Art Center 22 Child Development Center 8 Residence Halls Purchasing
Kay Spiritual Life Center 31 Communication, School of (SOC) 37 Anderson 42 WAMU-FM
Kogod School of Business (KSB) 30 Community Service 37 Centennial 43 4200 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Kreeger 6 Computer Science, Audio Technology, Hughes 19 Facilities Planning and Development
Leonard Hall 17 and Physics, Dept. of 38 Leonard 17 Greenberg Theatre
Letts Hall 41 Cooperative Education and Internships 26 Letts 41 4620 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Mary Graydon Center 37 Counseling Center 37 McDowell 18 Information Technology, Office of
McCabe 44 Dining Programs, Housing and 42 Shuttle Service 3 3201 New Mexico Ave. NW
McDowell Hall 18 Disability Support Services 37 Sociology, Dept. of 36 Finance and Treasurer, Office of #280
McKinley 38 Eagle (AU student newspaper) 37 Student Accounts 12 Human Resources #350
Media Production Center 10 Economics, Dept. of 46 Student Activities/Government 37 University Counsel, Office of #270
Nebraska Ave. Parking Lot 52 Education, Teaching, and Health, School of 47 Students, Dean of 37
Osborn 13 Environmental Studies Program 33 TESOL Program 38
President’s Building 20 Finance and Real Estate, Dept. of 30 Watkins Collection 22
Public Safety 3 Financial Aid 4 Wechsler Theatre (SOC) 37
Reeves Aquatic Center 25 Fitness Center, William I Jacobs 24 Women’s and Gender Studies Program 36 For more information:
Reeves Gate 48 General Education Program 17 Writing Center 36 AU Directory and Maps
Reeves Athletic Field 15 GLBTA Resource Center 37 Retail Shops and Dining Services www.american.edu/directory/
Rockwood 2 Government, Dept. of 32 Butler Pavilion 26
Roper 46 Health Center, Student 44 Chevy Chase Bank Subway
School of International Service (SIS) 34 History, Dept. of 36 Eagle’s Nest Ticketmaster
Sports Center 24 Honors Program, University 33 McDonald’s TIGI Boutique
Sports Center Annex 14 Housing and Dining Programs 42 Mega Bytes Café UPS Store
Tennis Courts 16 Institutional Research and Assessment 17 Mary Graydon Center 37 an equal opportunity,
Ward 32 International Business, Dept. of 30 Marketplace affirmative action university
Ward Circle 51 International Student & Scholar Tavern UP08-0459
Watkins 7 Services (ISSS) 26 Terrace Dining Room (TDR)
Woods Gate 49 International Service, School of (SIS) 34 University Club
Woods-Brown Amphitheater 28 Jewish Studies Program 36 Ward 32
Wagshal’s American Café
 where to start . . .
my.american.edu

to begin:
1. go to the american university web portal, my.american.edu,
log in using your user name and password*, click on
academics; then click on online freshman guide.
2. once at the online freshman guide, complete the information
requested to plan your first semester registration.
3. use this companion planner to complete your online guide.
*If you’re having trouble activating your account or logging on to the portal,
call the technology Help Desk at 202-885-2550.

Cover printed on 100% recycled paper.

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