Overview
Degree Requirements
Areas of
Emphasis
Course Descriptions
The Associate in Arts Degree in General Studies is available to specially approved students and consists of Core Requirements and an Area of Emphasis.
Based on a Skills Inventory, students may also be asked to take Collegiate Bridge Courses. These courses help prepare students for college-level work in both Math and English
The A.A. program is a 61 credit hour program (not including the Collegiate Bridge courses). All credits earned in the A.A. program can be applied towards a Bachelor's Degree Program at Trinity.
Introduction to College
Skills for Life and Work
- Writing
- Applied Composition
- Communication
- Public Speaking
- Language or Cross Cultural Communication
- Numeracy
- Information Literacy
Understanding the Self, Society, and Nature
- Arts & Humanities
- Social Sciences
- Scientific Understanding
- Religious/Ethics
Area of Emphasis (select 1)
- Arts and Humanities
- Business
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Capstone Course
Total Credits Required for Degree: 61 credits
Areas of Emphasis
The area of emphasis serves as the basis for a major or minor in a Bachelor's Degree Program. Three areas of emphasis are currently offered for the A.A. program:
Arts and Humanities, Business, or Social and Behavioral Sciences. Students will select one area of emphasis in which they will complete
additional credits, as noted below:
Arts and Humanities:
ENGL 218 Introduction to African American Literature I
FNAR 223 Cities, People, and Architecture
LST 100 Humanity and Culture
POLS 274 Politics, Literature, and Film
RST 245 Religion and Money
Business:
BADM 101 Introduction to Business
BADM 231 Theory and Practice of Marketing
BADM 251 Management and Leadership Development
SOCY 241 Work and Occupations
Social and Behavioral Sciences:
BADM 251 Management and Leadership Development
FNAR 223 Cities, People, and Architecture
HUMR 212 Counseling for the Helping Professions
POLS 274 Politics, Literature, and Film
PSYC 210 Theories of Social Psychology
Capstone Learning Experience
During their final semester, students will enroll in a capstone course in their area of emphasis. The capstone course will review and assess the skills a student has learned in his or her program of study. Capstone courses require a grade of C or better for graduation.
- Capstone in Arts and Humanities
- Capstone in Business
- Capstone in Social and Behavioral Sciences
INTRODUCTION TO COLLEGE
The Learning Experience
INT 113 Academic Achievement
Introduces students to the concepts and practices associated with a
successful college experience. Students are taught skills that will lead
to self-management and self-responsibility in terms of their academic
success.
The course will familarize students with Trinity's policies and
procedures, academic services and student services. Students will be
assisted in the transition to college with emphasis placed on the adult
learner. Topics covered will include: returning to college, balancing
work, family and school, and managing time. In addition, the course will
help students to identify different learning and teaching styles,
develop critical thinking skills, and acquire effective study habits and
valuable classroom skills. This course is open only to students in the
Associate's degree program. Formerly known as INT 106.
3 credits
SKILLS FOR LIFE AND WORK
Writing – 6 credits
ENGL 106 Writing for Academic and Professional Success
Focuses on planning, writing, and revising compositions for academic and professional purposes, including informational, analytical, evaluative, and persuasive compositions. Develops skills in accessing, evaluating, using, and documenting informational sources. Introduces students to professional writing applications, including memos, resumes, and reports.
3 credits.
PHIL 101 Logic and
Problem Solving
Develops skills in reasoning and use of logic to assess arguments.
Provides tools for creative and critical thinking. Emphasizes the
enhancement of decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.
3 credits
Communication – 6 credits
COM 101 Introduction to Interpersonal Communication & Public Speaking
Studies principles of communication, with an emphasis on developing the skills needed to communicate effectively in personal and professional relationships, and in informative and persuasive public speaking contexts.
3 credits
COM 224 Intercultural Communication
Cross-cultural Communication examines basic principles of communication in multi-cultural contexts. Students will analyze the impact of cultural assumptions and values on understanding and communication between individuals and among communities.
3 credits
Numeracy – 3 credits
MATH 111 Applied Mathematical Skills
Covers basic algebra with an emphasis on problem solving skills; elementary mathematical modeling, focusing on applications to real world phenomena; probability theory and applications; and introduction to the use of statistics to describe and analyze data.
3 credits
Information Literacy – 3 credits
INT 117 Introduction to Information Literacy
In order to be successful in both the academic and professional
realm, a student must be able to discover, retrieve, evaluate, manage
and communicate all forms of information. The purpose of this course is
to help students learn the importance of the internet as a research tool
and to enable students to evaluate the quality of information and
understand how information is to be used in a way that supports critical
thinking and communication of thoughts, ideas, and/or opinions. This
course will also give students a clear understanding of the ethical and
legal issues surrounding the use of information. This course is only
open to students in the Associate's Degree program. Formerly ISYS 102.
3 credits
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF, SOCIETY, AND NATURE
Arts & Humanities – 6 credits
ENGL 210 World Literature
Introduces students to a variety of literary works from throughout the world. The course will focus on twentieth-century literature, with an emphasis on non-western works. Students will examine the works both within their cultural contexts, and in relationship to universal themes that transcend cultural boundaries. The course develops analytical and comparative skills while introducing students to a wide variety of interesting world literatures.
3 credits
FNAR 146 Music and Culture
Surveys global music, examining the relationship between music and culture in both western and non-western music. Formal musical traditions, popular culture music, and folk music will all be included. Students will develop listening skills as well as an appreciation for the music of diverse cultures.
3 credits
HIS 102 Contemporary World History
Examines major forces that have shaped the world since 1945, including nationalism, revolution, democratization, globalization, ethnic and racial conflict, and technological transformation and the information revolution.
3 credits
Social Sciences – 9 credits
ECON 100 Introduction to Economics
Introduces the discipline of economics. The course develops students' understanding of how economic analysis can be used to study social problems and issues. Topics include supply and demand, comparative advantage, inflation, unemployment, economic growth, money and the banking system.
3 credits
POLS 102 Politics and Citizenship
Develops student understanding of current political and policy issues. Through study of academic, newspaper, and broadcast journalism sources on American and global politics, students will learn how to conduct research, assess sources, analyze policy debates, construct written and oral arguments, and become more informed and active citizens.
3 credits
PSYC 100 Foundations of Psychology
Focuses on analysis of human behavior, including the study of motivation, emotion, stress and coping, perception, learning, and memory.
3 credits
SOCY 101 Social Issues
Examines contemporary social issues in the United States using current sociological approaches and theories. Topics include poverty, racism and sexual discrimination, health care, aging, violence, family and community structures, and substance abuse.
3 credits
Scientific Understanding – 3 credits
BIOL 102 The Science of Biology
Examines biology in the modern world and surveys the conceptual framework of the discipline. Explores biology as a science - a process of testing hypotheses and gaining knowledge - and the impact of biological science on society.
3 credits
Religious Studies/Ethics – 6 credits
PHIL 252 Practical Ethics
Develops students' abilities to handle problematic ethical situations in their lives and work, and to come up with constructive responses to ethical dilemmas. The course will build skills in respectful, open dialogue about values and ethics. It will also increase students' awareness of and responsiveness to diverse values, including an understanding of tensions between values as well as the importance of seeking common ethical ground.
3 credits
RST 289 Comparative Religions
This course surveys the relationship of several religious traditions of the
world -- Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Raoism, CHristianity, and Islam --
concentrating on their development, belief systems, and practices of today.
Special emphasis will be placed on their differences as well as similarities.
3 credits
Areas of Emphasis Courses
BADM 230 Marketing Theory and Practice
Addresses the theory and practice of marketing consumer goods and
services. This course will introduce marketing principles, concepts,
and tactics; including consumer behavior theory. Emphasis will be
placed on the use of research and analytical tools in the promotion
of goods and services. This course is only open to students in the
Associate's Degree program.
3 credits
INT 290 Capstone Project
The capstone course allows students an opportunity to create a
body of work which will show that they have met the goals of the
Associate Degree Program. Specific student goals include:
preparedness to metriculate to a Trinity Bachelor's Degree program;
acquisition of core skills in quantitative reasoning, critical
thinking, problem solving, technological literacy, and
communication; an appreciation of the interrelatedness of knowledge
from various academic disciplines, and an understanding of how the
program goals will assist students in becoming ethical, engaged
citizens as well as successful professionals. This course is open
only to students in the Associate's degree program.
3 credits
POLS 274 Politics, Literature, and Film
The course explores various themes in politics as they are presented
in both literature and film. Academic materials will be integrated
with exceprts from novels, short stories, poetry, film, and
television. Some topics examined will be: Democrasy, social
inequality, justice, citizenship, and oppression.
This course is only open to students in the Associate's Degree
program.
3 credits
PSYC 210 Theories of Social Psychology
This course will study the influence of others, real or
imagined, on an individual's thoughts, emotions, and actions. Topics
covered will include social perception and social influence in the
context of leadership, conformity, persuasion, aggression, altruism.
The course will expose students to theories of social interaction
that will be useful in both their academic and career development.
This course is only open to students in the Associate's Degree
Program.
3 credits
Collegiate Bridge Courses:
Associate in Arts Degree
All students must demonstrate or develop fundamental academic competencies at the beginning of their studies for the A.A. degree. Incoming students will take skills inventories in reading, composition, and mathematics. The purpose of the skills inventory is to promote student success by placing students in classes appropriate to their skill level.
Based on the skills inventory, students will be placed either in college-level courses or collegiate bridge classes. All collegiate bridge coursework must be completed within the first 24 credit hours of enrollment. Students taking collegiate bridge classes receive credit upon successful completion of the courses. Students who place out of collegiate bridge classes take the college-level courses.
MATH 030 Pre-Algebra
Reviews math for returning students. Topics include operations and applications of whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers.
3 credits
MATH 060 Elementary Algebra
Covers math topics such as ratios, percentages, integers, introduction to algebraic expressions and solving basic equations.
3 credits
ENG 030 Fundamental Writing Skills
Reviews structures of English grammar for returning students. Topics include sentence and paragraph structure and development; grammar, usage and punctuation.
3 credits
ENG 060: Composition Skills
Covers formal essay development including stating and elaborating a thesis, writing paragraphs, and formulating basic arguments.
3 credits
