Interdisciplinary and Supporting Courses (College of Arts and Sciences)

• Description
• Course Descriptions
  • Critical Reading Courses (CRS)
  • Humanities Courses (HUM)
  • Interdisciplinary Courses (INT)
  • Natural Sciences and Math Courses (NCSM)
  • Social Sciences Courses (SSC)
  • Supporting Courses

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Description

Interdisciplinary courses are designed to provide students with the opportunity to link disciplines within the liberal arts as they engage in the in-depth investigation and analysis of special topics. These courses are organized as follows:

Critical Reading (CRS) courses strengthen critical reading skills through close readings of disciplinary texts. The courses focus on foundational critical reading objectives, among which are identifying the text's thesis or themes, main points, and types and quality of evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing the content and meaning of the text, identifying the text's purpose and audience, identifying the author's organizational and rhetorical strategies, and recognizing strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies in the text.

Humanities (HUM) courses are offered by faculty in arts and humanities disciplines, including art, English, language and cultural studies, history, international studies, music, philosophy, theology, and women's studies.

Interdisciplinary (INT) courses involve study across disciplines. Such courses challenge the student to engage in an in-depth analysis of content within the context of the connection of seemingly diverse and separate disciplines such as art and science. Courses offered under the INT designation are often Seminar II courses for the Foundation for Leadership Curriculum and are offered in a seminar format. Listings follow and are also noted in various program sections.

Natural Sciences and Math (NCSM) courses are offered by faculty in the natural sciences and mathematics. These courses are a combination of any of the following: biology, chemistry, and mathematics

Social Sciences (SSC) courses are offered by the faculty in the social sciences. These courses are a combination of the following disciplines: communication, economics, international studies, political science, public affairs, psychology, sociology, and women's studies, as well as business and education.

Trinity also offers certain courses that support major coursework and serve as electives and/or General Education Curriculum requirements for students. These courses are listed below as Supporting Courses.

Critical Reading Courses (CRS)

CRS 101 Critical Reading Seminar CRS 101 Critical Reading Seminar

Strengthens critical reading skills through close readings of disciplinary texts. The course focuses on foundational critical reading objectives, among which are identifying the text's thesis or themes, main points, and types and quality of evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing the content and meaning of the text, identifying the text's purpose and audience, identifying the author's organizational and rhetorical strategies, and recognizing strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies in the text.

3 credits

CRS 101S Critical Reading Seminar Suppl Instr CRS 101S Critical Reading Seminar Suppl Instr

Strengthens critical reading skills through close readings of disciplinary texts. The course focuses on foundational critical reading objectives, among which are identifying the text's thesis or themes, main points, and types and quality of evidence, paraphrasing or summarizing the content and meaning of the text, identifying the text's purpose and audience, identifying the author's organizational and rhetorical strategies, and recognizing strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies in the text.A weekly laboratory meeting supplements instruction for this course.4 credits

CRS 102 CRS: Prof & Career Success in the Health Professions CRS 102 CRS: Prof & Career Success in the Health Professions

Strengthens the student's critical reading skills through close readings of texts on contemporary health care issues. Students will explore the evolution of the various disciplines in the health professions and models of professional socialization. Current issues and trends influencing the health care delivery system, such as increased use of technology, rising health care costs, and maintaining quality in health care agencies are among the topics of discussion. Students will develop proficiency in the use of select electronic data bases, as well as techniques of professional writing.

Humanities Courses (HUM)

HUM 300 Women in Love: The Novel in Europe and the Americas HUM 300 Women in Love: The Novel in Europe and the Americas

Analyzes the social construction of gender and gender roles in the contexts of marriage and heterosexual and lesbian relationships as explored in the 19th and 20th century novels drawn from canonical and non-canonical literature and film produced in Europe and the Americas. Representative readings may include such works as Flaubert's Madame Bovary, Bombal's Shrouded Woman, Minot's Evening, and Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate.

3 credits

FLC Seminar II 

HUM 381 Victorian Studies HUM 381 Victorian Studies

Discusses the art, literature, history, politics and society of Victorian England within the context of their own time as well as their effect on future generations.

3 credits

FLC Seminar II

General Education Requirements: Capstone Seminar

Interdisciplinary Courses (INT)

INT 100 Academic Success Seminar INT 100 Academic Success Seminar

Students will learn the behavioral and life skills necessary for success in college. Topics include academic planning, time management and study skills, effective relationship management and teamwork, critical and creative thinking, and techniques for successful academic performance.

1 credit

Enrollment limited to Future Focus students

INT 109 Information Literacy INT 109 Information Literacy

Technology has brought a vast new world of information resources into the classroom and the University. We are accessing, analyzing and communicating information faster than every before. A measure of success today is how well one can discover, retrieve, evaluate, manage and communicate all forms of data, information and knowledge within a technological environment both ethically and legally. This course introduces Trinity students to the information and technology tools that support the information discovery, analysis and integration that are part of critical thinking and communicating. This includes having a fundamental understanding of the ethical and legal issues.

3 credits

Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life

INT 205 Effective Peer Mentoring INT 205 Effective Peer Mentoring

Designed specifically for Future Focus Peer Mentors, this course introduces students to effective mentoring techniques, student development theory, and leadership techniques. Students are challenged to critically evaluate these techniques and determine which aspects will shape their developing mentoring methods. The course is also designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to become effective peer mentors and planners by employing student development theory and effective communication methods.

3 credits

Permission of instructor required

INT 373A Culture and Society in Latin America INT 373A Culture and Society in Latin America

Fosters a more precise understanding of those with whom we share this hemisphere, reconsiders accepted assumptions, and challenges the images that have shaped them. This course will orient students to gain insight into the future of the nations of the Americas, and the impact they will have on the rest of the world in the coming years. May be repeated as topic changes.

3 credits

FLC Seminar II

INT 373B Culture and Society in the Caribbean INT 373B Culture and Society in the Caribbean

Emphasizes cultural commonalities without neglecting political chronology but with the history traced from a defined Caribbean and Latin American perspective. Text from contemporary authors may include literary works by Jamaica Kincaid, Julia Alvarez, and Edwige Danticat among others. Class presentations, films, and discussions will also deal with the review of the political factors that infiltrate on the social and economic structures.

3 credits

FLC Seminar II

INT 407 Human Rights in the Americas INT 407 Human Rights in the Americas

Focuses on domestic violence and its relationship to social violence, seeking to raise awareness and calling for leadership within families and communities as they constitute the cradle of respect for the rights of children and women and where the protection of those rights are born. Offers a basic multidisciplinary perspective from educators, economists, international organizations, legislators and policy-makers, as well as from popular writers of fiction. A program of guest speakers will be an integral part of the course.

3 credits

General Education Requirements: Capstone Seminar

Natural Sciences and Math (NSCM)

NSCM 381
NSCM 499 Divisional Seminar NSCM 499 Divisional Seminar

Examines selected topics in the natural sciences. Requires written and oral presentations based on reading and analysis of the current scientific literature.

3 credits

General Education Requirements: Applications (Leadership)

Social Sciences Courses (SSC)

SSC 107 Social Science Writing SSC 107 Social Science Writing

Introduces students to the basics of writing papers for social science courses. It will cover proposal writing, library research, internet research, organization of the paper, outlines, drafts, and documentation.

SSC 300 Politics and Film SSC 300 Politics and Film

Politics and film investigates the intersection of film with political institutions, the portrayal of political institutions on film and the contributions film makes to our understanding and opinion of politics and society. Through weekly readings and screenings the course invited students to see film politically.

SSC 317 The Cold War and Its Legacies SSC 317 The Cold War and Its Legacies

Examines the Cold War, the world order that it created, and its enduring effects on contemporary international issues, with particular emphases on its social, political, and economic contexts. Among questions to be addressed are: What events and ideas provoked the Cold War? How did the Cold War shape international political and economic institutions? How did advances in science and technology helpfuel a global arms race? How did the Cold War condition society and culture? What traces of the Cold War continue to influence world politics in the early 21st century? This course is taught in a seminar format.

3 credits

Supporting Courses

ENVS 101 Discovering Planet Earth ENVS 101 Discovering Planet Earth

Introduces non-science majors to evolution, earth science, and plate tectonics with an emphasis on the mid-Atlantic region. Labs include use of the scientific method, development of observational skills, computer-assisted learning, and several field trips. There is an additional laboratory fee for this course. Formerly ENV 101 Discovering Planet Earth.

4 credits

General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry Area

FLC Area IV

Core Area II: Understanding Self, Society, and Nature

PHYS 103 Acoustics: The Science of Music PHYS 103 Acoustics: The Science of Music

Introduces the physics of musical sounds and the various aspects of the science of audible sound. This includes the production, transmission, reception, and reproduction of sound. The course will include the study of waves, the production of sound from musical instruments, how humans receive and interpret sound, and sound reproduction systems. Formerly PHY 106 Acoustics: The Science of Music.

4 credits

FLC Area IV, Exploration Cluster

PHYS 105 Astronomy PHYS 105 Astronomy

Introduces students to classical through modern astronomy. Studies the basics of astronomical systems. The course places emphasis on observational techniques, stellar evolution, planets, the sun, galaxies, cosmology, and the general theory of relativity. Formerly PHY 220 Astronomy.

4 credits

Prerequisites: MATH 103

FLC Area IV, Exploration Cluster

PHYS 111 General Physics I PHYS 111 General Physics I

Covers mechanics in a calculus-based course in fundamental physics. Topics include Newton's laws, work and energy, rotational dynamics, conservation of energy, and momentum. Intended primarily for students in math and science but open to all qualified students. The course consists of three hours of lecture, three of laboratory, and a one-hour problem session per week. There is an additional laboratory fee for this course. Formerly PHY 115 General Physics I.

4 credits

Prerequisite: MATH 125

General Education Requirement: Kniowledge and Inquiry Area

FLC Area IV, Laboratory Science Cluster

PHYS 112 General Physics II PHYS 112 General Physics II

Covers electricity, magnetism, and electro-magnetic propagation in a calculus-based course in fundamental physics. Topics include electric fields, Maxwell's equations, electrical circuits, magnetic fields, and light. Intended primarily for students in math and science but open to all qualified students. The course consists of three hours of lecture, three of laboratory, and a one-hour problem session per week. There is an additional laboratory fee for this course. Formerly PHY 116 General Physics II.

4 credits

Prerequisites: MATH 125 and PHYS 111