Courses

If you do not need to take a required writing course, you will be registered for one elective from the below list of classes.  Please select three electives options in rank order on the FTES.  Please refer to this list only, as these are the only courses that will fit into a first-year architecture student’s schedule. You will get an error message if you choose a course that is not on this Courses Available to First-Year Architecture Students list.

Quantitative

Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title and Credit Hours	Course Description
MAT	221	Elementary Probability and Statistics I (4)	First of a two-course sequence. For students in fields that emphasize quantitative methods. Probability, design of experiments, sampling theory, introduction of computers for data management, evaluation of models, and estimation of parameters.
MAT	285	Life Sciences Calculus I (3)	Functions and their graphs, derivatives and their applications, differentiation techniques, the exponential and logarithm functions, multivariable differential calculus including constrained optimization.
MAT	295	Calculus I (4)	Analytic geometry, limits, derivatives, maxima-minima, related rates, graphs, differentials, exponential and logarithmic functions, mean-value theorem, integration.

 

 

Humanities

Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title and Credit Hours	Course Description
AAS	138	Writing About Black Culture (3)	Expository writing based on cogent analysis of African American literature, art, music, and history ideas.
ENG	154	Interpretation of Film (3)	Critical study of film from various historical periods. Formal, theoretical, and interpretive issues.
ENG	174	World Literature, Beginnings to 1000 (3)	Readings from classics of antiquity and the first millennium, including Gilgamesh, The Iliad, Ramayana, the Bible, Chinese and Japanese literature, the Quran, and 1001 Nights. Texts are explored in historical context, both past and present.
ENG	181	Class and Literary Texts (3)	Construction and representation of “class,” especially as it affects the production and reception of literary and other cultural texts.
ENG	182	Race and Literary Texts (3)	Construction and representation of “race,” especially as it affects the production and reception of literary and other cultural texts.
ENG	184	Ethnicity and Literary Texts (3)	Ethnicity in literary and theoretical texts. Emphasizing conceptual paradigms, social issues, and aesthetic considerations in the practice of reading texts from ethnically differentiated literary traditions.
LIN	201	The Nature and Study of Language (3)	Introduction to the study of human language. Language change and diversity, usage, meaning, phonetics, grammatical description, and language learning.
LIT	131	Great Jewish Writers (3)	Introduction to fiction by Jewish authors. Topics include modernization, rebellion against authority, alienation, childhood, superstition, and the holocaust. Some films included.
PHI	107	Theories of Knowledge and Reality (3)	An introduction to some major questions about knowledge and reality, such as the existence of God, the mind-body problem, free will and the nature and limits of knowledge. Historical and contemporary readings.
PHI	171	Critical Thinking (3)	Presentation and evaluation of reasoning, including arguments, explanations, and the justification of decisions. Topics of current social and ethical interest will serve as examples, with one topic selected for extended study.
PHI	175	Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy (3)	Classical and contemporary readings on basic topics in social and political philosophy; political obligation and authority, justice and basic rights, liberty and equality, the justification of democracy.
PHI	192	Introduction to Moral Theory (3)	Major philosophical theories about moral rightness, virtue, and the good life, such as utilitarian, Kantian, and Aristotelian theories. Historical and contemporary sources. Credit cannot be received for both PHI 192 and PHI 209.
PHI	197	Human Nature (3)	Philosophical theories of human nature, their underlying metaphysical claims, and their ethical consequences.
PHI	251	Logic (3)	Logic as a formal language, as a component of natural language, and as a basis of a programming language. Varieties of logical systems and techniques. Syntax, semantics and pragmatics.
REL	101	Religions of the World (3)	The nature and significance of religion within human culture and existence as evidenced in various religions of the world both past and present.
REL	102	Religion Today in a Globalizing World (3)	Consideration of the globalization of religions and the rise of worldwide trends: spirituality, fundamentalism, new religious movements, and major changes in established religions.
REL	108	Religion & Its Critics (3)	A study of modern critics and critiques of religion and their contemporary significance, especially in relation to current media as modes of critique.
REL	131	Great Jewish Writers (3)	Introduction to fiction by Jewish authors. Topics include modernization, rebellion against authority, alienation, childhood, superstition, and the holocaust. Some films included.
REL	142	Native American Religion (3)	Religious beliefs and practices of native Americans; the diversity as well as similarity of religious expression.
REL	156	Christianity (3)	Christianity’s institutional forms, sacred writings, ideas and beliefs, worship practices, cultural and creative expressions, ethical and political roles in society, from antiquity to the present. How Christianity addresses human needs, concerns, and desires.
REL	165	Discovering Islam (3)	Islam as a faith and a civilization. Understanding its origins, beliefs, rituals, and the historical development of its intellectual traditions in the pre-modern and modern eras, and its geographic, cultural and theological diversity today.
REL	246	Religion & Popular Culture (3)	Popular expression of religion in and through cemeteries, holidays, music, film, media and sports.

 

LANGUAGES (Humanities)

Placement exams are required for all language courses.  If you are interested in a language learning class, please select the introductory level course in FTES, and you will be registered in the appropriate level based on your placement exam results.  Information on language placement exams can be found here.

Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title and Credit Hours	Course Description
ARB	101	Arabic I (4)	Proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Arabic
CHI	101	Chinese I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Chinese. No prior experience or admission by placement testing.
FRE	101	French 1 (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in French.
GER	101	German I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in German.
GRE	101	Ancient Greek (4)	Introductory course which prepares students to acquire a reading knowledge of Classical Attic Greek, focusing on morphology and syntax, and its role in the culture and literature of ancient Greek society.
ITA	101	Italian I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Italian.
JPS	101	Japanese I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Japanese.
KOR	101	Korean I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Korean.
RUS	101	Russian I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Russian.
SPA	101	Spanish I (4)	Introductory proficiency-based course which prepares students to understand, speak, read, and write in culturally authentic contexts. Activities are conducted in Spanish.

 

Social Sciences

Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title and Credit Hours	Course Description
ANT	121	Peoples and Cultures of the World (3)	Case studies of global cultural diversity. Exploration of daily life, rites of passage, marriage, family, work, politics, social life, religion, ritual, and art among foraging, agricultural, and industrial societies.
ANT	141	Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory (3)	Survey of the prehistoric past spanning the origins of humankind through the rise of complex societies. Class activities and field trips provide a hands-on introduction to archaeological interpretation.
ANT	185	Global Encounters: Comparing World Views & Values Cross-Culturally (3)	Predominant views of reality and values in the cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Humanistic study of cultures and nature of cross-cultural understanding.
ECN	101	Principles of Microeconomics (3)	Consumer demand, theory of production, markets and prices, social welfare, and related topics.
ECN	102	Principles of Macroeconomics (3)	Introduction to concepts and methods of economic analysis. Emphasis on such macroeconomic topics as gross domestic product, unemployment, money, and theory of national income.
GEO	103	Environment and Society (3)	Relationship between society and the environment. Natural resource use, climate change politics, food and agriculture, energy, water, and sustainability.
GEO	105	World Urban Geography (3)	Survey of world, urban geography. Major concepts of human geography for non-specialists.
GEO	155	The Natural Environment (3)	Patterns of the physical phenomena at and near the surface of the earth. Surface configuration, climate, vegetation, and soil and their areal interrelationships.
GEO	171	Human Geographies (3)	An integrative overview to human geography. Topics include human-environmental relations, demographic change, cultural landscape, urban and agricultural land use and economic restructuring.
GEO	272	World Cultures (3)	The globalization of culture and the persistence of local cultures around the world. Case studies from different regions of the world examine geographical processes that shape ways of life.
HST	101	American History to 1865 (3)	Founding and development of institutions. The Revolution and the new nation. Problems of growth and sectionalism. Challenge to the union.
HST	111	Early Modern Europe, 1350–1815 (3)	Major characteristics of European political, social, and cultural life from Middle Ages to advent of democratic revolutions.
HST	121	Global History to 1750 (3)	The development of global society up to 1750. Exchanges, connections and interactions between Africa, Asia and the Pacific, India, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. The relations between these regions, the Americas and Europe.
HST	213	Africa: Ancient Times to 1800 (3)	A survey of African history from ancient times to1800. Focuses on political, social, economic, and environmental history of the continent. Themes: state formation, technology, production, trade, religion, migration, labor, slave trade, and biological exchanges.
LLA	201	Elements of Law (3)	Provides an introduction to law and legal institutions. The course is designed to prepare lower-division undergraduates for the further study of legal topics in departments across the College of Arts and Sciences.
MAX	123	Critical Issues for the United States (3)	Interdisciplinary focus on critical issues facing America. Perspectives of social science disciplines on the meaning of the American Dream, its past and its future.
NAT	105	Introduction to Native American Studies (3)	Overview of critical issues in Native American Studies: colonization, religious freedom, environment, sovereignty, and politics of identity, interdisciplinary, comparative, and indigenous perspectives in relation to histories, societies, and cultures.
PSC	121	American National Government and Politics (3)	American political institutions. Basic principles embedded in structure and practices of American government. Practical consequences of this political system for the citizen.
PSC	123	Comparative Government and Politics (3)	Comparison of selected governmental institutions, individual and collective political actors, and issues across the industrialized and developing world. Particular attention to dynamics of socioeconomic and political change.
PSC	124	International Relations (3)	Foreign policy, decision making, comparative foreign policy, international transactions, and the international system. Credit is given for PSC 124 or PSC 139, but not both.
PSY	205	Foundations of Human Behavior (3)	Fundamental principles of mental life and human behavior. Significance of psychology in human relationships and self- understanding.
SOC	101	Introduction to Sociology (3)	Principal concepts, methods, and findings in sociology. Societal structures, processes, institutions, and social roles from both macro- and micro analytic human behavior perspectives.
SOC	102	Social Problems (3)	Application of sociological theory and methods to identification, description, and analysis of contemporary social problems. Critique and analysis of alternative strategies for social change.
SOC	248	Ethnic Inequalities and Intergroup Relations (3)	Identification of individuals and groups by self and others as members of ethnic categories. Consequences of ethnic identifications for individual, group, and societal interaction. Emphasizing ethnic inequalities, group interactions, social movements and change, racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
SOC	281	Sociology of Families (3)	Families and their connections to other social and economic institutions. Diversity of family forms and experiences. Formation and dissolution of relationships. Trends and changes.
WGS	101	Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies (3)	Introduces the interdisciplinary field of women’s and gender studies; gender as a social construct shaped by race, class, sexuality, disability, and nation; and feminist theories of oppression, power, and resistance.

 

Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Course Prefix	Course Number	Course Title and Credit Hours	Course Description
BIO	106	Ocean Life (3)	An introduction to the biology of the diverse organisms that live in the ocean, applications of cutting edge technology to their study, recent scientific discoveries, and the science behind current global conservation issues.
CHE	106	General Chemistry Lecture I (3)	Fundamental principles and laws underlying chemical action, states of matter, atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, stoichiometry, properties of solutions, chemical equilibria, and introductory thermochemistry.    Required 1-credit lab will be scheduled with this class.
CSD	212	Introduction to Communication Sciences and Disorders (3)	Application of biology, physics, anatomy, physiology, and cognitive psychology to processes of speech, language, and hearing. Nature of disruptions to normal communication and scientific principles of prevention, diagnosis, and remediation.
EAR	111	Climate Change Past and Present (3)	Introduction to the science of climate change from the geological record of the last century. Major drivers of global climate, measuring change, and forecasting future climate. Role of human activities in present climate.
EAR	117	Oceanography (3)	A comprehensive introduction to the geology, physics, chemistry, and biology of the world ocean and its impact on global climate and environmental concerns.
SCI	104	Science-Questions and Quests: Physical Phenomena I (3)	Science for non-science majors seeking to explain curious events through laboratory experiences and study of motion, gravity, machines, energy, and properties of matter.