The Common Curriculum

Cynthia Price, Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Assessment

The Common Curriculum, which includes eight required courses spread over four years, is at the heart of a liberal arts education at Seattle Pacific University. SPU students begin the Common Curriculum in the first quarter of their freshman year with University Seminar, an intensive exploration of a special interdisciplinary topic. The maximum of 20 students enrolled in each course form a �cohort� and attend other freshman classes in the Common Curriculum together. Their University Seminar professor serves as their academic advisor. In their freshman, sophomore, and junior years at Seattle Pacific, students participate in two parallel sequences of required courses. As students move through the three University Core courses, they address key questions that pervade human life: �Who am I?� �From where have I come?� and �How do I know and act?� As they confront these perennial human questions through the study of human culture, history, and thought, students are challenged to understand themselves, their heritage and traditions, and the world from the perspective of the Christian faith.

The three University Foundations courses are centered in the foundations of faith: Christian formation, which explores the lived experience of faith; Christian Scriptures, which provides a way of conceptualizing, reading, and practicing the truth of Scripture as the authority for Christian formation; and Christian theology, which reflects upon the relationship between God and humankind as expressed in the Scriptures and experienced in a life of faith. Each course in the University Core and University Foundations sequences includes common texts and objectives in order to ensure common learning.

All members of the community are encouraged to join in the common conversations around these works through Chapel programs, lectures, concerts, and other community events. Through shared experiences in a committed community of learners, the liberal arts at Seattle Pacific University has as its aim the formation of Christian character, which is evident in qualities of heart, mind, and action. [Back to top]

UCOR 1000 The Arts and the Christian Community (5) This course considers the question �Who am I and for what have I been created?� Through examining literary and artistic works that have shaped cultures past and present, it explores how we are created to be unique persons and to be in community with others. Key themes are artistic ways of knowing individualism, conformity, and faith as a formative virtue. Attribute: University Core. Class open to freshmen.

UCOR 2000 The West and the World (5) Considers the question �From where have we come and where are we going?� Explores the history of interaction between the West and the world from the dawn of the modern global age (about 1500) to the present. How has Western civilization been influenced by and influenced other cultures? Key themes are ideas, inventions, and systems of interaction. The virtue of hope motivates service as the Christian response to a constantly changing world. Attribute: University Core. Class not open to freshmen.

UCOR 3000 Belief, Morality, and Modern Mind (5) Prerequisite: UFDN 2000. This course considers the question �How do I know what is true and how should I act on that knowledge?� It explores questions about Christian faith and practice that arise from modern developments in philosophy and science. Key themes are authority, reason, personal meaning, ethics, and love as the Christian response to God�s creation and humankind. Attributes: University Core; and Upper-Division. Class open to juniors and seniors.

UFDN 1000 Christian Formation (5) This course introduces the processes and practices of Christian formation, as reflected throughout the history of the Christian church. Christian life is formed by distinctive beliefs, practices, attitudes, and virtues. Every student, regardless of religious background, will engage texts, written and non-written, ancient and modern, that foster these characteristics of the Christian life. Attribute: Foundation. Class open to freshmen and sophomores. [Back to top]

UFDN 2000 Christian Scriptures (5) Prerequisite: UFDN 1000. This course explores the formative role that Christian Scriptures perform within the community of believers. It seeks to introduce students to the literature and theology of both Old and New Testaments and to provide them with the necessary skills to make responsible use of Scripture as the church�s principal authority in nurturing a Christian�s faith and witness. Course cannot be taken for upper-division credit. May be repeated for credit 0 times. Course equivalent: UFDN 3001. Attribute: Foundation. Class not open to freshmen.

UFDN 3001 Christian Scriptures (5) This course is only open to transfer students who begin their studies at SPU as juniors or seniors. Explores the formative role that Christian Scriptures perform within the community of believers. It seeks to introduce students to the literature and theology of both Old and New Testaments and to provide them with the necessary skills to make responsible use of Scripture as the church�s principal authority in nurturing a Christian�s faith and witness. May be repeated for credit 0 times. Course equivalent: UFDN 2000. Attributes: Foundation; and Upper-Division. Class open to juniors and seniors.

UFDN 3100 Christian Theology (5) Prerequisites: UFDN 1000 and UFDN 2000 or 3001. This course studies the basic doctrines and practices of historic Christianity, such as the being, attributes, and workings of the Triune God; the nature, fallenness, and redemption of human beings; the character and mission of the church; the disciplines and duties of personal faith; and the hope for �last things.� Attention will be given to major formative events and key persons in the history of the church that have helped to shape what Christians believe and how they live. Attributes: Foundation; and Upper-Division. Class not open to freshmen. [Back to top]

USEM 1000 University Seminar (5) This seminar introduces firstyear college students to the liberal arts at a Christian university through the investigation of a special topic. Students will write, speak, and practice critical thinking; participate in group projects; and use electronic and print learning resources. As an introduction to university life, the seminar helps students explore the meaning of Christian vocation and develop a love of learning. Seminar instructors will serve as faculty advisor to students in their seminar through the freshman year. Descriptions of particular seminars are available in the yearly class schedule. Attribute: University Seminar. Class open to freshmen.

USEM 3000 University Seminar (5) Registration approval: Instructor. This seminar introduces professional studies program students to the liberal arts at a Christian university through the investigation of a special topic. Students will write, speak, and practice critical thinking, participate in group projects, and use electronic and print learning resources. As an introduction to university life, the seminar helps students explore the meaning of Christian vocation and develop a love of learning.

USEM 4930 Practicum: Mentoring Freshmen (1�5) Registration approval: Instructor. Serve as a mentor to freshmen in a University Seminar class under the direction of faculty. May be repeated for credit two times. Attribute: Upper-Division. Class not open to freshmen and sophomores. [Back to top]

University Scholars
(The Honors Program)
www.spu.edu/acad/univ-scholars/

Luke Reinsma, Director

The University Scholars program at Seattle Pacific University replaces the Common Curriculum and the Exploratory Curriculum for selected students who are highly motivated to pursue an intense academic program studying great works of art, literature, philosophy, social science, and natural science in their historical contexts. University Scholars courses are rigorously interdisciplinary and offer intensive peer discussion. The program�s goal is to create a community of self-motivated scholars engaged in thoughtful cross-disciplinary conversation, writing, and action on issues facing the church and the world.

Admission is based on test scores and high school GPAs; a limited number of high school seniors are invited to apply to the program. Students who are highly motivated to participate in the program, but who do not receive an initial invitation at admission should contact the director to apply directly for entry. A few students may be admitted into the program during their first year of study. [Back to top]

Requirements for University Scholars Program
University Scholars must meet the same competency requirements in math, writing, and foreign language required of all undergraduates. Also, like all students, University Scholars must complete a major and have 180 credits to graduate, including 60 credits in courses numbered 3000 or above, 8 credits of which must be �W� credits. University Scholars are required to take a special sequence of USCH courses (listed below) in place of the Common Curriculum and Exploratory Curriculum, and to take three Foundations courses.

Special features and conditions of the program:

1. Prior to enrolling in USCH 3910 Faith and Science I, University Scholars must take at least one quarter of physics (PHY 1111); or, if they have had high school physics, they may take any other lab science course.
2. University Scholars will take a special honors section of UFDN 1000 during their sophomore year. They will then enroll in any section of UFDN 2000 and 3100 that best fits their schedule.
3. The Honors Project involves 4 credits of individual scholarly work in a subject related to a student�s major, undertaken with the assistance of a faculty mentor and completed during the senior year. Projects or papers that fulfill this requirement must meet disciplinary standards, discuss the relationship of faith and learning, be approved by the director of University Scholars, and be completed prior to graduation. Honors Projects are given special recognition at Commencement.
4. University Scholars are required to maintain a minimum of a GPA of 3.2 or better to remain in the program.
5. Students wishing to leave the program must submit a letter of resignation to the director. They will immediately become subject to the Common Curriculum and Exploratory Curriculum requirements. They will not lose credit previously earned by successful completion of examinations, such as CLEP or Running Start. University Scholars courses taken in the first and second year transfer into either the Common Curriculum or the Exploratory Curriculum at Seattle Pacific.
6. Special service to the SPU community should be a high priority for University Scholars. Each year, the graduating senior who best exemplifies the high ideals of the USCH program is honored with the Wesley E. Lingren Award in honor of the founding director. [Back to top]

University Scholars Courses

USCH 1111 Texts and Contexts I (5) Examines and discusses great works of ancient Greece and Rome in historical context, including Homer�s Iliad, Thucydides� History of the Peloponnesian War, Plato�s Republic, and Virgil�s Aeneid, in order to consider the transition from a society based on honor. Open to University Scholars only.

USCH 1112 Texts and Contexts II (5) Prerequisite: USCH 1111. Examines and discusses several texts from the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe in historical context, including Augustine�s Confessions, Aquinas�s Summa Theologica, Dante�s Inferno, Shakespeare�s Richard III, and Milton�s Paradise Lost in order to investigate ways of knowing God, the nature of leadership, the methods of knowledge-making, and forgiveness. Open to University Scholars only.

USCH 1113 Texts and Contexts III (5) Prerequisite: USCH 1112. Through the lens of four problems central to modernity � evil, violence, faith/reason, and the individual in society � examines and discusses several texts of the modern period, including Descartes� Meditations, Voltaire�s Candide, Flaubert�s Madame Bovary, and Dostoevsky�s The Brothers Karamazov, together with selected works of music, visual art, and film. Open to University Scholars only. [Back to top]

USCH 3910 Faith and Science I (5) Prerequisite: A college-level science course with a lab. An exploration of the relationship of science, faith, and theology from the ancient world through the early 20th century, focusing on developments in physics. Includes consideration of the question of origins. Open to University Scholars only. Attribute: Upper-Division. Class not open to freshmen.

USCH 4900 Independent Study (1-5) Registration approval: Independent Study Agreement. May be repeated for credit up to 15 credits. Attribute: Upper-Division.

USCH 4910 Faith and Science II (5) Prerequisite: USCH 3910. An exploration of the relationship of science, faith, and theology in the modern period, focusing on developments in biology and the human sciences. Includes consideration of the question of origins. Open to University Scholars only. Attribute: Upper-Division. Class not open to freshmen.

USCH 4950 Christianity and Scholarship (2) An exploration of several paradigms used to understand the relationship of Christian faith and scholarship, such as those articulated by Arthur Holmes, Mark Noll, and George Marsden. Includes writing a personal statement on the relationship of faith and scholarship and producing an approved prospectus for the honors project. Open to University Scholars only. Attributes: Upper-Division; and Writing Course. [Back to top]

USCH 4960 Honors Project I (2) Prerequisite: USCH 4950. Students will produce an undergraduate research paper or creative piece that is oriented within their relationship of faith and scholarship. Open to University Scholars only. Attribute: Upper-Division.

USCH 4965 Honors Project II (2-4) Students will produce an undergraduate research paper or creative piece that is oriented within their relationship of faith and scholarship. A maximum of 4 credits is allowed in Honors Project I and/or II. Attribute: Upper-Division.

Special Programs

Internships, ROTC, Senior Citizen Program, Special Studies, Study Abroad, Study Programs, Visit/Transfer Programs

Internship Program
Internships seek to integrate academic studies with practical work experience. Designed to be an integral part of students� academic program, the Internship program allows students to earn credits for learning gained in a work setting. Careful supervision of students� progress toward learning objectives is a key component of an internship, and a successful experience is built on a partnership between the student, faculty sponsor, and employer. Students participate in internships for career exploration, as well as to gain essential professional experience. Internship experiences facilitate students� growth in skills such as communication, problem solving, and analysis, as well as growth in skills specific to professional disciplines. Internships may be paid or unpaid. In either case, it is the quality of the placement and supervision and the emphasis on students� development of critical thinking and other skills that distinguish internships from other part-time or volunteer work programs. Minimum requirements for participating in the Internship program include matriculation at the University and completion of one quarter of coursework. Each school sets specific prerequisites for participation in internships. Generally 30 hours of internship work equate to 1 academic credit. Internship opportunities may be at accounting firms, advertising agencies, banks, high-tech companies, medical research labs, performing arts organizations, retail stores, schools, human-service agencies, and many other types of organizations. Postings of internship opportunities and information about how students can be involved are available in the Career Development Center. Interested students should address inquiries to the Career Development Center, located in the Student Union Building, second floor. They can send mail to the Career Development Center, Seattle Pacific University, 3307 Third Ave. W., Suite 216, Seattle, WA 98119-1950; call 206-281-2485, or visit its Web page. [Back to top]

ROTC Programs
ROTC programs are offered to SPU students via cross-town agreements with the University of Washington. Seattle Pacific University accepts 20�24 quarter credits from an approved ROTC program toward the 180 required to graduate � up to 3 credits each from the freshman and sophomore sequences, and up to 9 credits each from the junior and senior sequences. If a student drops out of the program, the ROTC credits do not apply toward graduation. Upon completion of a ROTC program, the student is responsible for requesting official transcripts for the SPU registrar�s office.

Air Force: Aerospace Studies
Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is offered to SPU students through an agreement with the University of Washington. All classes are taught at University of Washington, Clark Hall #220. The Air Force ROTC program is designed to motivate, educate, and commission highly qualified students for active duty as officers in the U.S. Air Force. The curriculum develops the professional knowledge in both theory and application that an Air Force officer needs to be an effective manager and leader in the aerospace environment.

Air Force: General Military Courses (GMC)
The basic courses consist of one classroom hour, three hours of physical training, and 90 minutes of leadership laboratory per week during the freshman and sophomore years. Uniforms and textbooks are provided. Students may enter at the start of Autumn, Winter, or Spring Quarter. A four- or six-week field-training course, taken during the summer between the sophomore and junior years, is required for entry into the Professional Officer Course. Students receive pay and travel costs for field training. Except for sophomore cadets on AFROTC scholarship, students incur no active-duty service commitment from enrollment in the GMC, and students may drop the courses at any time. [Back to top]

Air Force Reserve: Professional Officer Course (POC)
Cadets selected for enrollment in POC are enlisted in the Air Force Reserve and receive tax-free monthly subsistence pay of at least $350. They are furnished texts and uniforms. Junior- and senior-level classes consist of three hours of academic classes, three hours of physical training, and 90 minutes of leadership laboratory per week, in addition to a position within the cadet corps.

AFROTC: General Program Requirements
The freshman- and sophomore-level classes (general military courses) are open to all students attending any two- or four-year college full time. Any male or female student may enroll in these classes. The junior- and senior-level classes (professional officer courses) are open to qualified students who have been competitively selected for entry. For further information contact the unit admissions officer at 206-543-2360 or write: Unit Admissions Officer, AFROTC Det 910, University of Washington, Box 353830, Seattle, WA 98195-3530. You can also visit the UW AFROTC Web page, or email the UW AFROT.

AFROTC: Commissioning
Requirements Students who successfully complete the AFROTC program and receive an academic degree from the University are offered commissions as second lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force. They will serve at least four years in the military. AFROTC: Financial Assistance The Air Force offers two- and three-year scholarships to students with a GPA of at least 2.5. Students awarded scholarships from the Air Force ROTC Scholarship Board are eligible for a supplemental room grant. To take advantage of these scholarships, students should apply directly to AFROTC UW (address noted above under General Program Requirements). [Back to top]

AFROTC: Two-Year Program
The AFROTC two-year program is open to graduate students in technical majors and other students who have two years remaining until graduation. Students in this program are required to attend a six-week field-training course at an air force base during the summer preceding program entry. The student is paid during the period. Upon return to the campus, students pursue the professional officer course. Uniform, texts, and at least $350 monthly subsistence are provided. Two-year scholarships are available for qualified students. Students interested in this program should contact the AFROTC department during October�December prior to the Autumn Quarter they desire to enter.

Army ROTC: Military Science
The Program. Army ROTC is offered to SPU students through an agreement with the University of Washington. The program offers the student several elective options for the attainment of an Army officer�s commission in the reserves or in active forces while pursuing the academic degree of his or her choice. Normally, all students participate in one to two classes per week (two to three hours), physical training one to three times per week, three leadership laboratories per quarter, and one overnight field exercise per quarter. The program allows for scholarship assistance for selected students, a monthly stipend for all scholarship and third- and fourthyear students, and attendance at optional summer courses. For further information on this University of Washington program, call 206-543-9010 or write: Professor of Military Science, University of Washington, Box 353820, Seattle, WA 98195, or send email.

Army ROTC: Financial Aid
Cadets receive financial aid in two forms: (1) Two-, three-, and four-year scholarships are awarded annually to cover school expenses. The scholarships pay up to $16,000 per year toward tuition and fees, and provide a book allowance, as well as a monthly allowance that ranges from $250 for freshman up to $450 for seniors; and (2) assistance of a $350 to $450 per month allowance to all non-scholarship cadets enrolled in the advanced course. In addition to this aid, students may apply for an SPU ROTC Academic Achievement Award through Student Financial Services. [Back to top]

Army ROTC Commissioning Requirements
To be commissioned in the U.S. Army, a student must graduate with a minimum of a bachelor�s degree and complete the military science curriculum, including successful completion of the five-week advanced camp during the summer prior to the senior year.

ROTC Academic Achievement Award
Students who are awarded ROTC scholarships by the Air Force and Army programs described above in this section of the Catalog may qualify for an ROTC Academic Achievement Award at Seattle Pacific. The award, which covers room-and-board costs, is offered to qualified top scholars who present a combination of high school grade point average and SAT Combined Math/Verbal Score, which meets University guidelines for this award and who demonstrate commitment to the Christian ideals of Seattle Pacific, including involvement in a local church. The award is renewable for a total of four consecutive years. To apply, contact the SPU Financial Aid Office.

Senior Citizen Program
In keeping with the goal of service, SPU has a program that offers tuition-free courses to persons 65 years of age or older. Senior adults of this age bracket may attend on-campus undergraduate classes as auditors or for academic credit. They may take courses in special interest areas and/or complete a bachelor�s degree. The only limitation to the program is the availability of space in particular classes. Registration for senior citizens who use this program commences on the second day of the quarter. Those wishing to apply work toward a degree must formally apply to the Office of Admissions. Non-matriculated students need only register at Student Academic Services.

Special Studies

Center for Relationship Development, Blakely Island Field Station (marine biology/ecology)

These programs are registered at Seattle Pacific University and taken with SPU faculty.

Center for Relationship Development

Les Parrott and Leslie Parrott, Directors

Even more than academic standing, career prospects, and earnings potential, students are concerned about establishing healthy relational roots. They want to break the cycle of soured relationships they have frequently witnessed and experienced among family or friends. In what may be a first for an American educational institution, Seattle Pacific University has established the Center for Relationship Development (CRD) to help students learn to build healthy, lasting relationships. Initially funded by grants from the Murdock Charitable Trust, the Center is dedicated to fostering positive relationships, whether they be with classmates, roommates, parents, teammates, siblings, bosses, or potential marriage partners. The Center aims to solve relationship problems before they begin. Its efforts focus on three major areas: education, outreach, and research. [Back to top]

Education. Along with Seattle Pacific�s School of Psychology, Family, and Community, the Center for Relationship Development annually sponsors two academic courses in relationship development. Relationship Development I focuses on practical principles for building healthy relationships. The class addresses such issues as the meaning of friendship, gender differences, family-of-origin concerns, unconscious relationship needs, and the dating process. Relationship Development II is an advanced course presenting a practical basis for making healthy relational commitments. It focuses on such topics as love, intimacy, mate selection, and the meaning of covenant relationships.

Outreach. The Center for Relationship Development also sponsors special programs designed to meet specific relationship needs. These include the following:

1. Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts (SYMBIS). This marriage preparation workshop is offered each spring for engaged and newlywed couples. Topics include �The Myths of Marriage,� �Sexuality and Marriage,� �Fighting the Good Fight,� and �Money Matters.�
2. The Marriage Mentor Club. A unique feature of the SYMBIS program links participants to married couples who serve as mentors during the newlywed�s first married year.
3. Relationship Emphasis Week. Each spring, the Center invites a nationally recognized speaker to campus for a series of presentations on relationship issues. Featured guests have included Stephen Arterburn, author of Addicted to Love, and Lewis Smedes, author of Caring and Commitment. Activities that focus on relationships during this week include Chapel, group, leadership forums, and faculty luncheons.
4. Research and Evaluation. The CRD conducts ongoing scholarly research on relationship issues and puts that information to work in its education and outreach efforts. It also continuously evaluates its programs to ensure their effectiveness.

Note: Both PSY 1250 and PSY 2250 must be successfully completed for grades if the student desires to apply these courses toward a psychology major or minor.

Blakely Island Field Station

Tim Nelson, Director, Biology Department

Blakely Island, Washington

206-281-3640

www.spu.edu/blakely

In 1977, the University was given 900 acres of land and granted an open-space conservation easement on another 3,000 acres on Blakely Island, which is in the San Juan archipelago of Northwestern Washington. The Blakely Island Field Station serves as the teaching site for upper-division biology courses in marine, aquatic, and terrestrial ecology; and oceanography, introductory biology, and astronomy for non-science majors. Research conducted by faculty and students has included baseline surveys of major island habitats, and the ecology of lakes, marine bays, and forests.

Although only a few miles from the mainland, the island is isolated and home to only a few year-round residents. Facilities include a dining hall-library-classroom building that accomodates 24 students and staff, a residence hall with 10 double-occupancy rooms, and a dive shop. The island is surrounded by lush kelp forests, eelgrass meadows, and spectacular rock walls. These subtidal and intertidal habitats support a diversity of seaseeds, invertebrates, fish, and marine mammals. In the island interior, the lakes provide habitat for river otters, herons, kingfishers, bald eagles, and osprey, as well as a diverse invertebrate fauna. The terrain is rugged, rising sharply from sea level to more than 1,000 feet, and it supports several distinctive forest types.

For a complete listing of courses offered at Blakely Insland Field Station, visit the Web site, or contact Dr. Timothy Nelson, field station director. See information about the biology major for further information and course descriptions. [Back to top]

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