College of Arts and Sciences

David V. Powers, PhD, Dean
S. Kathleen LaVoy, PhD, Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Joyce Quiring Erickson, PhD, Assistant Dean
Audrey Hudgins, MSSI, Assistant Dean

Objectives

The College of Arts and Sciences, the oldest and largest undergraduate division of Seattle University, is the heart and foundation of Seattle University’s mission to the undergraduate. That mission is to provide a liberal education in the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences along with selected graduate and professional programs.

Grounded in the Catholic and Jesuit intellectual tradition and respectful of their vision of the human person, the faculty of the college educate students for leadership, spiritual growth, responsible citizenship, and service through curricula both in the core program and in the majors that develop the whole person: the intellect, the imagination, the aesthetic sense, the capacity for ethical reflection, and skills of analysis and communication. Small classes, taught primarily by full-time faculty, and the availability of faculty advisors create a supportive and challenging environment for our community of learners.

It is the goal of the faculty that students be educated to think critically and to act responsibly so that they may be prepared to welcome the challenges of the future.

Organization

The college departments are Anthropology, Sociology, and Social Work; Communication; Criminal Justice; Environmental Studies; English; Fine Arts; History; Military Science; Modern Languages and Cultures; Nonprofit Leadership; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; Public Affairs; Sport and Exercise Science; Theology and Religious Studies.

The program divisions are Asian Studies, University Honors, Film Studies, International Studies, Latin American Studies, Law Scholars, Liberal Studies, Prelaw, Premajor Studies, and Women Studies. Each department chair or program director, in collaboration with the faculty, arranges study programs and counsels individual students. All programs are coordinated and supervised by the dean of the college. Students wishing to inquire about programs in detail should consult either the dean or the respective department chair or program director.

Admission Requirements

Students entering the college must satisfy all entrance requirements for the university as outlined in the Admission section in this Catalog. Some departments list further requirements for admission into certain major programs. Concerning these, the respective departmental sections in this Catalog should be consulted.

General Program Requirements

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences must satisfy the core curriculum requirements of the university given in this Catalog. Additionally, the College requires of all students a second five-credit course in history chosen from either HIST 121  or HIST 231 .

All students with a major in the College of Arts and Sciences must also demonstrate competency through the level of 135 in a language other than English. This competency is ordinarily achieved by successful completion of the three-course sequence: 115, 125, and 135. Because these courses are a college requirement, no courses in the sequence may be taken on a pass/fail, correspondence, or audit basis. Placement into other than the beginning course of the sequence is achieved by acceptable performance on the Modern Language Competency Examination. See the Modern Languages and Cultures  for details on the examinations. It is strongly recommended that students fulfill this program requirement in their first year. Students educated to the age of 16 in a language other than English are presumed to have satisfied the goal of this requirement. Beginning summer term 2000, a three-course, 15-quarter credit sequence of American Sign Language at the college level will satisfy this requirement. Courses used to satisfy the College of Arts and Sciences language requirement may not also be used to fulfill major requirements.

A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 must be obtained in courses required by the majors and taken at Seattle University for degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Additional specific requirements are set by the department or program division in which the student’s major is pursued. For these requirements consult the respective sections in this Catalog.

Education Advising

The College of Arts and Sciences does not offer a degree in education. Students seeking such degrees are referred to the Graduate Catalog under “College of Education.” Prospective students and fall-term first year undergraduate students seeking a career in K-12 education are referred to the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities for Teaching degree offered by Matteo Ricci College, a “pre-education” degree akin to pre-law or pre-medicine. Other students in the College of Arts and Sciences who subsequently decide they may wish to teach and therefore seek to shape their programs accordingly are offered advising through the graduate College of Education. Such students are encouraged to attend an information session for the College of Education Masters in Teaching (MIT) program and then make an appointment with John Green, Coordinator of Field Experiences in the College of Education. For these students, those whose goal is to teach high school are usually well advised to major in the field in which they wish to teach; students whose goal is to teach K-8 may find that the flexible structure of a major in liberal studies offers a more broadly suitable preparation. In advising such students, the College of Education stresses the development of strong writing skills and the completion of a menu of courses and service activities, including volunteer or paid experiences in K-12 schools that will help students to present a strong portfolio when applying to a graduate program in teaching.

Premajor Studies Program

The Premajor Studies Program is for freshmen and sophomores who wish to explore academic programs and careers before committing themselves to a major. See the Premajor Studies Program  section for more information.

Subject Majors

In all programs having a specific subject major, the number of required courses and hours varies according to the department or program division. The minimal number required in any subject major is 40 credits; majors in departments having core sequences must consist of 35 credits beyond the core sequence.