Elements of the CORE Program
CORE Distributive Studies
Distributive Studies courses provide breadth and help you make,
or confirm, your choice of major by sampling a variety of subjects. You will
take three courses in each of three areas: Humanities and the Arts; Sciences
and Mathematics; Social Sciences and History. You will also have the option
to take one course in Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues, a new and optional
category effective beginning Fall 2005. As you learn about different views of
the world, you may discover talents and interests you never knew you had. You
will also begin acquiring the background you need to make the informed decisions
continually required of citizens in a democracy.
Different academic disciplines study the world through different
lenses, and no single lens provides a perfectly clear view of everything. You
will strengthen your own insight and judgment by learning how several different
disciplines focus, and may sometimes distort. The world, with its challenges
and opportunities, is not neatly divided into academic disciplines and majors.
Scientists and engineers need to know about art, people, and society. Artists
and writers need to know about the building blocks of life and the laws of nature.
Please note that there are sub-categories under each CORE Distributive
Studies area that must be completed as specified to satisfy the requirements.
Distributive Studies Requirements:
You must take 9 courses from the following areas for a total
of at least 28 credits. All CORE Distributive Studies courses have at least
3 credits. Lab Science courses generally have 4 credits. Some Distributive Studies
courses have 4 or more credits. Courses must be selected from the approved CORE
lists.
Humanities and the Arts
At least 9 credits, 3 courses
One course must be selected from Literature (HL) and one
from History or Theory of the Arts (HA). The third required course may be
selected from any of the Humanities and the Arts areas (HL, HA, or HO). This
means you may select a Humanities (HO) course, or choose a second course from
Literature (HL) or the History or Theory of the Arts (HA). You are not required
to take a course from the Humanities (HO) list.
Please note that the History or Theory of the Arts (HA) requirement
refers to the History of the Arts or Theory of the Arts, NOT
to History (HIST) courses.
Sciences
and Mathematics
At least 10 credits, 3 courses
Courses must be taken from at least two of the above areas.
Students are not required to take a course in Mathematics and Formal Reasoning
(MS). However, one course from the Mathematics and Formal Reasoning area may
be counted toward the CORE Sciences and Mathematics requirements.
At least one of the Sciences and Mathematics courses
must include or be accompanied by a laboratory taken concurrently.
For most courses, the lecture and laboratory components are listed together
under one course number. However, in a few instances, the lecture and lab
components are offered separately with different course numbers. For these
courses, the lecture and lab must be taken during the same semester in order
to fulfill the CORE Sciences and Mathematics lab science requirement.
The Schedule of Classes notes those courses that must be taken in the same
semester to be counted for CORE. The lecture portion of any of these pairs
will only be counted toward CORE if it is also on one of the CORE non-lab
science lists.
Social
Sciences and History
At least 9 credits, 3 courses
One course must be from the Social or Political History list, while the other
two courses must be from the Social and Behavioral Sciences list.
Interdisciplinary
and Emerging Issues (IE)
0 or 3 credits, 0 or 1 course
New & Optional Category, effective beginning Fall 2005
The IE category features courses that provide an interdisciplinary
examination of issues (theory, questions, methods) across CORE areas, or present
a significant portion of content that does not fit into any of the specific
CORE areas but deals with contemporary issues, emerging disciplines, or other
categories of knowledge, skills, and values that lie outside these areas.
See the CORE website for the list
of IE courses (added as approved). The online Schedule of Classes at http://www.testudo.umd.edu/
ScheduleOfClasses.html will also include IE courses (added as approved).
IMPORTANT NOTES ON THE IE OPTION:
-
IE is an optional CORE distributive studies category;
Students may fulfill CORE requirements without taking an IE course.
-
All students under the CORE requirements (continuing
and incoming) have this new option.
-
Only one IE course may be counted toward fulfilling
CORE Distributive Studies requirements.
-
Whether a student takes an IE course or not, total
CORE Distributive Studies course and credit requirements remain the same:
at least 9 courses and 28 credits.”
REMEMBER: TAKING AN IE COURSE IS OPTIONAL. ONLY
ONE IE COURSE MAY BE COUNTED TOWARD CORE DISTRIBUTINVE STUDIES. IT
MAY BE COUNTED IN ONLY ONE OF THREE WAYS:
| OPTION 1: To count the ONE
IE course in the Humanities and the Arts Category, the student
must select courses from the approved CORE subcategory lists as follows: |
| |
- One Literature (HL) and
- One The History or Theory of the Arts (HA) and
- One Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues (IE)
In option #1, the requirements in the Science
and Mathematics and in the Social Science and History categories
remain unchanged.
|
| OPTION 2: To count the ONE
IE course in the Science and Mathematics Category, the student
must select courses from the approved CORE subcategory lists as follows: |
| |
|
| OPTION 3: To count the ONE
IE course in the Social Sciences and History Category, the student
must select courses from the approved CORE subcategory lists as follows: |
| |
- One Social or Political History (SH) and
- One Behavioral and Social Science (SB) and
- One Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues (IE)
In option #3, the requirements in the Humanities
and Arts and in the Science and Mathematics categories remain
unchanged.
|
| |
