The Core Curriculum is required of all students. All students admitted as a first-year student must fulfill the Foundation and Methods of Inquiry areas of the core. Transfer students with an A.A., A.A.T. or A.S. degree from an accredited institution in the State of Maryland are exempt from the Foundation and Methods of Inquiry areas of the Core with the exception of the Global Perspectives requirement which may be fulfilled with appropriate transfer courses. Students without the associate degrees mentioned, but transferring with at least 56 credits, and transfer students pursuing the B.S. in Computer Science or B.S. in Computational Science should refer to the core requirements information listed at the end of this section. Students pursuing the B.S. in Nursing, admitted with the A.S. are exempt from the Foundations and Methods of Inquiry areas, but must complete the Global Perspectives area of the Core.
The purpose of the Core Curriculum is to provide students with the basic skills needed to pursue a liberal arts education, to expose them to a variety of modes of inquiry in different disciplines, and to promote critical reflection about global perspectives.
Foundation (19-22 credits)
The Foundation section of the core presents the fundamental skills necessary to pursue a liberal arts education. Upon satisfactory completion of this requirement, students will be able to write with clarity in English; solve basic mathematical problems and demonstrate some ability to interpret and present numerical data; realize the relationship between physical activity and wellness, and be able to design at least one physical activity program for improving wellness; function successfully using the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) of a foreign language and develop awareness of a foreign culture.
First Year Seminar (3 credits)
The ability to communicate well on a college level is crucial to success at Hood. With that in mind, the First-Year Seminar program offers students an opportunity to sharpen academic reading and writing skills in small classroom settings. All first-year seminars are reading and writing intensive and will help students refine their abilities in these areas as well as in critical thinking, information literacy and class discussion.
Each seminar is limited to 15 students, which will allow class members to work closely with their professor and peers. The seminar topics have broad appeal while reflecting the varied interests and expertise of the faculty who teach them.
All incoming first-year students are required to take a first-year seminar course during their first fall semester at Hood as a Core requirement.
Students admitted to Hood prior to Fall 2015 are exempt from the First Year Seminar core requirement.
Students who withdraw or receive an F in a first-year seminar during the fall semester must take the first year seminar offered by the Center of Academic Achievement and Retention (CAAR) in the spring in order to satisfy the Core requirement. Students who fail or withdraw a second time will repeat the CAAR course again each spring until they pass the course.
English Composition (3-4 credits):
A grade of C- or above is required to fulfill the Composition requirement.
Quantitative Literacy (3-4 credits)
(QL) is a habit of mind. It involves using elementary mathematical tools to interpret and manipulate quantitative data arising in a variety of contexts. It is marked by computational fluency, and by competence and comfort in working with numerical data. Those who are quantitatively literate can create arguments supported by data and can communicate those arguments in many ways – using tables, graphs, mathematical expressions, and words.
A course that satisfies the QL section of the Core Curriculum should have as its main focus the use of mathematics to solve real-world problems. In those courses, using data and appropriate technology, students will collaborate to solve multi-step problems and effectively communicate their reasoning to others
Foreign Language (8 credits):
Completion of an elementary (101 and 102) Arabic, French, German or Spanish course sequence or exemption through a placement test. Students are exempt from the Foreign Language Core requirement if placed by exam, but choose not to enroll, in a 201 or above foreign language course. No credit is earned.
Note: American Sign Language will not satisfy this requirement.
International students for whom English is a foreign language may meet the requirement by placing into 100-level English. If, however, English is the official language of the country, a foreign language is required.
Health and Wellness (2-3 credits):
The physical education core requirement may be completed in one of two ways:
Complete two credits of activity courses:
or complete one 3-credit course from the following:
| PE 225 | Health Maintenance: Stress Assessment and Control | 3.0 |
| PE 227 | Women's Health Issues | 3.0 |
| PE 228 | Life Wellness and Health | 3.0 |
| PE 250 | Introduction to Exercise Physiology | 3.0 |
Athletes who participate in intercollegiate sports may be exempted from all or part of the 2-credit physical education activity option. A 1/2 credit of exemption will be granted for each season of participation. No credit is earned for these exemptions.
Students who participate in the United States Army Reserve Officers Training Program (ROTC) may be exempted from all or part of the 2-credit physical education activity option. A ½ credit of exemption will be granted for completing each of the following courses: MSCI 101, MSCI 102, MSCI 201, MSCI 202.
Methods of Inquiry (25-28 credits)
There are seven areas within Methods of Inquiry. These include: Literary Analysis, Visual and Performing Arts, Scientific Thought, Historical Analysis, Social and Behavioral Analysis, Philosophical Inquiry and Global Perspectives.
Courses designated as GP fulfill both Global Perspectives and the Methods of Inquiry area under which they are listed.
The seven Methods of Inquiry categories are:
Global Perspectives (3 credits)
Students will take one 3 or 4 credit course designated as GP and these courses may fulfill other core or major requirements.
Courses that fulfill the Global Perspectives portion of the core promote critical reflection about global perspectives in one of the following ways:
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critically examining a work, discourse or institution of global significance in its historical context and suggesting ways it has influenced world cultures, ideas or issues or
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describing the cultural, ideological or institutional structures that transcend two or more national, cultural or continental boundaries and critically considering how two or more different communities divergently experience the world shaped by such global structures.
- Study abroad for at least one full semester would fulfill this requirement.
Students admitted to Hood prior to Fall 2014 are exempt from the Global Perspectives core requirement.
Historical Analysis (3 credits)
Historical Analysis courses introduce students to an analysis of human affairs that goes beyond the mere narration of historical facts by acquainting students with the methods historians use to describe, explain and reconstruct the past. Upon satisfactory completion of this requirement, students will be able to make use of historical information found in primary source materials; place significant works in their proper historical and cultural context; assess the complex relationship between historical events and the human condition; and chronologically order and explain the significance of major events and the development of key social and political institutions for at least one period of history.
| AFHS 257 | The African American Experience | 3.0 |
| AFPS 301 | African-American Political Autobiography | 3.0 |
| CMA 204 | Media History | 3.0 |
| HIST 202 | Medieval Europe | 3.0 |
| HIST 217 | History of the United States to 1877 | 3.0 |
| HIST 218 | History of the United States since 1877 | 3.0 |
| HIST 264 | Ancient and Medieval World to 1200 | 3.0 |
| HIST 265 | Medieval and Early Modern World, 1200-1800 | 3.0 |
| HIST 266 | The Modern World, 1750 to Present | 3.0 |
| HIST 268 | Latin America | 3.0 |
| HIST 269 | Women in America | 3.0 |
Meets Global Perspectives Requirement:
| HIST 264 | Ancient and Medieval World to 1200 | 3.0 |
| HIST 265 | Medieval and Early Modern World, 1200-1800 | 3.0 |
| HIST 266 | The Modern World, 1750 to Present | 3.0 |
| HIST 268 | Latin America | 3.0 |
Literary Analysis (3 credits)
Upon satisfactory completion of the Literary Analysis requirement, students will be able to read with perception the literature they have studied; analyze significant aspects of this literature; and intelligently discuss relationships between the literature and human experience.
| ENGL 221 | World Literature | 3.0 |
| ENTH 229 | History of Drama Theatre I | 3.0 |
| ENTH 230 | History of Drama and Theatre II | 3.0 |
| ENGL 232 | (Re)Writing the Popular | 3.0 |
| ENGL 250-269 | Thematic Studies | 3.0 |
| AFEN 265 | Thematic Studies: African American Voices before the 20th Century | 3.0 |
| AFEN 266 | Thematic Studies: The Harlem Renaissance and Beyond: 20th Century African-American Literature | 3.0 |
| ENGL 270-289 | Genre Studies | 3.0 |
| FREN 207 | Cultural Perspectives on Fren Literature I | 3.0 |
| FREN 208 | Cultural Perspectives on French Literature II | 3.0 |
| GER 207 | Cultural Perspectives on German Literature I | 3.0 |
| GER 208 | Cultural Perspectives on German Literature II | 3.0 |
| SPAN 207 | Cultural Perspectives on Spanish Literature I | 3.0 |
| SPAN 208 | Cultural Perspectives on Spanish Literature II | 3.0 |
Meets Global Perspectives Requirement:
| FREN 207 | Cultural Perspectives on Fren Literature I | 3.0 |
| SPAN 207 | Cultural Perspectives on Spanish Literature I | 3.0 |
Philosophical Inquiry (3 credits)
Philosophical Inquiry courses teach students to think in a disciplined and reasoned way about questions of reality, meaning and value by approaching such questions either theoretically or through examples that may be drawn from different disciplines or cultures. Upon satisfactory completion of this requirement, students will be able to analyze, in a preliminary way, questions about reality, meaning or value; discuss some of the traditional views on such questions; and develop criteria to arbitrate differences between conflicting normative claims about thought or behavior.
Scientific Thought (7-8 credits)
Scientific Thought courses promote the student’s understanding and appreciation of science, the scientific approach to problem solving, and the importance of science in our society. Students are required to take two courses in this category, at least one of which must be a natural science lab course. Thus, students may take one lab science and one non-lab science course, or they may take two lab science courses to fulfill this requirement.
This core requirement may be fulfilled in one of two ways:
Non-laboratory Courses (3 credits):
Non-Lab courses cover basic content in the natural sciences, computer science, or mathematics, without including a laboratory component. In addition to introducing students to the methods and content of the discipline, courses will include a substantial (>25%) focus on the impact of the material on society, including current political, moral, environmental, technological and/or ethical issues raised. Upon satisfactory completion of this requirement, students will be able to understand, from a nonprofessional perspective, the scientific concepts, laws, and principles that affect current societal issues and assess the impact of scientific or technological matters on society and the environment.
Laboratory Courses (4 credits):
Lab courses introduce students to the scientific method of understanding the natural world. These courses include a hands-on laboratory experience where students use scientific tools and techniques to measure and analyze the systems under study. These courses include an introduction to how scientific information is reported.
Social and Behavioral Analysis (3 credits)
Social and Behavioral Analysis courses introduce the study of human behavior and/or the structures of society by acquainting students with the methods used for solving problems in the social or behavioral sciences. Upon satisfactory completion of this requirement, students will be able to identify the essential features of society and culture or the major factors of human behavior, either in general or as they apply to particular social, political or economic issues; analyze the structures or functions of some major social institution or the effect of social structures on human attitudes and behavior; and identify the methods used to address questions related to structures of society and/or human behavior.
| AFAM 251 | The African Diaspora | 3.0 |
| ANTH 201 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3.0 |
| CMA 200 | Mass Media and Society | 3.0 |
| CMA 209 | Mass Media and Revolution | 3.0 |
| CMA 222 | The Art of Skepticism | 3.0 |
| ECON 205 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3.0 |
| LWPS 230 | Introduction to Law | 3.0 |
| MGMT 205 | Principles of Management: Introduction to Organizations | 3.0 |
| PSCI 202 | Women & Politics | 3.0 |
| PSCI 203 | Introduction to U.S. Politics | 3.0 |
| PSCI 210 | Comparative Politics | 3.0 |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3.0 |
| PSY 103 | Psychomythology: Psychology, Media, Science, and Psuedoscience | 3.0 |
| SOC 101 | Principles of Sociology | 3.0 |
| SOC 215 | Social Problems | 3.0 |
| SWAG 200 | Introduction to Studies in Women's and Gender | 3.0 |
Meets Global Perspectives Requirement:
Visual and Performing Arts (3-4 credits)
The arts engage both the mind and senses, and are formative to human society and communication. Visual and Performing Arts courses allow students to explore the creation of art from a variety of perspectives. Courses focusing on the practice of the visual and performing arts, or on the history and analysis of these arts, satisfy this requirement.
Meets Global Perspectives Requirement: