{"id":12,"date":"2012-03-22T20:35:58","date_gmt":"2012-03-22T20:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/codescguidecepcapp\/"},"modified":"2023-06-07T08:34:28","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T13:34:28","slug":"codescguidecepcapp","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/codescguidecepcapp\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ideal Course Description"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection><p><b>Ideal Course Description &#8212; Revised 9\/26\/22<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Course descriptions offer students a brief overview of course content. They summarize course focus and may present central questions.\u00a0 Descriptions should engage readers while reflecting the college\u2019s style and standards. To that end, descriptions must achieve these goals:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summary offers a broad idea of the course focus but does not specify details that may confine course development<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Style speaks to students as the primary audience and reflects the instructor\u2019s or department\u2019s personality and approach to teaching<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sentences are written in present tense and active voice\u00a0 (e.g., \u201cThis seminar emphasizes . . . ,\u201d \u201cStudents read and discuss . . . .\u201d)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pronouns establish a common level of formality with third person plural (e.g., \u201cstudents\u201d and \u201ctheir\u201d) instead of \u201cwe\u201d and \u201cour\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNuts and bolts\u201d define credit grading (P\/N only), prerequisites and\/or recommended precursor courses, additional fees, and, finally, times of year the course is offered<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Titles include name of course, credit information (when other than 1.0 credit), and study abroad or away status (when applicable)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sentences are complete, expressed with engaging style, grammatically accurate, and free of misspellings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Word count: <\/span><b>Course descriptions must be no more than 75 words<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not counting the \u201cnuts and bolts\u201d information at the end.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additional Advice: Avoid specific reading lists or assignments unless a course <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">always<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requires that approach.\u00a0 Being somewhat generic eliminates the need to update a course description every time an instructor changes elements of a course.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following descriptions exemplify the above principles:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ASIAN STUDIES<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>ASIAN 121: <\/b><b>Asian Cultures in Comparative Perspectives<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This course is a broad introduction to the history of East Asia as a region from the end of the nineteenth century to the 1990s. Through three spatial modules &#8212; the Sinophone (Chinese-speaking) World, the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese Archipelago &#8212; students explore the interconnections and divisions between emergent nation-states and empires at a time of rapid social, cultural, and political change. Offered annually. Also counts toward Chinese and Japanese majors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BIOLOGY\/ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>BI\/ES 286: <\/b><b>Tropical Ecology and Sustainable Land Use in Costa Rica (study abroad)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This course offers students the opportunity to study first-hand the most diverse ecosystems on earth. In this intensive field-oriented course students explore lowland rainforest, montane forest, dry forest, and coastal and agricultural ecosystems through projects and field trips. Students read and discuss texts and primary literature specific to ecology, evolution, conservation, and agricultural practices of each area, and keep reflective journals. Offered during Interim in alternate years. Apply through the Smith Center for Global Engagement. <\/span>Prerequisite<b>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one science course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CLASSICS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0CLASS 252:\u00a0 Vergil and Latin Epic<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lord Tennyson called Vergil the \u201cwielder of the stateliest measure ever moulded by the lips of man.\u201d Students encounter that stately measure when they translate selections from Vergil\u2019s three major poems (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). They also engage in spirited discussion of Homer\u2019s influence on Vergil and of Vergil\u2019s influence on the literature, art, and music of Western civilization. Prerequisite: Latin 231 or equivalent. Offered in alternate years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ECONOMICS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>ECON 376: Labor Economics and Employment Relations<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do workers want from work? What do employers want from workers? Pressing policy issues exist for workers competing in the global economy. Unions, unemployment insurance, welfare, and the minimum wage enhance the prospects of many while leaving others even worse off. This course utilizes microeconomic theory, statistics, and institutional analysis to understand labor markets.\u00a0<\/span>Offered annually. Prerequisites: ECON 262 and STAT 263 or STAT 316, or permission of instructor.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>RACE 121: <\/b><b>Introduction to Race and Ethnic Studies<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This course introduces critical concepts and key readings important to the emergence and flourishing of the field of Ethnic Studies. Students learn about racial formation and difference in U.S. and comparative cultural and historical contexts, with attention to how race intersects with class, gender, nation, and sexuality. Assigned readings and other resources acquaint students with interdisciplinary approaches and the role of racial equity and social justice in shaping this academic field. Offered annually. Also counts toward Latin American studies major and Africa and the African Diaspora and Latin American studies concentrations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PHYSICS<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>PHYS 160: <\/b><b>Introduction to Engineering Design<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This course takes a holistic, process approach to design. Student teams identify human-centered needs, define problems, develop and prototype solutions, test, redesign, and present final recommendations. This hands-on course emphasizes the application of scientific principles, analysis, and design to real world problems. Students write throughout the course to develop and share ideas. Offered annually during Interim.\u00a0<\/span>Prerequisites: <a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=MATH%20119\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MATH 119<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=MATH%20120\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MATH 120<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and at least one of the following: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=PHYS%20130\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PHYS 130<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=PHYS%20124\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PHYS 124<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=CHEM%20121\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CHEM 121<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=CHEM%20122\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CHEM 122<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=CHEM%20125\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CHEM 125<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=CH%2FBI%20125\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CH\/BI 125<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=BIO%20150\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BIO 150<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=PSYCH%20125\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PSYCH 125<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=CSCI%20121\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CSCI 121<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or permission of instructor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SPANISH<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>SPAN 232: <\/b><b>Latinx Experiences in the United States<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students explore the diverse cultural histories and identities of Mexican-Americans, Cuban-Americans, and Puerto Ricans (among other Latinx groups) by considering how ethnicity, race, language, gender, and social class manifest themselves in U.S. histories of citizenry, immigration, economy, and education through generations of Latinxs. Class activities foster analysis of historical and autobiographical texts to reflect on how power and privilege intersect and shape students&#8217; own experiences. Attendance at cultural events required. This intermediate II-level Spanish course is offered every semester and during Interim. Does not count toward Spanish major.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Prerequisite: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.stolaf.edu\/search\/?P=SPAN%20231\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SPAN 231<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or placement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- begin-migrated-from-panel-builder --><!-- end-migrated-from-panel-builder --><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ideal Course Description &#8212; Revised 9\/26\/22 Course descriptions offer students a brief overview of course content. They summarize course focus and may present central questions.\u00a0 Descriptions should engage readers while [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14810,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions\/14810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/registrar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}