Descriptions and Course Lists
Below are brief descriptions and approved course lists for each Area of Inquiry. Note that no double counting of courses across Areas of Inquiry is permitted. In other words, even if a given course is listed under more than one Area of Inquiry (as some are), that course may be counted only once, toward one of the Areas where it appears, but not toward more than one.
Note that Area of Inquiry requirements may only be fulfilled through courses or other experiences (e.g., independent study, AP credits, CLEP tests, etc.) that carry college-level credit. Ordinarily, AOI requirements must be fulfilled by taking a course appearing on the approved course list for that relevant area. With advisor approval, however, students may count appropriate courses falling into one of the following categories toward an AOI requirement: honors courses, independent study courses, special topics courses, and transfer courses. In such cases, the purposes and objectives of the advisor-approved course must substantially coincide with the objectives of the relevant Area of Inquiry.
According to the Undergraduate General Catalog Academic Regulations, each Drake Curriculum AOI course must be taken for a grade (rather than Credit/No Credit).
Links to AOI descriptions and approved course lists:
- Artistic Experience
- Critical Thinking
- The Engaged Citizen
- Historical Foundations (2 courses)
- Information Literacy
- Global and Cultural Understanding
- Scientific Literacy (2 courses)
- Quantitative Literacy
- Values and Ethics
- Written Communication
Drake students will learn to interpret and/or create art. Art constructs an essential and ongoing dialogue among individuals, cultures, and societies. Art—whether it takes visual, musical, or theatrical form—grows out of sustained intellectual inquiry. Drake students will recognize that art provides distinctive ways to engage the world and create expressions of the human condition. Courses that fulfill this AOI will engage students to achieve at least two of these student learning outcomes. Students will be able to:
- Identify the characteristics of different artistic styles - visual, musical, or theatrical - and the factors that contributed to their establishment.
- Articulate the role played by an art form - visual, musical, or theatrical - in the development of culture(s) or as a distinctive expression of human identity and creativity.
- Articulate an analytical and reasoned understanding of a specific visual, musical, or theatrical art form and communicate this understanding in an appropriate form, whether oral or written or through the artistic medium itself.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of the visual, musical, or theatrical arts through the application of or engagement with an art form.
| Approved Course List: | ||
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ART 013 Design |
PHIL 138 Philosophy of Art SCSR 134 Suburbia in Contemporary American Film THEA 005 Readings in Theatre THEA 018 Beginning Modern Dance THEA 030/030L Stagecraft I (Fall 2006 to present) THEA 032 Stage Makeup THEA 074 Contemporary Film THEA 076 Intro to Theatre THEA 114 Classic American Film THEA 120 Theatre History to 1600 THEA 121 Theatre History II THEA 123 American Musical Theatre AP - Art AP - Music Lit AP - Humanities and Fine Arts Subtest The Artistic Experience area can also be fulfilled by combining any three of the following one credit courses: MUS 145, 148, 149, 150, 169-182, 185-191, 194, 196, 197, 198 Note: Courses previously designated FA 18, 74, 76, 78, 80 and 81 have changed to Thea 018, Art 074, Thea 076, Mus 078, Mus 080 and Mus 081. |
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The Drake Curriculum makes an intentional effort to help students acquire the skills for rational analysis and argumentation. Critical Thinking should be purposeful, rigorous, self-reflective, and based on a careful consideration of evidence. Students learn to:
- Clearly define a question or problem.
- Gather information that is relevant to that problem.
- Rigorously identify assumptions and preconceptions, including their own, that influence analysis of that problem.
| Approved Course List: | ||
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ACCT 041 Intro. Accounting I |
PHIL 124 Health and Social Justice PHIL 137 Rights and Responsibilities PHIL 138 Philosophy of Art POLS 135/HONR 075: Islam in the 21st Century POLS 180 Ancient & Modern Political Theory POLS 181 Modern Political Theory PSY 010 Research Methods PSY 015 Statistical & Research Methods PSY 024/BIO 025 Animal Behavior PSY 030 Social Psychology SCSA 156 Ethnographic Methods (previously Anthropology 156) SCSR 073 Public Speaking (previously Rhetoric 073) SCSR 128 Public Deliberation (previously Rhetoric 128) SCSS 133 Sociological Theory SCSS 135 Technoscience Culture and Practice SCS 151 Science, Cyborgs, & Monsters: Thinking Knowledge Projects for the New Millennium SCSS 158 Social Science Statistics (previously Sociology 158) SCSS 159 Methods of Social Research (previously Sociology 159) SCSS 196/SCS 196/PSY 194 The "Middle Kingdom" in a Global World: Considering Family, Self, and Nation in a Changing China STAT 060 Statistics for Pharmacy STAT 072 Statistics II |
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Drake students will learn to participate effectively in democratic processes.
Democracy relies upon the participation of an engaged, knowledgeable and responsible citizenry. As preparation for active participation in public debate, Drake students learn to evaluate the mix of diverse values and interests that influence democratic decision-making. In a sophomore level course, students have the opportunity to bring diverse disciplines to bear in further developing the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that will lead them to be active stewards working for the common good of local, national and global communities.
This requirement will be fulfilled through coursework that challenges students to critically reflect upon the social, economic or political institutions and issues that shape the choices they will face as citizens. Instructors will provide students with opportunities to model democratic practices or public engagement through participatory activities organized in the classroom and/or community.
Courses that achieve this AOI will engage students to achieve at least two of the following four outcomes:
- Learn to evaluate the mix of diverse values and interests that influence democratic decision-making.
- Establish skills, knowledge, or dispositions that lead them to be active stewards for the common good.
- Critically reflect on the social, economic, or political issues that they will face as citizens.
- Learn democratic practices or public engagement through participatory activities organized in the classroom and/or in the community.
| In order to take an Engaged Citizen AOI course, students must have 30 or more credit hours (sophomore standing).
Approved Course List: |
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BIO 108 Emerging Infectious Diseases |
POLS 119/LPS 135From Cradle to College, Breastmilk to Beer: The Law, Politics, and Social Responsibility POLS 120 Public Health in Botswana (a Summer Travel Course) POLS 121 The United Nations and Global Security POLS 124 Revisiting the Vietnam War POLS 125 Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Justice POLS 126 Grassroots Globalism POLS 127 Global Public Health and World Politics POLS 128 Nationalism and Politics in Eastern Europe POLS 129 Transitions to Democracy POLS 133 The Middle East Through Films POLS 134/HIST 146/HON 069 History, Politics, and Society of Modern Egypt POLS 151 The American Presidency POLS 152 Congress and the Legislative Process POLS 153 Judicial Politics POLS 155 American Public Policy POLS 156 Environmental Politics and Policy POLS 157 Crime Politics and Policy in the US POLS 160 Modern European Political Systems POLS 162 Contemporary Asian Politics POLS 163 The Government and Politics of Japan POLS 164 Government & Politics in Latin America POLS 165 Government & Politics of Developing Nations POLS 166 Comparative Political Parties and Interest Groups POLS 167 Supreme Courts and Elections POLS 168 Politics and Parliaments POLS 169 Comparative Law and Courts POLS 170 International Law POLS 171 Political Integration of Europe POLS 173 Human Rights and World Politics POLS 176 Gender and World Politics POLS 179 American Foreign Policy POLS 185 American Political Theory POLS 186 Politics and Religion POLS 189 Topics in Political Theory POLS 190 Seminar in Constitutional Law PSY 134 Ethnopolitical Conflict and Peacemaking REL 120 Black Christianity and Prophetic Politics SCS 076 Making Families Public SCSR 134 Argument Culture SCSR 142 Rhetoric and Politics SCSS 071/ENSP 071: Environmental Movements SCSS 074 Debating Marriage in the Contemporary United States SCSS 077 Art of the Interview SCSS 080 Social Problems SCSS 145 Food and Society SCSS 160: Jobs, Organizations and Inequality SCSS 175 Social Stratification STAT 198 Using Statistics to Shape Health Policy WLC150: Learning about Immigrants WS 075/ENG 75/SCSS 75 Introduction to Women's Studies |
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Historical Foundations: Drake Students will gain greater understanding of the historical foundations of the modern world and the interconnections of global cultures. Two courses are required in this area of inquiry. Students will use historical analyses to study the interplay of multiple forces of change over time. Courses that count for this AOI will engage students to achieve at least two of these student learning outcomes. Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the interplay of the fundamental historical forces (political, social, economic, cultural, scientific, and/or technological) that have shaped the contemporary world.
- Describe the historical processes that have contributed significantly to global change.
- Articulate an understanding of the histories of societies and cultures necessary to participate in an analysis of critical civic and global issues.
- Demonstrate critical reasoning skills necessary to analyze the lived realities of power and wealth differentials between industrialized and developing areas of the world.
- Reflect upon the nature of history itself as a product influenced by a nexus of forces, interests, and understandings, and on their own place within that historical context.
| Approved Course List: | |
| ACTS 198/MATH195 Risky Business ART 075 Survey of Art History I ART 076 Survey of Art History II ART 103 Art of India, China and Japan ART 104 Christian Art ART 105 Italian Renaissance ART 106 17th and 18th Century Art ART 107 19th Century Art ART 108 American Art History ART 109 Modern Art History ART 110 Art Since 1945 ART 112 Selected Topics ART 112 Museums ART 118 American Landscapes COUN145/245: Counseling Diverse Populations EDUC 199 Cyprus: Centuries of Globalization EDUC 199/MSLD 252 Global and Team Leadership ENG 063 American Writing Since 1960 ENG 104 History of the English Language ENG 124 Emergence of Mass Culture ENG 124: Salem Witch Trial and Questions of Evidence ENG 140 Twentieth Century British Literature ENG 147 The Industrial Revolution of British Literature ENG 152 American Literature to 1900 ENG 155 20th Century American Literature ENG 166 Literature of War HIST 001 Passages to the Modern World, 1500-1750 HIST 002 Passages to the Modern World, 1750 to Present HIST 021 East Asian History to 1600 HIST 022 East Asian History since 1600 HIST 041 Ancient Greece HIST 042 Ancient Rome HIST 060 Africa in World History HIST 061 The Rise and Demise of Colonialism in Africa HIST 075 US History to 1877 HIST 076 US History 1877 to Present HIST 099/WS 130 Women in European History HIST 112 Civil War and Reconstruction HIST 113 America as a World Power HIST 114 The US from 1933 to Present HIST 115 From Contact to Removal: American Indian History, 1492-1840 HIST 123 Modern Mexico |
HIST 124 Aztecs, Incas and Mayas HIST 125 Colonial Latin America HIST 126 Modern Latin America HIST 127 Modern China HIST 128 Revolutions in 20th Century Asia HIST 133 Nineteenth Century Europe HIST 134 Contemporary Europe HIST 135 History of the Soviet Union HIST 136 The Old Regime and the French Revolution HIST 137 France since 1799 HIST 138 History of the Soviet Union HIST 151 Culture and History: American from the Depression to the McCarthy Era HIST 152 European Enlightenment HIST 153 Chinese Communist Revolution HIST 155 Introduction to Marxism HIST 157 Sex and Power in Peasant Societies HIST 159 American Women's History to 1850 HIST 161 Africa, Africans and Atlantic Slavery HIST 166 The Women Intellectual in the West HIST 169 The US and the Origins of the Cold War HIST 175 Slavery and Emancipation HIST 176 Nationalism in Modern European History INTD 085 Developing Democracy MATH 157 History of Mathematics MILS 005 American Military History MUS 085 Music History I MUS 112 Music History II POLS 134/HIST 146/HONR 069: History, Politics, and Society of Modern Egypt POLS 135 Islam in the 21st Century PSY 151 History and Systems of Psychology REL 053 Life and Teachings of Jesus SCSR 110 History of American Public Address (previously Rhetoric 110) SCSR 150 Plato and Aristotle (previously Rhetoric 150) SCSS 130 Contemporary Chinese Society (previously Sociology 130) SCAA 157 Historical Research Methods THEA 120 Theatre History I THEA 121 Theatre History II THEA 123 American Musical Theatre AP - American History AP - European History IB - American History Higher Level IB - American History Subsidiary IB - European History Higher Level IB - European History Subsidiary |
Information Literacy: Drake students will learn to acquire, analyze, interpret, and integrate information, employing appropriate technology to assist with these processes, and to understand the social and ethical implications of information use and misuse. Drake students will use appropriate sources, including library and internet resources, to process and evaluate information. Students will gain an understanding of the social and ethical issues encountered in a networked world, an ability to assess the quality of information, and learn appropriate ways to reference information sources. Students will be able to:
- Navigate and integrate scholarly resources into their research and reflection.
- Articulate the social and ethical implications of information use and misuse.
- Evaluate information resources and identify quality resources relevant to the problem or issue investigated.
- Select and employ the appropriate method and data for disciplinary research, problem-based learning, experiential-based research, and/or reflective/integrative coursework.
- Articulate the basic implications of information use and misuse related to issues of academic honesty and plagiarism and pursue their educational goals with a high level of academic integrity.
| Approved Course List: |
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CS 010 Preview of Computer Science |
Global and Cultural Understanding
Through understanding the interaction of knowledge, awareness, and cultural responsibility, Drake students will pursue the ideal wherein all persons have value and a voice. They will learn to examine aspects of society in relation to nationality, race, ethnicity gender or culture, including the interactive nature of relations among people who differ according to these categories. Courses that fulfill this AOI will engage students to achieve at least two of these learning outcomes. Students will be able to:
- Interpret intercultural issues from the perspectives both of the self and of others and demonstrate an understanding of the complexity of cultural issues.
- Explore the elements that create diversity and explain their impact on the development of a culture or interaction between cultures.
- Identify and analyze how institutions adjust in response to struggles among members of diverse societies and how they address their needs.
- Reflect on the skills and knowledge, and collective efforts necessary to help foster inter-cultural communication, respect, and understanding.
| Approved Course List: | ||
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ARAB 002 Beginning Arabic II (effective Spring 2011) |
PHIL/REL 121: Comparative Religion POLS 065 Comparative Politics POLS 075 World Politics POLS 120 Globalization POLS 120 Public Health in Botswana (a Summer Travel Course) POLS 121 The United Nations and Global Society POLS 128 Nationalism/Politics Eastern Europe POLS 129 Transitions to Democracy POLS 133 The Middle East Through Films POLS 134/HIST 146/HONR 069: History, Politics, and Society of Modern Egypt POLS 135/HONR 075: Islam in the 21st Century POLS 160 Modern European Political Systems POLS 164 Government and Politics in Latin America POLS 165 Government and Politics of Developing Nations POLS 168 Politics and Parliaments POLS 171 European Integration PSY 134 Ethnopolitical Conflict and Peacemaking PSY 194/SCSS 196/SCS 196 The "Middle Kingdom" in a Global World: Considering Family, Self, and Nation in a Changing China REL 005 Introduction to Buddhism REL 118 Race, Religion and Civic Culture REL 130 The Global Bible RUSS 002 Beginning Russian II (effective Spring 2011) RUSS 052 Intermediate Russian II (effective Spring 2011) SCSA 002 Intro to Cultural Anthropology (previously Anthropology 002) SCSA 093 Representing Cultural Difference (previously Anthropology 093) SCSA 101/WS 175 Feminist Anthropology (previously Anthropology 101) SCSA 117 Native America (previously Anthropology 117) SCSA 196: Social Life and Social Space in Spain SCSG 002 Human Geography (previously Geography 002) SCSG 003 World Regional Geography (previously Geography 003) SCSG 122 Cultural Geography (previously Geography 122) SCSG 132 Europe (previously Geography 132) SCSG 134 Africa (previously Geography 134) SCSG 135 Asia (previously Geography 135) SCSG 176 South Asia (previously Geography 176) SCSR 114 Rhetoric of Race (previously Rhetoric 114) SCSS 020 Introduction to Race and Ethnicity SCSS 072 Global Social Change SCSS 130 Contemporary Chinese Society (previously Sociology 130) SCSS 138 Global Reproductive Politics SCSS 161 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (previously Sociology 161) SCSS 167 Sociology of the African-American Experience (previously Soc 167) SCSS 173 Global Citizenship SCSS 196/SCS 196/PSY 194 The "Middle Kingdom" in a Global World: Considering Family, Self, and Nation in a Changing China SPAN 002 Beginning Spanish II (effective Spring 2011) SPAN 052 Intermediate Spanish II (effective Spring 2011) SPAN 151 National Identity in a Transnational Age SPAN 152 Spanish Film SPAN 160 Spanish Language and Literature WLC 148 Intercultural Communication (formerly DILS 148) WLC150: Learning about Immigrants WS 001/ENG 075/SCSS 075 Intro to Women's Studies AP - French Lit AP - German Lit AP - Spanish Lit IB - European History Higher Level IB - European History Subsidiary IB - Geography Higher Level IB - Geography Subsidiary |
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Scientific Literacy: Scientific literacy is crucial for understanding the issues that affect the future for all people, locally, nationally, and globally. Drake students will gain a basic understanding of content, methods, and contributions of science through courses rooted in the content of the life/behavioral and physical sciences. Through significant exposure to experiment and theory, students will be able to meaningfully interpret and evaluate scientific information for personal and professional applications as engaged citizens. All courses that fulfill this AOI will engage students to achieve basic scientific literacy; individual courses will pursue the additional outcomes as appropriate to their disciplinary or interdisciplinary focus. Drake students will complete two courses in this area of inquiry, including one in the life/behavioral sciences and one in the physical sciences. At least one course taken for this AOI will include a laboratory or field experience. Students will be able to:
- Apply the methods of science for the generation, collection, assessment, and interpretation of scientific date and/or phenomena.
- Use scientific methods and ways of thinking to solve problems.
- Describe scientific theories on cognitive and behavioral, intellectual, or physical development.
- Articulate the interrelationship of the development of human societies with the natural world around them.
- Articulate the relevance of science to the global community in order to serve as active stewards for the natural environment.
* Special rules for courses with SMCE prefix: SMCE courses integrate physical science, life science and math. The first SMCE course may be counted toward physical science or life science, but not both. A student taking two SMCE courses will be considered to have fulfilled the physical science, life science AND quantitative requirements. SMCE courses may be taken in any order.
| Approved Course List: | ||
| Physical Science | Life/Behavioral Science | |
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ASTR 001 Descriptive Astronomy (w/optional lab) |
BIO 001/001L Biological Sciences w/lab BIO 012/012L General and Pre-Professional Biology w/lab BIO 013/013L General and Pre-Professional Biology II w/lab BIO 019/BIO 019L Intro to Botany w/lab BIO 092 Ethnobotony w/ lab CHEM 006/007 Chemistry for the Informed Citizen w/lab CHEM 97/98 Organic Chemistry I w/lab CHEM 108/110 Organic Chemistry II w/lab COUN 160 Medical & Psychological Aspects of Disability ENSP 035/036 One Earth: Global Environmental Science w/lab ENSP 055 Tropical Ecology PSY 001 Intro to Psychology SMCE 001 Science and Math for Civic Engagement: Nutrition* SMCE 002 Science and Math for Civic Engagement: The Iowa Environment* AP - Biology AP - Psychology IB - Biology Higher Level IB - Biology Subsidiary CLEP - Biology General |
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Drake students will learn to reason with the symbols and components of mathematical languages as well as effectively use the principles that underlie these operations. Courses that satisfy this requirement will have mathematical reasoning as their principal focus. They may also address questions that engage learners with the world around them and help them to analyze quantitative claims that arise from the study of civic, political, scientific, or social issues. Quantitative literacy courses may be focused on the mathematical needs of a specific discipline or on a specific interdisciplinary issue or problem. These courses will engage students to achieve these student learning outcomes. Students will be able to:
- Analyze and present solutions to problems using symbols and components from mathematical languages and their underlying principles.
- Identify and execute appropriate mathematical operations for a given question.
- Evaluate claims based upon mathematical arguments.
| Approved Course List: |
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BIO 099 Biological Research & Statistical Methods |
Values & Ethics: Drake students will learn to recognize ethical issues and to reflect critically upon the demands of conscience. They will develop as reflective practitioners with an understanding of the larger goals of stewardship inherent in their professional endeavors, and have a sense of obligation that extends to beyond the self. They will develop an understanding of the skills and knowledge necessary to anticipate the consequences of actions as well as an understanding of the dispositions necessary to develop a commitment to ethical conduct. Students will develop the basic tools required to question themselves and others in a responsible manner and to evaluate the ethical implications of both collective and personal choices.
Courses that fulfill this AOI will meet at least two of these student learning outcomes. Students will be able to:
- Recognize and reflect critically on ethical issues.
- Identify values that underlie human activities.
- Articulate ethical issues that arise in their professional or civic life.
- Articulate relevant ethical issues and apply them in developing solutions for critical problems and questions.
- Articulate a reasoned vision of their own values or core beliefs.
| Approved Course List: | ||
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BIO 021/PHY 025/PSY 095 Science, Ethics |
PHIL 090 Ethics PHIL 091 Contemporary Ethical Problems PHIL 117 Bio-Medical Ethics PHIL 118 Feminist Ethics PHIL 137 Rights and Responsibilities POLS 079 Ethics in a Globalizing World POLS 125 Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Justice POLS 173 Human Rights & World PSY 145 Applied and Professional Ethics in Psychology (previously PSY 195) REL 140 Ecological Ethics REL 151: Confucianism and Human Rights SCSR 112 Rhetoric of War (previously Rhet 112) SCSS 071:/ENSP 071: Environmental Movements SCSS 100 Doing Morality (previously Soc 100) SCSS 170 Deviance (previously Soc 170) SCSS 174 Being and Power: Feminist Theories of Subjectivity (previously Soc 174) |
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Drake students will learn to read with discrimination and understanding and to write persuasively.
Drake students will learn to shape their writing according to subject, purpose, medium, context and intended audience.
This area of inquiry may be satisfied by a single course, provided that writing is a significant component of the course, significant attention is directed towards the teaching of writing, and a significant portion of the student's grade focuses on the quality of writing, independent of the subject matter.
| Approved Course List: | ||
| BUS 098 Professional Communications ENG 042 Approaches to American Literature ENG 044 Approaches to British Literature ENG 056 The Classic Then and Now ENG 058 Reading Shakespeare ENG 060 Literary Study ENG 061 Writing Seminar ENG 086 Reading & Writing Sexuality ENG 088 Reading and Writing about Class ENG 090 Reading & Writing Drama ENG 091 Reading & Writing Poetry ENG 092 Reading & Writing the Short Story ENG 093 Reading & Writing Non-Fiction ENG 094 Business & Admin. Communication ENG 095 Writing Reports and Proposals ENG 109 Prose Stylistics ENG 111 Reading & Writing the Personal Essay ENG 112 Reading & Writing Autobiography ENG 116 Topics in Creative Writing |
JMC 054 Reporting & Writing Principles |
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