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2023-2024 Hill Book (Class of 2027) [ARCHIVED HILL BOOK]
Cornerstone Program of General Education
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Program Director:
Mission
The mission of the Cornerstone Program is to lead students to critically examine the self, society, culture, and the natural world. The program honors Stonehill College’s commitment to free inquiry and social responsibility in the tradition of Catholic higher education. Through the development of the knowledge, competencies, and values that are central to the Cornerstone Program, every Stonehill student will be prepared for a life of learning and responsible citizenship.
Expectations for Students
The Cornerstone Program puts students at the center of their own learning by providing a cohesive framework that helps to unify and deepen the variety of experiences that comprise a Stonehill education. Through innovative and inspiring learning experiences (such as First-Year Seminars and sophomore Learning Communities) students connect knowledge of academic content and disciplines with the development of core competencies: intellectual engagement, effective communication, leadership and collaboration, social responsibility, and personal growth and discovery.
Intellectual Engagement
- Acquiring a breadth of knowledge in the liberal arts and sciences
- Demonstrating critical reading abilities
- Demonstrating critical thinking abilities
- Integrating knowledge across disciplines
Effective Communication
- Demonstrating the ability to write clearly and effectively
- Demonstrating the ability to speak and present confidently in public settings
Leadership and Collaboration
- Demonstrating the ability to contribute effectively to the work of a group
- Demonstrating the ability to facilitate the work of a group
- Demonstrating the ability to lead the work of a group
Social Responsibility
- Valuing the diversity of persons and cultures
- Recognizing the inherent dignity of all persons
- Making informed decisions about ethical and social justice issues
- Engaging in civic life and participatory citizenship
Personal Growth and Discovery
- Developing the capacity and desire for lifelong learning
- Exploring and developing one’s values and worldview
- Valuing free inquiry into all issues and questions of significance
Overview of the Cornerstone Program
The Cornerstone Program fosters active learning and personal growth by engaging students in the major modes of understanding the world and helping them to hone essential intellectual skills, including effective communication, analytical thinking, and the ability to deal with unscripted problems. The curriculum features a two-part sequence of writing-intensive courses: a First-Year Seminar and an advanced Writing-in-the-Disciplines course situated in the student’s major. One course in each of four humanities disciplines (History, Literature, Philosophy, and Religious Studies & Theology) is required. One course in each of three scientific/mathematical modes of thought is required: Natural Scientific Inquiry, Social Scientific Inquiry, and Statistical Reasoning. Students also typically complete a year-long sequence in Language, Literature, and Cultures.
In the sophomore year, students enroll in a Learning Community – a distinctive feature of the Cornerstone Program – to study an issue, problem, or theme applying knowledge and skills gained from two disciplines or perspectives. During the junior year, students take one course in Moral Inquiry. These courses are rooted in philosophical or religious ethics or engage significant moral questions from a disciplinary perspective (from history or political science, for example). In the third or fourth year, students fulfill the Catholic Intellectual Traditions Requirement through a wide variety of courses that reflect Stonehill’s Catholic identity and mission. Finally, as seniors, students demonstrate mastery of a discipline or field of study through a relevant Capstone course or experience. Courses that fulfill Cornerstone requirements are ordinarily taken at Stonehill College.
Students who wish to make the case that a course taken elsewhere meets our criteria must provide a rationale along with a detailed course description or syllabus to the Program Director.
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First Year
First-year students take a sequence of foundational humanities courses: Philosophy, Religious Studies and Theology, Literature, and History. In most cases, students complete a year of Language, Literature, and Cultures (a year-long sequence of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish). The Cornerstone Seminars in Philosophy, Religious Studies and Theology, Literature, and History explore an engaging topic or question in a small-class format emphasizing writing, discussion, critical thinking, and academic inquiry. Because effective writing is integral to critical thinking, all Cornerstone Seminars emphasize frequent writing, close examination of texts, rigorous analysis and reasoning, and information literacy.
Second Year
In the second year, students enroll in a Learning Community (LC). LCs at Stonehill feature linked or collaboratively taught classes from different disciplines or perspectives and are designed to foster students’ ability to integrate learning across courses, over time, and between campus and community. Many LCs include short-term travel, community-based learning, or experiential learning. LCs are all about making connections, and these connections are reinforced in reflective work, self-assessment, and creative endeavors of all kinds. Some LCs fulfill other Cornerstone requirements (e.g. Natural Scientific Inquiry, Statistical Reasoning, Moral Inquiry, etc.) as well.
Third Year
In the third year, students take two pivotal courses that raise important questions about values, ethics, faith, and belief: Moral Inquiry and Catholic Intellectual Traditions. The main goal of Moral Inquiry courses is to provide students with the ability to understand the varying or conflicting solutions that, in a global world, have been proposed to fundamental moral and ethical questions. Courses that fulfill the Catholic Intellectual Traditions (CIT) requirement explore, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, enduring questions, both theological and philosophical, that emerged from and shaped Catholicism, from ancient times to the present. Some examples are: What is the meaning of human nature? What is the best human life to live? What is the nature of the universe? In some cases, one course may fulfill both the Moral Inquiry Requirement and the CIT requirement.
Another feature of the third year at Stonehill is the Writing-in-the-Disciplines (WID) requirement. Writing-in-the-Disciplines (WID) courses introduce students to the stylistic and scholarly conventions of particular disciplines and fields. Students fulfill this requirement through advanced writing-intensive courses offered in their majors. These courses build on students’ experiences in First-Year Seminars and provide valuable opportunities to practice the craft of writing in the context of their chosen disciplines or fields of study.
Many Stonehill students choose to Study Abroad in their third year, expanding their horizons in countless ways.
Distributed Requirements
Three Cornerstone requirements may be fulfilled in years one - four: Social Scientific Inquiry, Natural Scientific Inquiry, and Statistical Reasoning. Social Scientific Inquiry courses help students to understand and apply social scientific theories, concepts, research findings and methods, and to identify and comprehend broad societal trends and important events. The primary goal of the Natural Scientific Inquiry courses is to equip students with some basic science-based tools that they can use to make informed decisions about the impact of science and regulatory policies on their lives and communities. The study of Statistical Reasoning allows students to grasp and evaluate quantitative data and to determine whether the results of empirical studies are meaningful enough to warrant changes in individual behaviors, attitudes, and/or beliefs.
Fourth Year
The focus of the student’s fourth year is a broad synthesis, integrating and applying the many parts of a Stonehill education into a cohesive and meaningful whole. Capstone courses and experiences in a student’s major draw together elements from the Cornerstone Program, major and minor courses, electives, co-curricular activities, and community-based learning experiences and frame them within a real-world or disciplinary context. If First-Year Seminars are the gateway into the academic community, Capstone courses and experiences provide a sense of closure. Internships, typically undertaken in the third or fourth year, are another way of applying a Stonehill education and of transitioning into the workplace or advanced study.
The Cornerstone Program Course Listing
All courses that fulfill Cornerstone Program requirements emphasize clear communication, writing, critical thinking, analytical reasoning, contextualization, and information fluency. The emphasis and focus of these courses will differ, as appropriate to specific disciplines, themes, and topics.
Cornerstone Seminars
Writing-focused courses exploring an engaging question or topic designed to help first-year students develop their writing skills as they engage in academic inquiry, close examinations of texts, rigorous analysis and reasoning, and evaluating information. These courses may also fulfill other general education or major requirements.
Philosophy
These courses introduce students to the Western philosophical tradition, the primary objective of which is to lead students to an appreciation of philosophy as a mode of thought that has decisively shaped Western culture through the centuries.
Religious Studies & Theology
These courses are designed to help students develop a critical appreciation of how religious traditions grapple with recurring existential, moral, and social issues (the “big questions” in life) and recognize that religions are systems of ideas, practices, and institutions that affect social, economic, and political dimensions of cultures.
History
These courses provide students with an ability to understand how the past shapes the present while exploring their own beliefs and values. Students are introduced to historical thinking and learn how to read both primary and secondary sources critically and contextually.
- HIS 100/112 - Heretics, Reformers and Radicals: Women & Power in American History (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/115 - The Declaration of Independence in World History (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/116 - Antisemitism, Nazism, and the Holocaust (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/117 - Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/119 - Chuck Berry’s America: The United States from 1955 to 1965 (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/120 - Crosscurrents and Connections: Encounters in the Atlantic World (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/122 - China Rising: The Re-emergence of a Global Superpower (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/124 - History of American Freedom (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/125 - The Ancient Dead: Mummies and Other Ancestors (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/126 - Shamans, Prophets and Saints: Mystics in World History (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/128 - The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/130 - American Family History (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/131 - Medicine, Healthcare and Society in Europe, 1000-1700 (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/133 - Asian American History (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 101/134 - Money and Power in Europe, 1000-1700 (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/135 - Revolutionary History: Hamilton (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 100/136 - Fact or Fiction? Myth, Reality and Conspiracy in America (Core/First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 141 - History and Horror (First-Year Seminar)
- HIS 241 - History and Horror (History Cornerstone)
- HIS 271 - World History I (History Cornerstone)
- HIS 272 - World History II (History Cornerstone)
- HIS 281 - American Nation I (History Cornerstone)
- HIS 282 - American Nation II (History Cornerstone)
- HIS 285 - Women in Early America: 1630-1865 (History Cornerstone)
- VPH 181 - Global Visual Traditions (History Cornerstone)
- VPH 209 - History of Photography (History Cornerstone)
- VPT 110 - Theatre as Mystery, Myth, and History (HIS Core/First-Year Seminar)
- VPT 182 - Realism and Reality: Road to the Modern Stage (History Cornerstone)
Literature
These courses encourage students to approach literature as a historical, cultural and aesthetic objects of inquiry. Students are introduced to a variety of methods of analyzing, interpreting, ad appreciating literary texts within historical and cultural contexts.
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
The study of language is an essential part of the liberal arts at Stonehill, strengthening students’ communication skills, deepening their scholarly ability, preparing them for study abroad, and broadening their cultural horizons.
Two semesters of the same language at the same level within the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures are required to help students develop insight into the nature of language and culture, improve their ability to communicate in a language other than English, and to make connections with other cultures at home and abroad.
Native speakers of a language other than English may satisfy the requirement through two semesters of their native language or through two semesters of another language.
Course offerings and descriptions can be found under the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures .
Catholic Intellectual Traditions
Courses that fulfill the Catholic Intellectual Traditions requirement explore, from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, enduring questions, both theological and philosophical, that emerged from and shaped Catholicism, from ancient times to the present.
- CRM 313 - Faith, Justice & the Criminal Justice System
- ENG 247 - Topics in Catholicism and Literature
- ENG 248 - Catholic Literature and the Modern World
- ENG 349 - Irish Literature: Nationalism, Religion, Mother Ireland
- ENG 351 - The Calamitous 14th Century
- ENG 373 - Gerard Manley Hopkins and his Contexts
- ENV 299 - Ecology, Theologies and Worldviews
- HIS 227 - Renaissance and Revolutions: Early Modern Europe
- HIS 233 - American Catholic Social History (This course is cross-listed with REL 233)
- HIS 263 - Religion in America (This course is cross-listed with REL 262)
- HIS 326 - The Christian Churches in Nazi Germany
- HIS 333 - The American Catholic Experience (This course is cross-listed with REL 333)
- HIS 349 - The Inquisition: Myth and History
- PHY 193 - Science and Belief
- POL 348 - Peace and Conflict Studies
- RST 226 - Women, Slaves & Sin: Paul and the Creation of Christianity
- RST 233 - American Catholic Social History (This course is cross-listed with HIS 233)
- RST 238 - Migrants, Immigrants, Refugees: Justice Issues and Catholic Responses
- RST 248 - Christian Prayer, Liturgy and Sacrament
- RST 249 - Sacraments, Justice, and the Moral Life
- RST 251 - Introduction to the Old Testament
- RST 252 - Introduction to the New Testament
- RST 253 - Models of the Church: Historical Developments
- RST 255 - Religions in the Roman Empire
- RST 256 - Church and Social Justice
- RST 262 - Religion in America (This course is cross-listed with HIS 263)
- RST 264 - African American Biblical Interpretation
- RST 265 - Christian Theology and the Global World
- RST 266 - Race, Class, Gender and Ability in Biblical Texts
- RST 267 - Liberation Theology: Latin American Perspectives
- RST 269 - Jesus in the Islamic Tradition
- RST 300 - The Catholic Tradition: Past and Present
- RST 301 - Islam and the Bible: Jewish and Muslim Morality and Ethics
- RST 302 - Gender, Power, and Ethnicity in the Bible
- RST 303 - The Virgin Mary and Visions of the Feminine in Christianity
- RST 312 - Archaeology and the Bible
- RST 325 - Theology and Community Service
- RST 327 - Vatican II: Revolution or Reform
- RST 329 - Justice, Peace, Ecology
- RST 333 - The American Catholic Experience (This course is cross-listed with HIS 333)
- RST 334 - The Mystery of Evil
- RST 337 - The God Question: Modern Challenges to Faith and Christian Responses
- RST 340 - Jesus and Moral Decisions
- RST 346 - Feast or Famine? The Mass in the Modern Age
- RST 351 - Heretics, Saints & Martyrs
- SPA 353 - Spain’s Multicultural Middle Ages
- VPH 214 - The Age of Cathedrals
- VPH 215 - Early Renaissance Art: Italy and the North
- VPM 183 - History of Western Art Music
- VPM 243 - Hear Her Voice! Women Music Makers, Religion and Spirituality
- VPM 244 - Ten Centuries of the Musical Mass
- VPT 324 - Medieval Theatre: Staging the Divine
- WRI 261 - Violence and Peace in God’s Name
Moral Inquiry
Moral Inquiry courses provide students with an opportunity to continue their personal growth and discovery process and to continue to develop the ability to think critically about ethical choices and social issues.
- BUS 334 - Business Ethics: Moral Perspectives and Business Decisions
- CHM 301 - Professional Ethics and Safety in Chemistry and Biochemistry
- CRM 353 - Ethics, Values, and Diversity in Criminal Justice
- CRM 355 - Global Crime
- ENV 270 - Environmental Ethics
- FRN 343 - Francophone Globalization Studies
- HIS 355 - The Holocaust
- HIS 233 - American Catholic Social History (This course is cross-listed with REL 233)
- HIS 326 - The Christian Churches in Nazi Germany
- HIS 335 - Abolitionist and Proslavery Thought
- HIS 347 - Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany
- IND 205 - Memory and Violence in Ireland
- IND 314 - Information Ethics for the 21st Century
- PHL 220 - Topics in Ethics
- PHL 221 - Ethics and the Good Life
- PHL 222 - Freedom and the Just Society
- PHL 224 - Contemporary Moral Issues
- PHL 235 - Biomedical Ethics
- PHL 236 - Ethics and the Arts
- POL 143 - International Politics
- POL 348 - Peace and Conflict Studies
- POL 380 - Dirty Hands: Moral Dilemmas
- POL 381 - Citizens of the World
- POL 383 - Environmental Justice
- RST 206 - Islamic Traditions
- RST 209 - Introduction to Jewish Life and Religion
- RST 226 - Women, Slaves & Sin: Paul and the Creation of Christianity
- RST 233 - American Catholic Social History (This course is cross-listed with HIS 233)
- RST 247 - Topics in Religious Approaches to Moral Issues
- RST 249 - Sacraments, Justice, and the Moral Life
- RST 251 - Introduction to the Old Testament
- RST 252 - Introduction to the New Testament
- RST 256 - Church and Social Justice
- RST 265 - Christian Theology and the Global World
- RST 266 - Race, Class, Gender and Ability in Biblical Texts
- RST 274 - The Religions of Egypt
- RST 301 - Islam and the Bible: Jewish and Muslim Morality and Ethics
- RST 302 - Gender, Power, and Ethnicity in the Bible
- RST 307 - Buddhist Ethics
- RST 317 - Gods, Kings and Justice in the Ancient World
- RST 323 - Gods and War: Religion, Ideology, and Nationalism in Japan and the United States
- RST 340 - Jesus and Moral Decisions
- RST 351 - Heretics, Saints & Martyrs
- RST 373 - Buddhism, Nature & Environmental Ethics
Natural Scientific Inquiry
The primary goal of these courses is to equip students with basic tools to address issues involving science so that they can make informed decisions about the impact of science and regulatory policies on their lives and communities.
Social Scientific Inquiry
These courses help students to develop theoretical and evidence-based thought and to apply social scientific theories, concepts, research findings and methods to identify and comprehend broad societal trends and significant events.
Statistical Reasoning
These courses help students to develop and apply the requisite skills and tools to determine whether the results of empirical studies are meaningful enough to encourage change in one’s behaviors, attitudes, and/or beliefs.
Writing-in-the-Disciplines
Writing-in-the-Disciplines courses introduce students to the stylistic and scholarly conventions of particular disciplines and fields. Students fulfill this requirement through advanced writing-intensive courses offered in their majors. These courses build on students’ experiences in First-Year Seminars and provide valuable opportunities to practice the craft of writing in the context of their chosen disciplines or fields of study.
Capstones
Capstone courses at Stonehill are designed as culminating experiences in which students integrate and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their chosen fields of study and Cornerstone Program. Capstone activities vary by department and include internships, practica, senior theses, research colloquia, research seminars, studio seminars, and senior projects. In every case, students work closely with faculty members to bring a sense of satisfying closure to their academic experience.
Capstone course descriptions can be found by department.
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