Sep 19, 2024

Butler University Bulletin 2024-2025

The Core Curriculum

Butler University is home to six colleges, all of which believe that the University’s first responsibility is providing students with what has traditionally been called a “liberal education,” that is, a broad and interdisciplinary education. At the heart of Butler’s undergraduate education is the University’s Core Curriculum, a set of academic requirements embodying our definition of what it means to be a liberally educated person. Introduced in 1945, the Core Curriculum is one of Butler’s oldest academic entities. Like all good ideas, the Core has not remained static but has expanded to meet the needs of a changing society. Today’s Core Curriculum, implemented in fall 2010 and constantly evolving, emphasizes the development of key skills that transfer directly into careers after graduation. Employers seek flexible, creative, and critical thinkers who can demonstrate competencies in strong written and oral communication, information fluency, intercultural awareness, and analytical and ethical reasoning skills. Through direct experience working in the Indianapolis community, study-abroad opportunities, and a commitment to social justice and diversity, Butler students engage central issues of our increasingly globalized world. In these ways, the Core Curriculum provides Butler students with transformative learning experiences that prepare graduates to make a meaningful impact on the world.

The Core Curriculum is required for all baccalaureate and associate degrees. All Butler undergraduates, no matter their major field of study, complete the Core Curriculum. Core Curriculum courses are not open to graduate students. Students are expected to consult with their academic advisor prior to registration each semester to plan their experiences in the Core Curriculum. For more information, visit www.butler.edu/academics/core/.

Core Curriculum Structure

All undergraduate students at Butler must fulfill the following five requirements:

A. The First Year Seminar (FYS; taken both semesters of the first year/6 credits)

B. Global and Historical Studies (GHS; 2 courses/6 credits)

C. Courses in Six Areas of Inquiry

1) Texts and Ideas (TI; 3 credits)

2) Analytic Reasoning (AR; 3 credits)

3) Perspectives in the Creative Arts (PCA; 3 credits)

4) Social World (SW; 3 credits)

5) Natural World (NW; 5 credits)

6) Well-Being (WB; 1 or more credits, as a WB course or a regular course with a WB designation)

D. Two Designation courses

1) One course with a Social Justice and Diversity (SJD) designation

2) One course with an Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR) designation

E. Eight cultural events designated as satisfying the Butler Cultural Requirement (BCR)

Titles and descriptions for all Areas of Inquiry courses can be found at the beginning of each departmental course listing and in the online Course Search utility, identified by the relevant course attribute.

To ensure academic quality and integrity, some Core Curriculum requirements may be satisfied only by taking courses at Butler University. Other Core Curriculum requirements have provisions that allow for completion via transfer credit, AP, IB, or other exemptions. For details, see www.butler.edu/registrar.

Each Core requirement is described in detail below.

Indianapolis Community Requirement (ICR)

The Indianapolis Community Requirement is a civic-learning component of the Core Curriculum that enhances academic learning while helping students become active citizens of their communities and of the world. The ICR immerses students in a wide range of innovative learning experiences that extend Butler classrooms into the Indianapolis community-to the benefit of students, the University, and the community alike. ICR courses can accelerate the process whereby students master the skills of their respective disciplines, enhance their understanding of civic-mindedness and social justice, and provide opportunities to develop intercultural competencies. Where volunteers may donate time to a project, the ICR is based on connecting experience outside of the Butler classroom to academic learning goals within the classroom. Courses meeting the ICR can be found in the online Course Search utility each semester using the course attribute.

Requirement Structure

Students must take one course in any part of the University that involves active engagement with the Indianapolis community.

Learning Outcomes

To have an active learning experience that integrates classroom knowledge with activities in the Indianapolis community
To use an experience in Indianapolis to further the student’s understanding of the nature of community and the relationship between community and the student
To further students’ commitment to service and ongoing involvement as community actors

Social Justice and Diversity Requirement (SJD)

Requirement Structure

Butler University was founded on the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusivity. The Social Justice and Diversity requirement reaffirms these founding principles. Students must take one course in any part of the University that exposes them to critical scholarship on the root causes of marginalization and inequity and how to counter it.

The Social Justice and Diversity Requirement is in effect for all students, including first-year and transfer students, entering Butler University during or after the fall 2020 semester.

Learning Outcomes

To recognize multiple and intersecting dimensions of identity and inequity through the study of critical scholarship on the historical, cultural, political, and/or social experiences of marginalized communities
To identify and explain the causes and impact of privilege, power, and oppression and cultivate tools for overcoming conflict and promoting equality
To recognize and critique local, national, or global conditions that enable, perpetuate and/or challenge social injustice and inequity

Butler Cultural Requirement (BCR)

Butler University has a rich set of cultural activities in the form of artistic performances, seminars, and public lectures that collectively comprise one of our most remarkable educational resources. The aim of the Butler Cultural Requirement is to engage students in these most valuable and exciting learning opportunities, and to encourage students to develop habits of participation in artistic and cultural events that will lead to lifelong engagement with the creative arts and public intellectual life.

All JCA students have arts events attendance requirements regardless of area of study; this includes primary majors and secondary majors, but not students who are pursuing only a JCA minor. Effective spring 2016, studets pursuing a primary or secondary major in JCA are considered to have fulfilled the University BCR requirement by completing the arts events attendance requirements as required by their area of study in JCA.

Requirement Structure

Students must attend a total of eight cultural events on the Butler campus, such as lectures, performances, recitals, or exhibitions. Events eligible for BCR credit carry the BCR symbol. Ideally, attendance will be spread out over students’ time at Butler, but this is not required. Transfer students must complete at least one BCR credit for each semester enrolled at Butler University.

Learning Outcomes

To discover that some of the most valuable and exciting learning opportunities at Butler take place outside of the classroom
To develop habits of participation in artistic and cultural events that will lead to lifelong engagement with the creative arts and public intellectual life

Core Curriculum Courses

First Year Seminar

The First Year Seminar (FYS101 and FYS102) is a topics-based, two-semester sequenced course that serves as an introduction to the vitality of the liberal arts, to Butler University, and to life as a student. FYS101 is taken in the fall semester; FYS102 is taken in the spring semester. Students will develop, practice, and advance their abilities in critical reading and thinking, effective oral communication and academic writing, and information literacy.

Students transferring to Butler in the spring semester of their first year of college should enroll in and complete FYS 102. All transfer students must fulfill the requirement of any missed FYS semester (101 or 102) by another means. For transfer students, we accept any 3-credit 1st-year composition or literature class or first-year seminar course equivalent, or any writing or literature course at any level, unless it was completed as dual credit before matriculating as a first-year student. Transfer students may also fulfill their 6-credit hour FYS requirement with any combination of Butler University Texts and Ideas courses or 200-level or above courses in writing, cultural studies, or literature.

All non-transfer students are expected to complete the First Year Seminar during their first year at Butler.

Course Structure

A two-semester sequence taken in the first year. FYS course titles and descriptions can be found through the online Course Search utility using the FYS course attribute.

Learning Outcomes

To develop the capacity to think and write clearly, critically, and creatively.
To introduce the student to effective habits for academic success.
To reflect on important issues of the self, and in relation to local and global communities.
To recognize and reflect on their own personal perspectives and biases.
To learn and practice civil discourse in a constructive community.
To learn to evaluate the quality, accuracy and appropriateness of evidence.

Global and Historical Studies

Global and Historical Studies (GHS 201 - GHS 212 ) is an array of interdisciplinary courses that allows students to engage in investigation of and reflection about a culturally diverse and increasingly globalized world. Students will learn to employ a conceptual framework that appreciates cultures as dynamic, heterogeneous, and in constant conversation with one another. In doing so, students will draw on a variety of sources and disciplines, including the arts, the humanities, and social and natural sciences, and they will continue to develop the skills of expository writing introduced in the First Year Seminar.

One semester of GHS is automatically waived for international students. If a student studies abroad in a Butler-approved program and successfully completes 9 or more credit hours of coursework while abroad, the student automatically receives a one-semester/3-credit-hour waiver from GHS. However, students are not allowed to receive two waivers for GHS; they must take at least on GHS course at Butler University. Exceptions require the approval of the Faculty Director of Global and Historical Studies.

Course Structure

All students are required to complete two semesters of GHS (for a total of 6 credit hours), ideally but not necessarily during their sophomore year. Students may not take both GHS 203 (“Modernizing and Contemporary Europe”) and GHS 209 (“Revolutionary Europe and Contemporary Colonial Nigeria”) to complete the GHS requirement, but any other combination of courses is allowed. Course titles and descriptions can be found through the online Course Search utility using the GHS course attribute.

Learning Outcomes

To employ a conceptual framework for global and historical studies that appreciates cultures as dynamic, heterogeneous, and constantly in conversation with one another
To draw on a variety of sources and disciplines–including the arts, the humanities, and the social and natural sciences
To recognize both the benefits and challenges of living in a culturally diverse and increasingly globalized world
To continue development of skills of expository writing

Courses

Analytic Reasoning

Analytic Reasoning courses assist students in developing capacities for quantitative and analytical reasoning and their central place in natural and social sciences in particular and personal and public life in general.

All students must fulfill the Analytic Reasoning requirement. However, in addition to taking courses designated as Analytic Reasoning courses, students may fulfill the requirement by taking at least 5 credit hours of mathematics or computer science courses above algebra and pre-calculus. Similarly, students in professional colleges (COPHS or LSB) with college mathematics requirements fufill the requirement in the process of completing those requirements. For AP/IB equivalencies, see www.butler.edu/registrar.

Course Structure

A menu of 3-credit-hour courses to be taken from the first year onward.

Learning Outcomes

To demonstrate capacities for quantitative and analytic reasoning
To apply these capacities in a variety of practical contexts to the natural and social sciences

Courses

Natural World

Course Structure

A menu of 5-credit-hour lecture/lab courses to be taken from the first year onward. Natural World courses are not required of science majors. Students may also fulfill the requirement by taking at least 8 credit hours of laboratory science. For AP/IB equivalencies, see www.butler.edu/registrar.

Learning Outcomes

To gain awareness of some significant scientific theories and achievements, and recognize how they are related both to other areas of science and to our understanding of broader societal issues
To develop an understanding of the methods of natural science and a capacity to reason scientifically
To experience firsthand the scientific process method through discovery-based learning

Courses

Perspectives in the Creative Arts

Courses in Perspectives in the Creative Arts develop cognitive and affective appreciation for the process and products of artistic creation. Students participate actively in the creation of an artistic product and reflect on the nature and sources of aesthetic value. Through such production and reflection, we expect students to develop habits of participation in artistic and cultural events that will lead to lifelong engagement in the creative arts.

Students may fulfill the requirement either by taking a designated Perspectives in the Creative Arts course or by taking at least 9 credit hours in art, dance, theater, music, digital media production, recording industry studies, or creative writing.

Course Structure

A menu of 3-credit-hour courses to be taken from the first year onward.

Learning Outcomes

To develop cognitive and affective appreciation for the process and products of artistic creation
To participate actively in the creation of an artistic product
To reflect on the nature and sources of aesthetic value
To develop habits of participation in artistic and cultural events that will lead to lifelong engagement with the creative arts

Courses

Well-Being

Well-Being courses are designed to help students develop lifelong habits of good health and physical activity as well as an appreciation of the centrality of health and wellness for the pursuit of a good life. Students may fulfill the requirement either with a course designated as a Well-Being course or through 3 credits of activity-based and wellness courses, including specific DA and PE courses. Contact the Core Curriculum office for details or see www.butler.edu/core.

Course Structure

A 1-credit-hour, two-contact-hour, pass/fail course (or any other course bearing the WB designation) selected from a menu of courses devoted to physical and mental well-being taken from the first year onward.

Learning Outcomes

To develop a plan for lifelong habits of good health across multiple dimensions of well-being
To articulate an increased awareness of the centrality of health and wellness for the pursuit of a good life

Courses

• WB 101 - Ballroom Dance Sport
• WB 103-DA - Beginning Ballet (non-majors)
• WB 104-DA - Beginning Jazz (non-majors)
• WB 105-DA - Intermediate/Advanced Jazz (non-majors)
• WB 106-DA - Modern Dance (non-majors)
• WB 109 - Mindfulness in Everyday Life
• WB 110 - Hiking & Backpacking
• WB 115-BI - Cultivating Well Being
• WB 121-PE - Beginning Tennis
• WB 124-PE - Basketball
• WB 125-PE - T’ai Chi
• WB 129-PE - Strength and Conditioning
• WB 131-PE - Beginning Pickleball
• WB 140-MU - Marching Band
• WB 141 - Cheerleading
• WB 160 - Women’s Self Defense
• WB 162 - Wagging, Walking, and Wellness
• WB 164 - Continued Study of Yoga
• WB 165 - Pressure Point Self Defense
• WB 166 - Intercollegiate Athletics
• WB 167 - Independent Study
• WB 170-CLA - Walking the Ruins
• WB 172 - Modern Middle Eastern Dance

Social World

In Social World courses students (1) study selected questions about human beings and the social, cultural, economic and polical world in which they are embedded, (2) develop an understanding of the variety of quantitative and/or qualitative research methods social scientists use to study the social world, (3) enhance their ability to discern the social, scientific and ethical dimensions of issues in the social world, and (4) understand the interaction between a society’s values and its definition of social problems.

Students may fulfill the requirement either by taking courses designated as Social World courses or by taking at least 9 credit hours in the social sciences, including Anthropology; Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences; Critical Communication and Media Studies; Economics; Organizational Communication and Leadership; International Studies; Journalism; Political Science; Psychology; Science, Technology, and Society; Sociology; Strategic Communication; or majors in the College of Education. For AP/IB equivalencies, see www.butler.edu/registrar.

Course Structure

A menu of 3-credit-hour courses to be taken from the first year onward.

Learning Outcomes

To study selected questions about human beings and the social, cultural, economic, and political world in which they are embedded
To develop an understanding of the variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods social scientists use to study the social world
To develop the ability to discern the social, scientific, and ethical dimensions of issues in the social world, and to understand the interaction between a society’s values and its definition of social problems

Courses

Texts and Ideas

In Texts and Ideas courses, students develop the ability to read, analyze, and compare complex texts while discussing ideas that have influenced society in different cultural and historical contexts. At the same time, TI courses also use the ideas promoted by assigned texts as an opportunity for students to examine (1) their own and others’ ideas, (2) how socially influential ideas emerge, (3) how they grow to be influential, (4) how the they emerge from and structure particular societies, and (5) who promotes, benefits from, and contests them (and why). Texts and Ideas courses also teach students to express themselves more effectively in one or several genres (e.g., essays, oral presentations, blogs, websites, artwork) chosen at the discretion of the faculty teaching them.

Students may fulfill the requirement either by taking a course designated as a Texts and Ideas course or by taking at least 9 credit hours in humanities courses, including most English, History, Philosophy, and Religion courses, as well as literature courses taught in classical and modern languages. For AP/IB equivalencies, see www.butler.edu/registrar.

Course Structure

A menu of 3-credit-hour courses to be taken from the first year onward.

Learning Outcomes

To engage in reading, writing, and discussion about important ideas drawn from the study of important texts in a variety of areas, including, among others, texts that represent literary, dramatic, sacred, historical, philosophical, and scientific genres
To develop capacities for argument, interpretation, and aesthetic appreciation through engagement with these texts and ideas