Cornerstone Core Curriculum (CCC)

The study of philosophy is central to Jesuit education. So too are the skills that philosophy cultivates, especially the ability to reason well and to appreciate rival perspectives concerning value and meaning.

All students take a Level One philosophy course (100s level designation), which serves as the pre-requisite for a second course (Level Two). Exactly one of a student's CCC philosophy courses must be ethics designated. So if a student takes a non-ethics Level One course, then their Level Two course must be ethics. If a student takes an ethics Level One course, then their Level Two course must be non-ethics. 

If approved, philosophy courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive overlay. Students may not double-count the same course as Philosophy Level One and as a Mission Overlay course. 

Inspired by St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, all Jesuit colleges and universities reserve a central curricular place for the study of theology. Theology courses help students to understand how Christian and Catholic traditions have developed over time, addressing both ethical and theologically fundamental questions. Students are required to take any course designated as CCC Theology. 

If approved, such courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive overlay. Students may not double-count the same course as CCC Theology and as a Mission Overlay course. 

Religious Studies courses prepare students to act as global citizens in a religiously diverse world and to understand the responsibilities and commitments of persons with different faith traditions. Students are required to take any course designated as CCC Religious Studies. 

If approved, Religious Studies courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive overlay. Students may not double-count the same course as Religious Studies and as a Mission Overlay course.

Diversity courses may be offered by any department in the university. Students will have a mutually reinforcing educational experience with the 1-credit Inequality in American Society course by examining issues of diversity through the lens of a particular discipline.

A student's Diversity course may not count for any other CCC course area requirement or as their Mission Overlay course. If approved, Diversity courses may count for a student's Writing Intensive Overlay requirement. 

Inequality in American Society (INT 151) is a one-credit stand-alone seminar course required for all undergraduate day students in their first two years. The course will be Pass/No Penalty. The purpose of the course is to help students learn about the intersection of racial, economic, and gender inequality and how to be an engaged citizen in response.

This course may not count for any other CCC requirements.  This course must be taken in the first two years.

Mathematics is a discipline that involves the study of numbers, patterns, relationships, and structures and provides the tools and language for describing natural phenomena in precise terms. It provides a foundation for logical thinking, problem-solving, and quantitative analysis across various disciplines.

Students take one approved course -- three credit hours or four credit hours -- offered by the Math Department. If approved, courses may count toward overlay requirements.

Natural Science (one course; 4 credit hours)

Natural Science courses promote scientific literacy through the study of fundamental scientific principles and concepts, the method of scientific inquiry, and the role/application of science in everyday life. Students study nature and the interactions that humans have with it including creating new materials, engineering products deemed useful to humans, and recognizing the impact of human activities on the natural world including human life. 

All courses that satisfy the Natural Science requirement are four credit hours (with roughly six contact hours per week). Courses may take the form of a lecture course plus a lab section, or a more integrated experiential format in which lecture and lab are combined during the same meeting times. 

Information about lecture-lab courses designed for non-science majors can be found by clicking HERE.

If approved, Natural Science courses may count toward overlay requirements.

Courses that count for the Social Science Course Area requirement  introduce students to methods for analyzing human behavior at the individual, group, or societal levels. Students learn theoretical approaches for studying human behavior, as well as the methodologies used to gather social scientific data and craft interpretive arguments from that data.

Approved courses may be offered by the following departments or programs:

• Economics
• Education
• Linguistics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology

If approved, such courses may count toward a student's overlay requirements. 

Non-native language study is an important component of a liberal arts education and prepares students for participation in a diverse and multicultural world. Students must take one course though a second course (in sequence) fulfills a student's Mission Overlay requirement.

Placements in language courses are based on the student’s high school record and score on the SJU placement test. A student must take the course(s) in which s/he was placed in order for those courses to satisfy the GEP language requirement. Level changes for foreign language classes will be considered only in extraordinary situations. If a student believes that they cannot successfully complete the course in which they were placed, the student in most instances will not be permitted to change to a lower level. The only alternative is for the student to begin a new language. 

A single course may not count as an overlay course but a second language course fulfills a student's Mission Overlay requirement. 

Analyzing literary works that are rich with ambiguity and potential develops more refined critical sensibilities, working against formulaic or conventional habits of thought. In this way, the study of literature contributes not only to critical thinking skills but cultivates the central Ignatian value of “discernment.”

Approved courses may be offered by the following departments:

• English, Writing, and Journalism

• Languages and Linguistics

If approved, Literature courses may count toward a student's overlay requirements. 

Courses in this area engage students in the arts through their own creative products or their critical reflection on works of art, design, writing, music, theater, and/or film. Approved courses may be offered by the following departments:

• Art and Art History
• Communication and Media Studies
• English, Writing, and Journalism
• Music, Theater, Film

If approved, Fine and Performing Arts, Creativity, and Design courses may count toward a student's overlay requirements.

Writing-Intensive courses build and refine student writing skills and prepare students to effective writers in their professional lives. Students have the opportunity to study and practice effective writing through a particular disciplinary lens.

If approved, Writing-Intensive courses may double count as major courses, minor courses, electives, or as any CCC course area requirement except for the first-year courses (World History and Rhetoric and Composition).  

Mission-Overlay (one overlay course)