The LEAD (Learning through Experiential and Applied Discovery) Curriculum at St. Mary’s College of Maryland prepares students to lead here on campus and in their personal and professional lives after graduation. LEAD includes a range of curricular and co-curricular opportunities as well as universal experiences required of all students. Required elements of LEAD include Foundational Study and Advanced Study through a major and a capstone experience. LEAD starts with a required Core Seminar, taken in a student’s first semester at the College. New students also use their first year to begin their Professional Pathway coursework, and they choose how they will complete their Core Knowledge and Methods requirements (see below). In addition, all new students are strongly encouraged (though not required) to fulfill their Language requirement in their first year, as such courses prepare students to see ideas from different perspectives and to engage with a diversity of cultures and identities in meaningful and respectful ways. These foundational requirements of LEAD provides students with the fundamental experiences of a liberal arts education by developing skills in the interpretation, expression, and evaluation of information. Through these shared LEAD experiences, students also encounter a breadth of disciplinary content—that is, what we think we know about the world—and a range of methodologies through which such shared understandings are established and debated. Students are asked to consider such debates as they study the relation between cultures and the broader forces that shape identities and inequalities—and when we ask them to make connections between these academic experiences and their career aspirations through courses that intentionally develop their professional literacy. Universal LEAD Requirements All St. Mary’s College students complete the following as part of their Foundational Study for LEAD*:
- Core Seminar: New students practice skills of inquiry and communication by completing:
- CORE101 or CORE301
- Core Knowledge and Methods: Students extend their breadth of learning and experience the importance of cultural literacy by completing:
- Language Requirement
- Core Inquiry or Core Exploration
- Professional Pathway: Students establish connections between academic and career preparation by completing:
- CORE-P101, CORE-P102, and CORE-P201
- Transfer students who transfer in 24 or more credits are not required to take COREP classes but can choose to take them.
In addition, all students must complete the following Advanced Study requirements for LEAD:
- Academic Major
- Capstone Experience
*Unless specified otherwise, Foundational Study in the LEAD curriculum requires a letter grade with a minimum grade of D to pass; students must, however, maintain a 2.0 overall GPA in order to be in good academic standing. Learning Outcomes Through their Foundational Study LEAD requirements, students will:
- Understand how disciplinary methods shape our knowledge of both the human and the natural world.
- Use a variety of tools and methods that support critical engagement with material and effective communication of their ideas.
- Critically analyze the contents and contexts of information and its relevance for a specific purpose.
- Examine the impact of intersecting cultures and identities.
- Transfer their communication, critical thinking, and leadership skills to professional settings beyond the classroom.
Through their Advanced Study LEAD requirements, students will:
- Develop a depth of disciplinary knowledge, methods, practices and principles.
- Synthesize knowledge, methods, practices, and values within, through, or across disciplinary experiences to produce a substantive exploration of a problem, idea, concept, or theory.
- Explain how knowledge, skills, and ethical values developed through their major coursework are applied within the workplace.
FOUNDATIONAL STUDY
Core Seminars
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- Evaluate textual arguments for their usefulness, cohesiveness, and logic.
- Identify and access relevant information sources.
- Use effective oral expression strategies in making a formal presentation.
- Demonstrate effective written communication with use of revision.
- Participate responsibly and respectfully in informal group discussions.
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To satisfy the Core Seminar requirement, students must take either CORE101 (for first year students) or CORE301 (for transfer students who have earned more than 24 credits, excluding AP and IB credits). All students must earn a grade of C- or higher in order to satisfy the Core Seminar requirement. Core Seminars may not be used to satisfy any other LEAD requirement; nor can a Core Seminar be used to satisfy any requirements within a major or minor. Students who are identified as needing additional support making the transition to college-level writing are also required to take English 101, Introduction to Writing concurrently with a Core Seminar. Student placement into English 101 is determined via a writing sample collected in CORE101 and 301 during the first week of the semester.
Core Knowledge and Methods
Language Study
- By providing proof of course work equivalent to a 102 or 110 ILC course at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, in any language at the college level (including languages not currently taught at SMCM); or
- By petitioning the chair of the International Languages and Cultures Department for an exemption, such as by demonstrating native or near-native knowledge of a language other than English (including ASL); or
- By submitting evidence of a score of a 4 of 5 in an AP foreign language exam or a minimum score of 5 in an IB/HL exam in a foreign language.
Students who have already satisfied the international languages requirement as detailed above are still strongly encouraged to continue to develop their proficiency through additional college level coursework and are encouraged to take the FLPT to determine level of placement. Foreign language study through the 201 level is a requirement for selection to Phi Beta Kappa.
Core Inquiry
- 4 integrated courses through which students complete their Core Knowledge and Methods requirements.
- 4 integrated courses plus one additional, stand-alone course through which students complete their Core Knowledge and Methods requirements.
- 5 integrated courses through which students complete their Core Knowledge and Methods requirements.
In addition, all Core Inquiries culminate in a 1-credit Integrated Learning Portfolio (ILP) completed during the final semester of Inquiry coursework. In their ILPs, students will demonstrate their ability to integrate learning experiences across their Core Inquiry courses by
- Demonstrating the transfer of knowledge between Inquiry classes.
- Showing how connections among disciplinary approaches contribute to their understanding of the Inquiry topic.
ILPs are graded credit/no credit (C/NC). All Inquiries coursework, including the ILP, must be completed two semesters prior to a student’s planned graduation. Students earn 17-22 credits through their Core Inquiry.
Core Knowledge and Methods – Core Exploration
Arts
Cultural Literacy
- Examine the effects of inequality on intersecting identity markers such as race, gender, class, age, religion, sexuality, and ethnicity;
- The effects of globalization, migration, trade, and other forces on communities; or
- The changing relationships between communities residing in different social, economic, and physical environments.
Courses that satisfy this requirement include: AADS 214: Africa and the African Diaspora ANTH 230: Cultural Anthropology ANTH 250: Language and Culture ARTH 223: Introduction to Latin American Art ARTH 255: Topics in Global Art History ASIA 200: Introduction to Asian Studies ENGL 235: Topics in Literature and Culture HIST 253: Latin American Civilization HIST 268: Russian Civilization HIST 280: Africa and the African Diaspora LNG 102, 201, 202, 205, or 206 courses, if they are not used to fulfill the language requirement ILCC 102, 201, or 202, if they are not used to fulfill the language requirement ILCF 102, 201, 202, or 206, if they are not used to fulfill the language requirement ILCG 102, 201, or 260 courses, if they are not used to fulfill the language requirement ILCS 102, 201, 202, or 260, if they are not used to fulfill the language requirement ILCT106: Intro to World Literature ILAS 206: Introduction to Latin American Literature in Translation ILAS 210: Latin American Cultural Studies HIST 253: Latin American Civilizations MUSC 216: Introduction to the World’s Music MUSC 223: Topics in Ethnomusicology MUSC 231: Gender and Music MUSC 232: Music of the Silk Road MUSC 233: Music of Latin America POSC 252: Comparative Politics POSC 269: International Politics RELG 221: Islamic Civilizations RELG 231: Religions and Cultures of India RELG 232: Religions of Modern India TFMS 210: Japanese Performance Traditions TFMS 251: Introduction to Traditional African Dance In addition to courses designated as satisfying Cultural Literacy, students may fulfill the Cultural Literacy requirement by completing an approved 4-credit, faculty-led study tour or a semester-long study abroad program.
Humanities
- Use historical, interpretive, or comparative methods to analyze material that engages with ideas, values, traditions, experiences, and histories produced by human societies.
- Revise written arguments to improve their effectiveness for a given audience or rhetorical situation.
Courses that satisfy this requirement include: ARTH 100: Introduction to Art History ARTH 220: Rock, Paper, Sword: Media of the Ancient and Medieval World ARTH 250: Topics in Western Art History ENGL 106 Introduction to Literature ENGL130 Topics in Literature ENGL 204: Reading and Writing in the Major ENGL 284 Literature in History I: Before 1800 ENGL 285 Literature in History II: After 1800 HIST 104: Historical Foundations of the Modern World to 1450 HIST 105: Western Civilization HIST 108: History of the Modern World HIST 200: United States History, 1776-1980 HIST 206: East Asian Civilization HIST 219: Colonial American Survey HIST 272: Ancient Mediterranean HIST 274: Europe, 1815-1914 HIST 276: Twentieth Century World MUSC 205: The Story of Music MUSC 217: The Jazz Makers MUSC 221: Topics in Music History MUSC 227: Music and Myth MUSC 228: Music and Art MUSC 229: Film Music MUSC 230: Literature and Opera MUST 200/HIST 264: Introduction to Museum Studies PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy PHIL 120: Introduction to Ethics RELG 110: Introduction to the Study of Religions RELG 210: Biblical Foundations RELG 211: Speaking of God: Introduction to Theology TFMS 200: Theater in History TFMS 106: Introduction to Dramatic Literature TFMS 220: Introduction to Film and Media Studies TFMS 225: Topics in Film and Media WGSX 220: Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Mathematics
Natural Sciences (with lab)
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Professional Pathway
- Identify potential career paths by reflecting on and analyzing their personal experiences, interests, and skill set.
- Demonstrate appropriate professional behavior by engaging in various professional settings with community partners.
- Demonstrate reflective practices on career and major decisions after engaging in professional activities.
In CORE-P102: Career Networking and Navigation II, students will:
- Develop a working career plan through reflecting on and analyzing knowledge of career options, personal experiences, interests, and skill set.
- Create and evaluate responses to behavioral interview questions through engaging in a mock interview program.
- Demonstrate the ability to craft effective communication based on field-specific knowledge and goals.
In CORE-P201: The Honors College Externship, students will:
- Demonstrate personal accountability and effective work habits, e.g., punctuality, working productively with others, and effective time and workload management.
- Explain the impact of non-verbal communication on others’ perception of competence and productivity.
- Use industry standards to accomplish professional tasks as applicable in a given work setting.
- Analyze the impacts of personal and group behavior by engaging in a professional work setting.
In CORE-P301: Closing the Gap, students will:
- Identify the wide range of career options and educational opportunities for chosen concentration, including where and how to seek out meaningful positions.
- Illustrate how to find and make effective use of existing career- and training- related resources in order to achieve professional objectives.
- Describe potential obstacles that might prevent the achievement of specific career goals, as well as how to overcome those obstacles.