The LEAD Curriculum

Core Seminars introduce students to the campus community and the foundations of inquiry and communication in the liberal arts. The Seminars are overseen by the associate dean of curriculum and taught by faculty from every department; each Core Seminar also includes a peer mentor who supports new students’ learning as well as their transition to the College.In these courses, students will:

1. 1. • 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.

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. 

All St. Mary’s students are strongly encouraged to begin their language study in their first year. Students must complete one 3- or 4-credit college-level language course at the 102/110 level or higher to satisfy this requirement (see “Determining course level” below).The course must have an ILC or LNG designation, such as courses listed in the St. Mary’s College of Maryland course catalog (e.g., ILCC [Chinese], ILCF [French], ILCG [German] and ILCS [Spanish]). Courses offered at St. Mary’s College of Maryland that are not listed in the course catalog, but that receive a 3- or 4-credit LNG designation at the 102/110 level or higher on a student’s transcript (e.g., courses in Italian, Latin, Thai, among others), may also satisfy the Language requirement. In addition, courses on American Sign Language that develop both proficiency with the language and facilitate cultural explorations of the language tradition fulfill this requirement. Coursework in ASL must similarly be completed at the 102/110 level or higher to satisfy the requirement. 

Through coursework that fulfills the Language Study Requirements, students will: Describe aspects of culture in the target language with higher-order intercultural understanding and in conversation with their own world view. 

Determining course level:

Students’ scores on the web-based Foreign Language Proficiency Test, taken prior to course registration, will determine their course placement. Placement in courses number 102 or above will fulfill the requirement. Students who place into the 101 level, however, must complete both 101 and 102. Students may also opt to fulfill the requirement by starting a new language at the 101 level and then completing 102. Students must receive a C- or better in their 101-level class in order to proceed to 102.  

For example, a student who places into ILCC/ILCF/ILCG/ILCS 101 must take 101 + 102. A student who places into ILCC/ILCF/ILCG 102 or ILCS 110 must take that course. Students who place into a 200 or 300 level course must take the course into which they are placed or begin study in a new language. 

Other ways to meet this requirement:

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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.

Organized around a problem, question, or topic, Core Inquiries consist of four to five thematically-linked courses that let students see how different disciplines intersect with the Inquiry topic. As a result, students gain a clearer sense of how complex issues benefit from a multidisciplinary approach, and they develop a greater awareness of their own agency as learners. By completing the requirements for a Core Inquiry, students fulfill their Core Knowledge and Methods requirements, meeting outcomes in Arts, Cultural Literacy, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences (with lab), and Social and Behavioral Sciences (see “Core Exploration,” below). They also extend their communication and information literacy skills established in their Core Seminar.  Information on current Inquiries and the specific courses they include can be found here [new LEAD Inquiry web page – link].  Inquiries can be configured in the following ways: 

• 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.

Students who choose not to complete a Core Inquiry must satisfy their Core Knowledge and Methods requirements by taking Core Exploration courses in six areas:  Arts, Cultural Literacy, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences (with lab), and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Courses that satisfy each of the areas, including AP/IB equivalencies, are listed below.

The arts include courses whose primary focus is the practice of artistic creation in dance, film, music, literature, theater, and the visual arts. Courses in the arts examine art as a form of expression, with a focus on students making, writing, or performing artistic creations. By studying the arts, students learn to attend carefully to the structure and details of creative works, to understand these works in their social and historical contexts, and to express their creative and critical intentions clearly and effectively. In these courses, students will: Analyze creative, embodied, and immersive processes in order to understand what makes works of art effective and how to produce effective works, performances, or adaptations of art.

Courses that satisfy this requirement  include:

ART 204: Introduction to Drawing

ART 205: Introduction to Visual Thinking

ART 206: Introduction to Painting

ART 208: Introduction to Sculpture

ART 212: Introduction to Photography

ART 214: Introduction to Digital Art

ART 233: Topics in Art

ART 239: Painting and Drawing from Life

ART 269: Community Arts

ENGL 270: Creative Writing

MUSA 180: Choir Ensemble (4 semesters)

MUSA 182: Chamber Singers Ensemble (4 semesters)

MUSA 186: Jazz Ensemble (4 semesters)

MUSA 187: Chamber Instrumental Ensemble (4 semesters)

MUSA 189: Orchestra Ensemble (4 semesters)

MUSA 280: Private Guitar (4 semesters)

MUSA 281: Private Piano (4 semesters)

MUSA 284: Private Brass (4 semesters)

MUSA 285: Private Strings (4 semesters)

MUSA 286: Private Voice (4 semesters)

MUSA 287: Private Percussion (4 semesters)

MUSA 288: Private Woodwinds (4 semesters)

MUSC 112: Music as Communication

MUSC 203: Music Theory I (3)

TFMS 130: Introduction to Performance

TFMS 170: Stagecraft

TFMS 171: Elements of Theatrical Design

TFMS 221: Film and Media Production Modes

TFMS 228: Media Production I

TFMS 230: Acting I

TFMS 250: Movement I

TFMS 255: Modern Dance I

TFMS 258: Dance in History

TFMS 260: Topics in Dance/Movement

TFMS 275: Costumes and Clothes in History

TFMS 280: Topics in Production

Courses or experiences in cultural literacy provide students with the tools to examine the changing nature of social and cultural experiences, and the way we shape and are shaped by culture. By developing cultural literacy, students recognize that practices and traditions are fluid and ever-changing, requiring a long term perspective. Explicit in these courses is the acknowledgement that not all members of a society are the same, and that our experiences are subject to a range of identities.In these courses, students will:

• 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.

Courses in this category take as their primary objects of study material that presents, or raises questions about, the human condition.  They engage with art and ideas, histories and philosophy, values and traditions through close analysis and careful attention to text and context, with the goal of better understanding how others have made sense of the human experience.  Courses may consider not just the meaning but the impact of such explanations.  In so doing, they help students to reflect on what it means to be human, and how their own human condition has been shaped by earlier efforts to understand humanity.      In these courses, students will:  

• 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

Courses in mathematics introduce students to basic mathematical skills and concepts and to algorithmic or statistical methods in problem solving. Students are expected to learn methods and techniques of problem-solving and to develop facility in the mathematical mode of thinking. In these courses, students will:  Use appropriate techniques or principles in order to solve problems and interpret information from a mathematical perspective.

Courses that satisfy this requirement  include:

COSC 120: Introduction to Computer Science

ECON 253: Economic Statistics

MATH 131: Survey of Mathematics

MATH 151: Calculus I

MATH 152: Calculus II

MATH 200: Discrete Mathematics

MATH 255: Vector Calculus

MATH 256: Linear Algebra

MATH 281: Foundations of Mathematics

MATH 221: Introduction to Statistics

PHIL 215: Systems of Logic

POSC 200: Scope and Methods of Political Science

Courses in the natural sciences present major scientific concepts and theories, and teach students to apply investigative methodologies to explore scientific questions. Students will learn to write and speak using the languages of these disciplines. In these courses, students will: Use investigative practices to explore scientific principles.

Courses that satisfy this requirement  include:

ASTR 154: Solar System Astronomy

ASTR 155: Stellar Astronomy and Cosmology

BIOL 101: Contemporary Bioscience with Laboratory

BIOL 105 and BIOL105L: Principles of Biology I and Laboratory

CHEM 101. Contemporary Chemistry with Laboratory

CHEM 106: General Chemistry II

ENST 265. Earth Systems

PHYS 104: Basic Physics with Laboratory

PHYS 121: College Physics I

PHYS 141: General Physics I

PHYS 142: General Physics II

PHYS 151: Fundamentals of Physics I

PHYS 152: Fundamentals of Physics II

PHYS 251: Fundamentals of Physics III

Courses within the social and behavioral sciences take mental processes and behavior—of the individual, in groups, or in societies—as their object of study. They emphasize the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to examine human behavior and social systems— and the interplay between the two.  In these courses, students will: Explain how concepts and methods are used to understand human institutions, behaviors, or mental processes.  

Courses that satisfy this requirement  include:

ANTH 101: Introduction to Anthropology

ECON 102: Principles of Microeconomics

ECON 103: Principles of Macroeconomics

POSC 100: Introduction to Politics

PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology

SOCI 101: Introduction to Sociology

As part of the LEAD requirements for Foundational Study, the Professional Pathway formalizes St. Mary’s commitment to the relevance of a liberal arts education, particularly its ability to graduate students who are prepared to be agents in the world. By offering opportunities to integrate their academic experiences and professional development, Professional Pathway– or “CORE-P”– courses give students the opportunity to prepare for their post-graduation lives with intention. New first-year students take CORE-P101 during their first semester and CORE-P102 in their second semester. Students complete their Professional Pathway,  by taking CORE-P201 during their second year. Together, these courses prepare students to complete the professional literacy experiences required by their majors, which may include CORE-P301. Completion of the Professional Pathway allows students to take advantage of the Honors College Promise, a guaranteed internship, research experience, or culturally-immersive experience such as a study tour or study abroad.

In CORE-P101: Career Networking and Navigation, students will:  

• 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.