Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Students are subject to the general degree requirements in effect at the time they first enter the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado and are subject to the major requirements in force at the time they declare the major. Arts and sciences students have 10 years to complete the requirements for a declared major. If the 10-year limit is exceeded, the student may be required to satisfy current major requirements. Students pursuing a major degree program identified for discontinuation by decision of the Board of Regents and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education have four years from the formal announcement of discontinuation to complete the degree program and graduate. The requirements, rules and policies stated here apply to all students first entering the Boulder campus during the 2014–15 academic year.

Students must complete a degree within 10 years. If it has been more than 10 years since matriculation into the College of Arts and Sciences and no degree has been completed, students may be subject to new curricula in place at the time of reenrollment. Please see the Minimum Major Requirements section for additional information on major requirements. Students may contact the Academic Advising Center for further assistance.

Academic Advising

Students in the college are expected to assume responsibility for planning their academic program in conjunction with their academic advisor in accordance with college rules and policies and with departmental major requirements. Any questions concerning these provisions are to be directed to the student’s academic advisor or to the Academic Advising Center.

The college cannot assume responsibility for problems resulting from students failing to follow the policies stated in the catalog or from incorrect advice given by someone other than an appropriate staff member of the college.

Advising

Academic advising is an integral part of undergraduate education.

Academic Advisors are professional staff members who guide students to identify, develop, pursue and attain meaningful educational and personal goals. Advising is more than the sharing of information about academic courses and programs. Students are ultimately responsible for choosing appropriate courses, for registering accurately and for meeting all degree requirements. However, academic advisors have an expertise in navigating the entire curriculum, which helps them to personalize students' academic experiences and ensure the integrity of a liberal arts education.

Center for First-year Students. All new first-year students entering the college are advised in the Center for First-year Students, where they receive assistance in making a successful transition to the Boulder campus, are oriented to the academic expectations of the college and are supported in confirming their choice of major or in selecting an appropriate major.

In addition, through the Center for First-year Students, the Academic Advising Center provides comprehensive advising services to students who are undecided about their major or who are thinking of changing their major to another CU-Boulder college or school.

Advising Beyond the First Year. All students who have confirmed their major of choice by the end of their first year are advised during their second year and beyond by professional advisors in their disciplinary area.

Preprofessional Advising Program. The advising center also provides preprofessional advising for all students who are preparing to pursue the study of law, medicine or other professional health fields. The Preprofessional Advising Program provides in-depth individual advising on preparation for these professional programs, provides workshops to prepare students for the application process and offers guidance in arranging professional internships and shadowing opportunities.

Responsibilities of Students and Advisors

Within the advising system on the Boulder campus, both students and advisors have responsibilities.

Students are responsible for:

knowing the requirements of their particular academic program, selecting courses that meet those requirements in an appropriate time frame, registering accurately and monitoring their progress toward graduation;
consulting with their academic advisor regularly throughout their academic career, so as to avoid seeking advising only during busy registration periods;
being prepared for advising sessions (for example, by bringing in a list of questions or concerns, having a tentative schedule in mind and/or being prepared to discuss interests and goals with their advisor);
knowing and adhering to published academic deadlines;
monitoring their position on registration waitlists; and
reading their CU email on a weekly basis.

Advisors are responsible for:

helping students clarify their values, goals and abilities;
helping students understand the nature and purpose of a college education;
providing accurate information about educational options, requirements, policies and procedures;
helping students plan educational programs consistent with the requirements of their degree program and with their goals, interests and abilities;
assisting students in the continual monitoring and evaluation of their educational progress; and
helping students locate and integrate the many resources of the university to meet their unique educational needs and aspirations.

Four-Year Graduation

The College of Arts and Sciences has adopted a set of guidelines to define the conditions under which a student should expect to graduate in four years. More information is available through the Academic Advising Center and major program and departmental offices.

The University of Colorado Boulder guarantees that if the scheduling of essential courses is found to have prevented a student in the College of Arts and Sciences from completing all course work necessary for a BA or BFA degree from the university by the end of the student’s eighth consecutive fall and spring semester, the college will provide tuition plus any course fees for all courses required for completion of the degree requirements. Students must satisfy all the conditions described below to be eligible for this guarantee.

This guarantee extends to all students who enrolled the summer of 1994 or after into the College of Arts and Sciences as first-semester freshmen without MAPS deficiencies and who satisfy all the requirements described below. This guarantee cannot be extended to include completion of a second major, a double degree, a minor, a teaching certificate or other certificate program. Some CU-Boulder study abroad programs may not provide a sufficient range of courses to allow students to meet the requirements and thus students who participate in study abroad are not included in this guarantee.

Four-Year Guarantee Requirements

Students should enroll in University of Colorado Boulder course work for eight consecutive fall and spring semesters.
No fewer than 60 credit hours of applicable course work should be completed with passing grades by the end of the second year (24 calendar months), 90 hours by the end of the third year (36 calendar months) and 120 hours by the end of the fourth year. Students should enroll in and pass an average of 15 credit hours each semester.
A minimum of 30 credit hours of college core-curriculum courses should be completed by the end of the second year, including college core-curriculum courses that also meet major requirements. All remaining college core-curriculum requirements must be fulfilled by the end of the eighth semester.
Students should complete 45 upper-division hours by the end of the eighth semester of study.
A GPA of at least 2.00 must be earned each semester.
Grades of C- or better in all course work required for the major should be earned, and students should have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all major course work attempted.
A recommended plan of study must be started toward the major no later than the start of the second semester of study (see note below for exceptions) and thereafter students must make adequate progress toward completing the major (defined by each major). A statement of adequate progress is available from the major or departmental office at the time the major is declared.
The major must be declared no later than the start of the second semester of study (see note below for exceptions), and students must remain in that major until graduation.
Students should meet with their assigned primary advisor each semester.
Students must register each semester within one week of the assigned registration time.
Students should avoid taking courses that are in conflict with the written advice of their assigned primary advisor.
Students should adhere to the General Credit and Enrollment Policies and Minimum Major Requirements listed in the Arts and Sciences section.
Courses in conflict with major or college core curriculum requirements should be avoided.
The student should apply online to graduate no later than the beginning of the seventh semester of study (see Graduation Deadlines section).
Documentation should be kept proving that these requirements were satisfied (e.g., records of advising meetings attended, advising records and instructions, etc.).

The recommended plan of study for the following majors must be started in the first semester of study to be eligible for this guarantee: BA in biochemistry; chemistry; ecology and evolutionary biology; Japanese; integrative physiology; molecular, cellular and developmental biology; geology; physics; and all majors that require foreign language course work when student proficiency falls below the entry-level language course of that major. Students seeking a BFA in dance or theatre must start the recommended plan of study for the corresponding BA program in the first semester of study and qualify for admission into the BFA program by the end of the third semester. Students seeking a BFA in film studies or fine arts must start the recommended plan of study for the corresponding BA program in the first semester of study and qualify for admission into the BFA program by the end of the fourth semester. If a student changes majors, the primary advisor, in consultation with the College of Arts and Sciences assistant dean’s office, will review the courses taken to date to determine whether the college will continue to extend the four-year guarantee.

General Graduation Requirements

Arts and sciences students must fulfill the following requirements for graduation:

Pass a total of 120 hours.
Maintain a 2.00 (C) grade point average in all University of Colorado work and a 2.00 (C) in all major course work attempted. (Some majors may require a higher minimum grade point average.)
Pass 45 credit hours of upper-division work (courses numbered in the 3000s and 4000s).
Arts and sciences students must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in University of Colorado courses on the Boulder campus. Of these 45 credits, a minimum of 30 credits must be in arts and sciences upper-division credit hours completed as a matriculated student in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and at least 12 of these upper-division hours must be in the major. A maximum of 6 credit hours taken at other University of Colorado campuses (UC Denver and CU-Colorado Springs) can be counted toward the minimum 45 credits required on the Boulder campus. Courses taken while on CU-Boulder study abroad programs, through CU-Boulder continuing education or CU-Boulder correspondence courses are considered to be in residence.
For the bachelor of arts degree, students must complete a minimum of 75 hours outside their major department. Students who complete designated departmental honors courses in their major department and/or in honors thesis credit can reduce the 75 hours required outside the major department by a corresponding number of credits, up to a maximum of 6.
For the bachelor of fine arts degree, students must complete a minimum of 53 credit hours outside of their major.
Complete a major offered by the College of Arts and Sciences. Students are subject to the major requirements in force when they declare the major. See the sections Majors and Other Areas of Interest and Minimum Major Requirements in this section.
Complete the general education (college core curriculum) and MAPS requirements with the following limitations:

Although a single course may be listed in more than one core area, a student may use it to meet only one area requirement.
Neither independent study nor pass/fail courses may be used to meet MAPS -deficiencies, core requirements, minor requirements or the minimum major requirements.
A single course may be used to meet both MAPS and core requirements as long as the course is applicable to both requirements. For example, a student admitted with a MAPS deficiency in English composition may take WRTG 1150, First-Year Writing and Rhetoric, to satisfy both the MAPS requirement and the core curriculum lower-division written communication requirement.

This policy only applies to college level course work (CU or accepted transfer credit). If a student is exempt from a given core area, this does not exempt the student from fulfilling a MAPS deficiency in that area. A description of the College of Arts and Sciences MAPS requirements can be found in the General Information section.

After fall 2010, the Minimum Academic Preparation Standards for mathematics for the College of Arts and Sciences is four units including two of algebra, one of geometry, and one of college preparatory math such as trigonometry, analytic geometry or elementary functions. This applies to students graduating from high school in spring 2010 and after.

If it has been more than 10 years since matriculation into the College of Arts and Sciences and no degree has been completed, students may be subject to new curricula in place at time of reenrollment. See the Minimum Major Requirements section for additional information on major requirements. Students may contact the Academic Advising Center for further assistance.

Core Curriculum

The mainstay of the general education requirements is the College of Arts and Sciences core curriculum. The core curriculum requirements are divided into two parts: skills acquisition and content areas of study. The following sections provide descriptions of the individual requirement areas, their underlying educational philosophies and goals and the list of approved courses. The updated list of approved core courses is located on the college’s website at www.colorado.edu/ArtsSciences/students/undergraduates/core_curriculum.html.

Exemptions

Selected majors and the ecology and evolutionary biology minor are exempt from portions of the core curriculum, as core course work is considered equivalent to course work in the major. Students who graduate with more than one exempt major may apply their exemptions cumulatively.

Skills Acquisition

These requirements are designed to assure that each student has attained a minimum level of competency in each of the areas listed: foreign language, quantitative reasoning and mathematical skills and written communication.

Although a single course may appear in several areas, students may use it to meet only one core requirement.

1. Foreign Language. All students are required to demonstrate, while in high school, third-level proficiency in a single modern or classical foreign language. Students who have not met this requirement at the time of matriculation will have a MAPS deficiency. They may make up the deficiency only by passing an appropriate third-semester college course or by passing a CU-Boulder approved proficiency examination. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

Students who are under the core curriculum, but not subject to MAPS, must complete the foreign language requirement to meet degree requirements.

Questions about placement should be referred to the appropriate foreign language department.

The goal of the language requirement is to encourage students to confront the structure, formal and semantic, of another language, significant and difficult works in that language and one or more aspects of the culture lived in that language. This enables students to understand their own language and culture better, analyze texts more clearly and effectively and appreciate more vividly the dangers and limitations of using a translated document. The language requirement is a general education requirement and so concentrates on reading. In some languages other abilities may be emphasized as well. Understanding what it means to read a significant text in its original language is essential for general education according to the standards of this university.

CU-Boulder courses that satisfy this requirement include the following:

ARAB 2110-5 Intermediate Arabic 1*
CHIN 2110-5 Intermediate Chinese 1
DANE 2010-4 Intermediate Danish 1-DILS
FINN 2010-4 Intermediate Finnish 1-DILS
FREN 2110-3 Second-Year French Grammar Review and Reading 1*
FRSI 2110-4 Intermediate Farsi 1 (formerly FRSI 2010)
GREK 3113-3 Intermediate Classical Greek 1 (formerly CLAS 3113)
GRMN 2010-4 Intermediate German 1*
GRMN 2030-5 Intensive Intermediate German
HEBR 2110 (3-4) Intermediate Modern Hebrew I*
HIND 2110-5 Intermediate Hindi 1 (formerly HNDI 2010)
INDO 2010-4 Intermediate Indonesian 1
ITAL 2110-3 Intermediate Italian Reading, Grammar and Composition 1*
JPNS 2110-5 Intermediate Japanese 1
KREN 2110-5 Second-Year Intermediate Korean 1
LATN 2114-4 Intermediate Latin 1* (formerly CLASS 2114)
NORW 2110-4 Second-Year Norwegian Reading and Conversation 1*
PORT 2110-3 Second-Year Portuguese 1*
RUSS 2010-4 Second-Year Russian 1*
SLHS 2325-4 American Sign Language 3
SPAN 2110-3 Second-Year Spanish 1*
SPAN 2150-5 Intensive Second-Year Spanish*
SWED 2010-4 Intermediate Swedish 1-DILS*

*NOTE: This course is approved for the Colorado statewide guaranteed transfer program. Further information about the statewide guaranteed transfer program can be found at the website of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Transfers/gtPathways/curriculum.html.

2. Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Skills (QRMS) (3–6 semester hours). Liberally educated people should be able to think at a certain level of abstraction and to manipulate symbols. This requirement has two principal objectives. The first is to provide students with the analytical tools used in core curriculum courses and in their major areas of study. The second is to help students acquire the reasoning skills necessary to assess adequately the data which will confront them in their daily lives. Students completing this requirement should be able to: construct a logical argument based on the rules of inference; analyze, present and interpret numerical data; estimate orders of magnitude as well as obtain exact results when appropriate; and apply mathematical methods to solve problems in their university work and in their daily lives.

Students can fulfill the requirement by passing one of the courses or sequences of courses listed below or by passing the CU-Boulder QRMS proficiency exam. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

ECEN 1500-3 Sustainable Energy
ECON 1078-3 Mathematical Tools for Economists 1
ECON 1088-3 Mathematical Tools for Ecnomists 2
MATH 1012-3 Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Skills*
MATH 1110-3 and 1120-3 Mathematics for Elementary Educators 1 and 2
MATH 1130-3 Mathematics from the Visual Arts
MATH 1150-4 Precalculus Mathematics*
MATH 1310-5 Calculus, Systems, and Modeling
MATH 1410-3 Mathematics for Secondary Educators*
MATH 2380-3 Mathematics for the Environment*
PHYS 1010-3 Physics of Everyday Life 1
PHYS 1020-4 Physics of Everyday Life 2
PHYS 1220-3 Physics for Future Presidents
PSCI 2075-3 Quantitative Research Methods
PSCI 3105-3 Designing Social Inquiry
Any 3-credit math module: MATH 1011-3, MATH 1071-3, or MATH 1081-3.
Any 3 credits of mathematics courses numbered MATH 1300* and above or applied mathematics courses numbered APPM 1350* and above.

3. Written Communication (3 lower-division and 3 upper-division semester hours). Writing is a skill fundamental to all intellectual endeavors. While some college courses require more writing than others, good writing is recognized as a necessary means of communication in every scholarly discipline. The core curriculum promotes the principle that ideas do not exist apart from language, and thus content cannot be isolated from style. For ideas to flourish, they must be expressed clearly and gracefully, so that readers take pleasure while taking instruction. Students may meet the lower-division component of this requirement by first passing one of the approved lower-division courses or by receiving a score of 4 or 5 on the English Language and Composition Advanced Placement exam. Students may then complete the upper-division component of this requirement by passing one of the approved upper-division courses or by passing the written communication proficiency exam. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

Lower-division Courses

ARSC 1080-4 College Writing and Research
ARSC 1150-3 Writing in Arts and Sciences*
CLAS 1020-3 Argument from Evidence: Critical Writing about the Ancient World
EBIO 1950-3 College Writing for the Sciences
ENGL 1001-3 Freshman Writing Seminar
ENVS 1150-3 First Year Writing for Environmental Studies
IPHY 1950-3 Introduction to Scientific Writing in Integrative Physiology
PHIL 1500-3 Reading, Writing and Reasoning
WRTG 1100-4 Extended First-Year Writing and Rhetoric*
WRTG 1150-3 First-Year Writing and Rhetoric*
WRTG 1250-3 Advanced First-Year Writing and Rhetoric*

Upper-division Courses

ARSC 3100-3 Multicultural Perspective and Academic Discourse
CHIN/JPNS 3200-3 Advanced Writing on Topics in Chinese and Japanese Literature and Civilization
EBIO 3940-3 Written Communication in the Sciences
ENVS 3020-3 Advanced Writing in Environmental Studies
GEOL 3090-3 Developing Scientific Writing Skills
HIST 3020-3 Historical Thinking and Writing
HONR 3220-3 Advanced Honors Writing Workshop*
IPHY 3700-3 Scientific Writing in Integrative Physiology
ITAL 3025-3 Advanced Composition 2: Introduction to Literary Writing
PHIL 3480-3 Critical Thinking and Writing in Philosophy
PHYS 3050-3 Writing in Physics: Problem Solving and Rhetoric*
RLST 3020-3 Advanced Writing in Religious Studies
SOCY 4010-3 Sociology Capstone Course: Professional Writing
SPAN 3010-3 Advanced Rhetoric and Composition
WMST 3800-3 Advanced Writing in Feminist Studies
WRTG 3007-3 Writing in the Visual Arts*
WRTG/NRLN 3020-3 Topics in Writing
WRTG 3030-3 Writing on Science and Society*
WRTG 3035-3 Technical Communication and Design*
WRTG 3040-3 Writing on Business and Society

Content Areas of Study

4. Historical Context (3 semester hours). Courses that fulfill this requirement enable students to study historical problems or issues and to develop an understanding of earlier ideas, institutions and cultures.

Courses explore the times and circumstances in which social, intellectual, artistic or other developments occurred. The purpose of this exploration is to analyze subjects in their context, that is, to investigate both the processes and the meanings of change. Among the educational aims of these courses are the following: to contribute to historical perspectives that may help to clarify issues that arise today or will arise tomorrow, to arouse the curiosity of students concerning historical conditions that may be relevant to subjects studied in other courses and to expand the imagination by generating an awareness of the diverse ways in which our common humanity has expressed itself.

Students may choose to meet this 3-hour requirement by passing any course listed below. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

ANTH 1180-3 Maritime People: Fishers and Seafarers
ANTH 1190-3 Origins of Ancient Civilizations
ANTH 2200-3 The Archaeology of Human History
ANTH/CLAS 3009-3 Modern Issues, Ancient Times
ARAB 3230-3 Islamic Culture and Iberian Peninsula
ARTH/CLAS 1509-4 Trash and Treasure, Temples and Tombs: Art and Archaeology of the Ancient World
ARTH/CLAS 3019-3 Pompeii and the Cities of Vesuvius
CEES /HIST 1626-3 Introduction to Central and East European Studies* (formerly CEES/HIST 2002)
CLAS 1030/PHIL 1010-3 Introduction to Western Philosophy: Ancient*
CLAS/HIST 1051-3 The World of Ancient Greeks*
CLAS/HIST 1061-3 The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome*
CLAS 1140-3 Bread and Circuses: Society and Culture in the Roman World*
ECON 4514-3 Economic History of Europe
ENGL 3164-3 History and Literature of Georgian Britain
ENGL 4113-3 History and Culture of Medieval England
GRMN 2301-3 Inside Nazi Germany: Politics, Culture and Everyday Life in the Third Reich
HIST 1011-3 Greeks, Romans, Kings and Crusaders: European History to 1600 (formerly HIST 1010)
HIST 1012-3 Empire, Revolution and Global War: European History since 1600 (formerly HIST 1020)
HIST 1018-3 Introduction to Early Latin American History to 1810
HIST 1028-3 Introduction to Modern Latin American History Since 1800 (formerly HIST 1038)
HIST 1113-3 Introduction to British History to 1660 (formerly HIST 2103)
HIST 1123-3 Introduction to British History since 1660 (formerly HIST 2123)
HIST 1218-3 Introduction to Sub-Saharan African History to 1800 (formerly HIST 1208)
HIST 1228-3 Introduction to Sub-Saharan African History since 1800
HIST 1308-3 Introduction to Middle Eastern History
HIST 1438-3 Introduction to Korean History
HIST 1518-3 Introduction to South Asian History to 1757
HIST 1528-3 Introduction to South Asian History since 1757 (formerly HIST 1408)
HIST 1618-3 Introduction to Chinese History to 1644 (formerly HIST 1608)
HIST 1628-3 Introduction to Modern Chinese History since 1644
HIST 1708-3 Introduction to Japanese History*
HIST/JWST 1818-3 Introduction to Jewish History: Bible to 1492
HIST/JWST 1828-3 Introduction to Jewish History since 1492 (formerly HIST/JWST/GSLL 1108)
HIST 2100-3 Revolution in History
HIST 2110-3 History of Early Modern Societies (1450-1700) (formerly HIST 2112)
HIST 2170-3 History of Christianity 1: To the Reformation
HIST 2220-3 History of War and Society (formerly HIST 2222)
HIST 2629-3 China in World History
HIST 4190/IAFS 3500-3 French Connections: Contemporary France and America in Historical Context
HONR 2251-3 Introduction to the Bible
IAFS/JWST 3650-3 History of Arab-Israeli Conflict
JWST/RLST 3100-3 Judaism
LIBB 1700-3 The History of Communication from Caves to Cyberspace
PHIL 1020-3 Introduction to Western Philosophy: Modern*
PHIL 3000-3 History of Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3010-3 History of Modern Philosophy
PHIL 3410-3 History of Science: Ancients to Newton
PHIL 3430-3 History of Science: Newton to Einstein
RLST 3000-3 The Christian Tradition
RUSS 2211-3 Introduction to Russian Culture
RUSS 2221-3 Introduction to Modern Russian Culture
RUSS 2222-3 Sports and the Cold War
RUSS 2471-3 Women in Russian Culture: From Folklore to the 19th Century*
RUSS 3601-3 Russian Culture Past and Present
RUSS 4301-3 American-Russian Cultural Relations
RUSS 4481-3 Rogues to Revolutionaries: Russian Rebels, Past and Present
SCAN 2202-3 The Vikings

5. Human Diversity (3 semester hours). Courses fulfilling this requirement increase the student’s understanding of the world’s diversity and pluralism through the study of two broad and interrelated areas: (1) the nature and meaning of diversity and the experience of marginalized groups; and (2) cultures other than those of Europe and the United States. This requirement explicitly identifies an awareness and understanding of pluralism as essential to a liberal education.

(1) Gender, Ethnic and Social Diversity. Courses in this area are designed to expand the range of each student’s understanding of the experience of individuals and groups who, because of such fundamental components of identity as race, ethnicity, gender or other characteristics, have been historically marginalized by society and placed outside of the mainstream. Generally courses will explore the ways in which marginalization has occurred and the reasons for this marginalization. The intent is to expand understanding of these social groups with the goal of identifying the way social categories shape human thought and experience.

(2) Non-Western Cultures. These courses are designed to expand the range of the student’s understanding of cultures that are not derived principally from the western experience. A comparative perspective introduces students to the commonality and diversity of cultural responses to universal human problems. Each course seeks to cultivate insight into and respect for diversity by requiring students to explore a cultural world quite different from their own.

Courses satisfying this requirement are intended to portray culture in the most integrated sense, including aspects of material adaptation, social pattern, ideas and values and aesthetic achievement.

Students are required to pass 3 hours of course work from any course listed below. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher. Students who graduate with a major in ethnic studies are exempt from completing the human diversity requirement.

ANTH 1100-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils
ANTH 1105-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet
ANTH 1115-3 The Caribbean in Post-Colonial Perspective
ANTH 1120/ETHN 1123-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Hopi and Navajo (formerly AIST 1125/ANTH 1120)
ANTH 1135-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: TBA
ANTH 1140-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Maya
ANTH 1145-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Aztecs
ANTH 1150-3 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Regional Cultures of Africa
ANTH 1160-3 The Ancient Egyptian Civilization
ANTH 1170-3 Exploring Culture and Gender through Film
ANTH 2100-3 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ARAB 1011-3 Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilizations
ARSC 3001-3 Social Engagement and Human Rights: The South Africa Model
ARTH 3209-3 Art, Culture, and Gender Diversity, 1400–1600: Renaissance Art Out of the Canon
ARTH/CLAS 4269-3 Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
ARTH/WMST 4769-3 Gender Studies in Early Modern Visual Culture
ASIA 2000-3 Gateway to Modern Asia: Exploring Regional Connections
ASTR 2000-3 Ancient Astronomies of the World
CHIN 1012-4 Introduction to Chinese Civilization
CLAS/WMST 2100-3 Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Greece
CLAS/WMST 2110-3 Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Rome*
COMM 2400-3 Discourse, Culture, and Identities*
COMM 3410-3 Intercultural Communication
ECON 4626-3 Economics of Inequality and Discrimination
EDUC 3013-(3-4) School and Society
ENGL/WMST 1260-3 Introduction to Women’s Literature
ENGL 1800-3 American Ethnic Literatures
ENGL/JWST 3677-3 Jewish-American Literature
ETHN 1022-3 Introduction to Africana Studies (formerly ETHN 2002)
ETHN 1023-3 Introduction to American Indian Studies (formerly ETHN 2003)
ETHN 1025-3 Introduction to Asian American Studies (formerly AAST 1015)
ETHN 2013-3 Critical Issues in Native North America (formerly AIST 2015)
ETHN 2215-3 The Japanese American Experience (formerly AAST 2210)
ETHN 2232-3 Contemporary African American Social Movements (formerly BLST 2200)
ETHN 2242-3 African American Social and Political Thought (formerly BLST 2210)*
ETHN 2432/HIST 2437-3 African American History (formerly BLST/HIST 2437)
ETHN 2536-3 Survey of Chicana and Chicano History and Culture (formerly CHST/HIST 2537)
ETHN 2546-3 Chicana and Chicano Fine Arts and Humanities (formerly ETHN 1036)
ETHN 3136/WMST 3135-3 Chicana Feminisms and Knowledges (formerly CHST/WMST 3135)
ETHN 3201/INVS/LDSP 3100 (3-4) Multicultural Leadership: Theories, Principles and Practices (formerly ETHN 3200/INVS 3100)
ETHN 3213/WMST 3210-3 American Indian Women (formerly AIST/WMST 3210)
ETHN 3671-3 People of Color and Social Movements (formerly ETHN 3675)
FILM 3013-3 Women and Film
FREN/ITAL 1400-3 Medieval/Renaissance Women Writers in Italy and France*
FREN 1950-3 French Feminisms
FREN 3800-3 France and the Muslim World
GEOG/WMST 3672-3 Gender and Global Economy
GEOG 3822-3 Geography of China
GRMN/JWST 3501-3 Jewish-German Writers: Enlightenment to Present Day
GRMN/WMST 3601-3 German Women Writers
GRMN/WMST 4301-3 Gender, Race and Immigration in Germany and Europe
GSLL/JWST 2350-3 Introduction to Jewish Culture
HEBR/JWST 3202-3 Women, Gender and Sexuality in Jewish Texts and Traditions (formerly HEBR/JSWT 2350)
HIND 1011-3 Introduction to South Asian Civilizations
HIND 3811-3 The Power of the Word: Subversive and Censored 20th Century Indo-Pakistani Literature (formerly HNDI 3811)
HIST 2616-3 History of Gender in America*
HONR 1810-3 Honors Diversity Seminar
HONR/WMST 3004-3 Women in Education
HONR 3270-3 Journey Motifs in Women’s Literature
HONR 4025-3 Heroines and Heroic Tradition
HUMN 2145-3 African America in the Arts
HUMN/ITAL 4150-3 Boccaccio's Decameron: Tales of Sex and Death in the Middle Ages
HUMN/ITAL 4730-3 Italian Feminisms: Culture, Theory and Narratives of Difference
IAFS/GSLL/JWST 3600-3 Global Secular Jewish Societies
INVS/EDUC 2919-3 Renewing Democracy in Communities and Schools
IAFS/JWST/RLST 3530-3 Jews and Muslims: The Multiethnic History of Istanbul
ITAL 4300-3 Multiculturalism in Italy
JPNS 1012-4 Introduction to Japanese Civilization
KREN 1011-3 Introduction to Korean Civilization
LGBT 2000/WMST 2030-3 Introduction to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies*
LIBB 1600-3 Gender and Film*
LING 1020-3 Languages of the World
LING 2400-3 Language and Gender*
LING 3220-3 American Indian Languages in Social-Cultural Context
MUEL 2772-3 World Musics
MUEL 2782-3 World Musics: Africa, Europe and the Americas
PHIL 2270-3 Philosophy and Race
PHIL/WMST 2290-3 Philosophy and Women
PSCI 3101-3 Black Politics
PSCI 3301/WMST 3300-3 Gender, Sexuality and U.S. Law
PSCI 4131-3 Latinos and the U.S. Political System
PSYC/WMST 2700-3 Psychology of Contemporary American Women
RLST 2612-3 Yoga: Ancient and Modern
RLST 2700-3 American Indian Religious Traditions*
RLST/WMST 2800-3 Women and Religion*
RUSS/WMST 4471-3 Women in 20th-21st Century Russian Culture
SCAN 3206-3 Nordic Colonialisms
SCAN/WMST 3208-3 Women in Nordic Society: Modern States of Welfare
SOCY/WMST 1016-3 Sex, Gender and Society 1*
SOCY/WMST 3012-3 Women and Development
SPAN 3270-3 Barcelona: Understanding Local and Immigrant Cultures
WMST 2000-3 Introduction to Feminist Studies
WMST 2020-3 Femininities, Masculinities and Alternatives
WMST 2050-3 Gender, Sexuality and Popular Culture
WMST 2200-3 Women, Literature and the Arts
WMST 3670-3 Gender, Race, Sexuality and Global Migration

6. United States Context (3 semester hours). Courses fulfilling the United States Context requirement explore important aspects of culture and society in the United States. They stimulate critical thinking and an awareness of the place of the United States in the world by promoting an understanding of the world views that the environment, culture, history and values of the United States have fostered. They are required to include some discussion of the realities and issues related to matters of ethnic and racial diversity that characterize the nation’s ongoing experience. These courses familiarize students with the United States and enable them to evaluate it critically.

These courses teach an appreciation of United States culture while inviting students to ask probing questions about values and ideals that are understood to be an integral part of the United States. Some of the questions that might be addressed in these courses are: How have citizens and other residents of the United States derived a sense of identity from geography, language, politics and the arts? How do people in the United States view and influence the world beyond the nation’s borders? How have the rights and responsibilities of citizenship changed over time? How have U.S. citizens and residents in the United States dealt with opposing values? Completing this requirement, students will develop both a better understanding of the United States, present and past, and a considerable interest in the nation’s future.

This 3-hour requirement may be fulfilled by passing any course listed below. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

ANTH 3170-3 America: An Anthropological Perspective
ARTH 3509-3 American Art
BAKR 1500-3 Colorado: History, Ecology, and Environment
*CAMW 2001-3 The American West
ECON 4524-3 Economic History of the U.S.
EDUC 2125-3 History of American Public Education
ENGL 2115-3 American Frontiers
ETHN 2004-3 Themes in American Culture 1 (formerly AMST 2000)
ETHN 2013-3 Critical Issues in Native North America (formerly AIST 2015)
ETHN 2014-3 Themes in American Culture 2 (formerly AMST 2010)
ETHN 2432/HIST 2437-3 African American History (formerly BLST/HIST 2437)
ETHN 2536-3 Survey of Chicana and Chicano History and Culture (formerly CHST/HIST 2537)
ETHN 3015-3 Asian Pacific American Communities (formerly AAST 3013)
ETHN 4504-3 Ethnic-American Autobiography (formerly AMST 4500)
HIST 1015-3 American History to 1865*
HIST 1025-3 American History since 1865*
HIST 2015-3 Themes in Early American History*
HIST 2126-3 Issues in Modern U.S. Politics and Foreign Relations
HIST 2166-3 The Vietnam Wars
HIST 2516-3 America through Baseball
HIST 2636/WMST 2400-3 Women of Color and Activism*
HUMN 2145-3 African America in the Arts
INVS 1523-3 Civic Engagement: Democracy as a Tool for Social Change*
ITAL 4350-3 Wops and Dons to Movers and Shakers: The Italian-American Experience
LIBB 2800-3 Horror Films and American Culture
LING 1000-3 Language in U.S. Society
MUEL 2752-3 Music in American Culture
PHIL 1200-3 Philosophy and Society*
PHIL 2220-3 Philosophy and Law
PSCI 1101-3 Introduction to American Politics*
PSCI 3011-3 The American Presidency and the Executive Branch
PSCI 3021-3 U.S. Campaigns and Elections
PSCI 3054-3 American Political Thought
PSCI 3061-3 State Government and Politics
PSCI 3071-3 Urban Politics
PSCI 3163-3 American Foreign Policy
PSCI 3274-3 Capitalism and its Critics (formerly PSCI 3171)
RLST 2500-3 Religion in the United States*
RLST 3050-3 Religion and Literature in America
RUSS 4301-3 American-Russian Cultural Relations
SOCY 1021-3 U.S. Race and Ethnic Relations*
SOCY/WMST 3016-3 Marriage and the Family in U.S. Society
SOCY 3151-3 Self in Modern Society
WMST 3900-3 Asian American Women

7. Literature and the Arts (6 semester hours, 3 of which must be upper-division). These courses promote a better understanding of fundamental aesthetic and cultural issues. They sharpen critical and analytical abilities so that students may develop a deeper appreciation of works of art. The goal of this requirement is to enhance the student’s ability to read critically, to understand the elements of art and to grasp something of the complex relations between artist and public, and between art work and cultural matrix. The emphasis in courses which fulfill this requirement is on works that are generally recognized as central to and significant for one’s cultural literacy and thereby enhance the student’s understanding of our literary and artistic heritage.

Courses stress literary works as well as the history and criticism of literature and the arts. They may utilize creative projects as a means of arriving at a better understanding of the art form, but students may not use studio or performance classes to satisfy this requirement.

Students are required to pass 6 hours of course work in literature and the arts, of which at least 3 hours must be upper-division. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

If students graduate with a major dealing in depth with literature and the arts (Chinese, classics, dance, English, fine arts, French, Germanic studies, humanities, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish or theatre), they are exempt from this requirement.

Courses offered at CU-Boulder that satisfy this requirement include the following:

Lower-division Courses

ARTH 1300-3 History of World Art 1*
ARTH 1400-3 History of World Art 2*
ARTH/CLAS 1509-4 Trash and Treasure, Temples and Tombs: Art and Archaeology of the Ancient World
ARTH/CLAS 2039-3 Greek Art and Archaeology
ARTH/CLAS 2049-3 Roman Art and Architecture
ARTH 1709-3 Freshmen Seminar: Critical Introduction to Art History
ARTH 2409-3 Introduction to Asian Arts*
CHIN 1051-3 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation
CHIN 2441-3 Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture*
CLAS 1100-3 Greek Mythology
CLAS 1110-3 Gods, Monsters and Mortals: Literature of Ancient Greece
CLAS 1115-3 Masterpieces of Greek Literature in Translation
CLAS 1120-3 Power and Passion: Literature of Ancient Rome
COMR 1800-3 Visual Literacy: Images and Ideologies
DNCE 1017-3 Dance and Popular Culture
DNCE 1027-3 Introduction to Dance and Culture (formerly DNCE 1029)
ENGL 1220-3 From Gothic to Horror
ENGL 1230-3 Environmental Literature
ENGL 1420-3 Poetry
ENGL 1500-3 Masterpieces of British Literature
ENGL 1600-3 Masterpieces of American Literature
FARR 2002-3 Literature of Lifewriting
FREN 1200-3 Medieval Epic Through Game of Thrones
FREN 1610-3 How to Be French 1: “The Ancien Regime”
FREN 1620-3 How to Be French 2: “Modernity”
FREN 1880-3 The Zombie and the Ghost of Slavery
FREN 1900-3 Modern Paris in Literature, Photographs, Paintings and Movies
GRMN 1602-3 Metropolis and Modernity
GRMN 2501-3 20th Century German Short Story
GRMN 2503-3 Fairy Tales of Germany*
*GRMN/HUMN 2601-3 Kafka and the Kafkaesque*
HEBR/JWST 2551-3 Modern Jewish Literature
HONR 2860-3 The Figure of Socrates
HUMN 1110-3 Introduction to Humanities: Literature 1
HUMN 1120-3 Introduction to Humanities: Literature 2
HUMN 1210-3 Introduction to Humanities: Art and Music 1
HUMN 1220-3 Introduction to Humanities: Art and Music 2
HUMN 2100-3 Arts, Culture and Media
ITAL 1600-3 Strategies of Fear: Introduction to Italian Fantastic Literature
JPNS 1051-3 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature in Translation
MUEL 1832-3 Appreciation of Music
MUEL 2852-3 Music in the Rock Era
MUEL 2862-3 American Film Musical, 1926–1954
RUSS 2231-3 Fairy Tales of Russia*
RUSS 2241-3 The Vampire in Literature and the Visual Arts
RUSS 2251-3 Knights and Amazons: Superheroes in Russian Epics and Film
RUSS 2261-3 The Russian Short Story
SCAN 1202-3 Tolkien’s Nordic Sources and The Lord of the Rings
SPAN 1000-3 Cultural Difference through Hispanic Literature*
THTR 1009-3 Introduction to Theatre*
THTR 1011-3 Development of Theatre 1: Global Theatre Origins*
WMST 2200-3 Women, Literature and the Arts

Upper-division Courses

ARAB 3231-3 In the Footsteps of Travelers: Travel Writing in Arabic Literature
ARTH 4329-3 Modern Art 1
ARTH 4759-3 17th Century Art and the Concept of the Baroque
CHIN/HUMN 3341-3 Literature and Popular Culture in Modern China
CHIN 3351-3 Reality and Dream in Traditional Chinese Literature
CLAS/HUMN 4110-3 Greek and Roman Epic
CLAS/HUMN 4120-3 Greek and Roman Tragedy
CLAS/HUMN 4130-3 Greek and Roman Comedy
DNCE 4017-3 History and Philosophy of Dance
DNCE 4037-3 Looking at Dance (formerly DNCE 3027)
ENGL 3000-3 Shakespeare for Nonmajors
ENGL 3060-3 Modern and Contemporary Literature for Nonmajors
ENGL 3300-3 Literary London
FILM/RUSS 3211-3 History of Russian Cinema
FILM 3402-3 European Film and Culture
FILM/HUMN 3660-3 The Postmodern
FILM/HUMN 4135-3 Art and Psychoanalysis
FREN 3200-3 Introduction to Literary Theory and Advanced Critical Analysis
FREN 4300-3 Theatre and Modernity in 17th Century France
GRMN 3502-3 Literature in the Age of Goethe
GRMN/HUMN 3702-3 Dada and Surrealist Literature
GRMN/HUMN 3802-3 Politics and Culture in Berlin, 1900–1933
GRMN/HUMN 4504-3 Goethe’s Faust
HEBR/JWST 4203-3 Israeli Literature: Exile, Nation, Home
HEBR/JWST 4301-3 Venice: The Cradle of European Jewish Culture
HIND 3851-3 Devotional Literature in South Asia
HUMN 4170-3 Fiction and Reality: Literature, Science and Culture
HUMN/ITAL 4140-3 The Age of Dante: Readings from The Divine Comedy
HUMN/ITAL 4150-3 Boccaccio's Decameron: Tales of Sex and Death in the Middle Ages
HUMN/RUSS 4811-3 19th Century Russian Literature in Translation
HUMN/RUSS 4821-3 20th Century Russian Literature and Art
ITAL 4145-3 The Age of Dante in Italian
ITAL 4147-3 Visualizing Dante’s Inferno: A Global Seminar in Florence, Italy
ITAL 4600-3 Once Upon a Time in Italy
MUEL 3822-3 Words and Music
MUEL 3832-3 Music in Literature
RUSS 3241-3 Red Star Trek: Russian Science Fiction Between Utopia and Dsytopia
RUSS 4831-3 Contemporary Russian Literature
SCAN 3202-3 Old Norse Mythology
SCAN 3203-3 19th and 20th Century Nordic Literature
SCAN 3204-3 Medieval Icelandic Sagas
SCAN 3205-3 Scandinavian Folk Narrative
SCAN 3506-3 Scandinavian Drama
SPAN 3260-3 Late 19th and 20th Century Argentine Narrative
SPAN 3800-3 Latin American Literature In Translation
THTR 3011-3 Development of American Musical Theatre

8. Natural Science (13 semester hours, including a two-course sequence and a laboratory or field experience). These courses study the nature of matter, life and the universe. They enhance literacy and knowledge of one or more scientific disciplines, and enhance those reasoning and observing skills that are necessary to evaluate issues with scientific content. Courses are designed to demonstrate that science is not a static list of facts, but a dynamic process that leads to knowledge. This process is one of subtle interplay between observation, experimentation and theory, enabling students to develop a critical view toward the conclusions and interpretations obtained through the scientific process.

Through a combination of lecture courses and laboratory or field experiences, students gain hands-on experience with scientific research. They develop observational skills of measurement and data interpretation and learn the relevance of these skills to the formation and testing of scientific hypotheses.

The goal of this requirement is to enable students to understand the current state of knowledge in at least one scientific discipline, with specific reference to important past discoveries and the directions of current development; to gain experience in scientific observation and measurement, in organizing and quantifying results, in drawing conclusions from data and in understanding the uncertainties and limitations of the results; and to acquire sufficient general scientific vocabulary and methodology to find additional information about scientific issues, to evaluate it critically and to make informed decisions.

The natural science requirement, which consists of passing 13 hours of approved natural science course work, includes one two-semester sequence of courses and at least 1 credit hour of an associated lab or field experience. No more than two lower-division courses may be taken from any single department (1-credit-hour lab/field experience courses are excepted). To fulfill the natural science core requirement the lab/field experience courses must be affiliated with a natural science lecture course. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

Students who graduate with a major in the natural sciences (astrophysical and planetary sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, ecology and evolutionary biology, geology, integrative physiology, molecular, cellular and developmental biology or physics) or students who graduate with a minor in ecology and evolutionary biology are exempt from completing the natural science requirement.

Courses offered at CU-Boulder that satisfy this requirement include the following:

Two-semester Sequences

(Note: Although not recommended, the first semester of a sequence may be taken as a single course. Also, some sequences have included, corequisite or optional laboratories.)

ANTH 2010-3* and 2020-3 Introduction to Physical Anthropology 1 and 2* (optional labs ANTH 2030*, 2040*)
ASTR 1000-3 and 1020-4 The Solar System, and Introductory Astronomy 2 (sequence does not include a lab) (ASTR 1000 formerly ASTR 1110)
ASTR 1010-4 and 1020-3 Introductory Astronomy 1 and 2 (lab included in ASTR 1010)
ASTR 1030-4* and 1040-4 Accelerated Introductory Astronomy 1 and 2* (lab included in ASTR 1030)
ATOC 1050-3* and 1060-3 Weather and the Atmosphere and Our Changing Environment: El Niño, Ozone and Climate (optional lab ATOC 1070*)
CHEM 1011-3* and 1031-4 Environmental Chemistry 1 and 2 (lab included in CHEM 1031)
CHEM 1113-4 and 1133-4 General Chemistry 1 and 2 (corequisite labs CHEM 1114 and 1134)
CHEM 1251-5 and 1271-5 General Chemistry 1 and 2 for Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors (lab included)
EBIO 1030-3 and 1040-3 Biology: A Human Approach 1 and 2 (optional lab EBIO 1050)
EBIO 1210-3* and 1220-3 General Biology 1 and 2* (optional labs EBIO 1230, 1240)
GEOG 1001-4* and 1011-4 Environmental Systems 1 and 2: Climate and Vegetation, Landscapes and Water* (lab included)
GEOL 1010-3* and *1020-3 Introduction to Geology and Introduction to Earth History (optional lab *GEOL 1030)
GEOL 1010-3* and 1040-3 Introduction to Geology and Geology of Colorado (optional lab *GEOL 1030)
GEOL 1010-3* and 1060-3 Introduction to Geology and Global Change—An Earth Science Perspective (optional lab *GEOL 1030)
MCDB 1030-3* and 1041-3 Molecules, Plagues and People, and Fundamentals of Human Genetics* (corequisite lab MCDB 1043)
MCDB 1150-3* and 2150-3 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology, and Principles of Genetics* (optional labs MCDB 1151*, 2151*)
PHYS 1010-3* and 1020-4 Physics of Everyday Life 1 and 2* (lab included in PHYS 1020)
PHYS 1110-4* and 1120-4 General Physics 1 and 2* (optional lab PHYS 1140*)
PHYS 2010-5* and 2020-5 General Physics 1 and 2* (lab included)

Nonsequence Courses

ANTH 3000-3 Primate Behavior
ANTH 3010-3 The Human Animal
AREN 2110-3 Thermodynamics
ASTR 1200-3 Stars and Galaxies (formerly ASTR 1120)
ASTR 2000-3 Ancient Astronomies of the World
ASTR 2010-3 Modern Cosmology: Origin and Structure of the Universe
ASTR 2020-3 Space Astronomy and Exploration
ASTR 2030-3 Black Holes
ASTR/GEOL 2040-3 The Search for Life in the Universe
ATOC/GEOL 3070-3 Introduction to Oceanography
ATOC 3050-3 Principles of Weather
ATOC 3300/GEOG 3301-3 Analysis of Climate and Weather Observations
ATOC 3500/CHEM 3151-3 Air Chemistry and Pollution (formerly ATOC/CHEM 3500)
ATOC/ENVS 3600/GEOG 3601-3 Principles of Climate
ATOC 4550-3 Mountain Meteorology
ATOC 4700-3 Weather Analysis and Forecasting
ATOC 4750-3 Desert Meteorology and Climate
ATOC 4770-3 Wind Energy Meteorology
CHEM 1021-4 Introductory Chemistry (lab included)*
CHEM 1400-4 Foundations of Chemistry
CHEN 1000-3 Creative Technology
EBIO 3180-3 Global Ecology
ENVS 1000-4 Introduction to Environmental Studies
ENVS/PHYS 3070-3 Energy and the Environment
ENVS/GEOL 3520-3 Energy and Climate Change: An Interdisciplinary Approach
GEOG 3511-4 Introduction to Hydrology
GEOG/GEOL 4241-4 Principles of Geomorphology (lab included)
GEOL 2100-3 Environmental Geology
GEOL 3040-3 Global Change: The Recent Geological Record
GEOL 3500-3 Earth Resources and the Environment
GEOL 3720-3 Evolution of Life: The Geological Record
GEOL 3950-3 Natural Catastrophes and Geologic Hazards
IPHY 2420-3 Nutrition for Health and Performance
IPHY 3660-3 The Dynamics of Motor Learning
MCDB 3150-3 Biology of the Cancer Cell
MCDB 3330-3 Evolution and Creationism
PHIL 1400-3 Philosophy and the Sciences*
PHIL 3410-3 History of Science: Ancients to Newton
PHIL 3430-3 History of Science: Newton to Einstein
PHYS 1230-3 Light and Color for Non-Scientists
PHYS 1240-3 Sound and Music*
PSYC 2012-3 Biological Psychology 1*
PHYS/EDUC 1580-3 Energy and Interactions
SLHS 2010-3 Science of Human Communication

One-credit-hour Lab/Field Courses
(NOTE: Each course below has a prerequisite or corequisite.)

ANTH 2030-1 Lab in Physical Anthropology 1*
ANTH 2040-1 Lab in Physical Anthropology 2*
ATOC 1070-1 Weather and the Atmosphere Laboratory*
CHEM 1114-1 Lab in General Chemistry 1
CHEM 1134-1 Lab in General Chemistry 2
CHEM 1401-1 Foundations of Chemistry Lab
EBIO 1050-1 Biology: A Human Approach Lab
EBIO 1230-1 General Biology Lab 1
EBIO 1240-1 General Biology Lab 2
GEOL 1030-1 Introduction to Geology Lab 1*
MCDB 1043-1 Exploring Genetics Laboratory
MCDB 1151-1 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology Lab*
MCDB 2151-1 Principles of Genetics Lab*
PHYS 1140-1 Experimental Physics 1*

9. Contemporary Societies (3 semester hours). All individuals function within social frameworks. Courses in contemporary societies introduce students to the study of social groups, including social institutions and processes, the values and beliefs shared by their members and the forces that mold and shape social groups. They prepare students to approach social phenomena of all kinds in an informed and critical way, and to describe, analyze, compare and contrast them. Such study also provides students with new vantage points from which to view their own sociocultural assumptions and traditions.

These courses, which treat contemporary societies, study an individual society or compare several societies. All explicitly attempt to deepen the students’ understanding of the cultural, political, economic or social contexts that shape people’s lives. Their scope may be global or specific, but all courses that fulfill this requirement address social processes, institutions, values, forces and beliefs.

Students who graduate with a major in anthropology, economics, international affairs, political science, psychology or sociology are exempt from the contemporary societies requirement. Students may satisfy this 3-hour requirement by passing any course listed below. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

ANTH 1200-3 Culture and Power
BAKR 1600-3 Creating a Sustainable Future
COMM 1210-3 Perspectives on Human Communication
ECON 2010-4 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 2020-4 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 3403-3 International Economics and Policy
ECON 3535-3 Natural Resource Economics
ECON 3545-3 Environmental Economics
EDUC 3013 (3-4) School and Society
ETHN 1025-3 Introduction to Asian American Studies (formerly AAST 1015)
ETHN 2232-3 Contemporary African American Social Movements (formerly BLST 2200)
ETHN 2242-3 African American Social and Political Thought (formerly BLST 2210)
ETHN 3015-3 Asian Pacific American Communities (formerly AAST 3013)
GEOG 3742-3 Place, Power and Contemporary Culture
GRMN 1601-3 Germany Today
HIST 2126-3 Issues in Modern U.S. Politics and Foreign Relations
HIST 2166-3 The Vietnam Wars
HUMN 4835-3 Literature and Social Violence
IAFS 1000-4 Global Issues and International Affairs*
IAFS/JWST 4302-3 Justice, Human Rights and Democracy in Israel
INVS 3000 (3-4) Innovative Approaches to Contemporary Issues through Service Learning
INVS 4302/PSCI 4732-3 Critical Thinking in Development
ITAL 1500-3 “That’s Amoré”: Introduction to Italian Culture*
ITAL 4290-3 Italian Culture through Cinema
LIBB 2100-3 Russian Revolutions: Social and Artistic
LING 1000-3 Language in U.S. Society
PORT 2800-3 Brazil: Past and Present
PRLC 1820-3 Community Issues in Leadership*
PSCI 1101-3 Introduction to American Politics
PSCI 2012-3 Introduction to Comparative Politics*
PSCI 2223-3 Introduction to International Relations*
PSCI 3022-3 Russian Politics
PSCI 3032-3 Democracy, Inequality and Violence in Latin America
PSCI 3074-3 Democracy and its Citizens in the U.S. and the E.U.
PSCI 3082-3 Political Systems of Sub-Saharan Africa
PSCI 3143-3 Current Affairs in International Relations
PSCI 4002-3 Western European Politics
PSCI 4012-3 Global Development
PSCI 4062-3 Emerging Democracies of Central and East Europe
PSCI 4272-3 The Political Economy of Advanced Industrial Democracies
PSYC 2606-3 Social Psychology*
RLST 1850-3 Ritual and Media
RLST 2400-3 Religion and Contemporary Society*
RUSS 2501-3 Russia Today
RUSS 4831-3 Contemporary Russian Literature
SCAN 2201-3 Introduction to Modern Scandinavian Culture and Society
SCAN 3201-3 Contemporary Nordic Society and Culture
SLHS 1010-3 Disabilities in Contemporary American Society
SOCY 1001-3 Introduction to Sociology*
SOCY 4024-3 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
WMST 2600-3 Gender, Race and Class in a Global Context*

10. Ideals and Values (3 semester hours). Ideals and values have usually been determined by long-standing traditions and fixed social practices. In our modern world, the interaction of different cultures, movement from place to place, electronic media and the rapidity of change, even within a given society, have combined to generate new constellations of ideals and hard choices among values.

Courses meeting the ideals and values requirement inquire into some specific sphere of human value (e.g. moral, religious, intellectual, aesthetic, environmental, etc.). In these courses students are encouraged to reflect upon fundamental ideals and values, their own and others, and the sources from which those value orientations derive. Such inquiry demands the development of the critical skills which help students identifying the assumptions and ramifications of value structures. It also requires consideration of approaches by which value systems are constructed, justified and applied, especially in regard to personal, societal and in some cases cross-cultural contexts.

Students may complete this 3-hour requirement by passing any course listed below. Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.

ARSC/NRLN 2000-3 Constructions of Knowledge in the Academy and Beyond
CLAS/PHIL 2610-3 Paganism to Christianity
CWCV 2000-3 The Western Tradition
ENGL/HUMN/JWST 3310-3 The Bible as Literature (formerly ENGL/JWST 3312)
ENVS/PHIL 3140-3 Environmental Ethics
FARR 2510/FILM 2613-3 Exploring Good and Evil Through Film (formerly FARR/FILM 2510)
FARR 2660/HONR 2250-3 The Ethics of Ambition
FARR 2820-3 The Future of Spaceship Earth
FREN 4860-3 War, Trauma and Memory (formerly FREN 4000)
GRMN/HUMN 1701-3 Nature and Environment in German Literature and Thought
GRMN/JWST 2502-3 Representing the Holocaust
GRMN 2603-3 Moral Dilemmas in Philosophy and Literature (formerly GRMN 1603)
GRMN/HUMN 3505-3 The Enlightenment: Tolerance and Emancipation
GRMN/HUMN 4502-3 Nietzsche: Literature and Values
HUMN 4155-3 Philosophy, Art and the Sublime
INVS 1000-4 Responding to Social and Environmental Problems through Service Learning*
ITAL 1300-3 'La Dolce Vita': Why the Humanities Matter, Italian Style
JWST/RLST 2600-3 Judaism, Christianity and Islam*
LDSP 1000-3 The Foundations of 21st Century Leadership
LIBB 1500-3 The Dialogue of Art and Religion
LIBB 2013-3 Film and the Quest for Truth (formerly FILM 2013)
PHIL 1000-3 Introduction to Philosophy*
PHIL 1100-3 Ethics*
PHIL 1160-3 Introduction to Bioethics
PHIL 1200-3 Philosophy and Society*
PHIL 1600-3 Philosophy and Religion*
PHIL 2200-3 Major Social Theories
PHIL 3100-3 Ethical Theory
PHIL/WMST 3110-3 Feminist Practical Ethics
PHIL 3160-3 Bioethics
PHIL 3190 (3-4) War and Morality
PHIL 3200-3 Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 3260-3 Philosophy and the International Order
PHIL 3600-3 Philosophy of Religion
PRLC 1810-3 Ethical Leadership
PSCI 2004-3 Survey of Western Political Thought*
PSCI 3054-3 American Political Thought
PSCI 3064-3 Environmental Political Theory
RLST 1620-3 The Religious Dimension in Human Experience
RLST 2202-3 Foundations of Islamic Traditions
RLST 2500-3 Religion in the United States*
RLST 2610-3 Religions of India
RLST 2620-3 Religions of East Asia*
RLST 2700-3 American Indian Religious Traditions*
RUSS 3701-3 Slavic Folk Culture: Ideals and Values in the Contemporary World
RUSS 4221-3 Stalinism: Society and Culture
SCAN 3301-3 Radical Nationalism in Contemporary Northern Europe
SEWL 2000-3 America, the Environment and the Global Economy
SOCY 1004-3 Deviance in U.S. Society*
SOCY 1022-3 Ethics and Social Issues in U.S. Health and Medicine
SOCY 2031-3 Social Problems*
SOCY 2077-3 Environment and Society
SOCY 3151-3 Self in Modern Society
SOCY 4121-3 Sociology of Religion

Majors and Other Areas of Interest

To be eligible for the four-year guarantee, a student must begin the program of study and declare the major by the start of the second semester or earlier for some select majors. For complete information, see the Four-Year Graduation Requirements in this section.

All arts and sciences students pursuing a bachelor’s degree must enter a degree-granting major by the end of their sophomore year (i.e., the semester in which they will complete 60 semester hours of work, including transfer work).

College academic advisors are responsible for advising students and also for certifying the completion of those students’ programs for graduation. The college can assume no responsibility for difficulties arising out of a student’s failure to establish and maintain contact with their assigned academic advisor.

Minimum Major Requirements

The following minimum requirements are specified by the college. In many cases departmental requirements may be higher than the minimums listed here.

A minimum of 30 credit hours in the major area (for the BFA, a minimum of 50 hours).
Thirty semester hours in the major area, all with grades of C- (1.70) or higher (no pass/fail credits can be applied to the major).
Eighteen credit hours of upper-division courses in the major, all with grades of C- (1.70) or higher.
Twelve hours of upper-division course work in the major on the CU-Boulder campus.
A 2.00 (C) overall grade point average in all major work attempted.
Special requirements as stipulated by the major department.
No more than 8 credit hours of independent study.

Students are subject to those major requirements in effect at the time they formally declare the major. All College of Arts and Sciences students have 10 years to complete the requirements for a declared major. If this 10-year limit is exceeded, students may be required to satisfy the current major requirements. Students with further questions should consult a major advisor.

Open Option

“Open option” (OPNO) is a major designation, but it is not a degree program. Open option students are advised in the Center for First-Year Students, which offers a structured advising program that provides students with the necessary support and strategies to investigate and compare academic disciplines so they can make informed decisions about the degree programs they will pursue. Students can explore any major available in the college while completing course requirements toward a baccalaureate degree. To ensure that students graduate in a timely manner, open option majors are required to enter a specific degree program by the time they have completed 45 credit hours (approximately the end of the third semester). Students must declare and enter a degree-granting major by the start of the second semester (or earlier for certain majors) to maintain eligibility for the four-year guarantee.

Double Majors

Students pursuing either the BA or BFA degree may graduate with more than one major within the degree (e.g., economics and French) by completing all requirements for both majors. A minimum of 120 total credit hours is required for double majors within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Minors

A number of departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences offer minor programs. Participation in a minor program is optional for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree. Course work applied to a minor also may be applied toward general education (core curriculum or college list) and major requirements. Students may not earn a major and a minor in the same program of study. All requirements for the minor must be completed by the time the BA or BFA is conferred.

Departments and programs with approved minor programs currently include applied mathematics; astrophysical and planetary sciences; atmospheric and oceanic sciences; chemistry and biochemistry; Chinese; classics; dance; ecology and evolutionary biology; economics; English–creative writing; ethnic studies; French; geography; geological sciences; Germanic studies; history; Italian; Japanese; Jewish studies; linguistics; mathematics; Nordic studies; philosophy; physics; political science; religious studies; Russian studies; Spanish and Portuguese—Portuguese; theatre; and women’s studies. Minors are also available in business, offered by the Leeds School of Business; and in computer science, offered by the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Interested students can find further information at advising.colorado.edu.

Although the structure of specific minor programs may differ, all minors offered in the College of Arts of Sciences must have the following restrictions or minimum requirements:

A minimum of 18 credit hours must be taken in the minor area, including a minimum of 9 upper-division hours.
All course work applied to the minor must be completed with a grade of C- or better (no pass/fail work may be applied). The grade point average for all minor degree course work must be equal to 2.00 (C) or higher.
Students pursuing a major in distributed studies or an individually structured major are not eligible to earn a minor.
Students are allowed to apply no more than 9 credit hours, including 6 upper-division credit hours, of transfer work toward a minor.
Students may earn no more than two minors.
Students must complete all requirements for a minor by the time they graduate.

Areas of Interest

The college sponsors programs—but not undergraduate majors—in the areas of interest below. Course work in these areas is open to all interested students Contact the Office of the Dean for more information.

African American Studies
American Indian Studies
Asian American Studies
Bibliography
Chicano Studies
Honors
International and National Voluntary Service Training
Museum

Certificate Programs

The college also sponsors undergraduate certificate programs in a number of fields of study. Completion of specified course work in the certificate programs below entitles students to a certificate issued by the dean of the college. Students interested in these programs should contact the director of the appropriate program.

Actuarial Studies and Quantitative Finance
British and Irish Studies
Central and Eastern European Studies
Cognitive Sciences
European Union Studies
Foundations of Western Civilization
Global Environmental Affairs
Global Gender and Sexuality Studies
International Media
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Neurosciences and Behavior
Peace and Conflict Studies
Public Health
South Asian Languages and Civilizations
Western American Studies

Multiple Degrees

Double Degrees

Two different degrees (i.e., a BA and BFA from the College of Arts and Sciences, or two degrees from different schools or colleges) may be earned from CU-Boulder if the following conditions are fulfilled:

The student meets the residency requirements of, and is enrolled in, both the College of Arts and Sciences and the college or school granting the second degree.
The student completes a minimum of 145 credit hours when both degrees are offered within the College of Arts and Sciences.
The student completes all requirements for both degrees when the degrees are offered by two different colleges.
For the BA and BFA degrees, 90 credit hours of arts and sciences course work are required (courses from outside arts and sciences that have been approved for the arts and sciences core curriculum will apply toward the 90 credit hours).
The student has completed all general education and major requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Both degrees must be awarded at the same time.

Second Baccalaureate Degrees

A student who has been awarded a baccalaureate degree, either from this college or elsewhere, may be granted a second baccalaureate degree provided the following conditions have been fulfilled:

All general requirements for the degree to be awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences have been met. (Students are subject to the general degree requirements in effect the semester they enter the second baccalaureate degree program.)
The major in the BA or BFA is different from the major in the first degree earned.
Arts and sciences students must complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in University of Colorado courses on the Boulder campus toward the second degree after admission to the second undergraduate degree program. Of these 45 credits, a minimum of 30 credits must be in arts and sciences upper-division credit hours completed as a matriculated student in the second undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and at least 12 of these upper-division hours must be in the major. Courses taken as a nondegree student or as part of a graduate degree program do not count in these minimum requirements.

Graduation Deadlines

Arts and Sciences students who have earned 80 or more credit hours and wish to walk in a commencement ceremony and/or graduate at the close of a term must submit an online application to graduate via the myCUinfo student portal, meeting all appropriate application deadlines published by the Office of the Registrar (www.colorado.edu/registrar/degree-audit-and-diplomas). Students should also consult with their primary Arts and Sciences academic advisor.

Students who intend to complete their degree in Summer (August) and want their name to appear in the Spring (May) commencement program should apply online for the Summer graduation term, submitting their application prior to the published Spring commencement program deadline. Summer applicants who apply prior to the Spring program deadline will automatically be included in the Spring commencement program.

Students who apply to graduate but fail to fulfill all degree requirements by the deadline for that term/year must submit a new online graduation application for a future term/year in order for the college to confer the degree once all remaining requirements are complete. To be certified as having completed all degree and major/minor requirements, all credit hours and grades (including transfer coursework and Continuing Education credit hours and grades) must be posted to the student records system by the deadline for reporting degrees for that term/year.