Disciplinary Studies (DS)
By taking courses across the liberal arts disciplines, MMC students acquire a foundation that broadens their education beyond their chosen majors and prepares them for interdisciplinary study at the advanced level.
Students are required to complete one course at the 100- or 200-level in each of the following groups. Students may select any liberal arts courses offered in a particular discipline, except for those courses that are identified as “for majors only.” For a list of courses that fulfill the Disciplinary Studies requirement, see the course schedule.
1. Studies in Creative Expression (DS1)
Select from courses in Art, Creative Writing, Dance, Music, and Theatre Arts.
Learning Goals
- Students will engage as informed observers or active participants in the visual, spatial, performing or creative arts.
- Students will describe processes by which works of art, media, performance and creative writing are created individually and collaboratively.
- Students will demonstrate critical listening, reading, seeing and writing skills, and the ability to articulate aesthetic responses.
2. Studies in Literature and Language (DS2)
Select from courses in Communication and Media Arts, English, Journalism, French, Spanish, and Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology.
Learning Goals
- Students will articulate their understanding of the role language plays as a system of communication and as marker of cultural expression and identity.
- Students will produce formal analyses of how oral or written language reflects the sociohistorical conditions that produce it.
- Students will apply a variety of theoretical frameworks to their analysis of written and oral language.
3. Studies in Natural Science and Mathematics (DS3)
Select from courses in Biology, Chemistry, General Science, Mathematics (MATH 141 or higher), and Physics.
Learning Goals
- Students will demonstrate higher-level critical thinking and quantitative reasoning skills.
- Students will integrate and apply principles of the natural sciences and mathematics.
- Students will demonstrate comprehension and will communicate scientific or mathematical knowledge.
4. Studies in Psychology, Philosophy and Religious Studies (DS4)
Select from courses in Philosophy, Psychology, and Religious Studies.
Learning Goals
- Students will identify, describe, and explain key terms, concepts, and distinctions central to the discipline of psychology, philosophy, or religious studies.
- Students will reconstruct and explain (in speaking and writing) various arguments concerning the foundations and applications of theories of human nature, knowledge, and/or value.
- Students will critically evaluate (in speaking and writing) various arguments (including one’s own) concerning the foundations and applications of theories of human nature, knowledge, and/or value.
5. Studies in Social Science, Business and History (DS5)
Select from courses in Business Management, Economics, Education, Gender and Sexuality Studies, History, International Studies, Political Science, Politics and Human Rights, Social Work and Sociology.
Learning Goals
- Students will critically consume discipline-specific knowledge in social science, business, or history.
- Students will discriminate among a variety of research methods, and demonstrate an understanding of their advantages and limitations.
- Students will identify the economic, historical, political or social factors shaping the procedures, practices, and policies of collective existence.