Liberal Arts

Description:

In the liberal arts, students use critical thinking and draw from a number of disciplines to analyze complex social and cultural issues and become life-long learners prepared to meet personal, societal, and global challenges. The Liberal Arts degree program provides a clear educational path for many students at Community College of Philadelphia that also offers the opportunity to clarify their interests and career goals. It is designed for students planning to transfer to baccalaureate programs after study at the College.
 
Students in the Liberal Arts curriculum are required to enroll in FYE 101: First Year Experience within the first 12 credits and must complete required courses ENGL 101, ENGL 102, college-level math, CIS 103, the first in the Social Science pair, the first in the Humanities pair, and the Communication course within the first 24 credits so that they are free to choose the courses that best fit their long-term educational goals for the remainder of the program.
 
Alternate pathways exist so that students may take the following certificates while completing the Liberal Arts degree: Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate, Acting Proficiency Certificate, Technical Theater Proficiency Certificate, and Creative Writing Academic Certificate.

Students are expected to consult with an academic advisor or counselor upon entry to the program and in subsequent semesters. Transfer planning should begin early so that the student can make the most informed choices. The Liberal Arts curriculum contains a number of electives and allows students and advisors to shape the selection of courses to meet individual goals. Students who follow the Liberal Arts curriculum and plan to attend a specific four-year college after graduation should choose electives that duplicate as closely as possible those in the first two years of the program of that college.

Note: Many, but not all, transfer institutions require some knowledge of a world language (from one semester to two years of study at the college level or the equivalent). Students planning to transfer should be aware of world language requirements that may affect their acceptance into certain colleges and programs.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to:

  • Think critically about ideas and concepts in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences, and mathematics to analyze complex personal, social, and global issues.
  • Communicate in oral, creative, and written modes in ways that reflect the situation, audience, and conventions of the medium.
  • Analyze content across disciplines to discern and respect diverse experiences and perspectives, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and ability, from both local and global points of view.
  • Question, investigate and solve problems using scientific and quantitative reasoning.

Program Entry Requirements:

Students are required to satisfy placement at the time of admission. Students identified as needing developmental course work must satisfactorily complete the appropriate English and mathematics courses as a part of their degree program.

Program of Study and Graduation Requirements:

Students in the Liberal Arts curriculum are required to enroll in FYE 101: First Year Experience within the first 12 credits and must complete required courses ENGL 101, ENGL 102, college-level math, CIS 103, the first in the Social Science pair, the first in the Humanities pair, and the Communication course within the first 24 credits. To qualify for the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree in Liberal Arts, a student must complete a minimum of 61 credit hours as prescribed and attain a grade point average of 2.0 ("C" average).

Course Sequence:

Semester 1

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
FYE 101 - First Year Experience   3 credits  
ENGL 101 - English Composition I   3 credits Writing, Research, and Info Lit 1
CIS 103 - Computer Applications & Concepts *   3 credits Technological Competency
FNMT 101 - Quantitative Reasoning or
FNMT 118 - Intermediate Algebra or
MATH 161 - Precalculus I or higher **		 For FNMT 101 or FNMT 118: FNMT 017 or FNMT 019 completed or FNMT 118 (or higher) placement
For MATH 161: FNMT 118 with a grade of "C" or better, or placement in MATH 161 or higher		 3 credits Quantitative Reasoning
HIST 101 - United States History: Colonial America through the Revolutionary Period or
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology or
SOC 101- Introduction to Sociology or
ANTH 101- Introduction to Anthropology ***		   3 credits Cultural Analysis & Interpretation

Semester 2

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ENGL 102 - The Research Paper ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better 3 credits Writing, Research, and Info Lit 2d
BLAS 101 - Introduction to Black Studies or
HIST 121 - World History: The Distant Past or
HIST 122 - World History: The Recent Past or
HUM 101 - Cultural Traditions or
HUM 102 - Cultural Traditions II or
World Language 101: Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish or
ENGL 190 - Introduction to Literature or any 200-level English course (with the exception of ENGL 214) or ***		 For BLAS 102: BLAS 101
For ENGL 190, ENGL 137, and ENGL 205 through ENGL 272: ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better		 3 credits  
ENGL 115 - Public Speaking or
ENGL 116 - Interpersonal Communication or
ENGL 117- Group/Team Communication or
ENGL 118 - Intercultural Communication		 ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently 3 credits Oral Communication/Creative Expression
BIOL 106 - General Biology I or
CHEM 105 - Inquiry into Chemistry		   4 credits Scientific Reasoning
General Elective**   3 credits  

Semester 3

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ANTH 112 - Cultural Anthropology or
or
HIST 102 - United States History: The Civil War and the 19th Century or
HIST 103 - United States History: The 20th Century and Beyond or
PSYC 205 - Psychopathology/Abnormal Psychology or
PSYC 215 - Developmental Psychology or
SOC/POLS 230 - Political Activism and Social Movements or
SOC 231- Social Problems or
SOC 233 - Race, Ethnicity and Social Inequalities ***		 PSYC 205: PSYC 101
PSYC 215: PSYC 101 or BIOL 109
SOC/POLS 230: SOC 101 or POLS 101; ENGL 101
SOC 231 and SOC 233: SOC 101 or ANTH 112		 3 credits  
General Elective**   3 or 4 credits  
BLAS 102 - Global Black Theory and Social Change or
HIST 121 - World History: The Distant Past or
HIST 122 - World History: The Recent Past or
HUM 101 - Cultural Traditions: Ancient to the 13th Century or
HUM 102 - Cultural Traditions: 14th Century to the Present or
World Language 101: Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, or Spanish or
ENGL 190 - Introduction to Literature or any 200-level English course (with the exception of ENGL 214) or ***		 For ENGL 190, ENGL 137, and ENGL 205 through ENGL 272: ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better 3 credits  
ENGL 250 - Survey of African American Literature: From Colonization to the Harlem Renaissance or
ENGL 251 - Survey of African American Literature: From the Harlem Renaissance to the Present or
ENGL 251- African-American Literature or
HIST 146 - Latino-American History or
HIST 220 - African-American History to 1877 or
HIST 221 - African-American History after 1865 or
MUS 120 - Music of African- Americans or
RS 170 - Religion in American History †		 For ENGL 221, 222, 250 and 251: ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better 3 credits  
ART 103 - History of Art: Ancient to Renaissance or
ART 104 - History of Art II: Renaissance to Modern or
ART 105 - Drawing I or
ART 109 - Ceramics I or
ENGL 131 - Acting I or
ENGL 137 - Introduction to Theater or
ENGL 205 - Creative Writing or
MUS 103 - Introduction to Music or
PHOT 101 - Introduction to 35mm Film Camera and Darkroom Techniques or
PHOT 105 - Introduction to Digital Photography†		 For ENGL 205: ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better 3 or 4 credits  

Semester 4

 

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
GEOG 180 - Urban Geography or
JUS 101- Survey of Criminal Justice or
PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy or
POLS 111 - American Government or
POLS 117 - City and State Government and Politics, with Cases from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania or
PSYC 221 - Social Psychology or
SOC 215 - Criminology 		 PSYC 221: PSYC 101
SOC 212, SOC 215: SOC 101 or ANTH 112		 3 credits  
ENGL 260 -Women in Literature or
GS 101 - Introduction to Gender Studies or
GS 110 - Global Perspectives in Gender Studies or
PHIL 202 - Philosophy of Love or
PSYC 202 - Human Sexuality or
SOC 115 - Gender and Society		 For ANTH 202:ENGL 101andANTH 101,ANTH 112orSOC 101.
For PSYC 202:PSYC 101
For ENGL 260: ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better		 3 credits  
ANTH 211 - African Peoples and Cultures or
ANTH 215 - Peoples and Cultures of Asia or
GLS 101 - Introduction to Global Studies  or
GEOG 103 - Introduction to Human Geography or
GS 110 - Global Perspectives in Gender Studies or
HUM 130 - Introduction to Japanese Culture and Civilization or
HUM 150 - Introduction to Latin American Cultures and Civilizations or
HUM 170 - Middle East Cultures and Civilizations or
HUM 180 - Introduction to African Cultures and Civilization or
HUM 190 - Modern African and Asia or
RS 151/PHIL 151 - World Religions †		 For ANTH 211 or ANTH 215: Any social or behavioral Science course.
For HUM 130, 150, 170, 180, 190: ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently		 3 credits   
General Elective **   3 or 4 credits  
CHEM 103 - Fundamentals of Chemistry I (Non-Lab Based) or
EASC 111- Environmental Conservation or
PHYS 108 - Descriptive Astronomy		   3 credits  

Minimum Credits Needed to Graduate:

61

* Students with computer skills may apply for credit by exam through the Computer Technologies Department.
** Some colleges and universities require a mathematics course above FNMT 118. Here are the options:

  • Students who are FNMT 118 ready may take MATH 137 or MATH 150 instead of FNMT 101 or FNMT 118.
  • Students who are FNMT 118 ready who intend to transfer to Temple University should take FNMT 118, which is the prerequisite for MATH 161.
  • Students with a math placement score above FNMT 118 should take MATH 161 or a higher-level math course.
  • Please visit the transfer agreements web page for more information and consult with an advisor when selecting a quantitative reasoning course. Students in the Religious Studies, Acting, or Technical Theater proficiency certificates or the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should consult those requirements before selecting a quantitative reasoning course or general electives.

*** Pair 1 and Pair 2 subjects must match. Students in the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should take two literature courses as their Humanities pair.
† Students in the Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate should not take ENGL 117. Students in the Religious Studies Proficiency Certificate should take RS 170 and RS 151. Students in the Acting Proficiency Certificate and Technical Theater Proficiency Certificate should take ENGL 131. Students in the Creative Writing Academic Certificate should take ENGL 205. Other courses are available with Coordinator approval.

General Education Requirements:

All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request For Course Substitution Of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College’s general education requirements is also available.

For More Information, Contact:

The Division of Liberal Studies, Room BR-21, 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, Telephone (215) 751-8450; or the College Information Center (215) 751-8010.