Mar 28, 2024  
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2022-2023 
    
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Liberal Studies, B.A.


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Objectives


The Liberal Studies program enables the student to meet elementary education Multiple Subject teacher preparation standards. The Liberal Studies program curriculum likewise serves the Loyola Marymount University mission.

Liberal Studies Student Learning Outcomes


The Liberal Studies program student will master the content required of professional educators in the State of California, to include:

  • Key concepts in the following academic fields: the social sciences and history, the arts and humanities, language studies, mathematics and science, health, physical education, human development, and in an approved academic concentration of the candidate’s choice
  • Candidates will demonstrate their mastery of the subject matter by successfully passing the CSET (California Subject Examination for Teachers) at the completion of their coursework.

The Liberal Studies program student will master the skills required of professional educators in the State of California:

  • To synthesize subject content in the liberal arts, professional content related to classroom teaching, and educational policies
  • To apply reading, writing, and research skills appropriate to the work of the academic disciplines being studied
  • To apply academic concepts to practical teaching contexts
  • To analyze, reflect on, and evaluate the relationships among academic theories, the practical and applied contexts of teaching, and the multiple and complex needs of students comprising a rich and diverse globe
  • Candidates will demonstrate the ability to synthesize and the other skills listed above in an exit interview at the completion of required coursework

The Liberal Studies program student will value:

  • Intellectual inquiry across a range of subjects
  • A world view comprising faith, social justice, and a respect for diversity
  • The individual’s role as a future educator who will shape the lives of children, local communities, and larger national and global societies;

Liberal Studies students will develop in their roles as:

  • Critical thinkers and creative problem solvers
  • Responsible local and global citizens
  • Culturally responsive and reflective learners and practitioners
  • Collaborators in a community of learners characterized by the Ignatian imagination
  • Effective, caring educators who are advocates for equity
  • Curricular leaders who value multiple ways of knowing.

There are five key components to the Liberal Studies major:


I. University Core Curriculum


48 semester hours

Subject-matter requirements for Liberal Studies majors are specific and may differ from those of other majors within the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts. The core course requirements are spread across 13 courses and three areas–Foundations, Explorations, and Integrations.

Foundations

Explorations

  • Creative Experience: ART 250 Visual Arts for the Elementary Educator  (3 semester hours)
  • Historical Analysis and Perspectives: Select from advisor-approved list (4 semester hours)
  • Nature of Science, Technology, and Mathematics: SCEM 270 Experimenting in Science I  (4 semester hours)
  • Understanding Human Behavior: PSYC 1000 General Psychology  (4 semester hours)

Integrations:
Choose from advisor-approved list for Interdisciplinary Connections as well as for Ethics and Justice.

Flag

Additionally, students fulfill the “flag” requirement as follows:

  • Engaged Learning (1 flag)

II. Liberal Studies Major Requirements


56 semester hours

III. Education Program Requirements


27 semester hours

Liberal Studies majors will engage with the Education Program through rigorous curriculum rooted in theory, as well as enriching dialogue that will both challenge constructs and push students to grow.  The Education requirements are also deeply rooted in fieldwork and clinical experiences that provide opportunities to implement the theories and content being learned.  Through the Education Program Requirements, students in the Liberal Studies major can earn a Preliminary Multiple Subjects Credential.  Students interested in teaching in bilingual settings may also add a Bilingual Authorization to their Preliminary Multiple Subjects Credential.  The Bilingual Authorization is offered in Spanish and Mandarin. 

Per Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v), all LMU School of Education credential/licensure programs meet the California state requirements as specified by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC) and for the CA Board of Behavioral Sciences, as appropriate. The institution (LMU) has not made a determination as to whether these credential, licensure, and professional preparation programs meet the requirements of states outside of California. If you are interested in practicing outside the state of California, it is recommended that you contact the respective licensing entity of that state to seek information or guidance regarding their licensure and credential requirements in advance to allowing appropriate planning. 

Note:


* Starred courses to be taken after formal acceptance into the LMU School of Education. Acceptance into these programs requires a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Education Director: Annette Pijuan Hernandez, Annette.Hernandez@lmu.edu, UH 2600 

Education Advisor: Michael Cersosimo, Michael.Cersosimo@lmu.edu, UH 2100 

IV. Electives


5-8 semester hours

Liberal Studies majors fulfill the Multiple Subjects student teaching requirement for the teaching credential by completing 3 semester hours of Elementary Teaching Seminar and 2-5 semester hours of Elementary Clinical Supervision 4, which are applied toward both the semester hour requirement for the baccalaureate degree in Liberal Studies and the requirements for the credential within the state of California. Whereas the B.A. degree in Liberal Studies and California teaching credential are separate, many requirements for the credential are earned through fulfilling the B.A. requirements, including student teaching, where this is met through elective units taken as Elementary Teaching Seminar (EDES 510 ) and Elementary Clinical Supervision 4 (EDES 524 ).

V. Concentration


12-20 semester hours

In addition to the above requirements, all Liberal Studies majors complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of coursework in a chosen area of concentration, which represents a subject area generally taught in elementary schools or a related area of study. With careful planning, the concentration can constitute most, if not all, of an LMU minor. Students must declare a concentration by the fall semester of their sophomore year. See the Bulletin for qualifying concentrations and their specific requirements.

Bilingual Authorization (9 semester hours)

Credential candidates with the demonstrated requisite language proficiency can earn a Bilingual Authorization to teach in either Spanish or Mandarin in an elementary classroom. The authorization requires students to complete part of their coursework and student teaching in a bilingual classroom. The Bilingual Authorization may contribute to meeting other requirements as well, such as those for particular concentrations, including the concentration in Bilingualism and Biliteracy. See the Director of Bilingual Programs if interested in earning the Bilingual Authorization.

Concentrations


Bilingualism and Biliteracy (BLBL)–12-13 semester hours

The Liberal Studies concentration in Bilingualism and Biliteracy is designed to allow credential candidates with the requisite language proficiency to also earn the Bilingual Authorization to teach bilingually, which at LMU currently is offered in Spanish and Mandarin. Required coursework includes the study of methodology, culture, and the processes of bilingualism and biliteracy. Students earning the authorization are required to do half of their student teaching in a bilingual setting as well. The required authorization courses follow either the Spanish or Mandarin track for a total of 9 semester hours. For students earning the LBST concentration in bilingualism and biliteracy, an additional upper division course, approved by the Director of Bilingual Programs at LMU will be required, for a total of 12-13 semester hours.

Dr. Marta Sanchez, marta.sanchez@lmu.edu, 310-338-1617, Department of Teaching and Learning 

Dance (DANC)–18 semester hours

The Dance curriculum builds upon the foundation of dance as a humanistic experience. The study of dance as an art form serves as the heart of the course of study. Studio and theory coursework are designed to integrate practical dance experience with more formal academic study so that the student is educated as a dancer who can perform, write, and speak about the art of dance and dancing.

The Dance concentration constitutes a minor in DANC. Students should be aware that DANC 363  and DANC 385  cannot be applied towards the concentration requirement, although the Bulletin lists them among the options for the Theory requirement for the minor.

Dr. Rosalynde LeBlanc Loo, rosalynde.loo@lmu.edu, 310-338-1635, Burns Fine Arts Center 249 

Early Childhood Education (ECED)–12 semester hours

The concentration in Early Childhood Education is designed for Liberal Studies majors with an interest in the development of children, from prenatal development to age eight. Students will comprehensively examine the whole child, prenatal development through age 8. In addition to an in-depth understanding of all developmental domains (cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical), students will gain knowledge of theory, research, and developmentally appropriate best practices. Coursework includes an emphasis on significant issues found in early childhood education, such as environmental influences from the family and community, children with special needs, diversity, second language learners, and social justice.

Dr. Ani Shabazian, ani.shabazian@lmu.edu, 310-258-8900, Department of Teaching and Learning 

English (ENGL)–16 semester hours

Believing that literature is a profound expression of human experience, the English Department uses a range of critical methods to introduce students to literatures in English from a variety of cultural traditions. The course work reveals the art form’s creative beauty, strategies for representing the human experience, and its power to shape the reader. The English Department encourages an understanding of the critical and creative union of reading and writing as fundamental to the processes of developing the human self. Through their imaginations, students who concentrate or minor in English interact with language and literature, thereby encountering another equally open and attentive mind: that of the writer whose work they are reading.

Dr. Aimee Kilroy-Ross, Aimee.Kilroy-Ross@lmu.edu, 310.338.3718 

History (HIST)–12 semester hours

The study of history is integral to Loyola Marymount University’s mission as a university in the Jesuit/Marymount, Catholic, and liberal arts traditions. It contributes to “the encouragement of learning” through intellectually demanding courses that cultivate an understanding of both familiar and unfamiliar pasts and cultures. It educates “the whole person” by focusing on a multiplicity of perspectives and experiences, and by attempting to understand the lived, bodily experience of the “whole person” in the past. History courses ground discussions of “the service of faith and the promotion of justice” by putting these ideas in context, showing change over time, and emphasizing how today’s world evolved out of the contingent actions of and interactions between individuals and groups of people. The study of history enables the student to examine cultures, religions, and the interconnections among peoples and societies as complex historical phenomena, human structures open to historical interpretation and analysis. Historical perspective thus provides insight into the sequence of events, into the relationship of events at diverse times and places, and into the dynamism of structures and beliefs that can otherwise appear fixed or predetermined. The study of history therefore also leads to greater sensitivity to and awareness of cultural differences and similarities, as well as conflicting interpretations of events.

Three four-semester-hour HIST courses (12 semester hours):

  1. One of the following HIST courses (these are required for the Liberal Studies major):

a. HIST 1300 Becoming America , HIST 1301 America and the Atlantic World 1450-1850 , HIST 1400 The United States and the World , OR HIST 1401 The United States and the Pacific World  

b. HIST 1010 Premodern World History  OR HIST 1050 Modern World History ; or HIST 1060 Modern Global Environmental History  

c. HIST 4412 History of California  

2. One lower-division HIST course in World Regions (Africa, Asia, Latin America, or Middle East); 15xx, 16xx, 17xx, or 18xx

3. One upper-division HIST course (3xxx or 4xxx) (may not include HIST 4412 History of California )

LBST students with a HIST concentration who wish to complete a HIST minor must fulfill all of the requirements of the LBST major and the HIST concentration and must also take one additional upper-division HIST elective. The History minor for Liberal Studies majors is 28 semester hours, including HIST 1010 ; HIST 1050  or HIST 1060 ; HIST 1300 , HIST 1301 , or HIST 1401 ; 1 lower-division World Regions course (HIST 15xx, HIST 16xx, HIST 17xx, HIST 18xx, HIST 25xx, HIST 26xx, HIST 27xx, HIST 28xx); HIST 4412 ; and 2 upper-division electives.

Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth A. Drummond, Elizabeth.Drummond@lmu.edu, 310.338.2370, UH 3423

Mathematics (MATH)–12 semester hours

Through the concentration in Mathematics, future teachers develop an increased understanding of mathematical ideas and learn how creativity and imagination play an integral part of mathematics in general.

  • At least 4 Mathematics courses numbered 104 or higher (12 semester hours) (exclusive of MATH 106 MATH 112 , and MATH 207 )

Note: Students completing a MATH concentration should talk to the Liberal Studies Mathematics Concentration Advisor about offerings designed for future teachers.

Supplementary Authorization in (Introductory) Mathematics: A Supplementary Authorization in (Introductory) Mathematics allows one to teach mathematics through ninth grade (for more details on the Supplementary Authorization, visit the website of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing). A Supplementary Authorization requires 20 semester hours of courses in mathematics (or 10 upper-division semester hours), including three semesters of calculus. If the courses for the concentration are chosen appropriately, one additional course (together with MATH 106  and MATH 207 ) will allow students to apply for a Supplementary Authorization in (Introductory) Mathematics).

Dr. Blake Mellor, blake.mellor@lmu.edu, 310-338-5775, University Hall 2712 

Psychology (PSYC)–12 semester hours

Students of psychology examine in depth and from a scientific perspective many aspects of human and animal behavior, emphasizing the biological, psychological, and sociocultural aspects of behavior and mental activity. The Department of Psychology provides students with the opportunity to apply these perspectives to a variety of individual, family, and community contexts.

  • PSYC 3000-level courses (12 semester hours)

Note that PSYC 1000  is a prerequisite for 3000-level psychology courses (it also will fulfill the Explorations: Understanding Human Behavior requirement in the University Core). A minor in PSYC requires the completion of three lower division courses and three upper division courses; a minor in PSYC will be accepted in place of the concentration above for students who pursue the minor.

Advisor: Dr. David Hardy, dhardy@lmu.edu, 310.338.5294, UH 4745

Science (SNCE)–18 semester hours

The concentration in Science was designed to enable Liberal Studies majors with an interest in science to create an individualized program of study around a central theme. Each student will work with the Liberal Studies Science Advisor to identify an area of interest and formulate a curricular plan that provides each student with a strong foundation and enables him/her to develop a more in-depth understanding of the topic of interest by taking at least one and in many cases two upper division courses.

Satisfactory completion of the concentration in science will require that each student complete a minimum of 18-19 semester hours in one or more of the science disciplines. At least 3 of these semester hours must be upper division.

All concentrations in science will include 4 science core semester hours from SCEM 270  and 3 science education internship hours. The remaining 11-12 semester hours will form the core of the concentration in science and will reflect the central theme. The following examples are by no means exhaustive and are only provided to demonstrate the flexibility of the concentration; there is even room for flexibility within the samples below. Any student considering a concentration in science should make an appointment to discuss his/her options with the Liberal Studies Science Advisor as soon as possible to ensure adequate time to fulfill the requirements.

Nutrition (Sample)

Total: 15 semester hours

Humans and the Environment (Sample)

Total: 9 semester hours

Health (Sample)

Total: 12 semester hours

Genetics (Sample)

Total: 14 semester hours

Advisor: Dr. Carolyn Viviano, Carolyn.Viviano@lmu.edu, 310.338.7828, North Hall 207

Sociology (SOCL)–16 semester hours

Teachers play a key role in the intellectual and social development of children, and the lessons they teach are important in determining the individual character, social responsibility, and future career paths of students. Sociology courses expose teachers to the distinctive perspectives, problems, and concerns of different persons and groups in society and suggest ways to resolve conflicts and produce more equitable and just relationships and communities. Sociology classes help teachers develop skills of creative problem solving, critical thinking, and collaborative interaction useful in the classroom and impart techniques of data collection and analysis which facilitate observation and evaluation of student performance.

A minor in SOCL requires one more course, SOCL 2000  or SOCL 2100 .

Advisor: Dr. Rachel Washburn, rachel.washburn@lmu.edu, 310.338.1794, UH 4327

Spanish (SPAN)–16 semester hours

The Spanish concentration equips students with language proficiency as it introduces them to the multicultural nature and historical evolution of literacy and cultural expressions in the target language. Our courses provide students with opportunities to comprehend, interpret, and practice advanced linguistic skills in Spanish. Our courses include linguistics, literature, history, and the arts, through which students acquire an increasing commitment to the mission of the University. The Department strives to provide tools to foster transcultural understanding as the basis for mutual respect, global harmony, and social justice.

Note: Students required to complete prerequisite language coursework or LMU Placement Exam, prior to taking advanced language courses.

  • 4th semester language
  • SPAN 2804 Stylistics and Composition  (4 semester hours)
  • 3 upper division courses (12 semester hours); refer to the LMU Bulletin for specific upper division requirement sequences for each language

A minor in SPAN requires only one additional upper division course to obtain a minor.

Dr. Rebeca Acevedo, rebeca.acevedo@lmu.edu, 310-338-2983, University Hall 3957 

Special Education (SPED)–12 semester hours

The Special Education program in LMU’s School of Education is designed to prepare undergraduate students to teach and work with children and youth with a variety of special needs. The Special Education concentration prepares students to work with students with Mild/Moderate disabilities in the General Education classroom. Through the SPED concentration students learn, for example, about major issues in Special Education, how to develop an IEP, and are able to observe and participate in K-12 classrooms with experienced teachers working with students with a variety of special needs. Students also benefit from a capstone course in SPED. The SPED concentration requires the following:

A minor in SPED requires two additional courses–EDSP 436 Creating Collaborative Partnerships  and EDSP 499 Independent Studies , taken as the Undergraduate Special Education Capstone Project (for a total of 18 semester hours). Students should consult with the SPED concentration or minor advisor regarding sequencing of the coursework.

Dr. Victoria Graf, victoria.graf@lmu.edu, 310-338-7305, University Hall 1500 

Studio Arts (STAR)–16 semester hours

The Studio Arts concentration is designed to develop the Liberal Studies student in the visual arts, both personally and professionally. In this concentration you will learn a universal language through which diverse groups of people can communicate ideas, feelings, histories, and cultural traditions across boundaries of race, gender, age, and ethnicity. Decades of practice and a growing body of research have documented the links between arts education and the development of higher level thinking skills. Through this concentration, you will learn how art has the potential to enrich your life, and the lives of your future students.

The Art concentration constitutes a minor in Art.

Advisor: Terry Lenihan, tlenihan@lmu.edu, 310.338.5130, Burns 155

2+2 Program with El Camino College


The Center for Undergraduate Teacher Preparation in the School of Education has partnered with El Camino College (ECC) to develop a teacher preparation pipeline for Liberal Studies students where programs are integrated and coursework is streamlined from initial matriculation at ECC, through program completion at LMU. The goal is to create a pipeline where students successfully complete two years at the Community College, transfer to LMU, and complete their major requirements and preliminary credential requirements within an additional two years.

Liberal Studies Model Four-Year Plan


The typical course load for an undergraduate student is 15-16 semester hours per semester. The following model represents a student who is completing a 15-semester-hour concentration, does not need to complete any prerequisites for required coursework, and is pursuing the 2042 Multiple Subject teaching credential. Students with larger concentrations, those required to take MATH 101  (or other prerequisite coursework), and/or those seeking credentials in Bilingual or Special Education may need to “overload” during some semesters and/or complete summer coursework. Please note that the model is provided as a guideline rather than a prescriptive course of study. Students will need to be flexible implementing the model plan, given variability of course availability and other potential scheduling issues in any given semester.

Freshman Year


Fall Semester


Total: 15 semester hours

Spring Semester


Total: 18-19 semester hours

Sophomore Year


Fall Semester


Total: 17-18 semester hours

Total: 17-18 semester hours

Junior Year


Fall Semester


Total: 17-19 semester hours

Spring Semester


Total: 17-19 semester hours

Senior Year


Fall Semester


Total: 14-16 semester hours

Total: 9-12 semester hours

Note:


Coursework completed during this semester must be coordinated such that it does not conflict with the student teaching assignment.

This four-year plan serves only as a general model. Please meet with your advisor at least once a semester to discuss your progress in the program and plans for future semesters.

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