New Century College (NCLC)

Division I Courses

110 Community of Learners (8:8:0). Designed for students pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Integrative Studies within New Century College. Develops essential college skills, particularly communication (reading, writing, speaking) for critical thinking and problem solving, information literacy, statistics, and probability. Issues such as transition to college life, cultural diversity, and personal freedom and responsibility are explored. Credit distribution: composition (3), communication (2), math/analytical reasoning (1), and information technology (2).

111 Composition, Communication and Community (7:7:0). Students study key skills for our information economy. They research original ideas and analyze critically the ideas of others. They also learn to communicate their conclusions through writing, speech, and the creative use of electronic media. Topics covered include writing to learn, information literacy, individual and small-group communication, and collaborative problem solving. NCLC 111 fulfills credit for ENGL 101 (three credits), COMM 100 (three credits), and UNIV 100 (one credit).

120 The Natural World (8:6:2). Designed for students pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Integrative Studies within New Century College. Introduces the worlds of science and mathematics. Students explore contemporary issues of public health and the environment, with a historical perspective and understanding of how scientists communicateideas. Students will engage in debate, poster presentation,and group problem solving. Credit distribution: math/analytical reasoning (2), natural science (4), and communication (2).

121 Science, Mathematics, and Technology in Society (7:7:0). Building on skills developed in NCLC 110/111, this course is designed for students pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Integrative Studies within New Century College. This course introduces the natural sciences and their relation to mathematics. After building a knowledge base, students explore the natural world through contemporary issues. The class discusses man and nature from biological, historical and contemporary viewpoints, while developing an understanding of how science develops and communicates ideas. Students learn to work in groups to solve problems and work through issues, then publicly present ideas through debates, posters and various written formats. Credit distribution: math/analytical reasoning (3), natural science (4).

130 The Social World (8:8:0). Designed for students pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Integrative Studies within New Century College. Focuses on the social world and its cultural origins. Students investigate how that world is both model and mirror of social behavior. Students are encouraged to model objective and subjective thinking, analysis and synthesis, explanation, and understanding. Credit distribution: arts (2), humanities (2), and social sciences (4).

140 Self as Citizen (8:8:0). Designed for students pursuing a B.A. or B.S. in Integrative Studies within New Century College. Explores the definitions of self and society in historical non-Western and Western contexts. Issues relating to the concepts of moral identity and cultural differences are covered using text, film, plays, soci

Division II Courses

Learning Communities: Special Topics (3-15:3-15:0). Division II is composed of a variety of learning communities; each combines subjects usually taught in separate courses into a single course of study. Offering the equivalent of between 3 and 15 credits of undergraduate work, learning communities replace the often fragmented classroom experience and integrate material from several perspectives. In learning communities, faculty and students study topics in an integrated context and explore various ways of understanding. Credit is assigned for each learning community at the time it is offered.

200 Visual Thinking and the Creative Impulse (315:315:0). Studies the creative process in the arts and sciences through demonstration and the analysis of the psychology and the arts. Visual perception, memory, classical and modern art, and performance are explored as examples. Students are presented with the opportunity to assess themselves as creative thinkers.

201 The World since 1945 (3-15:3-15:0). Examines the history of the past 50+ years to illuminate the contemporary world as well as build connections between the global and local. Using historical works, fiction, autobiographies, films, and daily newspapers, students explore such major events as the Cold War, the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, the Vietnam War, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the continuing conflict in the Middle East. As a learning community, the course requires active student participation in group projects and discussions.

202 Developing Public Speaking and Critical Thinking Skills (3-15:3-15:0). Combines the process of learning to speak in front of audiences with the analysis of arguments and persuasive appeals. By looking at public speech, advertising, and television, the student learns to critique persuasive messages.

204 Creative Leadership Development (3-15:3-15:0). Examines the leadership phenomenon that is within each person and the strategies for learning, interpreting, creating, and developing leadership that is reflective and active.

220 Energy and Environment (3-15:3-15:0). Investigates current sources of energy, various modes of their utilization, and environmental effects. Offers an overview of the mechanical, physical, and chemical methodologies of energy use and delves into the biological, environmental, and ecological aspects of pollution-generating mechanisms.ollege (NCLC)

225 Dean's Honor Book Review (1:1:0). Open to New Century College students who were admitted with a GPA of 3.300 or better. Considers the ways in which specific works such as books, dramas, works of art, or ideas have influenced the intellectual climate of their times and beyond.

226 Dean's Honors Seminar (1:1:0). Prerequisite: Students must have entered New Century College with a GPA of 3.300 or greater or with six or more AP credits. Considers the dynamic relationship an author or artist has with the cultural and intellectual climate of the times and beyond. The broader question is how one helps create culture and is influenced by it.

230 Math and Culture (3-15:3-15:0). Focuses on mathematical problems and their emergence in different cultures and historical moments. Emphasis is on the interdisciplinary nature of the motivations for the development of mathematics and on the process of mathematical discovery. The course entails a high degree of faculty/student interaction, which enables students to demonstrate, through the use of presentations and projects, their understanding and mastery of fundamental mathematical ideas and techniques and the role of mathematics in the development of human culture.

249 The Internet: Literacy, HTML Tools, and Virtual Community (3-15-15:0). (Formerly NCLC 349). This course is an introduction to cyberspace, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. Students learn basic HTLM to create individual and collaborative web pages. In addition to using email, students explore use of listserv, online discussion forums, and virtual communities. Assignments include collaborative and individual web pages, analytical and creative papers, and online research. One hour of experiential credit is available through the collaborative web projects.

270 Page and Stage: Theory and Practice (3-15:3-15:0). In reading, writing, and performing plays and other literary texts, we discover our own ability to inhabit others' minds, live in others' bodies and see through others' eyes. Students investigate the metamorphosis of reader into actor and text into three-dimensional theater. Some questions to consider are, How do writers use images, voices and structure to shape their material and reach out to an audience? How does the actor as detective follow a writer's clues to achieve a unique performance? Throughout the semester, students practice communicating those answers on page and stage.

275, 375, 475 Special Topics (3-15:3-15:0). Studies topics of special interest to undergraduates. May be repeated for credit if subtitle is different.

300 Utopia (3-15:3-15:0). Examines utopian and dystopian literature, theory, and practice including Plato, Piercy, LeGuin, Robinson, and others. Examines how utopian dreams (and dystopian nightmares) have changed over time and how texts are designed to jostle readers' ideas about society and themselves. Students study several utopian experiments and visit a few local utopian communities.

301 Traditions and Modernity (3-15:3-15:0). Examines five decades from 1880 to 1930 by studying a whole series of movements (Populists, Ku Klux Klan, New Woman, New Negro, Southern Agrarians, Fundamentalism, etc.) as Americans struggle to balance the often contradictory tugs of tradition and modernity in their lives. Course examines the social movements that emerged by teaching students to read
the representative textbooks, films, music, correspondence, and trial records of these movements. Students are encouraged to think about the ways in which individuals during this period learned to think of themselves as participants in overlapping and sometimes competing groups, as turn of the century Americans tried to create new identities, even when the participants believed they were reviving old ones.

302 Epic Creations (3-15:3-15:0). Integrates western European, Native American, and colonial American experiences by examining the past through the lenses of literature, art, and history. Traces the paths of ancient and contemporary guides by reading, writing, discussing, surfing the web, watching videos, and taking field trips as we create our own modern epics. Three of the nine credits are experiential learning on campus.

303 Modernization and Its Discontents: Conflict/Community in Modern Russia and America (315:315:0). Compares regional studies, which consider the problem of modernization and its effects on the individual from the political, social, and cultural perspectives, using the prism of literature to achieve this aim. Examines the works of fiction, both from the realm of officially recognized literature and the popular culture.

304 Social Movements and Community Activism (315:315:0). Explores community activism by looking at social movement case studies and engaging in direct social action. Students learn about grassroots movements, the rhetorical strategies used to attract group members, and how movements evolve into viable organizations and institutions.

305 Conflict Resolution and Transformation (315:315:0). Examines the nature and dynamics of conflict and ways to resolve and transform conflict. Experiential learning is used as the vehicle through which students explore their assumptions about communication and develop their skills for resolving interpersonal conflicts.

306 Our Common Futures (3-15:3-15:0). (Formerly NCLC203 Sustainable Alternatives.) Students and faculty work together to model patterns of life that fit within the planet's ecological means. Involves the study of "environomics," introductions to urban systems and planning, and studio work to actually create models of alternative growth.

307 Narrative of Nature (3-15:3-15:0) Course begins with the individual's connection to the infinite, the cosmos, and ends in a microscopic examination of the behavior of the human animal. Looks at the fundamental questions relating to scientific thinking and writing.

310 Violence and Gender (3-15:3-15:0). Using nonfiction, research documentaries, oral histories, case studies, literature, feature films, music, dance, and the visual arts, this course examines the dynamics of violence through different cultural lenses. Students have the opportunity to work in university and community settings to integrate their academic experiences with practice.

311 The Mysteries of Migration: Consequences for Conservation (3-15:3-15:0). Investigates the biology of migration and its implications for science policy. Students consider the phenomenon of migration in the context of natural history, conservation, and cultural issues. The course includes several weekend trips for field study.ollege (NCLC)

312 Images and Experiences of Childhood: Social Construct, Literature and Film (3-15:3-15:0) Immerses students in the images of childhood through the media of literature, video, and poetry, with a strong emphasis on historical perspectives of childhood. The class is interactive, requires some work in groups, and requires classroom participation.

313 Strangers in a Strange Land: Immigration in 20th Century America (3-15:3-15:0). Examines the immigration experience as a historical reality and as a cultural image within the context of 20th-century America. Using Russian immigration as a microcosm, the course studies the impact of various waves of Russian refugees on American political, economic, and cultural life. Three separate emigrations are considered: the Jewish emigration of the early 20th century, the white Russian emigration of the 1920s­1950s, and the post-Jackson exodus of the 1970s­1980s.

315 Spirituality and Conflict Transformation (315:315:0). Examines dimensions of spirituality as they relate to a range of activities, including peace-making efforts in large-scale conflicts, conflicts within faith communities, and interpersonal disputes. Experiential learning explores spiritually informed resolution.

319 An Endangered Earth: Ecosystem Destruction in America (3-15:3-15:0). Introduces students to the special set of issues and problems raised by science in the public policy process, especially the inherent tension between the tenets of a democratic society and the tenets of a scientific community. Using environmental policy problems as the specific vehicle, the course is structured to prepare students to ask intelligent and useful questions about the science and politics of particular public policy issues, understand where they might go to find information for developing options, and develop criteria by which they can evaluate these ideas.

320 Construction of Differences; Race, Class, and Gender (3-15:3-15:0). Investigates the concept of race, sex, sexual orientation, and social class in contemporary American society. Examines the commonalities in the construction of these categories and experiences of those who occupy them.

321 Vision Quest: Modeling the Natural World Using Art, Computer Programs, and Science (3-15:3-15:0). Imparts the concepts of science in a visual, auditory, and kinetic fashion. Uses simulation programs, modeling the natural world to help students understand the principles and mysteries of science.

325 Dean's Honor Book Review (1:1:0). Open to New Century College students who have had a previous semester GPA of 3.300 or better and have at least 30 college credits. Focuses on classical philosophers and artists and the impact of their works for contemporary times. May be repeated for credit if the topic is different.

326 Dean's Honors Seminar (1:1:0). Prerequisite: Students must have maintained an overall GPA of 3.300 or greater while in New Century College. Focuses on a variety of topics of interest ranging from book and film reviews to development of special events and symposiums. May be repeated for credit if the topic is different.

330 Enterprise Development (3-15:3-15:0). Prepares students for enterprise development in diverse environments by examining the spectrum of sociocultural, organizational, behavioral, strategic, and management factors that impact enterprise creation. Instructional method is interactive, using case studies, scenarios, role playing, guest speakers, and student-driven semester projects to link theory to practice.

331 The Nonprofit Sector (3-15:3-15:0). Through a combination of lecture and electronic classroom experience, students develop skills to conduct research essential to the nonprofit profession manager of the future. Students explore types and numbers of nonprofit organizations, their finances, services, as well as the importance of this information in strategic planning, marketing, fund raising, and general management decisions.

335 Ethics, Communication, and Freedom (3-15:3-15:0). Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and three credits each of communication and philosophy, or permission of instructor. Students examine ethical principles, discuss some underlying bases for these principles, and work to understand how such principles are experienced and can be applied in a free society. Focus is on examining potential conflicts between ethics and the freedoms believed essential to a healthy democratic society. Cases are drawn from the areas of sports, medicine, media, politics, and business.

336 Wealth, Power, and Values (3-15:3-15:0). (Formerly NCLC 250.) Investigates the political, economic, social, industrial, and diplomatic sources of wealth, values, and power at the end of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Includes lecture, discussion, debate, and experiential learning, with emphasis on individual research projects.

337 Politics, the Arts, and History (3-15:3-15:0). Students taking this learning community receive opportunities to see how major musicians, composers, studio artists, dramatists, writers, architects, and dancers confront political issues and historical events. Students are required to attend several museum exhibitions and/or performances.

340 Progress: Can America Figure Out What It Means? (3-15:3-15:0). Explores our landthe built and the left naturalas valued and sacred. Challenges students as developers and environmentalists, as citizens and business persons, to strive for a win-win scenario.

341 Progress: Washingtonthe New Edge City? (315:315:0). NCLC 340 investigates how the city, both the good parts and the bad parts, came to be. This course investigates what we might do about the situation. Requires active engagement of the students in research and discussion. Collective field work and class field trips both semesters. Students may take either Part I or Part II of this course but are encouraged to take both if possible.

345 Introduction to Multimedia (3-15:3-15:0). Technological, aesthetic, and educational issues of using interactive multimedia. Topics include theoretical underpinnings of some technological issues involved in multimedia computing as well as techniques for authoring interactive multimedia projects using a variety of digital media tools.

350 Counterculture, Cyberculture (3-15:3-15:0). Explores cyberspace guided by these questions, What is cyberspace? How do we interact with it? How does it affect us, especially in relationships between individuals, between readers and texts, between artists, performances, and audiences? What occurs in our concepts of self, machine, and community as we become further involved in cyberconnections? What will come next?

360 The Built Environment (3-15:3-15:0). Examines, records, and interprets objects, structures, and landscapes that compose our built environment. Draws on the fields of historical archaeology, architectural history, and urban geography, and employs photography, cartography, and evocative writing to represent the material world we inhabit. Builds on the study of one neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia, and expands to the whole metropolitan area.

361 Neighborhood, Community, and Identity (3-15:3-15:0). Examines the processes of neighborhood formation and transformation in the context of urbanism, suburbanism, immigration, and transmigration. Students explore the history and meaning of neighborhoods in the Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

370 The Romantic Road: Literature and the Arts in 19th-Century Germany (3-15:3-15:0). Examines romantic themes and genres, including fairy tales and myths, and nature, love, and exoticism in their historical context through the study of original musical compositions, art works, and literature. Required museum visits, concerts, and other cultural events supplement class sessions.

380 Alternative Therapies in Health and Illness: New Age Meets Hippocrates (3-15:3-15:0). Students explore philosophical underpinnings and bio/psycho/social/spiritual rationale for use of alternative therapies in health and illness. The reflection of health care practices in literature is integrated into the course. A variety of alternative health therapies are explored, with opportunities for experiential learning with an alternative health care practitioner.

381 When Cultural Worlds Collide (3-15:3-15:0). Explores what happens when "civilization" encounters "the jungle" by reading, writing, discussing, and viewing written and filmed works dealing with contacts between cultures with colliding world views. Literature (from Conrad's The Heart of Darkness to Shakespeare's The Tempest to Burrough's Tarzan), news articles, radio broadcasts, web home pages, art exhibits, and many film and video presentations provide the basis for in- and out-of-class activities.

401 Conservation Biology (3-15:3-15:0) Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor. Provides students with a working knowledge of conservation biology. Integrates the study of social, economic, and political factors with biodiversity, population modeling, habitat degradation, and management issues. Students confront the leading edge of this exciting field by developing real species conservation plans. The experiential learning component of the course will include trips to the Smithsonian Institution's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, to study with nationally known experts.

406 Our Common Future (3-15:3-15:0). Students and faculty work together to model patterns of life that fit within the planet's ecological means for current and future generations. Includes the study of "environomics," urban systems and planning, and studio work to create models of alternative growth.

410 Contemporary Health Issues (3-15:3-15:0). Looks at a variety of health and health care issues. Examines several of the major health concerns of women and, to a lesser degree, men. Also explores the biology and medical implications of these diseases and how our society deals with potential life-altering information. Examines who is making the decisions on the allocation of research funds and prevention of diseases.

420 Skills for the Workplace (3-15:3-15:0). Develops a variety of work-readiness skills needed to become successful in both local and global marketplaces. Topics and skills covered include communication, problem solving in the business setting, workplace ethics, listening skills, how to influence others, building team project rapport, and meeting effectiveness skills.

422 An Experiential Approach to American Foreign Policy (3-15:3-15:0). Takes an experiential approach to the study of American foreign policy. Through case studies, discussions, group projects, and directed research, students learn how foreign policy is made and executed and how they as citizens, activists, or officials can influence national decisions.

423 Management in the Global Marketplace (315: 315:0). Takes an experiential approach to the study of global management and organizational behavior. Through exercises, case studies, discussions, group projects, and individual research and essays, students learn the principles of effective management as they apply to modern global organizations, whether public, private, or nonprofit.

424 Force and Justice in the International System (315:3-15:0). Examines the ethical dimensions of war and peace, human rights, and international justice. During the first seven weeks of the semester, students explore these issues in a classroom setting, followed by a seven-week, off-campus internship, and an integrating project, monitored by the instructor. The class meets again as a group in the last week of the semester to share and consolidate the learning experience.

426 Dean's Honors Research/Thesis (3:3:0). Research related to an aspect of your specialization or B.I.S. Project. Course will require analysis, quantitative interpretation, and a minimum 15-page thesis to be presented in written and oral form.

441 AIDS: Impact on Society (variable 3-15:3-15:0). Designed to give the student an in-depth understanding of the medical, legal, and psychosocial factors surrounding HIV disease. Provides the students with a conceptual framework of current issues so they will be better prepared to deal with the emerging challenges posed by AIDS. Students have the option to take this course for five credits and work with the Center for Service-Learning to develop an internship or experiential learning project, which involves the impact of AIDS in our society.

445 Multimedia Design (3-15:3-15:0). Prerequisite: NCLC 345 or permission of instructor. Technological, aesthetic, and educational issues of using interactive multimedia. Topics include theory and practice, integration of digital media, interface and navigation studies, and technical constraints on design.

491 The Senior Capstone Experience (1-15:1-15:0). This course should be taken the semester prior to graduation. This course is a graduation requirement for integrative studies students. Designed for students to complete the final NCC portfolio and senior exposition. Information on issues related to professional development (i.e., interviewing skills, resume development, career strategies and alumni opportunities) are provided.

Division III Courses

Concentration. Designed by student and faculty mentor. Students have the flexibility to major in interdisciplinary studies or to follow one of the concentrations that have been developed. In some cases, students can design their own specialization (B.A. or B.S.). Extensive use of courses in other departments, independent study, internships, coops, service learning, study abroad, and mentored research are all components of this degree. Faculty advisers help each student choose the best path to fulfill career objectives.

165, 265, 365, 465 Independent Study (1-12:1-12:1-12). Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and dean. Individualized section form required. Study of a topic not otherwise available to the student. May involve any combination of reading assignments, tutorials, lectures, papers, presentations, or field/laboratory study (determined in consultation with the instructor). Students are encouraged to work as a team on a particular topic. A maximum of 12 credits can be used to fulfill graduation requirements.

190, 290, 390, 490 Internship (1-18:1-18:0). Prerequisite: Sophomore standing and permission of instructor. Internship credit may be applied toward 12 credits required in experiential learning. Students may take no more than six credits in any one semester, unless approved by the director of integrative studies or the associate dean. Structured and supervised professional experience, within an approved agency, for which the student earns academic credit. The primary purpose of an internship is to connect the student's academic course work to experiences and challenges outside the university classroom. The faculty also expects that students will enhance their competencies and skills and explore career options.

195, 295, 395, 495 Experiential Learning (1-18:1-18:0). Prerequisite: A minimum of 12 credits of experiential learning (including internships) are required for the B.A./B.S. in Integrative Studies with a maximum of 24 credits used toward fulfilling graduation requirements. All students enrolled in the B.A. or B.S. program are required to participate in the equivalent of at least 12 hours of course work devoted to experiential learning. Experiential learning sites may change each semester to include study abroad programs, internships, and community service learning opportunities. Students should complete learning contracts for each experiential learning activity undertaken.