First Year Core Curriculum Areas

First Year Seminar (1 course – 1 semester credit) - To be completed during the first term of enrollment

In a small classroom setting, this course will help new students make a positive transition to HPU by helping them adjust to academic and student life. Students will develop relationships with their classmates, faculty/staff instructor and peer mentor, to foster an inclusive and welcoming community. To make the most of their experience at HPU, students will participate in meaningful discussions, personal reflections, and engaging activities within and outside the classroom to learn more about themselves, others, HPU, and Hawai‘i.

The goals of this course are to:

Connect students with a small community of peers, faculty, and staff
Connect students to HPU and the Oahu community
Foster student academic success and achievement of their academic goals
Support student well-being and sense of belonging at HPU.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge and perspectives, and values.

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Oral Communication—Students speak clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Teamwork—Students work effectively in teams.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Societies and Cultures—Students explore cross-cultural perspectives that both distinguish and connect regions, countries, languages, and cultures.

Values (Mea Waiwai):

Civic Engagement—Students identify and engage in efforts that constructively influence the public good.

Students must select the following course:

UNIV

1000

First Year Seminar

Hawai‘i and the Pacific (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

This curriculum area provides multidisciplinary courses and is required for all HPU students (including transfer students with an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science Degree). Courses in this curriculum area are designed to deepen student awareness of the unique place where they have chosen to live and study. Multidisciplinary courses analyze historical developments, science, politics, values, art, geography, music, religion, and cultural practices within Hawai‘i and across the Pacific.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, perspectives, and values:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Aesthetic Appreciation—Students will engage in creative practices to interpret and express ideas through various art forms.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Historical and Conceptual Perspectives—Students investigate and apply concepts from history or the humanities to describe and analyze phenomena over time.
Sustainability—Students identify how ecological, social, and economic systems work together to promote sustainable futures.

Values (Mea Waiwai):

Civic Engagement—Students identify and engage in efforts that constructively influence the public good.

Students must select one course from the following options:

AL	1050	Languages in the Pacific
ANTH	1500	Contemporary Social Activism in Hawai‘i
ARTH	1001	Arts of Oceania
BIOL	2170	Ethnobotany: People and Plants
ENG	1101	Representations of Pacific Life
HAWN	1100	Beginning Hawaiian I
HIST	1558	Living History of Hawai‘i
PHIL	1001	Philosophies of Hawai‘i and the Pacific

Courses in this curriculum area must be taken in a student’s first year at HPU and are required for all HPU students (including transfer students with an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science Degree).

Quantitative Analysis and Symbolic Reasoning (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)*

Courses in this curriculum area prepare students for an increasingly data-driven society in which the ability to use and critically evaluate information, especially numerical information, is central to the role and requirements of an informed citizen. Students will acquire the skills necessary to identify and understand a given problem, organize relevant information and assumptions, form a conjecture, decide upon and apply an appropriate strategy, draw conclusions, and communicate the result to others. Through these processes, students will enhance their ability to make rational decisions based on data, and apply mathematical, statistical, or symbolic reasoning to complex problems and decision-making.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao)

Critical Thinking—Students will synthesize information from text and/or other media, explain issues, analyze concepts and evidence, assess assumptions, define their own perspectives and positions, and evaluate the implications and consequences of their conclusions.
Quantitative Reasoning—Students use quantitative reasoning to analyze problems and identify solutions.

Students must select one course from the following options:

CSCI	1534	Data Analysis and Visualization-the Good, the Bad, the Ugly
MATH	1123	Statistics
MATH	1130	Pre-calculus I
MATH	1150	Pre-calculus I and II Accelerated
MATH	2214	Calculus I
MC	2100	Mass Communication Research
PHIL	2090	Principles of Logic
PSY	1100	Probabilistic Thinking: Randomness, Chaos, and Chance

Courses in this curriculum area must be taken in a student’s first year at HPU or directly following any required developmental mathematics course(s).

*Place out option: Students who score 620 or above on the SAT math or 26 or above on the ACT math may place out of the Quantitative Analysis and Symbolic Reasoning course requirement. Students will not receive course credit for a course in this category; however, they will have satisfied the Quantitative Analysis and Symbolic Reasoning requirement.

Written Communication and Information Literacy I (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)*

The first course in this sequence facilitates students’ entry into the intellectual life of Hawai‘i Pacific University by helping them to become more capable and independent academic readers and writers. With their small section size and emphases on research, information literacy, the writing and revision process, critical analysis, and collaboration, courses in this curriculum area help students develop academic habits and skills important to their success in future courses.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Written Communication—Students write clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Critical Thinking—Students synthesize information, explain issues, analyze concepts and evidence, assess assumptions, define their own perspectives and positions, and evaluate the implications and consequences of their conclusions.
Information Literacy—Students locate, interpret, determine the credibility of, and use information effectively, ethically, and legally.

Courses in this curriculum area must be taken in the student’s first year at HPU or directly following any required introductory writing course(s). Students must earn a grade of C- or better to move on to Written Communication and Information Literacy II.

Students must select one course from the following options*:

WRI	1100	Writing and Analyzing Arguments
WRI	1150	Literature and Argument

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher to satisfy this curriculum area and to enroll in courses requiring a course from this category as a prerequisite.

*Place out option: Students who score 630 or above on the SAT Critical Reading or 28 or above on the ACT English may place out of the Written Communication and Information Literacy I course requirement. Students will not receive course credit for a course in this category; however, they will have satisfied the Written Communication and Information Literacy I course requirement.

Written Communication and Information Literacy II (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

The second course in this sequence further facilitates students’ entry into the intellectual life of Hawai‘i Pacific University by helping them to become more capable and independent academic readers and writers. With their small section size and emphases on research, information literacy, the writing and revision process, critical analysis, and collaboration, courses in this curriculum area help students develop academic habits and skills important to their success in future courses.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Written Communication—Students write clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Critical Thinking—Students synthesize information, explain issues, analyze concepts and evidence, assess assumptions, define their own perspectives and positions, and evaluate the implications and consequences of their conclusions.
Information Literacy—Students locate, interpret, determine the credibility of, and use information effectively, ethically, and legally.

Students must select one course from the following options:

WRI	1200	Research, Argument, and Writing
WRI	1250	Introduction to Research in the Humanities

Students must earn a grade of C- or higher to satisfy this curriculum area and to enroll in courses requiring a course from this category as a prerequisite.

General Education Core Curriculum Areas

The American Experience (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses in this curriculum area explore multiple histories, social movements, cultural heritages, and belief systems that shape the United States—its norms, laws, public policies, and discourses—in the context of the country’s rich and varied cultural diversity. Students will develop oral communication skills, consider ethical and social decisions from multiple perspectives, explore individual and group beliefs, and critically examine factors supporting and sustaining inequitable treatment of groups of people in the U.S.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, perspectives, and values:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Oral Communication—Students speak clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Historical and Conceptual Perspectives—Students investigate and apply concepts from history or the humanities to describe and analyze phenomena over time.
Societies and Cultures—Students explore cross-cultural perspectives that both distinguish and connect regions, countries, languages, and cultures.

Values (Mea Waiwai):

Ethical Reasoning and Values—Students identify, explain, and evaluate the ethical perspectives of others and themselves.

Students must select one course from the following options:

AMST	2000	Topics in American Studies
HIST	1401	American Stories: Themes in American History to 1877
HIST	1402	The American Experience: 1865 to the Present
HUM	1270	Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies
PADM	1000	Introduction to Leadership in America
PHIL	2500	Ethics in America
PSCI	1400	American Politics
SOC	1000	Introduction to Sociology

Creative Arts (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

The creative arts celebrate the human capacity to imagine, create, and transform ideas into expressive forms, such as paintings, poems, music, theatre, digital design, and photography. Courses in this curriculum area introduce students to ways of experiencing and understanding a variety of artistic concepts, structures, and forms. Students will engage in imaginative and intuitive practices to develop their ability to understand creative works and express ideas through the arts.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, and perspectives:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Aesthetic Appreciation—Students will engage in creative practices to interpret and express ideas through various art forms.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Societies and Cultures—Students explore cross-cultural perspectives that both distinguish and connect regions, countries, languages, and cultures.

Students must select one course from the following options:

ARTH	2301	Topics in World Art History
ARTS	1000	Introduction to Visual Arts
ARTS	2150	Introduction to Design
ENG	2000	The Art of Literature
MUS	1000	Introduction to Western Classical Music
MUS	2101	Music in World Culture
THEA	2320	Acting I: Basic Acting for Stage and Screen
WRI	2601	Introduction to Creative Writing

Critical Thinking and Expression (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)*

Critical thinking intersects with oral, written, and visual communication skills as fundamental proficiencies required for academic, professional, and personal success. Courses in this curriculum area prepare students to think critically about questions of fact, value, or concept. Students will learn the techniques, strategies, and methods of critical thinking, practice oral and visual communication skills, and demonstrate the ability to express ideas and arguments clearly and coherently.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Critical Thinking—Students synthesize information, explain issues, analyze concepts and evidence, assess assumptions, define their own perspectives and positions, and evaluate the implications and consequences of their conclusions.
Oral Communication—Students speak clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Students must select one course from the following options:

COM	1000	Introduction to Communication Skills
COM	2000	Public Speaking
ECON	2010	Principles of Microeconomics
ENG	2100	Reading Literature, Film, and Culture
GEOG	2000	Visualizing Human Geography
HIST	1717	Reacting to the Past
PSY	1000	Introduction to Psychology

*It is highly recommended that students fulfill this curriculum area requirement early in their degree plan.

Global Crossroads and Diversity (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses in this curriculum area explore cross-cultural perspectives and selected concepts that underscore contemporary issues of global concern. Students will develop awareness of cultural practices and traditions in the context of a changing, globalizing world while reflecting on their own values and customs. Students will learn to exchange ideas and connect with diverse communities and cultures.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, and perspectives:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Teamwork—Students work effectively in teams.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Historical and Conceptual Perspectives—Students investigate and apply concepts from history or the humanities to describe and analyze phenomena over time.
Societies and Cultures—Students explore cross-cultural perspectives that both distinguish and connect regions, countries, languages, and cultures.

Students must select one course from the following options:

AL	2000	Introduction to Linguistics
ANTH	2000	Cultural Anthropology
GEOG	1500	World Regional Geography
HIST	1002	Global Crossroads: 1500–Present
INTR	1000	The International System
MULT	2000	Global Cinema Studies
PH	2060	Comparative Healthcare Systems
REL	1000	Introduction to World Religions

The Natural World (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses in this curriculum area focus on the nature of discovery, scientific reasoning, and invention to develop critical awareness of the methods and limits of scientific inquiry. Students will cultivate observational and analytical skills, particularly in reference to the natural world.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, and perspectives:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Quantitative Reasoning—Students use quantitative reasoning to analyze problems and identify solutions.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Natural Sciences—Students apply concepts from the natural sciences to describe, analyze, or explain natural phenomena.

Students must select one course from the following options:

BIOL	1000	Introductory Biology
BIOL	1300	Nutrition: Eat Smarter
BIOL	2050	General Biology I
CHEM	1000	Introductory Chemistry
CHEM	2050	General Chemistry I
GEOG	1000	Introduction to Physical Geography
GEOL	1000	The Dynamic Earth
MARS	1000	Introductory Oceanography
PHYS	1020	Astronomy

The Sustainable World (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses in this curricular area help students understand the changing world they live in and become active contributors as society seeks to achieve sustainability. Students will examine, through multidisciplinary perspectives, the inherent connection between natural, social, and economic systems and engage in applied and experiential learning opportunities. Students will engage in community activities that encourage them to think of a future they wish to create, rather than react to present problems by reductive problem solving.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills, knowledge, perspectives, and values:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Teamwork—Students work effectively in teams.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Natural Sciences—Students apply concepts from the natural sciences to describe, analyze, or explain natural phenomena.
Sustainability—Students identify how ecological, social, and economic systems work together to promote sustainable futures.

Values (Mea Waiwai):

Civic Engagement—Students identify and engage in efforts that constructively influence the public good.

Students must select one course from the following options:

AQUA	1200	Global Aquaculture for Food Security and Conservation
ARTS	1003	Sustainable Art and Design
BIOL	1500	Conservation Biology
ENVS	1000	The Sustainability Challenge
ENVS	1030	Tropical Ecology and Sustainability
INTR	1100	Global Environmental Politics and Sustainability
MARS	1500	Marine Biology and Global Oceans
SWRK	1010	Social Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, and Social Work

Technology and Innovation (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses in this curriculum area explore technology systems and processes in order to develop an understanding of the impact of technology on individuals, the environment, and the global community. Students will apply modern technology for acquiring, analyzing, and sharing information; and through this endeavor, they will learn both physical and social aspects of technology, explore innovative practices, and be challenged to draw upon their imagination and knowledge to propose novel solutions to problems.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following skills:

Skills (Mākau Naʻauao):

Critical Thinking—Students synthesize information, explain issues, analyze concepts and evidence, assess assumptions, define their own perspectives and positions, and evaluate the implications and consequences of their conclusions.
Technology and Innovation – Students apply an understanding of technology to solve problems; explore innovative practices for acquiring, analyzing, and sharing information, and understand the impact of technology on society.

Students must select a course from the following options:

CSCI	1041	Digital Literacy in a Global Society
CSCI	1061	Mobile Technologies for the 21st Century
CSCI	1611	A Gentle Introduction to Programming
ENGR	1000	Introduction to Engineering Systems and Professional Practice
MIS	2000	Information Tools for Business
MULT	1050	Point, Shoot, Edit
MULT	1100	Foundations of Multimedia Production

Traditions & Movements that Shape the World (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses will help students explore the historical development of human societies and important movements and themes that have shaped and continue to influence the world. Students will assess information, ask questions, debate ideas, and explain the significance of political, social, scientific, and cultural trends in a historical context.

Students successfully completing these courses will obtain the following knowledge, perspectives, and values.

Knowledge and Perspectives (‘Ike):

Historical and Conceptual Perspectives—Students investigate and apply concepts from history or the humanities to describe and analyze phenomena over time.
Societies and Cultures—Students explore cross-cultural perspectives that both distinguish and connect regions, countries, languages, and cultures.

Values (Mea Waiwai):

Ethical Reasoning and Values—Students identify, explain, and evaluate the ethical perspectives of others and themselves.

Students must select a course from the following options:

AL	1100	Language, Power, and Identity
CLST	1000	Great Books, East and West
ECON	2015	Principles of Macroeconomics
ENG	2500	World Literature
HIST	1001	Traditions and Encounters: World Cultures to 1500
PH	1200	Introduction to Public Health
PSCI	2000	Introduction to Politics
SOC	2600	Peace Studies

Upper Division General Education Requirements

The General Education Program at HPU includes two upper-division requirements. These two requirements often take the form of Learning Outcomes embedded within courses that are already part of one's degree plan, meaning they do not necessarily add to the credits required for the major or extend the length of time to degree.

Upper-Division Writing (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses that meet the upper-division writing requirement are writing-intensive courses at the 3000- or 4000-level that provide instruction in writing conventions, genres, and information literacy skills appropriate to the particular discipline or type of writing covered by the particular course, and use writing tasks to help students learn the course material and demonstrate their learning.

Courses address the following learning outcome:

Written Communication—Students write clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes at a level more advanced than that of 1000- and 2000-numbered courses.

Students may select any of the following courses to meet the requirement. If a course that meets a requirement in the student’s major is on the list, it may count for both the Upper-Division Writing requirement and the major.

Upper Division Written Communication Courses

(All courses below are available to all students, regardless of major, who have met the lower-division requirements of Written Communication & Information Literacy I, Written Communication & Information Literacy II, and any other prerequisites specific to the course.)

AL	4960	Practice Teaching
BIOL	3020	Plant Biology
CHEM	4095	Biochemistry Seminar
CHEM	4910	Senior Seminar
CJ	4900	Seminar in Criminal Justice
COM	3420	Business Communication
COM	3500	Technical Communication
CSCI	3211	Systems Analysis and Design
ED	3200	Education Research and Writing
ENGR	3501	Engineering Design Project II
ENVS	4100	Society and Environment: Contemporary Issues Seminar (for BA)
ENVS	4400	Environmental Science Seminar (for BS)
HIST	3910	The Historian’s Craft
HRD	3400	Organizational Staffing
HUM	3900	Reading and Writing in the Humanities
MARS	4100	Marine Resource Management—Culture and Sustainability
MARS	4600	Marine Science Honors Research
MARS	4910	Research Seminar in Marine Biology
MARS	4930	Research Seminar in Oceanography
MATH	3000	Writing Proofs
MULT	4590	Feature Film Screenwriting
NUR	3710	Evidence-Based Research and Practice
PADM	4000	Strategic Planning for Government Organizations
PH	4920	Public Health Capstone Seminar
SWRK	4960	Social Work Capstone
WRI	3420	Grant Writing

Upper–Division Values (1 course—3 semester credits or 4 quarter credits for transfer students)

Courses that meet the upper-division values requirement are courses in which students continue to discern and assess the values that underlie various critical positions, articulate their own values with coherence and integrity, and/or endeavor to put their values into practice through participation in efforts to influence the public good. Courses that meet the upper-division values requirement would be courses at the 3000- or 4000-level which a) involve students in civic engagement activities, or b) address ethical issues, either related to an academic discipline or profession or in society as a whole--and which do so at a more advanced level than that of a 1000- or 2000-numbered course.

Courses address either of these learning outcomes:

(a) Civic Engagement—Students identify and engage in efforts that constructively influence the public good, or
(b) Ethical Reasoning and Values—Students identify, explain, and evaluate the ethical perspectives of others and themselves.

Students may select any of the following courses to meet the requirement. If a course that meets a requirement in the student’s major is on the list, it may count for both the Upper-Division Values requirement and the major.

Upper Division Values – A: Civic Engagement Courses

(The courses below are available to all students, regardless of major, who have met the prerequisites for the specific course.)

AL	3500	Second Language Learning and Teaching
ARTS	3000	Arts Entrepreneurship
ED	4511	Elementary Clinical Experience I
NUR	4781	Community Health Nursing Clinical/Lab
PSY	4950	Counseling Practicum
WRI	3510	Composition Studies

Upper Division Values – B: Ethical Reasoning Courses

(The courses below are available to all students, regardless of major, who have met the prerequisites for the specific course.)

BIOL	3080	Ecology
BIOL	3170	Cell and Molecular Biology
CHEM	3040	Quantitative Analysis
CSCI	3911	Software Engineering
CJ	3000	Ethics and Justice
ENGR	3500	Engineering Design Project I
ENVS	3030	Earth Systems and Global Change
INTR	3350	International Human Rights
LAW	3720	Cybersecurity Laws, Ethics, and Compliance
MARS	3100	Maritime Law and Ocean Policy
MATH	3470	Applied Statistics
MGMT	3061	Business Law and Ethics
MULT	3780	Global Documentary
PH	3015	Culture and Health
PHIL	3651	Environmental Ethics
PSY	4900	History and Systems of Psychology
PSY	4925	Psychology Research Seminar
REL	3600	War in World Religions
SWRK	4910	Social Work Practicum II
WRI	3391	Literary Magazine

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General Education Requirements

Program Overview

Program Level

Status

Requisites