Academic Guidelines

College Writing Requirements

All students are required to complete College Writing 1 (06-111) and College Writing 2 (06-112) during their first three semesters at Lewis. The course sequence is designed to prepare students for the academic writing that will be required in their major and other coursework.

To support student success, the Department of English reviews student test or entrance scores, and administers a Writing Placement Examination, normally administered at the time of registration (SOAR). Based on their demonstrated skills, students are placed into the course that will best meet their needs: Sentence and Paragraph (06-102); Essay (06-103); College Writing 1 (06-111).

College Writing 1 may be waived for students who present a College Composition C.L.E.P. score of 63 or higher, an A.P. English Language and Composition score of 4 or higher, or who are accepted into the Connections Program of the Scholars Academy. Credit for acceptable A.P. and C.L.E.P. scores will appear on the student’s transcript as 06-111 (3 credits), but waivers do not appear on the transcript. All students, however, are still required to complete the Writing Placement Examination.

Transfer credits for College Writing 1 and 2 may be awarded for equivalent coursework completed at other accredited colleges and universities if appropriate documentation is presented to the admitting office and approved by the Department of English.

College Reading Requirements

Academic Reading Coursework is provided to prepare students for the rigors of academic reading that will be required in their major and other coursework. Based on their demonstrated skills, students may be required to take the sequence of Academic Reading courses: however, any student may elect to take a reading course to handle college-level texts. To provide support for students entering the University, the Department of Reading and Literacy administers the Nelson-Denny Reading Test to all incoming freshmen at the time of registration (SOAR). Based on the results of this assessment, students may be placed in a course that best meets their needs: Academic Reading I (57-150) and Academic Reading II (57-151).

Placement decisions are based on total scores on the Nelson-Denny according to the following criteria:

Nelson-Denny total score below 86 - Academic Reading I (57-150) and Academic Reading II (57-151) required.

Nelson-Denny total score 86-96 - Academic Reading II (57-151) required.

Nelson-Denny total score above 97 - No coursework required.

Students placed in Academic Reading I (57-150) during their first semester are required to take Academic Reading II (57-151) during the subsequent semester. Academic advisors need to make sure that students who are required to take reading courses are registered for the correct course.

Students who wish to appeal the reading placement must fill out the Appeal of Reading Placement Exam Results Form available in the Leckrone Academic Resource Center (LARC) or in the College of Education office. Faculty in the Department of Reading and Literacy will review the appeal and the results of the decision will be provided, in writing, within two weeks of the date of the appeal.

A.P., C.L.E.P., and Credit for Literature Examinations

To satisfy the general education requirement in literature and earn three credits for 06-220, students must present a score of 3 or higher in the A.P. Examination in Literature and Composition; or a score of 55 or higher in C.L.E.P. Analyzing and Interpreting Literature; or a score of 5 or higher in I.B. Language A1. Credits awarded for A.P., C.L.E.P., and I.B. scores, however, do not apply toward coursework in the English major.

Transfer credits for the general education literature requirement may be awarded for equivalent coursework completed at other accredited colleges and universities if appropriate documentation is presented to the admitting office and approved by the Department of English.

Characteristics of a Baccalaureate Graduate

The baccalaureate graduate of Lewis University will:

1. read, write, speak, calculate, and use technology at a demonstrated level of proficiency. This can include the ability to:
   • research, comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize scholarly texts and other information sources.
   • communicate to analyze, inform, and persuade.
   • speak effectively in small groups and formal settings.
   • process and use quantitative and qualitative data.
   • use technological tools to retrieve, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information.
2. understand the major approaches to knowledge. This can include the ability to:
   • comprehend and practice the scientific method.
   • understand events, ideas, and disciplines within their historical contexts.
   • comprehend the methods and concepts of philosophy.
   • analyze and appreciate the history, genres, and critical vocabulary of literature and mass media.
   • experience and value the forms, aesthetics, and history of the arts.
   • use the grammar and vocabulary of theology through which faith seeks understanding.
3. understand the place of faith, religion, and spirituality in the search for truth and meaning. This can include the ability to:
   • comprehend the beliefs, histories, and roles of various religious traditions.
   • assess the Christian tradition, especially the Roman Catholic Christian tradition, not only on its own merits but also in relation to other ways of construing the world.
   • consider the significance of spirituality in his or her life.
4. understand and prepare for moral and ethical decision-making. This can include the ability to:
   • define and apply the concepts and theories that underlie moral and ethical decision-making.
   • consider the value of service to the world community.
5. become an informed, involved, and responsible citizen of a diverse yet interconnected national and global community through a grounding in economic, political, social, and historical influences that are inherent in shaping, developing, and advancing nations and the world. This can include the ability to:
   • understand economic and political theory and practice in both the United States and the world.
   • investigate how citizens of the United States and the world interact with one another, their community institutions, and their governments.
   • understand how social systems across cultures influence and are influenced by human behavior and development.
   • explore the histories, influences, and expressions of national and international cultures.
   • recognize and respect the diversity of societies in both the United States and the world.
6. think critically and creatively. This can include the ability to:
   • analyze and evaluate information.
   • synthesize and evaluate problem-solving strategies.
   • implement effective and innovative solutions to problems.
7. possess the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to enter or advance a career, or to begin graduate study. This can include the ability to:
   • demonstrate the skills for lifelong learning.
   • appreciate the value of lifelong learning.

Mission-Related Courses

The Mission-related courses at Lewis University, among all the general education requirements, represent the hallmark of a Catholic and Lasallian education, which is founded on a profound respect for the person. Mission-related courses specifically advocate the Mission values of Lewis University. These courses have several purposes. One goal is to engage students in the pursuit of knowledge and the practice of association, two overarching Mission values, but their primary goal is to encourage students to consider the implications of three other Mission values: justice, fidelity, and wisdom. These courses challenge students to critique the contemporary world, while advocating the cultivation of social, spiritual, and ethical values in the context of scholarly writings and personal introspection. Finally, they urge students to acknowledge and to use higher-order principles in their interactions with others and as a means of understanding the world around them.

The Department of Sociology’s Cultural Diversity course (20-290) informs students about the diversity of racial, ethnic, and religious groups in America with a special emphasis on the analysis of class, age, and gender inequalities, the histories of diverse groups, and public policy issues. Students also develop a greater respect for cultural and ethnic differences among peoples the world over as well as greater appreciation for their own familial and social heritage.

Consistent with the Mission of Lewis University, as well as its Catholic and Lasallian heritage, the Department of Theology offers a variety of courses which provide a diverse population with a liberal and professional education grounded in the interaction of knowledge and fidelity in the search for truth and one’s relationship with God. Theology courses are intended to provide students with an opportunity to personally explore religious questions from a Christian, especially Roman Catholic, perspective. Such a theological approach involves working to understand what one believes.

The Ethics course (15-330) in the Department of Philosophy and the Christian Action and Values course (19-310) in the Department of Theology integrate reflection and action through the development of higher learning skills. Students are challenged to clarify their own values through the study of ethicists and moralists. Students develop their own perspectives on timeless and timely ethical and moral issues. Personal experience and responsibility, social behavior and interactions with other humans, and human relationships with the physical universe are examined, together with the nature of virtue, vice, goodness, and evil, and what constitutes prudent judgment. In both courses, students use critical thinking skills. Ethics focuses on assessing critically various ethical viewpoints, while Christian Action and Values focuses on the fundamental principles of Christian morality.

University Graduation Requirements for Bachelor's Degree

The curriculum is divided into three parts: general education requirements, requirements for the major and elective courses. The general education requirements specify courses in the fine arts/humanities, social studies and natural sciences, communication and mathematics, designed to introduce the student to the various fields of liberal culture. Mission-related courses are also required.

Requirements for the major provide the opportunity for a greater depth of study in one academic field. Electives allow the student to select additional courses suited to educational needs. Elective courses should be chosen with a definite purpose, such as providing additional support for the student’s future profession or overcoming an educational deficiency.

To meet University requirements, all students must:

1. complete the General Education Requirements.
2. achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 and at least a 2.00 GPA in the major (or the required GPA or the major if different).
3. complete the requirements of an approved major.
4. earn 128 credit hours in courses acceptable for graduation.
5. complete the last year of coursework at Lewis University (at least 32 hours), as well as at least four upper-division courses n the major and at least two upper-division courses in any minor.
6. complete any special requirements of their respective college and the major taken within the college.

General Education Requirements Applying to All Transfer Students

General education requirements may be fulfilled by transfer coursework or coursework taken at Lewis University.

However, all transfer students must complete two of the three required Mission-based general education courses at Lewis.

General Education Requirements

Some General Education Requirements Have Course Options. These Pages Delineate the Options.