Academic Guidelines

College Writing Requirements

All students are required to complete College Writing 1 (ENGL 11100) and College Writing 2 (ENGL 11200) 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 (ENGL 10200); Essay (ENGL 10300); College Writing 1 (ENGL 11100).

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 ENGL 11100 (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

Reading is a complex process of constructing meaning from written language and involves an interaction between the reader, the text and the context of the reading setting. The Reading Program provides students with an opportunity to become strategic readers who use a variety of methods to continually develop and monitor their comprehension. The goal is to assist students in developing their reading and learning abilities and to help them succeed in University coursework.

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 learn to handle college-level texts. To provide support for students entering Lewis University, freshmen will be enrolled in Academic Reading in the Literacy Program based on the following criteria:

1. Previous assistance in high School with academics including but not limited to: 
   1. Identified disability, IEP or 504 plan
   2. Participation in other learning support program(s)
   3. Developmental/remedial reading coursework in high school
2. ACT Reading sub-score of 19 or lower (but the department will also consider the qualifications of those students who scored in the low 20’s)---Students who have not taken the ACT exam will be assessed through alternative means (e.g., SAT sub-scores).
3. Students who wish to major in the nursing and health professions will have additional criteria (e.g., the KAPLAN test) by which they may be considered for placement in Academic Reading for the Nursing and Health Professions. If placed in this course, it is a mandatory requirement to remain a nursing major.

Unless otherwise indicated by the Undergraduate Reading Director, students placed in Academic Reading during their first semester are required to take Academic Reading Seminar during the subsequent semester. Academic advisors need to make sure that students 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 from the Academic Services department within the Center for Academic Success & Enrichment (CASE) or in the College of Education and Social Sciences office. The Department of Reading and Literacy faculty will review the appeal and the results of the decision will be provided, in writing, within two weeks 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 ENGL 22000, 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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Advocate for a cause or idea, presenting facts and arguments, in an organized and accurate manner using some form of technology. Include qualitative and quantitative reasoning.
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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Demonstrate an ability to apply the fundamental principles, methodologies, value systems, and thought processes employed in the sciences, arts, and humanities, while acknowledging the influence of technological change.
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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Evaluate theological, particularly Christian, answers to questions of human existence and meaning within an interdisciplinary context.
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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Evaluate ethical issues from multiple perspectives and apply those considerations to scenarios of personal integrity and socially responsible engagement.
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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Articulate how culture, society, and diversity shape the informed, responsible citizen within a global society.
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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Employ critical and creative thinking skills by articulating or crafting an argument's major assertions and assumptions and evaluating its supporting evidence, using both qualitative and quantitative reasoning.
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.
   Measurable Student Learning Outcome: Demonstrate programmatic competency and a defined plan for career and personal development through 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 Diversity and Social Justice course (SOCI 29000) 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 (PHIL 33000) in the Department of Philosophy and the Christian Ethics course (THEO 31000) 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 Ethics 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 of 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 semester of coursework and at least 32 hours at Lewis University, as well as at least four upper-division courses in 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 Catholic and Lasallian Heritage-based general education courses at Lewis.