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Reading Day (Remote
The two foundation courses and the capstone seminar provide Mount Aloysius College students with opportunities to experience interdisciplinary instruction, familiarize themselves with the College and our Mercy values, improve their critical thinking and writing skills, and explore and reflect upon the implicit and explicit values of self and the contemporary world.
o LIBA 150 College Success & the Mercy Experience is a 2-credit course designed to integrate first year students into the community of thinkers and learners. It is an inquiry into the academic expectations, resources, and traditions of Mount
Aloysius College. Students are challenged to enhance their intellectual potential, understand their academic and moral responsibilities, and appreciate diversity in a framework that develops the critical thinking, learning, and communication skills necessary to contribute successfully to the college’s intellectual life. o LIBA 301 Capstone Preparation is a 1-credit course designed and required for all junior students seeking a baccalaureate degree. The purpose of the course is to review and strengthen skills in critical reading, the conventions of academic writing, and the formulation of a research question in preparation for the senior capstone experience.
Additionally, students will examine the Mercy values in the context of their discipline.
LIBA 150 is intended to "integrate first year students into the community of thinkers and learners." In order to encourage the development of that community, it is the LIBA program's policy that online sections of LIBA 150 be reserved for the community of online-only students. Non-GCE students are required to enroll in traditional, in-class sections of LIBA 150. The only exceptions that will be granted are in rare cases in which the Registrar concludes (in consultation with the LIBA 150 Director and Humanities Division Chair) that a student's course of study is so restrictive that the online version of LIBA 150 is the only option for keeping the student's progress toward degree on track.
The Capstone Seminar is required for all students seeking a baccalaureate degree. One must successfully complete LIBA 150 and LIBA 301 to enroll in this course. The Capstone Seminar should be taken in one's senior year. It provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate the mastery of their discipline and the ability to integrate and synthesize the liberal arts and Mercy values in a research project that includes a 20-page paper.
Together, the Mount Aloysius College foundation courses and Capstone Seminar will foster and develop students' critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. The interdisciplinary approach in each will enable students to make connections between their liberal arts education, their vocation, Mount Aloysius College, and the Mercy values.
Waiver Policy for LIBA 150 and LIBA 301
A student who has earned 45 credits from an accredited university or college with a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 shall be exempt for completing LIBA 150 College Success & the Mercy Experience.
A student who has earned a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree from an accredited university or college shall be exempt from completing LIBA 301 Capstone Preparation.
A student who has completed a bachelor's degree should contact the Registrar's Office to ensure the waiver is applied to his or her academic record. A student may still choose to take these courses as electives to improve critical thinking, writing, and communication skills.
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