This course is the first of a two-course sequence that is designed to assist first-year students in the transition to college during their first semester. Topics include improving classroom skills and broadening academic skills. The development of a better understanding of the financial responsibilities of college and the skills and behaviors necessary to meet these responsibilities will also be discussed. Registration is limited to students designated for the conditional admit.
This course is the second of a two-course sequence that is designed to further develop student academic readiness with the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that will promote critical thinking and success. Topics addressed will be selected to aid students in their development as learners and active members of the University community. Registration is limited to students designated for the conditional admit
Aurora University's year-long First-Year Experience Program is focused on orientating students to college life, engaging them in campus activities, assisting students in the development of essential academic, college, and life skills, and providing opportunities to meet and work with faculty and staff from across campus. Students will engage in activities, training programs, workshops, readings, conversations with AU faculty and staff, and writing assignments from May to December of their freshman year. The First-Year Experience is part of the university's General Education Program.
Grading Type: Credit/No Credit
"Discover what matters. And build your life around it." Such is the essential purpose of an Aurora University education. This thematic seminar course will engage students in the process of discovery and reflection by grappling with enduring questions about what matters in their individual lives and the world around them. Students will read and discuss core texts, develop effective communication and critical thinking skills, and meet one-on-one with faculty members to receive guidance and feedback. The course is designed to help launch a student's journey through a successful and meaningful college experience.
What does it mean to be responsible citizens in today's global village? What are human rights and how can a global justice framework address issues ranging from income inequality to climate change to HIV/AIDS? In this interdisciplinary course, students will learn about globalization from a wide range of perspectives. They will also learn about theories of justice and examine a variety of worldviews (including their own) on human dignity and human rights, justice and fairness, and social responsibility. After examining numerous case studies related to global justice issues and articulating their own global justice framework, students will investigate a contemporary issue of global significance, examine the issue from the viewpoint of various local and global stakeholders, and create fact-based action plans directed toward addressing the problem. Systems of government, activists/nonprofits, business/for-profits, and social entrepreneurship will be analyzed as possible means of addressing these issues. The course utilizes a writing, reading, and discussion-intensive curriculum to sharpen students' communication and critical thinking skills.
The junior year is a pivotal moment in a student's academic career. It is a time for reflecting, for identifying, and for planning -- a time for discovering what matters and building one's life around it. This distinctive junior-year experience is designed to facilitate this vital work. Each student will work intensively with a faculty mentor in their major program to articulate their personal and professional goals; develop a meaningful, individualized plan to achieve those goals; and sharpen the skills essential to achieving those goals.
Grading Type: Credit/No Credit
The junior year is a pivotal moment in a student's academic career. It is a time for reflecting, for identifying, and for planning -- a time for discovering what matters and building one's life around it. This distinctive junior-year experience is designed to facilitate this vital work. Each student will work intensively with a faculty mentor in their major program to articulate their personal and professional goals; develop a meaningful, individualized plan to achieve those goals; and sharpen the skills essential to achieving those goals.
Grading Type: Credit/No Credit