This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2024-2025 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
UNIV101. Introduction to the University. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1 credit. Designed to orient new students to the traditions, purposes and expectations of a university education. Students will assess their expectations and evaluate their academic strengths and goals. Through lectures, guest speakers and individual projects, students will learn of VCU resources designed to help them solve problems and to achieve a rewarding and successful academic program.
UNIV102. Investigations in Learning. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Enrollment restricted to first-year students who want to improve college success skills. The student will create an individualized action plan to improve academic performance.
UNIV103. Education and Career Planning. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a total of 3 credits. An education- and career-planning course focusing on the process of researching and selecting a major. Through course work, research, guest speakers and informational interviewing, students will discover various educational and career options. Topics will include interest, abilities and work-values assessments, decision-making models and career development theories. One- and two-credit versions of the course are offered with correspondingly reduced meeting schedules.
UNIV111. Focused Inquiry I. 3 Hours.Play course video for Focused Inquiry I
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Utilizes contemporary themes to give students opportunities and practice in writing, critical thinking, oral presentation, collaborative learning, information retrieval and evaluation, and social and civic responsibilities. Incorporates common reading materials and course activities across all sections.
UNIV112. Focused Inquiry II. 3 Hours.Play course video for Focused Inquiry II
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV111 or equivalent. Builds on skills introduced in UNIV111 by providing practice in expository essays, argument and contextual analysis. Focuses on practice in writing in a variety of genres, framing writing according to both purpose and audience and identifying academically valid sources. Students must earn a minimum grade of C to receive credit for this course.
UNIV151. Focused Learning Workshop in BIOL 151. 1-2 Hours.
Semester course; 3 workshop hours. 1-2 credits. Corequisite: BIOL151. Designed to assist students in improving their understanding of complex biology material. Will supplement the BIOL151 class lecture. Course assists students with integrating how-to-learn with what-to-learn for BIOL151. Includes both discussion and study-skills strategies. Students required to complete homework assignments and to demonstrate mastery of specific study techniques. In addition to the semester-long 2-credit offering, a 1-credit course is opened to students after the first BIOL151 exam.
UNIV152. Focused Learning Workshop in BIOL 152. 1-2 Hours.
Semester course; 3 workshop hours. 1-2 credits. Corequisite: BIOL152. Designed to assist students in improving their understanding of complex biology material. Will supplement the BIOL152 class lecture. Course assists students with integrating how-to-learn with what-to-learn for BIOL152. Includes both discussion and study-skills strategies. Students required to complete homework assignments and to demonstrate mastery of specific study techniques. In addition to the semester-long 2-credit offering, a 1-credit course is opened to students after the first BIOL152 exam.
UNIV191. Student Success Special Topics. 1-3 Hours.
Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated with different content for a maximum of three credits. Transitioning from high school to VCU as a first-year student brings both excitement and nervousness. VCU offers a menu of first-year courses that address either motivators or barriers to student success. These courses are taught by academic advisers, financial aid counselors, campus leaders and student affairs professionals interested in connecting to first-year students based on their interests, fears, aspirations and career goals. Students who complete these courses historically earn higher GPAs and graduate faster with less debt.
UNIV200. Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV112 or HONR250 with a minimum grade of C. Asks students to consider real-world applications of writing and research. Students will develop critical analysis, inquiry-based research skills, communication of argument and research across media. Work represents the culmination of foundational ConnectED competencies developed in UNIV111 and UNIV112. Students must earn a minimum grade of C to receive credit for this course.
UNIV211. Food for Thought. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An interdisciplinary exploration of food using analytical lenses from sociology, anthropology, philosophy, art, literature, history, political science, psychology, economics and religious studies.
UNIV213. The Truth About Lying. 3 Hours.Play course video for The Truth About Lying
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students will engage in collaborative inquiry to critically consider their own beliefs, common notions of ethical behaviors and practical standards through exploring the nature and function of lying. Students will work together to build a foundation of knowledge on the subject of lying and investigate a broad range of disciplines through the lie to question, abandon and embrace value judgments imperative to their daily lives.
UNIV217. Finding Your Voice in Contemporary Society. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: UNIV111 and 112 or HONR200 or HONR250. Focuses on strategies for expression in contemporary society. This course examines the messages that are conveyed in our society and how people decode and understand those messages. Course will focus on popular culture themes and practical problem-solving.
UNIV222. Pseudoscience. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Course critically evaluates controversial fringes of scientific inquiry, such as those related to paranormal investigations and quack medicine. By engaging with topics chosen from astronomy, anthropology, biology, mathematics, medicine, philosophy and psychology, students will apply critical thinking skills to a variety of strange and provocative ideas.
UNIV250. Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. May be repeated for up to two credits. Prerequisite: UNIV112 with a minimum grade of B. Utilizes classroom practice to further the core skills developed in UNIV111 and 112 (writing, critical thinking, oral presentation, collaborative learning, information retrieval and evaluation, and social and civic responsibilities) as well as exposing students to the practice, possibilities, rewards and responsibilities of the act of teaching. Enrollment will be arranged through faculty mentors.
UNIV251. Undergraduate Teaching Assistant Program. 1 Hour.
Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. May be repeated for up to two credits. Prerequisite: UNIV200 or HONR200 with minimum grade of B. Utilizes classroom practice to further the core skills developed in UNIV200 (including writing, critical thinking, collaborative learning, information retrieval and evaluation) as well as exposing students to the practice, possibilities, rewards and responsibilities of the act of teaching. Enrollment will be arranged through faculty mentors.
UNIV270. Introduction to Leadership Studies. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Open only to students participating in the Emerging Leaders Scholarship Program or enrolled in VCU LEAD. Introductory study of leadership theory, group dynamics and human relationships used in volunteer organizations and leisure delivery systems. Foundations of leadership/follower behavior, advanced facilitation techniques and techniques of decision-making, problem-solving, conflict management and program evaluation will be examined.
UNIV291. University Special Topics. 1-4 Hours.
Semester course; variable hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated with different content. Specialized topics in subject and competency areas related to the core curriculum program not provided by an existing course or program. May be multidisciplinary. Graded as pass/fail or normal letter grading at the option of the instructor.
UNIV299. What's the Big Idea?. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Each section in this interdisciplinary course will focus on a particular "big question" that has intrigued thinkers throughout time and across cultures. As students move from personal to global — and from theoretical to practical — investigations of the question, they will come to understand inquiry as a complex cycle of questioning, gathering, examining, interpreting, comparing, analyzing and evaluating, with important application to decision-making and problem-solving in the real world.
UNIV350. Peer Leadership Program. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for up to six credits. Prerequisite: UNIV250 and/or UNIV251 with a minimum grade of B (must have a total of two credits in courses listed). Building on skills introduced in the prerequisite(s), this course gives students hands-on experience in the practice of creating and maintaining student engagement.
UNIV391. University Special Topics. 1-4 Hours.
Semester course; variable hours. 1-4 credits. May be repeated with different content. Specialized topics in subject and competency areas related to the core curriculum program not provided by an existing course or program. May be multidisciplinary. Graded as pass/fail or normal letter grading at the option of the instructor.
