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Core Program
A Liberal Arts Foundation...
The SGPS Core Program
The Core Program supports the goals expressed in the mission statements of the college and SGPS. Through the School’s Core Program, undergraduate adult learners gain perspectives on fields of study in the liberal arts and sciences that complement and enrich their major, minor, and elective courses.
Core learning outcomes focus upon the skills and competencies needed in today's twenty-first-century job market -writing, communicating, critical thinking, problem-solving, synthesizing knowledge, and applying a broad, human perspective in a global world.
Signature Learning Courses
The Core Program offers two signature learning experiences:
Foundations for Accelerated Learning (FS 1500) 3 credits (1 course)
Foundations for Accelerated Learning is designed to introduce adult learners to the scholarly demands of Elizabethtown College’s accelerated coursework. Emphasis is placed upon self-reflection and collaboration with peers, implementing skills for success in an accelerated learning environment, evaluating personal strengths, and identifying strategies to overcome challenges. Students will develop research, writing, and presentation skills that lay the foundation for future success.Foundations for Accelerated Learning should be taken in the first three sessions of an adult learner’s entry or re-entry into college.
Core Program Capstone (IDC 4900) 3 credits (1 course)
This course serves as the Core Program's capstone course with a final project that represents the student’s ability to define a contemporary problem and construct a defense of the thesis, both orally and in writing. The course also provides the opportunity for the student to reflect on the impact of SGPS Core Program learning and explore how that learning relates to a contemporary problem being studied.
Students taking the capstone have junior or senior status and completed foundational core requirements.
Areas of Understanding
The remaining courses in the core are designated "areas of understanding" that map to the institution's mission and overall learning goals.
Power of Language 3 credits (1 course)
The hallmark of a liberally educated person is the ability to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively in any number of settings and contexts, ranging from the academic world to the business world.
After successfully fulfilling this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Use language clearly and persuasively to articulate ideas.
- Read and listen carefully and critically.
- Assess the quality of other people’s use of language.
- Analyze and synthesize ideas.
- Speak and write clearly and persuasively.
Mathematical Analysis 3 credits (1 course)
Mathematical Analysis fosters competency in quantitative reasoning and the mastery of problem-solving skills.
After successfully fulfilling this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Argue and present using numbers and statistics.
- Respond, critically, to arguments and positions that use numbers and statistics.
- Model real-world phenomena, using numbers and statistics.
- Solve problems.
Creative Expression 3 credits (1 course)
This Area of Understanding fosters the learner’s appreciation of the diversity of human perception and its expression. This includes the history, theory, creation, performance, and/or criticism of art forms from music, painting, drama, cinema, architecture, sculpture, and the graphic arts.
After successfully fulfilling this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Identify the basic concepts and the vocabulary employed in the creation and analysis of works of art.
- Make informed aesthetic judgments.
- Discuss the value that an artistic medium has, beyond simple utility.
- Appreciate that creative art forms affirm humanity and express innermost, human feelings.
Western Cultures 3 credits (1 course)
While the United States today reflects the blending of many different cultures, Western European cultural traditions form the underlying context within which this blending has occurred. Critical analysis of significant human endeavors from those traditions forms the foundation of this Area of Understanding. Subject areas discussed in the course of this analysis may include art, government, history, literature, music, philosophy, religion, science, and social institutions.
After successfully fulfilling this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Discuss important aspects of the western cultural heritage in the United States.
- Analyze the relationship of the western cultural past to the contemporary world.
- Discuss the value that an artistic medium has, beyond simple utility.
- Interpret knowledge in a variety of different ways.
- Contextualize culture, historically.
- Analyze critically and use, effectively, primary texts, secondary sources, and other forms of evidence.
World Cultures and International Studies 3 credits (1 course)
The World Cultures and International Studies Area of Understanding promotes analysis of the global human experience.
After successfully completing this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Compare and contrast the diverse experiences of culture groups across the world.
- Discuss the interdependence of the world’s peoples and countries.
- Demonstrate intercultural awareness and responsiveness.
Natural World 3-4 credits (1 course –must include lab)
This Area of Understanding promotes the systematic study of the natural world through content and methodology.
After successfully completing this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data.
- Apply the scientific method of inquiry.
- Discuss major concepts associated with the scientific disciplines.
- Demonstrate the criticism, challenge, and revision of scientific theories.
Social World 3 credits (1 course)
The Social World Area of Understanding investigates the ways in which human behavior is shaped, ranging from self-formation to international relations.
After successfully completing this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Explore, analyze, and interpret the influences on human thought, feelings, and behavior.
- Apply the methods and procedures of social research.
- Discuss major concepts, theories, and texts that interpret and explain human behavior and interaction.
- Discuss the diversity and/or integration of social worlds.
- Analyze the organization and functions of one or more social worlds.
Values, Choice and Justice 3 credits (1 course)
The Values, Choice and Justice Area of Understanding reflects the values of the College’s Brethren heritage and tradition; it affirms human dignity, social justice, peace, and non-violence. Through this Area of Understanding, adult learners engage value-based decision-making and are encouraged to consider the personal and social aspects of their choices.
After successfully completing this requirement, the adult learner will be able to:
- Define self-values.
- Make thoughtful decisions based on self-values.
- Think independently and critically.
- Evaluate options and outcomes.
- Apply all of these skills to the exercise of responsible citizenship and other kinds of service.
- Discuss works that represent aesthetic, cultural, historical, religious, or philosophical approaches to values.
Associate Degree Core Program Structure
Undergraduate students enrolled in an associate degree program also complete the SGPS core but in a modified format. See the college catalog or core handbook for more information.
717-361-14111 Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298© 2025 Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, PA 17022-2298© 2025 Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown College does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, possession of a general education development certificate as compared to a high school diploma, or any other legally protected status. This commitment applies but is not limited to decisions made with respect to hiring and promotion, the administration educational programs and policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other College administered programs. Discrimination or harassment of any kind is strictly forbidden.