Liberal Arts - Courses

This bachelor of arts degree completion program requires all 46 units in the major be earned at Fresno Pacific University. The 78 units of general education requirements and general education electives/free electives (IGETC) complete the degree with a total of 124 units.

BIB 300A: Jesus' Life and World (2 units)

• Central to this course is Jesus and his teaching. This offering is foundational to additional courses and to an understanding of the early development of the Christian community. The intent is to provide the student with academic and practical growth through study and experience. It is designed especially for working people enrolled in the degree completion programs. the course uses an interactive approach to learning designed to move beyond knowledge and understanding to doing, living and being.

BIB 300B: Jesus, Church and Society (2 units)

• Foci of this course center around principles for living and the role of the Christian church in society. Study of the beatitudes, kingdom principles and parables are focused through life in the church. The Fresno Pacific Idea is helpful in understanding one's role in society. It is designed to integrate learning and doing for students enrolled in the degree completion programs.

BIB 436: Biblical Perspectives (4 units)

• This course reflects the commitment of Fresno Pacific University as a Christian liberal arts school to nurture an appreciation for the rich resources of the Scriptures for creative personal faith and human life in the modern world. It is designed to foster knowledge and understanding of the literature and history of the Bible and the integration of faith, learning and living.

DRA 357: Creative Drama (3 units) 

• This course equips people to lead others in process-oriented creative drama activities, including theater games, group improvisation, storytelling and related performance forms.

GEOG 321: Cultural Geography of Central Valley (3 units)

• This course is an investigation into the human-land relationships of California's Central Valley. Political, economic, social and environmental structures and their relationships with the geographical features of the Central Valley will be analyzed, with an emphasis on understanding the effects of human modification of the natural environment.

HIST 421: American Ethnicity and Pluralism (3 units)

• This course is a study of the history and immigration, racism, discrimination and assimilation in American society. The experiences of various ethnic groups in America from the nation's founding to the present are examined and the rise of pluralism as the current model for structuring ethnic diversity in American institutional life is explored.

HIST 441: California History and Politics (4 units)

• California is often viewed as the "trendsetter" for the rest of the nation. This course seeks to explain why by acquainting students with the social, cultural, economic and political development of California from early settlement to the present. At the same time, it familiarizes them with the state's current political system and the politics that surround it.

KIN 321: Elementary Physical Education Methods (3 units)

• This course involves the planning of physical education curriculum for elementary school children. Laboratory practice in instructional activities, including appropriate teaching methods, is examined. Emphasis is also given to trends in movement education.

LA 381: Learning Communities (2 units)

• This is a seminar course with appropriate field experiences that will focus on learning communities for which the multiple subject credential is required of its teachers. The course will involve analysis and evaluation of classroom observations in relation to academic studies of the multiple subject program.

LA 415: Senior Research Seminar (4 units)

• This is a capstone course focusing on an interdisciplinary analysis of issues and topics relevant to future educators in California's Central Valley. The culminating activity will be an integrative research project presented orally and in writing.

LANG 311: Principles of Language Acquisition (3 units)

• This course is an overview of first and second language acquisition theories, learning styles, sociocultural factors and communicative competence, with an emphasis on second language acquisition.

LANG 331: Linguistics and Modern Grammar (4 units)

• This course is a study of the structure of the English language through an analysis of phonology, morphology and syntax. Emphasis is placed on the sentence as a primary structure and the application of grammar to writing.

LIT 467: Literature for Children and Young Adults (3 units)

• This course surveys literature for children from preschool through junior high school. The course is particularly designed to assist teachers and teacher candidates in the selection and use of literature in the classroom.

MATH 136: Mathematics Concepts I (3 units)

• This course is designed to prepare liberal arts majors for teaching at the elementary level. Topics include problemsolving strategies, number theory, algorithms for operations with numbers, prime numbers, rational numbers, proportions and probability.

MATH 137: Mathematics Concepts II (3 units)

• This course is designed to prepare liberal arts majors for teaching at the elementary level. Focus is on various applications of the mathematical concepts introduced in part I as they are used in graphing linear equations, algebraic problem solving and geometric measurements.