Writing & Inquiry
Develop questions, evaluate sources and revise an evidence-based essay through workshops and individual conferences.
Academics · Alderwick College
Course Catalog
Read the course, check the prerequisite and put a sequence around your question.
This 2026–2027 catalog contains 84 courses. All credits are semester credits. Typical offerings help you plan a sequence; Academic Affairs confirms the sections available for a particular term.
Five-credit Communication Design studios allow sustained practice and critique. Other listed courses carry three credits. The curriculum and Registrar pages explain how credits fit a degree.
84 courses
Speaking & Listening
Practice informative presentations, purposeful listening and small-group discussion using topics drawn from campus life.
Questions of Knowledge
Compare arguments about evidence, belief and explanation, with close attention to how a claim is supported.
Histories of Place
Read maps, archives and oral accounts to examine how communities remember and interpret changing landscapes.
Research Writing
Design a research question, build an annotated source trail and develop a sustained argument for a defined audience.
Reading Lives
Explore fiction, poetry and memoir through close reading, short interpretive essays and seminar conversation.
Arts in Context
Study how artistic works respond to their materials, audiences and historical circumstances through visits and analytical exercises.
Quantitative Reasoning
Use proportions, basic models, uncertainty and data displays to examine practical questions and critique numerical claims.
Scientific Inquiry
Develop testable questions, collect observations and distinguish an inference from the evidence on which it rests.
Community & Public Life
Examine local institutions, public participation and collective decision-making through a community observation assignment.
Ethics in Practice
Apply competing ethical frameworks to decisions involving technology, environment and shared resources.
Worlds in Conversation
Compare cultural perspectives through texts, objects and collaborative interpretation, with attention to context and translation.
Functions & Mathematical Models
Represent change with functions, interpret model assumptions and connect algebraic and graphical reasoning.
Introduction to Statistics
Summarize samples, explore variation and use elementary statistical inference in a reproducible analysis.
Computational Thinking
Translate a problem into a sequence of operations and build small programs with readable structure and basic tests.
Biology of Living Systems
Investigate cells, populations and ecological interactions through integrated discussion and scheduled laboratory work.
Chemistry of Everyday Systems
Use molecular models, measurement and laboratory observations to explain reactions in water, materials and living systems.
Visual Thinking
Develop observation, composition and visual explanation through drawing, image studies and critique.
Organizations & Enterprise
Follow an organization from purpose to operations, considering value, resources, stakeholders and the costs of a decision.
Human Behavior
Introduce major psychological questions through selected studies, research methods and everyday applications.
Learning & Development
Compare accounts of learning and development through observation, reflective writing and analysis of teaching situations.
Media & Meaning
Analyze how image, sound, sequence and distribution shape the interpretation of a media work.
People & Institutions
Use sociological concepts to examine relationships among individuals, institutions and social change.
Earth Systems
Trace connections among water, soil, climate and living communities using maps and introductory field observations.
Field Observation
Keep repeatable field notes and design a small observation protocol at Fern Creek.
Ecological Methods
Compare vegetation, soil and water measures and evaluate the limits of field sampling.
Environmental Analysis
Interpret environmental measurements with uncertainty and document a transparent analytical workflow.
Integrated Field Research
Plan a team field investigation, review methods and connect observations across a landscape.
Environmental Science Capstone
Complete an independent environmental study with a research report, evidence appendix and public presentation.
Watershed Landscapes
Read the relationship among drainage, land cover and habitat through map study and site observation.
Stream Monitoring
Practice stream measurements, sampling records and comparison of seasonal observations.
Restoration Planning
Develop restoration options using site constraints, ecological objectives and a monitoring schedule.
Conservation Decisions
Compare conservation alternatives, maintenance needs and the evidence used to judge progress.
Watershed Capstone
Produce a restoration or monitoring proposal with a field record, budget assumptions and evaluation plan.
Outdoor Learning
Introduce place-based teaching, group preparation and low-impact field routines.
Group Facilitation
Practice clear instruction, group observation and constructive debriefing in outdoor learning activities.
Field Program Design
Develop routes, schedules, equipment lists and contingency plans for a supervised learning program.
Leadership Practicum
Lead a sequence of peer learning activities and evaluate decisions with a faculty supervisor.
Outdoor Leadership Capstone
Design, deliver and assess an outdoor education program with documented preparation and reflection.
Environment & Public Decisions
Compare the scientific, social and institutional questions that shape environmental decisions.
Policy Research Methods
Build a source-based policy question and compare documents, interviews and public data.
Environmental Policy Analysis
Evaluate alternatives through explicit criteria, stakeholder perspectives and evidence of tradeoffs.
Public Participation Studio
Design an accessible public engagement process and document how responses inform a decision.
Environmental Policy Capstone
Write and defend a policy brief with options, supporting evidence and an implementation outline.
Programming Studio
Build small interactive programs using decomposition, functions and readable data structures.
Software Structures
Study structured data, common algorithms and practical tradeoffs through implementation exercises.
Software Design
Develop a maintainable application with version control, testing and a clear interface between components.
Collaborative Systems
Deliver a team software increment through planning, review, documentation and user feedback.
Computing Capstone
Create and evaluate an applied computing project with a technical report and public demonstration.
Data in Context
Read data tables critically, document provenance and frame an answerable question.
Data Preparation
Clean, join and validate data while keeping a readable record of transformations.
Statistical Modeling
Compare model assumptions, fit and uncertainty using interpretable examples and reproducible notebooks.
Data Visualization Studio
Develop charts and explanatory layouts, test their interpretation and revise for accessibility.
Analytics Capstone
Deliver an analysis with a documented dataset, reproducible method and audience-specific explanation.
Design Studio I
Explore visual hierarchy, typography and composition through iterative studio assignments.
Design Studio II
Develop editorial and identity systems through material experiments, production work and critique.
Design Studio III
Connect research, audience needs and visual systems in a sustained communication project.
Senior Design Studio
Develop an independent design system through proposal reviews, prototyping and public exhibition.
Portfolio & Design Practice
Edit a professional portfolio and write a clear account of design decisions, process and responsibilities.
Image & Sound
Plan short media studies using framing, sound recording, editing and clear production notes.
Media Production
Develop a short nonfiction project through proposal, production scheduling, edit reviews and permissions records.
Interactive Storytelling
Explore how navigation, sequence and audience choice change a digital narrative.
Documentary Workshop
Produce a researched media work through iterative editing and feedback on context and representation.
Digital Media Capstone
Complete a media work, process journal and public screening or demonstration with a critical reflection.
Enterprise in Practice
Map an organization’s purpose, customers, operations and resource needs through a practical case.
Accounting & Decisions
Read basic financial statements and use cost information to explain a management decision.
Operations & Organizations
Analyze workflows, capacity, teams and process improvements using an explicit set of assumptions.
Strategy Studio
Compare a small organization’s strategic options through market research, operating constraints and financial scenarios.
Business Capstone
Present an organizational proposal with evidence, budgets, operating steps and criteria for review.
Community Health Contexts
Examine patterns in community wellbeing and distinguish individual experience from population-level evidence.
Health Inquiry Methods
Frame an ethical community health question and compare surveys, observation and public datasets.
Health Communication
Develop clear, audience-specific materials and evaluate comprehension without making unsupported health claims.
Community Project Studio
Plan a small educational or assessment project with a defined audience, logistics and evaluation measures.
Community Health Capstone
Deliver a documented community health project with evidence review, ethical reflection and assessment findings.
Psychological Questions
Compare theoretical accounts of behavior and distinguish observations from explanations.
Research Design
Design a manageable study, define variables and consider sampling, consent and interpretive limits.
Cognition & Experience
Examine attention, memory and interpretation through research readings and structured investigations.
Psychology Research Seminar
Develop a supervised research proposal and revise its method, analysis and literature context.
Psychology Capstone
Complete a supervised study or evidence synthesis with a methods appendix and research presentation.
Learning in Context
Compare learning experiences across formal and informal settings through observation and reflective notes.
Observation & Interpretation
Develop observation records, distinguish description from inference and analyze educational interactions.
Learning Environments
Examine how space, materials, relationships and expectations shape participation in a learning setting.
Education Project Studio
Develop and revise a learning resource or activity through feedback and a documented evaluation plan.
Education Studies Capstone
Complete a learning environment inquiry or educational resource with an evidence-based reflective report.