Marymount University

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Academic Support Services

Library and Learning Services

Dean: Dr. Zary Mostashari

Library and Learning Services facilitates learning, teaching, scholarship, and lifelong learning opportunities by providing Marymount University students, faculty, staff, and the community with access to information and a variety of educational support services. Its facilities are the Emerson G. Reinsch Library and the Ballston Center Library Extension.

Emerson G. Reinsch Library

The Emerson G. Reinsch Library is an integral part of the learning resources of the university. The collection and services reflect both the curricula and the general needs of the university community. It offers the following:

  • a collection of more than 244,000 volumes in print or electronic format
  • access to more than 75,000 journals in print or electronic form
  • more than 200 online information resources — many of which are full-text — available on or off campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
  • library research instruction through class-based presentations or individual appointments
  • reference assistance in person or by phone, chat, or email
  • internet access on more than 80 public computers, which includes PCs and Macs; access to many software packages on most public computers
  • group study rooms that can be reserved online
  • coffee bar
  • scanners, printers, and black-and-white photocopiers
  • netbooks, power cables, headphones, and USB drives that can be checked out
  • wireless access

The library’s goal is to respond to the changing needs of students, faculty, and staff. Library faculty and staff work closely with colleagues in academic departments to ensure that the library’s resources and services meet the needs of the Marymount community.

Marymount University’s membership in the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) allows students and faculty members to borrow from or use on-site the collections of American University, The Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, and the University of the District of Columbia. Library consortium members share an online catalog of collections. Loan requests for books, articles, or media are made online and delivered to the student’s home institution via web access. Interlibrary loan requests from libraries throughout the United States can be arranged if materials are unavailable in the collection.

Center for Teaching and Learning

The Center for Teaching and Learning provides a variety of programs for Marymount students and faculty that promote student success and support student learning. The center is staffed by academic counselors and specialists in teaching and learning, writing, instructional technology and design, disability and access services, and advising. The center offers the following services:

  • one-on-one tutoring and group study sessions led by trained graduate and undergraduate peer tutors for math, writing, and many academic subjects
  • resources and mentoring for first-year and transfer students new to Marymount
  • workshops, coaching, and outreach for students who need assistance to achieve greater success
  • assistance for students preparing applications for graduate school, honors and awards, and distinguished scholarships
  • testing for students with disability accommodations
  • advising for students who are undeclared, have nondegree status, or are in transition between programs
  • walk-in course scheduling assistance for all students

The Undeclared Major

Some students are uncertain of their choice of major and choose to enter the university as undeclared. For such students, there is a dedicated first-year academic advisor that will assist in the process of discovering and selecting a major. Beginning studies as an undeclared major allows students to take time for careful reflection in selecting a major that best suits their interests and abilities.

Undeclared students must choose a major by the end of their sophomore year because traditionally a student’s junior and senior years are devoted to taking classes within the major. The first-year academic advisor encourages undeclared students to begin narrowing down their potential majors by the conclusion of the freshman year.

Typically, there are two types of undeclared students, each with a different suggested first-year course plan.

Undeclared Major Option 1

This option should be chosen by students who are open to several possibilities or have no clear idea about how to choose a major. The focus will be on taking classes required for the Liberal Arts Core and exploring introductory courses in areas of interest.

Year One — Fall

EN 101 Composition I (WR core course)*

Humanities (FNA, HI-1, LT-1) core course*

TRS 100 Theological Inquiry (TRS-1 core course)*

DSC 101 DISCOVER First-Year Seminar*

One (1) explore elective**

Year One — Spring

EN 102 Composition II (WR core course)*

PH 200 Introduction to Philosophy (PH-1 core course)*

Natural Science (NS) core course*

Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course*

One (1) explore elective**

Undeclared Major Option 2

This should be chosen by students who are able to narrow down their choice of major to two or three possibilities, and at least one of those choices is a field that is mathematics- or science-intensive. In addition to taking Liberal Arts Core requirements, these students will take introductory mathematics and science courses. This will give students an opportunity to evaluate their aptitude in these disciplines.

Year One — Fall

EN 101 Composition I (WR core course)*

Mathematics (MT) core course*

Natural Science (NS) core course*

TRS 100 Theological Inquiry (TRS-1 core course)*

DSC 101 DISCOVER First-Year Seminar*

Year One — Spring

EN 102 Composition II (WR core course)*

PH 200 Introduction to Philosophy (PH-1 core course)*

Mathematics (MT) or Natural Science (NS) core course

Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course*

One (1) explore elective**

* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and Course Descriptions for further information.

** Explore electives should be selected from courses in the subject area(s) in which the student is considering a major.

Student Access Services

Student Access Services (SAS) are available for all eligible students through the Center for Teaching and Learning. The director of SAS assists students with disabilities in determining reasonable accommodations and is available throughout the year for information, referrals, and advising. SAS complements, but does not duplicate, services offered to all students through other campus offices.

To receive services from SAS, the student must give the director typewritten documentation from a qualified professional that describes the clearly diagnosed disability and its current functional impact on the student relative to academics. Marymount does not provide testing and/or diagnosis, but will make appropriate referrals.

The types of accommodations a student is eligible to receive are determined on a case-by-case basis by the student and the director using information contained in the student’s documentation. Students wishing to receive accommodations must develop a Faculty Contact Sheet (FCS) with the director of Student Access Services. This should occur at the beginning of each semester. However, students may consult with the director at any point during the academic year. Students must then present this contact sheet to their instructors and discuss the accommodations documented on the FCS. This document helps students and instructors work together to develop effective accommodation strategies. Some accommodations made in the past have included allowing extended time for examinations; the use of readers, volunteer note-takers, and sign language interpreters; and the option to record lectures.

Career and Internship Services

Outstanding internship experiences are available throughout the Washington area with corporations, government agencies, schools, hospitals, and retail establishments. Marymount University is committed to helping students identify and secure appropriate internship opportunities, and supports this goal through its Center for Career Services (CCS). The center offers the tools to equip students with the search and identification process.

The center offers frequent workshops and programs on establishing educational goals suited to career and internship plans, choosing careers, developing a résumé and cover letters, supporting internship site selection, gaining employment, and interviewing. Career advisors provide individual guidance, career advising and coaching, and vocational assessments.

Faculty advisors and academic internship mentors work in collaboration with the center to help students prepare for and successfully complete an internship. The internship is a structured work experience, supervised by a faculty mentor, that allows students to apply knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to a concrete situation that is new to the student.

Undergraduate students who have advanced in their major complete an internship during the junior or senior year. Some programs permit substitution of 300/400-level research-based experiential coursework within the student’s major for the internship. Waiver of the internship for a research experience may be authorized only by the dean of the student’s school.

Students register for a 3- or 6-credit internship course within their major, and most are graded on a pass/fail basis. Students must be registered for the internship during the semester that the internship takes place, including summer. Students enrolled in a teaching licensure program fulfill the internship requirement through a 6-credit student-teaching experience during a fall or spring semester.

The internship experience builds on Marymount’s core curriculum and each student’s academic major by offering students real-world experience in their field. While enrolled in their internship, students explore career interests; improve their understanding of the responsibilities required of a profession; apply critical thinking, oral and written communication, and teamwork in an organizational setting; and network with professionals in their areas of interest.

Catalog Contents

General Information

Admission

Financial Information

Academic Support Services

Academic Information and Policies

University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core

Academic Opportunities

Undergraduate Programs

Course Descriptions

Accounting Courses

Applied Arts Courses

Astronomy Courses

Biology Courses

Business Law Courses

Center for Career Services

Chemistry Courses

Communication and Media Design Courses

Criminal Justice Courses

Economics Courses

Education Courses

English Courses

EN 090 Introduction to College Reading

EN 100 Introduction to College Writing

EN 101 Composition I

EN 102 Composition II

EN 150 Introduction to American Sign Language

EN 200 Elements of Literary Study

EN 201 World Literature: The Ancient World

EN 202 World Literature: The Middle Ages

EN 203 World Literature: Renaissance through Enlightenment

EN 204 World Literature: Romanticism through Post-Modernism

EN 205 American Literature I

EN 206 American Literature II

EN 207 Theater History

EN 211 Principles of Language

EN 212 Topics in Acting

EN 220 The Movie or the Book? Narrative Adaptation in the Cinema

EN 225 Literary Superheroes

EN 227 Short Fiction

EN 230 American Multicultural Literature

EN 240 Introduction to Visual and Cultural Studies

EN 250 Introduction to Shakespeare and Elizabethan Literature in London

EN 270 Approaches to Creative Writing

EN 280 Perspectives on Language Acquisition

EN 290 Literary Theory and Practice

EN 301 The Writing Process: Theory and Practice

EN 303 Literary Nonfiction

EN 305 Topics in Creative Writing

EN 308 Style and Revision

EN 321 Modern Drama

EN 322 19th-Century British Poets

EN 323 Modern Poetry

EN 330 Chaucer and the Courtly Love Tradition

EN 340 Major Women Writers

EN 350 The American Dream

EN 351 Literature of Childhood and Adolescence

EN 355 Shakespeare

EN 357 Topics in Literature Before 1800

EN 385 Approaches to Teaching Secondary English

EN 400 Internship

EN 421 Project

EN 424 Senior Seminar

EN 426 Studies in the Novel

EN 428 Studies in Contemporary Literature

EN 429 Topics in Performance

EN 433 Research

EN 490 Major Author(s)

Finance Courses

Fine Arts Courses

First-Year Seminar Courses

French Courses

Geography Courses

Geology Courses

German Courses

Global Scholars Courses

Health And Human Performance Courses

Health Care Management Courses

Health Information Management Courses

History Courses

Honors Courses

Human Resource Management Courses

Humanities Courses

Information Technology Courses

Interdisciplinary Studies Courses

Interior Design Courses

Legal Administration Courses

Liberal Studies Courses

Literature Courses

Management Courses

Management Science Courses

Marketing Courses

Mathematics Courses

Multidisciplinary Studies Courses

Nursing Courses

Philosophy Courses

Physical Science Courses

Physics Courses

Politics Courses

Psychology Courses

Sociology Courses

Spanish Courses

Theology and Religious Studies Courses

University Leadership

Notices to Students

Index