Degree Requirements

Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences Requirement

Courses in Critical Approaches (CAPP) are intended to help first- and second-year students begin to develop an understanding of the fundamental questions asked and methods employed by the various departments and programs in the College. Rather than focusing on depth of coverage, Critical Approaches courses introduce students to the different kinds of scholarship that take place in a university. Through these courses, students learn about the ways particular disciplines seek answers, solve problems, and organize ideas. Alternatively, these courses can demonstrate the merits of viewing a problem from an interdisciplinary or a multidisciplinary perspective. CAPP courses also teach students how to seek information from various sources, evaluate the validity of that information, and construct arguments. One of the main objectives of these courses is to instill sound research and writing practices that students will employ in their future undergraduate coursework.

The Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences Requirement replaces the Topics Requirement.

Any student who is a candidate for a Bachelor’s degree offered by the College is required to complete one CAPP course on the Bloomington campus. This includes students who transfer from other IU Bloomington schools, from other IU campuses, and from other institutions.

Students are encouraged to take this course in their first year; in any case, they should plan to take their Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences course no later than the first semester of their second year.

For a listing of all courses that can satisfy the CAPP requirement, please see "Appendix III" under "Course Designations." For updates of CAPP courses, see the College Web site at http://college.indiana.edu/undergrad/CriticalApproaches. Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences courses can also be counted toward a College and campus-wide General Education Breadth of Inquiry requirement.

Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences Course Descriptions
  • COLL–C 103 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE CAPP Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of C103 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the arts and humanities distribution area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed. Credit given for only one of C103, E103, or S103.
  • COLL–C 104 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences (3 cr.) CASE S&H, CASE CAPP Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of C104 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the social and historical studies distribution area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed. Credit given for only one of C104, E104, or S104.
  • COLL–C 105 Critical Approaches to the Arts and Sciences (3 cr.) CASE N&M, CASE CAPP Specific topics will vary by section and over time, but all versions of C105 will meet the objectives of the College of Arts and Sciences Critical Approaches curriculum. The curriculum is intended for freshmen and sophomores, who will learn how scholars from the natural and mathematical sciences distribution area frame questions, propose answers, and assess the validity of competing approaches. Writing and related skills are stressed. Credit given for only one of C105, E105, or S105.