LEAP Prides

This pride examines the United States democracy by looking at the dynamic interaction between the founding ideals of the United States government, the institutions established by the Constitution, and the ongoing contest for power within and through those institutions. Students will learn how Congress, the Presidency and the Supreme Court shape law and public policy; how the electoral process influences the decisions of voters and political parties; and how the media, interest groups, political action committees, and public opinion impact political outcomes.  

This pride introduces you to current concepts in the maintenance of animal health and the application of scientific information to health-related decision making. You will have the opportunity to apply biomedical sciences to disease prevention programs in companion animals, food animals, and horses. The course will emphasize the biology of infectious diseases, immune response, and toxicology. You will also have opportunities to investigate the wide variety of careers in animal health and the biomedical sciences 

*This class does not meet General Education requirements, but does meet the first-year seminar requirement for students in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Division of Undergraduate Studies.

Offered only to incoming students, AURORA Outdoor Orientation Programs ease the college transition. The ORION expedition takes first-year students on a five- day backpacking expedition through the Pennsylvania wilderness. Participants gain not only backpacking skills from trained upperclassmen, but insight into college life in a relaxed environment. The classroom component introduces students to health and wellness topics such as: eating well on campus, group dynamics, time management, and mental and emotional wellness. 

There are four sections of the Aurora Pride: (1) Lion, (2) Nittany, (3) Roar, and (4) State. Students should enroll in one section. 

This pride explores health issues in an integrated way by taking into account the many different factors—biological, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental—that influence health throughout the life span. Health will be emphasized as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not just the absence of disease. You will learn to identify the many factors that contribute to differences in health and health risk for individuals and groups. You will apply health principles and research findings to health promotion, disease prevention strategies, and public health policies.  

This pride is only open to students who are college of HHD pre-majors. 

Through this course, students will gain a well-rounded level of competency in the use of spreadsheet software as a tool. Students will develop problem-solving strategies while gaining insight on the tactical use of spreadsheets. Concepts are contextualized in a broader discussion of information systems management including data security, ethical issues, social media, distributed (cloud) services, and emerging trends.  

There are five sections of the Business Problem Solving Pride: (1) Blue, (2) Lion, (3) Nittany, (4) Roar, (5) and State. Students should enroll in one section. 

This pride is only open to students enrolled in the Smeal College of Business or the Division of Undergraduate Studies. 

This pride introduces the fundamental concepts and processes of solving computational problems through the design, implementation, testing and evaluation of efficient and robust computer programs. The concepts include basic computational constructs found in imperative, object-oriented and functional programming languages such as iteration, conditionals, functions, recursion, and datatypes. These provide the basic building blocks found in virtually all programming languages.

There are two sections of the Computer Science Pride: (1) Lion and (2) Nittany.  Students should enroll in one section.

This pride is only open to students in the College of Engineering or the Division of Undergraduate Studies.

Landmark Speeches on Democracy and Dissent offers a survey of key speeches, debates, and controversies making up the rich tradition of U.S. civic life. The course introduces students to the basic historical contexts within which these key events arise; engage them in close readings of speeches, tracts, and polemical writing; and develop skills in critical thinking and writing. Students will attend to a broad spectrum of voices, including those of historically under-represented peoples as well as canonical figures.

The human mind has been considered one of the “last frontiers” of science. In this Pride, students will learn the psychology underlying student and teacher academic behavior, motivation, assessment, and more. This course is designed around state-of-the-art research of human learning and behavior. Students are introduced to prolific theories of learning and effective instructional practice—including classroom management techniques, motivation, and assessment. Students from many areas of study will find this Pride valuable, including education-related majors, professions which require teaching, human development, speech pathology, or simply students seeking to hone their academic skills.

This course introduces students to relationships between humans and the natural environment. Students interested in any major can learn about ways in which humans think about, use, and are affected by the natural environment across settings in the United States and globally and will analyze and evaluate how humans have transformed the environment in different parts of the world, addressing such questions as: How does geography help us understand human-environment systems and sustainability?

This pride explores the intersection of ethical leadership and the study of peace and conflict. In the PHIL 119, students will explore philosophically as well as practically the ways leaders might identify ethical challenges, analyze them, imagine possible solutions, and be motivated to do the right thing. In PLSC 91, student will explore how, why, and when individuals, groups, and states turn to violence to pursue political goals, as well as how they resolve conflict and sustain peace.

This pride is only open to students aspiring to the Paterno Fellows program. To enroll, contact Barb Edwards at bae1@psu.edu.

This pride explores the role of music in narrative film. It is not a history of film music, although our approach will in some respects be historic. The purpose is for students to gain an understanding of the role of music in film, to observe various artistic approaches to the use of music in film, and to examine how music interacts with the other elements of sound—sound effects and dialogue—in an artistically unified sound track that, in turn, accompanies and interacts with the movie's visual component to create a compelling and satisfying work of art.

In this pride, students make connections between disease and lifestyle through health, wellness, and biochemical and molecular changes. KINES 84Z is designed to give students a complete understanding of fundamental principles of physical fitness with an appreciation for disease prevention. In BMB 1Z, students will learn about the scientific process and how science has contributed to the knowledge used in the medical field to diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Through this unique linked course pairing, students will satisfy the Integrative Studies General Education requirement.

This LEAP pride will provide students with an introduction to how recreation, play and leisure activities impact the health of individuals and communities. Our leisure and recreation activities are critical factors in our mental and physical well-being, a way we bounce back from life's challenges, a fundamental part of our quality of life. Communities come together around special events, parks, sports and shared experiences indoors and outdoors. We will examine historically and in current society how people make leisure part of their busy lives and enhance their personal health and community life.

This pride is designed to provide a broad overview of human development emphasizing social and emotional development. You will be introduced to developmental theories and the developmental tasks and challenges unique to each stage of development from birth through old age. We will examine both hallmark studies and current research from the field that will contribute to a better understanding of one’s self, good parenting practices, and more satisfying interpersonal relationships. This pride will be valuable for students with interests in a wide variety of fields but particularly in education, human resources, health and human services, psychology, and human development. 

ESL15 is a first-year academic writing course which includes work in composition, oral presentations, library research, and full participation in the steps of the writing & research process: brainstorming, basic research, drafting, peer review, revising, editing, and proofreading. Because the course is designed for international students, there is a strong focus on the expectations of American university instructors for time management, ethical writing, and class participation. ESL15 fulfills the first-year General Education (GWS) writing requirement.

The iLEAP Pride is open to all international first-year students at the University Park campus.

Why are some countries rich and other countries poor?  Is our national debt a problem?  Why can't we just print a large amount of money to pay off the debt?  Macroeconomics takes a "macro" view of economies, studying the big picture.  Students will understand GDP, the unemployment rate, inflation, and economic growth.  Fiscal and monetary policies are examined.  Other topics include aggregate supply and demand, interest rates, and the Federal Reserve. 

Aside from working and sleeping, individuals in the United States spend more time-consuming media than any other single activity. By the time the average person reaches the age of 65, he or she will have spent over six full years of life watching television - not to mention the additional time spent reading newspapers, magazines, listening to the radio, using the internet, and playing video games. Given the centrality of media in the lives of most people, it is imperative that we understand and critically explore the variety of ways in which we perceive and are influenced by media messages. The purpose of this pride is to introduce students to the study of the effects of media on individuals and society. 

This course traces the political, economic, and military history of modern Europe. After a brief contextual background of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, the course then focuses on the political, economic, and social developments in Europe from rise of the European nation state during the nineteenth century through the present day. The course examines several broad topics, including the political and ideological developments of this period in European history; the origins and enduring impact of two World Wars; the developments of totalitarianism, fascism, socialism, and democracy in Europe; and Europe's political and economic roles in the modern world. 

This pride offers students an overview of ethical issues, moral reasoning, and questions concerning the good and flourishing life for individuals and groups. It engages the work and critical interpretation of major figures in moral thinking and enters into the full complexity of contemporary moral problems. Students will study and evaluate competing accounts of the right way to live, including their overall plausibility, their background assumptions, and their practical implementation. n. 

An introduction to the aesthetics, history, and science of photography including practical and critical approaches to the art of photography. This course introduces students to photography both as an art form and as a key method of visual communication in today's society. Students will be exposed to various photographic techniques and learn to create stronger, more compelling photographs. 

This pride emphasizes the fundamental principles of physical fitness and skills necessary to implement a personalized fitness program that will evolve over the lifespan. Students also consider factors which affect their performance in executing a fitness plan such as nutritional concerns, the impact of stress, choice of proper equipment, matching personal goals to proper execution, and personal motivation. In their pursuit of an active and healthy lifestyle, students assess personal health, fitness, and wellness using pre/post intervention strategies, and engage in physical exercise to practice concepts presented in the course training techniques.

This course provides a current and relevant discussion of a range of severe and unusual weather phenomena in a descriptive manner accessible to students with a wide variety of backgrounds. Topics include lake-effect snowstorms and blizzards; thunderstorms, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and hailstorms; hazardous mountainous weather like downslope windstorms; and optical phenomena like rainbows, glories, and halos. METEO 5 will draw frequently upon significant historical and recent severe weather events.

Have you ever thought the best way to learn about science is to do it? Would you like to isolate a virus? In this pride, you will learn about the nature of science by taking part in a research project conducted entirely by first-year students. In this Course-Based Research Experience (CURE), you will isolate a virus, called a phage that infects bacteria. After naming and purifying your virus, you will extract the genomic DNA and take an image with an electron microscope. At the end of the summer, we will send the genomic DNA for sequencing and it will be used in further scientific study and contribute to the body of scientific knowledge. If you would like to continue working on the project, there will be opportunities to continue research in the Fall and Spring semesters through other CURE courses. BMB 205 counts as a student’s first-year seminar requirement.

This pride is only open to students enrolling in the Eberly College of Science or the Division of Undergraduate Studies.

This pride is designed to provide students with an understanding of the breadth of decisions related to health and health care in the United States. HPA 57 introduces students to the consumers' role in health-related decisions, including assessing health risks, health benefits, service choices, and end-of-life care.