LEAP Prides

Since 1789, the United States has grown from a nation of four million people to one of over 300 million. The interests, needs, and concerns of our modern society are much different than those of the founding generation. Yet we continue to be governed by the same institutions and principles. How can this be? Has America been extraordinarily lucky or did the founders have an understanding of key principles that allowed flexibility and adaptation over time? PL SC 001, Introduction to American National Government, focuses on those enduring principles that have been institutionalized in the structure and functions of American National Government. Particular attention is devoted to the development of the institutions of government and how the scope of their powers has changed over time.

Our Outdoor Orientation Programs focus on helping incoming students with their transition from high school to Penn State. The ORION program consists of a 5-day backpacking experience through the Pennsylvania wilderness, during which students will make strong connections with other incoming students and learn about college life from upperclass leaders. No previous backpacking experience required! The classroom component introduces students to general health and wellness topics including eating healthy on campus, group dynamics, time management, and mental and emotional wellness. For more information call 814-863-2000.

Our Outdoor Orientation Programs focus on helping incoming students with their transition from high school to Penn State. The ORION program consists of a 5-day backpacking experience through the Pennsylvania wilderness, during which students will make strong connections with other incoming students and learn about college life from upperclass leaders. No previous backpacking experience required! The classroom component introduces students to general health and wellness topics including eating healthy on campus, group dynamics, time management, and mental and emotional wellness. For more information call 814-863-2000.

Business Information Systems is an applications-oriented course that provides an overview of (1) the role of information systems in business process design, (2) current technologies used for obtaining, storing, and communicating information in support of operations and decision-making within a business organization, and (3) concepts and principles for programming, developing, and using popular spreadsheet and database tools. Applications focus on important problems and issues found in business disciplines, including accounting, finance, marketing, supply chain operations, and general management. MIS 204 is a graduation requirement for all Smeal College of Business students.

Business Information Systems is an applications-oriented course that provides an overview of (1) the role of information systems in business process design, (2) current technologies used for obtaining, storing, and communicating information in support of operations and decision-making within a business organization, and (3) concepts and principles for programming, developing, and using popular spreadsheet and database tools. Applications focus on important problems and issues found in business disciplines, including accounting, finance, marketing, supply chain operations, and general management. MIS 204 is a graduation requirement for all Smeal College of Business students.

Business Information Systems is an applications-oriented course that provides an overview of (1) the role of information systems in business process design, (2) current technologies used for obtaining, storing, and communicating information in support of operations and decision-making within a business organization, and (3) concepts and principles for programming, developing, and using popular spreadsheet and database tools. Applications focus on important problems and issues found in business disciplines, including accounting, finance, marketing, supply chain operations, and general management. MIS 204 is a graduation requirement for all Smeal College of Business students.

Data abounds in today’s business environment. In order for businesses to remain globally competitive, they must be able to transform this data into information. Business Statistics provides an overview of some common statistical concepts and models to obtain information from data for making sound business decisions. In this course, you will perform basic statistical and analytical procedures and critically evaluate and interpret data to generate useful information. This course will provide you with the foundation to pursue business courses that require basic statistical skills, including more advanced coursework in business statistics. Effective Speech (CAS 100B) will reinforce the principles of effective communication and give you opportunities to practice these principles with assignments that may be linked to your SCM 200 course. SCM 200 is an entrance-to-major requirement for Smeal College of Business students.

This pride will be beneficial to students interested in computing majors including computer science, computer engineering and data sciences, as it is the first required course in the sequence of programming requirements for these majors. Students interested in related majors, including electrical engineering, mathematics, and statistics, will also find the course contributes to these programs' requirements.

In this pride, you will learn about the social causes of criminal behavior and how to approach trying to significantly reduce crime. You will learn to address the structural conditions and social inequality that contribute to the crime problem in the U.S., as well as appreciate the roles that race,  ethnicity, gender, and social class play in criminal behavior. 

This combination of courses allows new engineering students to complete an important design course and satisfy the General Education speech requirement. The two courses are a natural combination. Engineering Design requires the presentation of design principles in class. Effective Speech emphasizes the principles of presenting problems, solutions, and processes. Students will apply and integrate what they learn in both courses through activities like developing speeches about their design projects. EDSGN 100 is not required of students who intend to major in Architectural Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science. Students interested in the Engineering Pride should be eligible for MATH 140: Calculus with Analytic Geometry.

This combination of courses allows new engineering students to complete an important design course and satisfy the General Education speech requirement. The two courses are a natural combination. Engineering Design requires the presentation of design principles in class, while Effective Speech emphasizes the principles of presenting problems, solutions, and processes. Students will apply and integrate what they learn in both courses through activities like developing speeches about their design projects. EDSGN 100 is not required of students who intend to major in Architectural Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science. Students interested in the Engineering Pride should be eligible for MATH 140: Calculus with Analytic Geometry.

In this pride, you will explore the ways in which people think about, use, and are affected by the natural environment. It will provide skills for analyzing and evaluating how people have transformed the environment in different parts of the world through integrating natural and social science approaches. We will address questions such as:  Why do we conserve what we conserve?  How can we mitigate the effects of economic development upon the natural environment? Is sustainable development possible? How is climate change impacting social and ecological systems? Can we adapt to the impacts of climate change?

Leaders, in whatever context, make difficult decisions, distribute scarce resources, direct and influence the conduct of others, and represent the goals of the enterprise they lead. Thus they ought to exemplify prudence, fairness, integrity, honesty, trustworthiness, sincerity, and morally upright behavior. This course investigates these concepts and the moral dilemmas that arise in developing or applying them. It also explores, 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.

This course surveys the core philosophical questions connected with mass media: What is newsworthy? What is the whole story, and what makes it true? How ought media’s form influence the power of its content? What authorizes journalists to interpret the facts? How much does individual self-understanding and social organization depend on media images and tropes? Does it make sense to speak of “the media” as a unified phenomenon? As we work to formulate and answer these questions, you will acquire ethical understanding, media literacy, and an appreciation for the role media plays in the formation of cultural expectations about knowledge, values, and technology. 

This pride offers an introduction to first aid and the basic knowledge and skills needed to provide assistance to someone injured or ill.  A card in First Aid and One-Person Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (not Healthcare Provider or Professional CPR) will be issued upon successful completion of the course. 

By experiencing the history of hip hop, students in this pride gain insight into how popular culture is produced, consumed, and experienced across space and time. Students in this pride learn about the development of hip hop from its 1970s roots to its present global influence by exploring its music and culture across a social landscape that encompasses identity, art, politics, and commerce. The journey through hip hop helps you acquire analytical skills to make sense of your own and others’ pop cultural experiences and apply them to cultural environments beyond hip hop. 

In the modern world, human rights are commonly regarded as fundamental to selfhood, moral being, and social identity. Even when they are abused or suppressed, they seem to remain present and accessible to us as a guide to how individuals and societies function. This course examines the ways in which these fundamental values have been shaped and developed. Reading in a global perspective and moving across cultural forms such as comic books, movies, novels, testimonials, poetry, and drama, we will examine issues such as war, dictatorships, colonial oppression, apartheid, genocide, and torture.

This course is an overview of the major theories and significant research on the development and explanation of individual differences and how those differences affect the education of school-age children. Specific topics include physical, cognitive, language, social-emotional, and cultural development in children and youth ages 3-20. By its very nature, the course will include a diversity focus, with special attention to ethnic, cultural, and gender issues as well as the needs of special populations. Within each topic area, the course will pay special attention to theoretical and empirical work on how and why

Information, People, and Technology presents the high points of an education in the College of Information Sciences and Technology. It will address major questions such as: How can we use technology to organize and integrate human enterprises? How can technology help people and organizations adapt rapidly and creatively? What can we do about information overload? IST 110 is the introductory course in IST and as such, serves as a prerequisite for 200-level IST courses. It is a required course for all majors and minors in IST, and meets the requirements for a General Education Social Science [GS] course.

ECON 104 is an introduction to macroeconomic analysis and policy. Broadly, the course focuses on the determination of national income on unemployment, inflation, and economic growth in the context of a global economy, and on how monetary and fiscal policy, in particular, influence the economy. You will be introduced to the methods and tools of economic analysis, and these analytical tools will be applied to questions of current policy interest. An important goal of this course is to take each student as far down the road of “thinking like an economist” as possible.

The Mass Media and Society is an overview of the interaction between mass media and society. By drawing from selected topics, the course pays particular attention to the social influences (e.g., economics, politics, technology, law, and culture) that shape media messages. Among others, the course examines the nature of media controllers as well as the character of "users" and "consumers" of media products. By so doing, students are informed about the overall structure and scope of the mass media and led to understand the power and influences associated with media messages and practices. The Nittany and Lion prides are paired with ENGL 15 while the Roar and State prides are paired with CAS 100A.

The Mass Media and Society is an overview of the interaction between mass media and society. By drawing from selected topics, the course pays particular attention to the social influences (e.g., economics, politics, technology, law, and culture) that shape media messages. Among others, the course examines the nature of media controllers as well as the character of "users" and "consumers" of media products. By so doing, students are informed about the overall structure and scope of the mass media and led to understand the power and influences associated with media messages and practices. The Nittany and Lion prides are paired with ENGL 15 while the Roar and State prides are paired with CAS 100A.

This course traces the history of modern Europe from the “Springtime of Nations” in 1848 to the present day. This was a vibrant period that encompassed new movements such as nationalism and feminism, saw the birth of new technologies like high-speed trains and the rise of societies built around urban factories, and fostered innovations in art and literature. It was also a period of violence and destruction on an unprecedented scale, including two devastating World Wars and the Holocaust. This course will introduce you to the major historical figures, movements, and events that shaped Europe and influenced the whole world.

Propaganda is a deliberate, systematic attempt to manipulate beliefs and emotions, usually through methods considered deceitful and unethical. Persuasion, on the other hand, is an everyday activity in our personal, social, and civic lives. This course will explore the distinction—historically and theoretically—between propaganda and persuasion, with an emphasis on developing the critical skills necessary to distinguish between the two. You will learn to recognize, describe, and evaluate propaganda in all of its various forms and contexts. It includes important cases from the history of propaganda as well as contemporary cases of public advocacy that raise questions about the distinction between persuasion and propaganda.

The Science of Fitness is a pride in which students will learn about fitness theory and practice. This theoretical knowledge will then be put to use in a laboratory setting as students first evaluate their present fitness levels and then create and implement a personal fitness program. This course meets the first-year seminar requirement for students in the College of Health and Human Development and the Division of Undergraduate Studies. 

Introduction to Security and Risk Analysis is a preliminary course with a broad focus, spanning the areas of security, risk and analysis. In addition to familiarizing you with basic technical terminology, it will also touch upon social and legal issues, risk analysis and mitigation, crime intelligence and forensics, and information warfare and assurance. Through the use of case studies, you will come to understand the requirements for security in any government agency or business organization.

Solid communication skills are essential to the success in all fields–that is why Penn State has three required courses for writing and speaking. The Speech and Writing pride enables you to complete two of those classes in a single unified experience. Both classes will explore topics that encourage critical thinking, speaking, and writing. You will study the basic rhetorical principles of argumentation, invention, arrangement, and style and experience the differences between spoken and written presentations. This combination allows you to develop a solid grounding in the writing, speaking, thinking, and research skills essential for your success at Penn State an in your career.

Solid communication skills are essential to the success in all fields​–​that is why Penn State has three required courses for writing and speaking. The Speech and Writing pride enables you to complete two of those classes in a single unified experience. Both classes will explore topics that encourage critical thinking, speaking, and writing. You will study the basic rhetorical principles of argumentation, invention, arrangement, and style and experience the differences between spoken and written presentations. This combination allows you to develop a solid grounding in the writing, speaking, thinking, and research skills essential for your success at Penn State an in your career.

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Solid communication skills are essential to the success in all fields–that is why Penn State has three required courses for writing and speaking. The Speech and Writing pride enables you to complete two of those classes in a single unified experience. Both classes will explore topics that encourage critical thinking, speaking, and writing. You will study the basic rhetorical principles of argumentation, invention, arrangement, and style and experience the differences between spoken and written presentations. This combination allows you to develop a solid grounding in the writing, speaking, thinking, and research skills essential for your success at Penn State an in your career.

In this integrated research and seminar course, you will participate in an authentic research experience while learning key foundational skills in the process, comprehension, and communication of science. You will isolate a new virus (called a phage) that infects bacteria. After isolation and purification, you will name your phage and begin the process of characterizing it by performing electron microscopy and DNA purification. At the conclusion of the course, the purified DNA from each phage will be sequenced in order to determine its genetic code. In both the research and seminar portion of the course, you will learn how to use critical thinking and metacognitive strategies to approach scientific problems.