One significant part of MASP is the academic enrichment offered by MASP classes, typically in a more intimate setting than traditional university classes. All MASP students are required to take a one-credit MASP class during the first four semesters of their time in the program. We are designing our classes to meet certain goals that reinforce the mission of MASP. These goals include the following:

  • Building a sense of community in MASP
  • Extending critical thinking and analysis skills in multiple disciplines
  • Advancing awareness of, and action on, issues of social equity
  • Building skills needed for academic success at the university, including: writing, scientific reasoning, speaking/oral presentation, and listening/dialogue skills
  • Advancing research interests and skills
  • ­Advancing students’ metacognitive awareness of themselves as scholars
  • Information literacy in disciplines across the arts and sciences

In recognition of these goals, MASP courses have evolved significantly to better serve the expanding interests and needs of our community. If you look at the listing of our upcoming courses, you will notice that we have shifted away from the science/math-focused “Co-Seminar” model for MASP courses in order to provide seminars that work for students in all fields of study. However, we still encourage our STEM students to take Co-Seminars that are offered by the Student Academic Success Center alongside core lecture-based STEM courses.