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Fall 2025 ARCH Scholars Courses

Fall 2025 ARCH Scholars Courses

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All incoming ARCH scholars students are required to complete one of the ARCH FYE courses found below during the Fall 2025 semester. If you are NOT an ARCH Scholars student, then you may not enroll in any of these courses.

List of FYE ARCH Scholars Courses & Titles

LC 1: A Sustainable Earth for All!
LC 8: Queer America: Exploring the History of the LGBTQ+ Community
LC 13: Psychology of Women’s Studies & Gender Issues
CHEM 111: Chemistry for Future Health Professionals and Scientists
CITA 180: Computers, Music and Art
ENGL 110: Literacies of the Body
FYSE 110: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
FYSE 113: Political Economy of Freedom
FYSE 119: Reps with Risk: The Health Consequences of Sports & Physical Activity
FYSE 132: Build a Better Life Through Psychological Science

Fall 2025 Arch Scholars Courses

ARCH stands for Achievement Realized through Community in Honors, an idea that sets the foundation for this innovative new program. You’ll take specialized classes that build upon your stellar high school track record. Personalized professional enrichment activities will set you up for long-term success. These FYE courses are specifically for ARCH Scholars students to take during their first year at the College. All ARCH Scholars must take their FYE course during the Fall 2025 semester.

LC 1A-B: A Sustainable Earth for All!

A Sustainable Earth for All! (LC 1A-B)
LC 1A *Must register for the following:
ENVT 200-02: Introduction to Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Todd LeVasseur and Maurine Gilmore, TR 8:00-9:15am, MYBK 317, CRN: 10676
GEOL 104-01: Environmental Geology REI-Global
Timothy Callahan, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, SSMB 203, CRN: 12337
Co-requisite(s): GEOL 103L
GEOL 103L: Environmental Geology Lab
Register for a lab section that fits your schedule
FYSS 101-66
TBD, CRN: 13689
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LC 1B *Must register for the following:
ENVT 200-03: Introduction to Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Todd LeVasseur and Maurine Gilmore, TR 8:00-9:15am, CRN: 13712
GEOL 104-02: Environmental Geology REI-Global
Timothy Callahan, MWF 9:00-9:50am, SSMB 203, CRN: 13710
Co-requisite(s): GEOL 103L
GEOL 103L: Environmental Geology Lab
Register for a lab section that fits your schedule
FYSS 101-67
TBD, CRN: 13690
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Geology and Environmental/Sustainability Studies
REI - Global
Open only to ARCH Scholars
In this Learning Community, we explore how human-Earth interactions can create social inequities while modifying Earth’s physical environment. In the “Environmental Geology” course (GEOL 104), hands-on activities and field trips will allow students to apply Earth science principles to evaluate unsustainable uses of Earth’s resources and disproportionate impacts in many regions of our planet. In the “Introduction to Environmental & Sustainability Studies” course (ENVT 200), students explore how meaningful sustainability involves the integration of social, political, and environmental factors, which requires interdisciplinary perspectives, and how systems thinking can drive solutions. These courses will prompt students to consider the interaction of natural and social forces impacting the world around them.
LC 8: Queer America: Exploring the History of the LGBTQ+ Community

Queer America: Exploring the History of the LGBTQ+ Community (LC 8)
FYSE 121-02: Queer America Critical Conversations - REI-US
Sandy Slater, MWF 1:00-1:50pm, MYBK 302, CRN: 13656
LIBR 105-04: Resources for Research
Mary Jo Fairchild, W 2:00-2:50pm, MYBK 302, CRN: 12306
FYSS 101-78
M 2:00-2:50pm, CRN: 13701
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History and Libraries
REI - US
Open only to ARCH Scholars
Increased visibility surrounding queer communities (LGBTQ+) has stimulated vigorous conversations related to collective and individual identities within the community, as well as in relation to larger social and political issues. This course, with its grounding in historical understanding of queer life and identity, provides an opportunity to understand contemporary debates and calls for equity and inclusion through a historical lens. The goal of this learning community is to expand students’ historical imagination of gender and sexuality through various dimensions of scholarship, documentary evidence, and cultural heritage touchstones. In FYSE 121, we will trace the development of queer identities in America from the 1500s to the present. Topics include two-spirits in indigenous societies, sexual practices and laws in the colonial period, nineteenth century science and medicine, queer liberation of the 1970s, as well as the larger political and identity movements of the twentieth century. In LIBR 105 students will cultivate strong research skills and engage a wide variety of primary and secondary sources from SC LGBTQ+ archives while also learning how to find, rigorously evaluate, and ethically use quality sources for the purposes of becoming successful researchers and metaliterate learners. Course materials include a variety of interdisciplinary sources such as memoirs, literature, music, correspondence, historic photographs, scrapbooks, and oral histories.
LC 13A-B: Psychology of Women’s Studies & Gender Issues

Psychology of Women’s Studies & Gender Issues (LC 13A-B)
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LC 13A *Must register for the following:
WGST 200-11: Intro to Women's & Gender Issues REI-US
Lisa Ross, TR 8:00-9:15am, MYBK 105, CRN: 12062
PSYC 103-11: Intro to Psychological Science
Jen Wright, T 4:00-6:45pm, JSC 237, CRN: 11688
FYSS 101-83
R 11:05-11:55am, CRN: 13706
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LC 13B *Must register for the following:
WGST 200-15: Intro to Women's & Gender Issues REI-US
Lisa Ross, TR 8:00-9:15am, MYBK 105, CRN: 13715
PSYC 103-13: Intro to Psychological Science
Jen Wright, T 4:00-6:45pm, JSC 237, CRN: 12495
FYSS 101-84
T 12:05-12:55pm, CRN: 13707
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Women's Studies & Psychology
REI-US
Open only to ARCH Scholars
Students in this learning community will explore the foundations of psychology, with an eye to how basic neurological and psychological processes (learning, memory, perception, social cognition) help us to understand various gender, race, class, and sexual orientation issues. We’ll also look closely at the development of gender and sexual orientation and the influence that biological, familial, and cultural factors have on developmental trajectories. From the Women’s and Gender Studies side we will discuss historical and contemporary feminism, race, class, and sexual orientation, along with a variety of gender-related issues – e.g., eating disorders, sexual harassment, rape, pregnancy, and sexual reproduction, etc. Our discussions will continue to highlight the importance of various psychological processes for understanding these issues.
CHEM 111: Chemistry for Future Health Professionals and Scientists

Chemistry for Future Health Professionals and Scientists
CHEM 111-04: Principles of Chemistry
Thu Lesher, TR 10:50am-12:05pm, SSMB 127, CRN: 11059
Prerequisite(s) or Co-requisite(s): MATH 110 or placement (3+)
Co-requisite(s): CHEM 111L
Note: Chem 111 and 111L satisfy half of the Natural Science Gen Ed requirement
CHEM 111L-09: Principles of Chemistry Lab
Jeffrey Tomlinson, R 1:00-4:00pm, SSMB 141, CRN: 11232
FYSS 101-12
T 1:05-1:55pm; BELL 320, CRN: 13597
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Chemistry
Open only to ARCH Scholars
Are you interested in being a physician, chemist, biochemist, biologist, geologist, dentist, or pharmacist? One of the keys to success is a solid foundation in introductory chemistry. This course covers all the material of the first semester of general chemistry with an emphasis on problem-solving strategies and building foundational skills to prepare science majors to succeed in their future careers. It will also introduce topics like how to analyze the structure of a protein, how to get on track for pre-health careers, and how to get involved in undergraduate research.
CITA 180: Computers, Music & Art

CITA 180-01: Computers, Music & Art
Bill Manaris, MWF 11:30am-12:20pm, HWEA 300, CRN: 11463
FYSS 101-20
M 5:00-5:50pm, BELL 316, CRN: 13619
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Computer Science
Open only to ARCH Scholars
A course introducing the creative side of computing in the context of music, sounds, images, visual art, and other digital artifacts. Emphasis will be given to computer programming for music making, visual art, live performance, and interaction. Students will develop several digital artifacts and elementary musical and artistic compositions.
ENGL 110: Literacies of the Body

Literacies of the Body
ENGL 110-38: Introduction to Academic Writing
Meg Scott-Copses, MWF 11:00-11:50am, CRN: 11664
FYSS 101-24
W 10:00-10:50am, BELL 316, CRN: 13623
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English
Open only to ARCH Scholars
This course will introduce students to academic writing and analytical thinking through a more experiential lens. We will develop stronger sensory awareness, challenge what we've been taught about traditional classrooms, and use movement practices--stretching, breathing, walking etc.,-- as a part of idea formation and writing development. We will consider rivaling cultural messages we receive about the role of the body in shaping our experiences and fostering our learning. We will connect this new understanding of our sensory selves with our thinking and writing habits through a series of innovative projects. Students can expect physical activity in this class as we try new approaches to writing and thinking.
FYSE 110: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey

FYSE 110-01: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Blanche McCune, MWF 12:00-12:50pm, CRN: 13608
FYSS 101-14
M 2:00-2:50pm, BELL 316, CRN: 13604
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Classics
Open only to ARCH Scholars
For nearly three thousand years Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey have been considered not only among the greatest poems ever written but also the greatest stories ever told—why? And how can these ancient Greek epics about larger-than-life gods and warriors speak to our views on mortality, immortality, meaning, and belonging today? In this course we will read these great works in English, book-by-book, over the course of the semester. As we read we will dig into the intricacies of the works: the poetic technique, the historical context, and the reception of the epics by later authors both ancient and modern. Students will also learn to write carefully-crafted essays based on close reading and analysis of ancient literary texts.
FYSE 113: Political Economy of Freedom

FYSE 113-01: Political Economy of Freedom
Peter Calcagno, TR 12:15-1:30pm, TATE 132, CRN: 13223
FYSS 101-23
R 11:05-11:55am, BELL 316, CRN: 13622
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Economics
Open only to ARCH Scholars
What are the fundamental theories of how to organize society? What are the means by which we produce resources, allocate, and exchange them? Students will explore the work of various economic, philosophical, and political thinkers to evaluate the roles of economic and political freedom. We will examine economic and political systems in theory, practice, and historical contexts. Therefore, we will discuss both positive and normative aspects of these economic and political systems. We will explore the work of Adam Smith, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, F.A. Hayek, Joseph Schumpeter, James Buchanan, and others.
FYSE 119: Reps with Risk: The Health Consequences of Sports & Physical Activity

FYSE 119-01: Reps with Risk: The Health Consequences of Sports & Physical Activity
Susan Rozzi, TR 12:15-1:30pm, PCTR 409, CRN: 13644
FYSS 101-31
W 3:00-3:50pm, CRN: 13633
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Exercise Science
Open only to ARCH Scholars
Do you love sports? Do you consider yourself an athlete? Do you see a future where you’re working with athletes and physically active people? You’re not alone. Everyday millions of American children, teens, adults, and seniors participate in sports, exercise, or some type of physical activity. With participation comes risk for sustaining a sports injury or suffering a medical event. Musculoskeletal joint injuries and brain trauma can significantly decrease a person’s quality of life. Similarly, suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, a heat stroke, an exertional sickling crisis, or a cervical spine injury can result in permanent disability or death. This course will explore risk factors for sport injuries and severe medical conditions along with interventions for minimizing these risks.
FYSE 132: Build a Better Life Through Psychological Science

FYSE 132-02: Build a Better Life Through Psychological Science
Cindi May, TR 9:25-10:40am, RSS 106, CRN: 13635
FYSS 101-55
R 12:05-12:55pm, CRN: 13675
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Psychology
Open only to ARCH Scholars
If a student learns a concept relevant to health or flourishing, but doesn't change any of their behavioral habits, did learning actually occur? This course is based on the premise that we should be using our knowledge to improve our own lives and the lives of others. This course challenges students to go beyond memorizing facts and information. Students will read the science behind building a better life - including findings on sleep, social media use, gratitude, effective study habits, exercise, time management, and more. Students will then execute real-life challenges to put these findings into action. For example, students will be asked to get 8 hours of sleep every night for a week, give up all social media for a week, stop using their cell phone while driving, and write three letters of gratitude. Students must be willing to take on each challenge for a week, agree to have their successes and failures tracked, and reflect on whether and how the changes they made impact their overall wellbeing.