Associate of Arts (Prison Education Program)

Program Overview

Offered through Saint Louis University, the program includes courses in communication, humanities, philosophy, theology, and the sciences. Graduates develop skills in logical reasoning, civic engagement, and the application of social justice principles.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

This program offers credit-earning courses to currently incarcerated people and Department of Corrections employees at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Missouri, culminating in an Associate of Arts degree from Saint Louis University.

Objectives:

• Graduates will be able to use research to sustain an argument and conduct analysis through an academic essay.
• Graduates will be able to apply logical and analytical problem-solving through effective methods of inquiry.
• Graduates will be able to utilize intentional reflection.
• Graduates will be able to apply theories and/or practices of social justice and civic engagement in the Ignatius spirit.

Outline:

• Structure: Two cohorts of 20 students each take courses that operate on a nine-week term and convene once per week for four hours at a time.
Students take a total of five classes per year. To complete the total 61 credits required for the degree, each cohort remains in the program for approximately four years.
• Course Schedule: All coursework in the degree program comes from the SLU core curriculum and the College of Arts and Sciences.
It also aligns with Missouri's Core 42, which transfers to public institutions throughout the state.
• Individual Modules:
• Oral and Written Communication:
• ENGL 1500 The Process of Composition (3 credits)
• ENGL 1900 Advanced Strategies of Rhetoric and Research (3 credits)
• CMM 1200 Public Speaking (3 credits)
• Humanities:
• AS 1930 Special Topics (13 credits)
• Select one ENGL 2000 level course, such as:
• ENGL 2350 Faith, Doubt and Literature (3 credits)
• ENGL 2450 Nature, Ecology & Literature (3 credits)
• ENGL 2650 Technology, Media & Literature (3 credits)
• Select one ENGL 3000 level course, such as:
• ENGL 3050 Creative Writing: Poetry (3 credits)
• ENGL 3060 Creative Writing: Fiction (3 credits)
• ENGL 3280 American Literatures after 1865 (3 credits)
• ENGL 3470 Introduction to Shakespeare (3 credits)
• Philosophy:
• PHIL 1050 Introduction to Philosophy: Self and Reality (3 credits)
• PHIL 2050 Ethics (3 credits)
• Theology:
• THEO 1000 Theological Foundations (3 credits)
• Select one THEO 2000 level course, such as:
• THEO 2110 Introduction to the Old Testament (3 credits)
• THEO 2210 Introduction to the New Testament (3 credits)
• THEO 2310 History of Christianity: The First 2000 Years (3 credits)
• THEO 2510 Christian Ethics (3 credits)
• THEO 2710 Religions of the World (3 credits)
• Visual and Performing Arts:
• Select one course from Visual and Performing Arts, such as:
• ARTH 1000 Approaching the Arts (3 credits)
• ART 2000 Drawing I (3 credits)
• MUSC 1000 Approaching the Arts: Music (3 credits)
• MUSC 1100 Music Fundamentals (3 credits)
• THR 1000 Approaching the Arts: Theatre (3 credits)
• THR 1500 Introduction to Theatre (3 credits)
• VPA 1000 Intro to the Arts (3 credits)
• VPA 1100 The Arts and Social Change (3 credits)
• Sciences:
• BIOL 1010 Essentials of Biology (3 credits)
• Select one additional course from the Natural Sciences, such as:
• EAS 1070 Understanding the Weather (3 credits)
• EAS 1080 Introduction to Environmental Science (3 credits)
• PHYS 1010 Physics and the World Around Us (3 credits)
• Mathematics:
• MATH 1200 College Algebra (3 credits)
• Social Sciences:
• HIST 1110 Origins of the Modern World to 1500 (3 credits)
• HIST 1120 Origins of the Modern World (1500 to Present) (3 credits)
• POLS 1000 Introduction to Politics (3 credits) or POLS 1100 Introduction to American Government (3 credits)
• Select two additional courses from the following:
• CMM 1000 Human Communication and Culture (3 credits)
• CMM 2300 Intergroup Dialogue (3 credits)
• ECON 1900 Principles of Economics (3 credits)
• PSY 1010 General Psychology (3 credits)
• SOC 1100 Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
• Electives:
• Choose one elective from the following (no single course can count for two requirements in this curriculum):
• ASTD 1000 Intro to American Culture: Movements, Myths, and Methods (3 credits)
• ASTD 2600 American Places (3 credits)
• CMM 1000 Human Communication and Culture (3 credits)
• CMM 2300 Intergroup Dialogue (3 credits)
• CMM 2120 Message Design (3 credits)
• CMM 2400 Media and Society (3 credits)
• ENGL 3050 Creative Writing: Poetry (3 credits)
• ENGL 3060 Creative Writing: Fiction (3 credits)
• ENGL 3280 American Literatures after 1865 (3 credits)
• ENGL 3470 Introduction to Shakespeare (3 credits)
• PHIL 3300 Philosophy of the Human Person (3 credits)
• PHIL 3360 Medical Ethics (3 credits)
• PSY 1010 General Psychology (3 credits)
• SOC 1100 Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
• THEO 2110 Introduction to the Old Testament (3 credits)
• THEO 2210 Introduction to the New Testament (3 credits)
• THEO 2310 History of Christianity: The First 2000 Years (3 credits)
• THEO 2510 Christian Ethics (3 credits)
• THEO 2710 Religions of the World (3 credits)
• THEO 3900 Seeking God: A History (3 credits)
• AS 4960 Capstone (1 credit)

Other:

• Transfer Credit Policy: Only college-level transfer courses with a grade of “C” or above will be considered for acceptance and application toward a Saint Louis University degree.
The cumulative GPA for transfer courses is calculated on all grades from course work of all accredited colleges attended. In the case of repeated transfer courses, grades will be calculated according to the policy of the institution from which the two courses were taken. Only transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions will be considered for transfer to Saint Louis University. The maximum number of transferable hours is 15 credits or 25% of the curriculum. Developmental, secretarial and highly technical courses of an applied nature may not transfer. All potential transfer courses will be reviewed by the Saint Louis University registrar, an academic advisor and/or the academic director and director of the prison program.
• Academic Progress Policy and Academic Probation: A.A. progression requirements are based on academic performance during each individual term in the A.A. program.
Any student with a term GPA falling below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation for two to three terms. The term GPA in the following term must be above the 2.00 criterion or the student will be discontinued from the program. The Academic Program Director for the A.A. program will notify the student within 14 business days of the posting of the final grades, for the term, regarding his or her placement on probation or discontinuation from the A.A. program. Students may be placed on academic probation no more than twice during the program of study. Students who fall into the academic probation range a third time will be dismissed from the program. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the GPA requirements and as such, know that s/he can be placed on probation or be discontinued from the program based on the GPA requirement. The Academic Program Director is available for consultation and assistance in all progression issues. Please note that all A.A. courses are sequential and therefore every A.A. course must be passed with a “D” or better to progress into the next term.