UNIV Courses

Courses with the UNIV designation are geared toward undergraduates, advance an Undergraduate Education or university purpose (e.g., progression, retention, graduation), and do not duplicate courses taught in individual academic departments or schools.  A UNIV course must include:

  • Learning outcomes and an assessment plan
  • A staffing plan that ensures that instructors are academically prepared and receive appropriate training in policies and procedures
  • A unit devoted to educating students on academic integrity principles

A UNIV course is not generally designed to meet major requirements but can be designed to include the following:

  • Support academic skills development and academic inquiry
  • Provide an experiential component
  • Be interdisciplinary—e.g., drawing on faculty from more than one College/school
  • Meet university requirements (e.g., Global Culture Goal of KU Core)
  • Offered online or in an intersession
  • Offered for variable credit

The University Core Curriculum Committee (UCCC) serves as the curriculum committee for UNIV courses. Below are the current offerings within the UNIV curriculum.

UNIV 101: Orientation Seminar

University 101 is KU’ orientation seminar. In this class, you'll complete activities that extend beyond the classroom, such as touring iconic campus locations, investigating options getting involved, learning study and time management skills, and exploring all the resources available to you. In the course, you will: learn to navigate KU, find your people, and investigate all of the opportunities KU has to offer (e.g. research, service learning, internships, etc).

Semesters taught: fall -- Lawrence Campus (2 credits)

 

UNIV 105: Jayhawk Success Seminar

The Jayhawk Success Seminar is a 10-week course designed to help you become a more self-aware and effective student, and develop strategies to be successful at KU. You will reflect on your study, time management, and coping skills; implement new habits; establish realistic goals and create a plan to achieve them; and utilize academic, student, and well-being resources.

Semesters taught: spring -- Lawrence Campus (1 credit)

 

UNIV 120: Introduction to Engaged Learning

Explore your interests in several engaged learning opportunities offered on KU’s campus, including service learning, research, global opportunities, and internships, through self-exploration and hands-on activities related to each experience. You will be able to identify the opportunity/opportunities in which you are most interested and create the materials needed to pursue that experience with the support of your instructor. By the end of the course, you will have a plan outlined to pursue the engaged learning opportunity/opportunities of your choice. You will also have completed at least one requirement related to fulfilling an experiential learning certificate.

Semesters taught: spring -- Lawrence Campus (2 credits)

 

UNIV 176: First Year Seminar - KU Traditions & Transformations

In this course you will explore KU’s past, present, and future through the lens of student activism and social justice. Using previous KU Common Books, you will consider how gender identity, ability, race, ethnicity, social class and their intersectionality can affect a person’s lived experience, including their values, behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs. You will also reflect on your own background, interests, skills, and experiences to better understand the person you are and the person you want to become—both here at KU and in your future career. 

 

UNIV 299: Service Learning Project

This course allows students to have a service learning experience added to an existing course that does not offer service learning as part of its curriculum. For more information on this course and how to sign up, visit https://csl.ku.edu/students/creditcourses. 

 

UNIV 342: Culture & Diversity Sponsored Educational Experience 

The KU Core 34 Global Culture goal can be met through courses, pre-approved experiences, or approved individual experiences. This course is reserved for students who - with a sponsor - propose a unique experience to fulfill the Global Culture Goal. Experiences must meet the following set of principles that define a sponsored educational experience: 1) Intention, Preparedness and Planning; 2) Reflection; 3) Monitor Progress; 4) Assessment and Evaluation. Each educational experience considered for the KU Core 34 should have at least 120 contact hours (in and out of the classroom) over the semester to qualify to earn 3 credit hours. These contact hours must be inclusive of the four principles above to be eligible for this course. Students will be required to complete modules and reflection assignments throughout the duration of the experience. For more information on eligible experiences and how to sign up, visit https://kucore.ku.edu/global-living-experiences. 

 

UNIV 492: Special Projects in the Community

Local 

UNIV 492 Local is a 2-credit hour, online course that requires 40 hours of service work. Service hours must be done in the local U.S. community where the student resides or attends KU.

Course content of UNIV 492 Local deepens students' understanding of service work by introducing knowledge and skills needed to carry out effective and ethical volunteer efforts. Students are asked to critically examine the benefits and potential harm of service, consider social constructs of power and privilege, become familiar with the nonprofit sector, research systemic causes for specific social issues, define how they can act as an ally, and critically reflect on self and society.

Alternative Breaks

This section of UNIV 492 is offered only to students who have been accepted to and placed in a week-long or longer Alternative Breaks service trip. Enrollment in this course is done at the first of the student-run Alternative Breaks class meetings. To learn more about upcoming trips and to apply for an Alternative Break, go to the website kuab.org.

The course content of UNIV 492 begins with the premise that community service is a valuable response to the social problems that we face in today's society and that understanding of self, knowledge of social issues, and commitment to service are essential for effective engagement in communities. Students will be introduced to existing responses to social problems and will work to formulate their own individual and collective responses. Alternative Breaks works to motivate college students to become active and present members of their own communities, to recognize the different needs of local, national, rural and urban communities, and to engender an understanding of how to be involved in the betterment of society.

International

This course will provide students with an overview of issues in international service learning for environmental conservation, sustainable development in the context of ecotourism, international partnership building, and systems thinking to tackle global issues through local action. While in Costa Rica, students will explore connections to these themes through experience and service learning. Site visits include San Jose, Monteverde Cloud Forest, and the sea turtle conservation project, which takes place at the Conservation Station and Sea Turtle Research and Ecosystems in Playa Montezuma. Students will develop projects in areas such as reforestation, cleaning of solid waste into green areas, causes of river and coastline decline, conservation and protection and protection of sea turtles, and environmental education and community improvement. In addition to these in-country educational experiences, UNIV 492 will have pre-trip and post-trip online course components.