Bachelor of Science in Teacher Education

In this course, you will become familiar with the basic contents of each book of the Old Testament and the broad historical framework of Old Testament events. You will pay special attention to key passages and prominent themes of the Old Testament. You will read the Old Testament with a view to using it for spiritual formation and discipleship.

This course is an overview of the books of the New Testament and the historical circumstances surrounding these writings. You will focus on the background, content, message, and personal application of each book in the New Testament. You will also examine the process by which the New Testament canon was formed and the New Testament was transmitted through the history of the Church.

This course will guide you through the hermeneutical principles basic to interpreting Scripture. Many of these principles are common to language and literature, while others apply uniquely to the Bible. All of them are based on the way in which the Bible interprets itself. You will begin to lay a foundation of cognitive understanding, with an emphasis on practice in applying the principles.

Within the framework of an exegetical study, you will focus on the New Testament's most organized, thorough exposition of the Christian faith and its relation to human history and implications for Christian living. Giving special attention to the personal application of the message, you will apply principles of biblical interpretation to the study of this book.

In this course, you will explore God's plan of redemption as it progressively unfolds in the Bible. You will trace the basic historical revelation in the Old and New Testaments to see what God is doing and by what method. You will consider the spoken revelations as you observe the progress of doctrine.

This course provides a study of the theological truths of the Bible, during which you will focus on the basic doctrines necessary for a Christian worldview: Scripture, God, Christ, Holy Spirit, sin and salvation, church, and future events. You will examine the doctrinal teaching of the Bible, supplemented with insights from the theological reflections of the church throughout its history and from contemporary theological discussions.

This course provides you an introduction to reaching well-reasoned conclusions based upon the most credible evidence available, skills fundamental to college writing but also for life as an educated adult. You will develop your abilities with modern academic library resources as evidenced through an annotated working bibliography, among other assignments. You will spend the majority of the course drafting and revising papers which demonstrate the effective use of secondary resources.

This second writing course is designed to foster an appreciation of literature, use literary texts as a platform for strengthening skills in reading, writing, and analysis, and continue to emphasize foundational skills in library research. Texts and genres (such as short fiction, poetry, and drama) will vary.

In this course, you will explore some of the fundamental issues that must be addressed by anyone attempting to formulate a comprehensive understanding of things (worldview), and will examine primary texts in order to observe some of the very best thinking regarding these fundamental issues.

In this capstone course, you will integrate Scripture, theology, and philosophy as they relate to who we are, what we should do, and living well. You will develop a Christian framework for ethical thinking and decision-making based on the Christian understanding of human nature as bearing the Image of God. Course limited to students classified as seniors.

In this survey of scientific psychology, you will focus on historical roots, human development, and the physiological basis of behavior, learning, motivation, perception, emotions, personality, socialization, and pathology. You will learn how to filter psychological data through biblical principles to help produce a biblically-consistent model of human psychology which can then be used in both Christian and non-Christian environments.

This course covers standard college algebra such as functions and expressions, linear, quadratic and rational expressions, and financial formulas. The course will also include real numbers, equations and inequalities, linear and quadratic functions, exponential and logarithmic functions. (3)

This course gives an overview of the major trends in global history that have created our modern world. The course will explore the major chronology of world history, focusing on the changes, continuities, and connections between major world regions during this period focusing on Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The course will examine the cultural, technological, political, economic, religious and social transformations which shaped the societies. (3)

In this survey from colonial America to the present, you will examine the enduring issues and themes of American history. While the course is structured around historical events, particular effort is made to understand the paradox of American unity through diverse social, economic, political, and cultural factors.

This course introduces students to the fine arts in their various media and period styles, with the goal of developing students' understanding and experience of the role of the arts in life. An ongoing focus on the relationship between art and the Bible will encourage students to develop a theology of art.

This course will introduce the student to the place that music traditionally held as one of the seven liberal arts as an apologetic to the study and enjoyment of music. The goal of the class is to enhance critical listening skills and to develop a working vocabulary of music that is meaningful to the non-musician. The course will introduce the basic elements of music and a brief overview of the history of Western classical music, American Jazz, World, and Pop music. (3)

In this course, you will explore the concepts of biology, emphasizing the structure, function, and cellular organization of living organisms. Following an introduction to the general nature of science, the scientific method, and the nature of biology, you will focus on cellular biology, botany, zoology, and human biology.

Having identified a local church during your first semester experience, you will now faithfully attend that church and volunteer at least 20 clock hours of service at that church or within a ministry in the community that is approved by the CSL Director. This service must be documented and approved by the CSL Director and a record submitted to the CSL office. No credit will be given, but completion of the service hours is a graduation requirement. Lack of faithfulness in attending or participating in a local church is an issue related to Christian character; failure to demonstrate faithfulness will be addressed by the Student Life office. (0)

Having identified a local church during your first semester experience, you will now faithfully attend that church and volunteer at least 30 clock hours of service at that church or within a ministry in the community that is approved by the CSL Director. This service must be documented and approved by the CSL Director and a record submitted to the CSL office. No credit will be given, but completion of the service hours is a graduation requirement. Lack of faithfulness in attending or participating in a local church is an issue related to Christian character; failure to demonstrate faithfulness will be addressed by the Student Life office. (0)

Having identified a local church during your first semester experience, you will now faithfully attend that church and volunteer at least 30 clock hours of service at that church or within a ministry in the community that is approved by the CSL Director. This service must be documented and approved by the CSL Director and a record submitted to the CSL office. No credit will be given, but completion of the service hours is a graduation requirement. Lack of faithfulness in attending or participating in a local church is an issue related to Christian character; failure to demonstrate faithfulness will be addressed by the Student Life office. (0)

This course is designed to help you develop world-Christian characteristics. You will explore the Christian's heritage in the history of the church and missions, begin to develop a scriptural perspective on the purpose of the gospel in confronting ideologies, religions and spiritual needs of the world, and discuss current strategies for identifying and reaching the lost.

This course is designed to introduce the student to the foundational principles of spiritual formation for effective life, ministry, and vocation. The process of the student's spiritual formation includes their relationship with God, their biblical self-image, their relationship with the Body of Christ, their personal relationships, and their relationship with the world. Students are invited into a multiple-year journey of encountering spiritual formation in community. The goal of this course is to help students build a foundation for continued spiritual formation at and beyond their time at CIU.

This course is an introductory study of the historical, social, philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical "foundations" of education, designed for those preparing to become professional educators. You will develop the tools to articulate a personal philosophy of education, with an emphasis on the social context of urban schools and an understanding of biblical principles relating to education.

Through the use of group discussion, centered on selected educationally-related literature, students will develop familiarity with important historical and contemporary educational issues and the ability to critically interpret and discuss. This course is repeatable.

This course is designed to introduce students to the broad responsibilities and expectations of the teaching profession. The course is designed to emphasize areas of professional expectations which may affect instructional design or the learning environment.

A survey of instructional methods and curriculum, including learning/thinking processes for elementary and early childhood, personality factors, unit and lesson planning, assessment skills and diagnostic and prescriptive procedures, and the needs of exceptional children.

Focuses on teaching early childhood and elementary social studies, science, and health. Emphasis is placed on designing developmentally appropriate, inquiry-based instruction using methods and materials to promote learning in early childhood and elementary years.

This course is designed to introduce a variety of class management models, with analysis and application emphases. Implications for both early childhood and elementary settings are studied. Classroom environmental arrangements; time management factors; children of diverse backgrounds and needs; mental-, emotional -, social-and/or physical differences; and preventive, supportive, and corrective discipline are addressed. Large and small group management and components of effective physical, social, emotional, and academic learning environments are examined.

This course introduces the enrichment areas (visual arts, music, drama, and physical education), focusing on enriching learning environments and instructional design through developmentally appropriate practice for early childhood and elementary education. Students actively participate in learning activities involving the arts as they design and evaluate experiences that promote positive development and inter-disciplinary learning. Students learn the biblical basis for encouraging creativity through these enrichment areas.

This course provides the theoretical and practical foundation for the design and management of instruction and for the use of formal and informal assessment strategies including assessment through observation and documentation in early childhood and elementary education. The course provides the prospective teacher with opportunity to plan instructional units and develop assessments appropriate for early childhood and elementary students, assess learning based on knowledge of subject matter, child development, the community, and curricular goals. (3)

This course will expose students to various areas of exceptionality including definitions, incidence, and educational needs. Regulations governing the education of the disabled, options of serving special needs, and the modification of regular classrooms to accommodate exceptional children will be studied.

This course surveys and analyzes the historical and philosophical ideas that guide educational theory and practice in schools today. The course focuses on the study of ideas and movements and their developmental effects on current educational settings in the United States. In addition, major consideration is given to Christian philosophical perspectives which are the foundation of Christian school education, with attention given to the goals of education, the nature of the learner and learning, the role of the teacher, and the content of curriculum as components of educational philosophy.

Surveys assessment principles guiding instructional design across content areas. Emphasis is given to administering, interpreting, reporting, and implementing assessment tools for early childhood and elementary with an emphasis on literacy progress. This course is part of the 12-credit hour South Carolina Read to Succeed requirement.

Surveys strategies to support reading and writing, integrating a variety of genres into the curriculum across all content areas. Emphasis is placed on instructional design addressing cultural and linguistic diversity. This course is part of the 12-credit hour South Carolina Read to Succeed requirement.

Emphasizes instructional strategies, technology, and curricular support for literacy development in reading and writing. A focus is placed on emergent literacy and addressing the diverse needs of learners. This course is part of the 12-credit hour South Carolina Read to Succeed requirement.

In this survey from colonial America to the present, you will examine the enduring issues and themes of American history. While the course is structured around historical events, particular effort is made to understand the paradox of American unity through diverse social, economic, political, and cultural factors.

This is an in-depth study of learning, motivation, and change, and the implications this will have for teaching and counseling methods. You will focus on historical and modern cognitive research and testing, especially within the academic, relational, emotional, and spiritual arenas. You will also give particular attention to the development of biblical perspectives of learning theory.

In this course, you will develop a philosophy of Bible teaching and learn to follow a preparation procedure that will ensure that the purpose for which Scripture was given will be accomplished in your own teaching. You will focus specifically on how to plan a Bible curriculum with courses of study, units, and daily lessons, following the pattern of biblical revelation and teaching the biblical material with integrity.