Main Content
TCORE and TUNIV courses
Courses
Undergraduate Education offers courses with the 'TCORE' and 'TUNIV' prefixes. Follow the links below to browse the complete list of courses within each prefix. Additional quarterly schedule information is available in the UW Tacoma Registration Guide.
OUE courses by prefix
THE CORE PROGRAM at UW TACOMA
The Core Program prepares students for success at the upper division level by focusing on campus-wide learning goals: communication and self-expression, civic engagement, critical inquiry, global perspectives, diverse cultural views and the ability to solve problems. This program is a coordinated series of courses representing the various disciplines in the university. You will take four courses that fulfill a portion of the university's general education requirements. The courses are designed to challenge you to develop critical thinking, writing, research and analytical skills. Each CORE class is capped at 25 students, and Composition courses are capped at 20. The small class size fosters a sense of community and engaged learning. See your advisor to enroll in these courses.
Current course titles and descriptions are available in the note section of the TCORE Time Schedule.
Spring 2026
For more information regarding class times, instructors, and locations, please visit the Spring 2026 Time Schedule
| TCORE 101 A | Title: TOP 5 Description: In this course, students will compose persuasive, complex argumentative writing that engage difference, feedback, and one that reaches a diverse array of audiences. Students will present their "Top 5" list on a variety of topics while practicing information literacy skills. This course develops reading, writing, and critical thinking skills that are vital in an academic context. |
| TCORE 101 B | Title: Free F***ing Speech in the Academy Description: We will study free speech in the United States, with special attention to its status in contemporary American universities, and put it to practice in class. Emphasis on the basics of argument, analysis of complex texts, and persuasive writing and speaking. |
| TCORE 122 A | Title: How Pollution Impacts You and What to Do About It Description: The current federal administration is removing references to "pollution" and decreasing protections for vulnerable populations. It is important for everyone to know what pollution is, where it comes from, how you are exposed to it, and how it affects you and your family and community. In this course we will apply a combination of science and social science approaches to analyze pollution sources, human exposure, and ways to address the problem. This course will be very “hands on” and will require your participation to be successful. We will incorporate data collection and the critical analysis of published literature to understand how to effectively address pollution issues. Assignments will be "authentic" and project-based and will require working effectively in groups. Authentic, as I am using it, means that these are assignments meant to collect real data with which to make meaningful decisions to decrease health risks and effect change. No busy work assignments here! |
| TCORE 122 B | Title: Data Literacy & Visualization Description: Designed to help students become familiar with different types of data that are available in business, non-profit and governmental organizations. Students will learn basic data organization and manipulation as well as appropriate visualization techniques including charts, maps, and dashboards using cutting edge software tools. Students will apply this knowledge and skills to real-world data and develop skills in presentation of research results, strategic decision making and forecasting analysis. |
| TCORE 123 A | Title: Mobile Technology and Healthcare Delivery Description: Most of us own a smartphone, but few of us look at it with a critical eye to understand how it can benefit our health and well-being. This quarter, we will journey together to understand how the technology we use every day - smartphones, web cams, video recorders, and texting - can help people keep track of how they are doing health wise and stay healthy. While doing this work, we will look at many different types of people – impoverished communities, people of color, rural communities, and older adults – all individuals who have had challenges accessing healthcare. |
| TCORE 123 B | Title: Swipe Right? Understanding Dating and Digital Intimacies across the Social Sciences Description: What makes psychology different from anthropology? How does communication studies approach questions differently than public health? This course answers these questions while introducing you to the methods, theories, and career applications across the social sciences. You'll learn how different disciplines tackle the same topics from distinct angles and how this interdisciplinary thinking applies to your future work at UW Tacoma and beyond. From apps like Tinder and Bumble to traditional dating practices, the ways people form romantic and intimate connections reveal much about society, culture, and human behavior. How do people meet? What influences who we're attracted to? How have dating practices changed with technology? In this course, we'll use dating, relationships, and hookup culture as a lens to explore the social sciences and understand how different disciplines approach the same phenomenon. |
| TCORE 124 A | Title: Zombies, Demons and Ghosts? Description: Have you ever experienced something and wondered if it was real? This class is an exploration of Latin American examples of Literatura Fantastica (Literature of the Fantastic), a genre in which both the characters and the readers/watchers are left questioning the nature of reality. The class consists of reading several works, investigating the theory behind their classification and their similarities and differences to related genres, and the cultural and historical contexts in which the stories were produced and their influences on the writing. |
| TCORE 124 B | Title: Science Fiction(s) Description: This course explores the genre of science fiction across media formats. Students will analyze examples of science fiction literature, film, television, and popular music. We will seek to understand what defines the genre, what kinds of arguments and critiques it makes about society, and what makes it appealing. |
| TUNIV 250 A | Title: Husky Success Quest Description: Students discover their talents, define their own unique paths, and learn how to develop and apply their strengths for academic, personal and career success. Engages in an exploration of purpose and perspective with opportunities to interact with campus and community leaders. |
| TUNIV 250 B | Title: Husky Success Quest Description: Students discover their talents, define their own unique paths, and learn how to develop and apply their strengths for academic, personal and career success. Engages in an exploration of purpose and perspective with opportunities to interact with campus and community leaders. |
Winter 2026
For more information regarding class times, instructors, and locations, please visit the Winter 2026 Time Schedule
| TCORE 101 A | Title: Writing about music and community Description: In this course, students will explore the various ways in which music of all kinds works to build community. Students will write in a variety of genres, from discussion board posts to full length analytical essays. Peer review will be part of the process throughout the quarter as well as individual consultations with the instructor. |
| TCORE 101B | Title: Writing about music and community Description: In this course, students will explore the various ways in which music of all kinds works to build community. Students will write in a variety of genres, from discussion board posts to full length analytical essays. Peer review will be part of the process throughout the quarter as well as individual consultations with the instructor. |
| TCORE 101 C | Title: Our Working World Description: Students will explore the past, present, and potential future of work, exploring exploitation and resistance across a spectrum of American communities. |
| TCORE 101 D | Title: Intersectional Representation in Popular Culture Description: In this course, you will develop analytical writing that brings together critical thinking and writing skills. You will broadly learn about power and oppression as societal tools in America through the lens of intersectional BIPOC, Queer, and disability feminism and the way they show up in popular culture. In addition to learning step by step critical thinking and research, you will consider and practice what it means to write for an audience. |
| TCORE 112 B | Title: Introduction to the Quaternary Description: Introduces students to the history of the Pacific Northwest over the past 2.6 million years and explores mechanism of long-term climate change, glacial geology, glacial ecosystems, and the peopling of the Americas. An emphasis is placed on the application of the scientific method and the use of scientific literature. |
| TCORE 113 A | Title: Mobile Technology and Healthcare Description: Most of us own a smartphone, but a few of us look at it with a critical eye to understand how it can benefit our health and well being. This quarter, we will journey together to understand how the technology we use everyday- smartphones, web cams, video recorders, and texting can help people keep track of how they are doing health wise and stay healthy. While doing this work, we will look at many different types of people- impoverished communities, people of color, rural communities, and older adults- all individuals who had challenges accessing healthcare. |
| TCORE 114 A | Title: Golden Ages of Athens Description: Students will learn about the culture, history, politics, and society of fifth century BCE Athens, a time when the city was at its most powerful. In the class, students explore what it means to be a member of participatory democracy through interactive in class assignments such as a policy debate, a trail, and a play. |
| TCORE 114 B | Title: Introductions to Humanities: Questions Description: Questions are often more important than answers, and some questions endure, even if there are many answers. In this class, we look at movies, literature, and philosophy as they pose (and often fail to answer) questions such as What do we owe to each other? When am I really in control of my actions? What is the right thing to do? How do circumstances shape the answer to such questions? Who am I? and of course what is a human being? are definitive answers to these questions possible. |
| TCORE 114 C | Title: Homelands and New Worlds Description: Again and again people will exclaim there is no place like home. Dorothy famously uttered these words in the American Classic "The Wizard of Oz", a story that reinforces the belief that homes and homelands are highly important places, which plays key roles in our lives. In this course, students will develop an understanding of these beliefs and related topics by studying stories about American families. |
| TCORE 114 D | Title: Science Fiction(s) Description: This course explores the genre of science fiction across media formats. Student will analyze examples of science fiction literature, film, television, and popular music. We will seek to understand what defines the genre, what kind of arguments, and critiques it makes about society, and what makes it appealing. |
| TUNIV 250 A | Title: Husky Success Quest Description: Students discover their talents, define their own unique paths, and learn how to develop and apply their strengths for academic, personal and career success. Engages in an exploration of purpose and perspective with opportunities to interact with campus and community leaders. |
| TUNIV 250 B | Title: Husky Success Quest Description: Students discover their talents, define their own unique paths, and learn how to develop and apply their strengths for academic, personal and career success. Engages in an exploration of purpose and perspective with opportunities to interact with campus and community leaders. |
Autumn 2025
For more information regarding class times, instructors, and locations, please visit the Autumn 2025 Time Schedule
| TCORE 101 A | Title: Writing Your Histories Description: In this class, we will examine your education histories- when your writing was valued and when your voice wasn't heard. We will build on these histories to explore what writing in college can look like inside and outside of classrooms and how we can make UW Tacoma a place where your words matter. |
| TCORE 101 B | Title: Writing From The Playlist Description: Explore how music converses with your literacy narrative and expands your understanding of rhetoric, research, and academic writing. |
| TCORE 101 C | Title: Writing From The Playlist Description: Explore how music converses with your literacy narrative and expands your understanding of rhetoric, research, and academic writing. |
| TCORE 101 D | Title: Intersectional Representation in Popular Culture Description: In this course, you will develop analytical writing that brings together critical thinking and writing skills. You will broadly learn about power and oppression as societal tools in America through the lens of intersectional BIPOC, Queer, and disability feminism and the way they show up in popular culture. In addition to learning step by step critical thinking and research, you will consider and practice what it means to write for an audience. |
| TCORE 101 E | Title: Writing This Historical Moment Description: From Audre Lorde to Sonya Renee Taylor, America's greatest writers and thinkers are reinventing how to write about the most difficult issues of our time in embodies ways. In this class you will build inquiry-based essays from questions to reflection. |
| TCORE 101 F | Title: Practice, Process, and Power Description: This course draws from linguistics to introduce students to the origins of language, its dynamic nature across time and media, and the ways that people use language to signal, shape, and claim power and identities. The course will further prompt students to apply these lesson about language to academic writing, providing a foundation for continued academic practices. |
| TCORE 102 A | Title: Computer Assisted Calculus Description: In this course, we explore majors concepts in calculus with the help of modern computational language called python. No prior programming experience is needed. |
| TCORE 102 B | Title: How Pollution Impacts You and What to Do About It Description: The current federal administration is removing references to "pollution" and decreasing protections for vulnerable populations. It is important for everyone to know what pollution is, where it comes from, how it affects you and your family and your community. In this course, we will apply a combination of science and social science approaches to analyze pollution sources, human exposure, and ways to address problem. |
| TCORE 102 C | Title: Paradoxes: The Mathematics of Nonsense Description: Paradox is a statement which leads to consequences or results which are strikingly counter to intuition or established results. This is a course that explores & analyzes different types of paradoxes & their resolutions. We will study self-referential paradoxes, probabilistic and statistical paradoxes, visual paradoxes, paradoxes of infinity and infinitesimal, among others. |
| TCORE 102 F | Title: Introduction to Engineering Description: This course will introduce the basics of engineering through an exploration of coffee. We will focus on various aspects of coffee from an engineering perspective including coffee productions, brewing, coffee economics, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, reverse engineering of a coffee brewer, coffee chemistry and more. |
| TCORE 103 A | Title: A People Guide to Tacoma Description: This course offers a reimagined exploration of Tacoma's history through perspectives of marginalized communities whose stories have often been overlooked or erased. Focusing on the experience of BIPOC communities, women, queer people and working class communities, students will examine how narratives about place are generated, constructed, and contested. Through an exploration of themes such as |
| TCORE 104 A | Title: Free Speech in 2025 Description: We will study free speech in popular culture and contemporary American universities- and put it to practice in this class |
| TCORE 104 B | Title: Theater For Social Change Description: This course will explore the aesthetic principles of theater to provide a foundation for attending, enjoying, analyzing and participating in the live theatrical experience. Focus is placed on specific roles of the playwright, director, actor, designers, and audience; and critical skills and vocabulary to better appreciate theater. The second half of the course will explore the role of theater in society with a concentration in theater for social change. |
| TCORE 104 C | Title: Graphics Novels and Comics Description: The art of comics combines images and words to create a complex range of text that can include personal memoirs, war narratives, dystopian novels, and superhero narratives, illustrating the depth and range of this type of literature. In this course students will read a variety of graphic novels and critical studies to examine how authors use image and text together and consider how readers interpret these texts. We'll practice close reading, consider how popular culture contributes to the humanities, and analyze through discussion and writing the ways literature reflects historical and contemporary views. |
| TUNIV 250 A | Title: Husky Success Quest Description: Students discover their talents, define their own unique paths, and learn how to develop and apply their strengths for academic, personal and career success. Engages in an exploration of purpose and perspective with opportunities to interact with campus and community leaders. |
| TUNIV 250 B | Title: Husky Success Quest Description: Students discover their talents, define their own unique paths, and learn how to develop and apply their strengths for academic, personal and career success. Engages in an exploration of purpose and perspective with opportunities to interact with campus and community leaders. |
