A college offers 2 introductory courses in history, 1 in science, 1 in mathematics, 3 in philosophy, and 2 in English.
a. If a student takes one course in each area during her first semester, how many course selections are possible?
12
b. If a part-time student can afford to take only one introductory course, how many selections are possible?

Step 1 ：The problem provides the number of introductory courses offered in different areas by a college: history = 2, science = 1, mathematics = 1, philosophy = 3, and English = 2.

Step 2 ：For a student taking one course in each area during her first semester, the total number of course selections is the product of the number of courses in each area. This is because for each course in one area, there are multiple choices in the other areas. So, the total number of course selections is \(2 \times 1 \times 1 \times 3 \times 2 = 12\).

Step 3 ：For a part-time student who can afford to take only one introductory course, the total number of selections is the sum of the number of courses in each area. This is because the student can only choose one course from all the available courses. So, the total number of selections is \(2 + 1 + 1 + 3 + 2 = 9\).

Step 4 ：Final Answer: \(\boxed{a. The total number of course selections for a student taking one course in each area during her first semester is 12.}\)

Step 5 ：Final Answer: \(\boxed{b. The total number of selections for a part-time student who can afford to take only one introductory course is 9.}\)