BG Perspective (general education curriculum)

The BG Perspective curriculum provides a liberal studies foundation preparing BGSU students for self-reliant learning throughout life and effective participation in a democratic society. BG Perspective classes, taken by all students at BGSU, reflect a deep conviction by the BGSU learning community and leaders in all professions that successful, satisfying lives require a wide range of skills and knowledge. Ethical integrity, reflective thinking, and social responsibility are characteristics of a liberally educated person. Through active learning experiences, the BG Perspective curriculum provides students a solid foundation in both vital intellectual skills and breadth of knowledge to be successful in their major areas of study and, later, in their chosen professions. These intellectual skills include the ability to think critically and communicate effectively; the ability to understand different cultures and modes of thought; and the ability to investigate forces that shape the social, artistic, scientific, and technological complexities of our contemporary culture and society.

The BG Perspective curriculum is defined by particular intellectual skills integral to all courses: critical thinking and effective communication, investigating and problem solving, and participation and leadership through active learning and engagement. Achievement of these skills is central to all courses in the five domains: social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, humanities and the arts, cultural diversity in the United States, and expanded perspectives, as well as general studies writing.

Intellectual Skills: Learning Outcomes for all BG Perspective courses

• Communicate effectively by gaining proficiency in reading, writing, and presenting.
• Think critically through investigating and creative problem solving.
• Participate and lead effectively through active engagement with diverse groups and teams of individuals.

All candidates for a baccalaureate degree at Bowling Green State University must take at least nine courses drawn from the BG Perspective curriculum, distributed as follows:

• GSW 112 (and GSW 110 or GSW 111, if needed, as indicated by placement tests);
• Two from the natural sciences;
• Two from the social and behavioral sciences;
• Two from the humanities and the arts;
• One from cultural diversity in the United States;
• One additional course from any of the four knowledge domains listed above or from the expanded perspectives domain.

International Perspectives requirement
The BG Perspective program has an international perspectives requirement that explores the significance of diverse cultures and addresses international issues and connections. At least one course, generally from either the social and behavioral sciences or the humanities and the arts domains, must address an international perspective. Courses satisfying this international perspective requirement are marked with an asterisk (*) in the BG Perspective course lists below. Academic study abroad experiences bearing three or more credits will count as fulfilling the international perspectives requirement for purpose of the BG Perspective program.

IP Learning Outcome

• Articulate the significance of diverse cultures and their modes of thought.

Courses at the 300 and 400 level integrate two or more disciplinary perspectives on the topics, issues, or problems under consideration in the course and require extensive writing, reading, and research. It is suggested, although not required, that students complete at least one BG Perspective course at the 300 or 400 level.

BG Perspective Learning Outcomes for each Knowledge Domain

THE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

• Identify issues and problems and formulate and frame these in ways that contribute to their solution.
• Learn how theory is applied to events to produce knowledge.
• Examine the nature of decision making in society from the perspectives of the social sciences and how values impact on that decision-making.
• Construct and present an argument, identifying the evidence that supports it and the reasoning process by which a conclusion is reached.
• Articulate the bases of evidence in this discipline, how it is used and the assumptions on which it rests.

Asian Studies—ASIA 180*
Canadian Studies—CAST 201*
Communication Disorders—CDIS 123
Economics—ECON 200, 202, 203
Environmental Health—ENVH 210*
Environmental Studies—ENVS 101, 253*, 301
Ethnic Studies—ETHN 430*
Geography—GEOG 121*, 122*, 225*, 230*, 325*, 331*, 349*, 426
Gerontology—GERO 101, 405*
History—HIST 151*, 152*, 180*, 205, 206, 310*, 311*, 377*, 382*, 411*, 429, 470*
Honors—HNRS 201, 240
Human Development and Family Studies—HDFS 202
International Studies—INST 200*
Political Sciences—POLS 110, 171*, 172*, 301*, 335, 351*, 372*, 402, 403
Psychology—PSYC 101
Public Health—PUBH 301*, 320
Sociology—SOC 101, 202, 231*, 301, 312, 340, 361
Technology—TECH 302*

Online Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php

THE NATURAL SCIENCES

• Develop the skills and practice of using quantitative and qualitative approaches to study scientific concepts.
• Learn to understand the nature of scientific evidence, how it is obtained, and how it is used in the scientific process.
• Solve problems using the logical approach of science.

Astronomy—ASTR 201, 212, 305, 307
Biology—BIOL 101, 104, 108, 109, 204, 205
Chemistry—CHEM 100, 109 & 110, 117, 125, 127 & 128, 135, 137 & 138, 177
Environmental Health—ENVH 105
Food and Nutrition—F&N 207
Geography—GEOG 125
Geology—GEOL 100, 104, 105, 106 (after 8/08), 120 (after 8/08), 205, 215, 250, 251, 322
Honors—HNRS 250
Materials Sciences—MATS 100
Physics—PHYS 100, 101, 201, 202, 211, 212
Residential Community—RESC 220

Online Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php

THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS

Depending on whether this is an art or humanities course you will learn the following:

• Utilize modes of inquiry appropriate to the disciplines in question and explore the subject's connection to human values.
• Develop fluency in verbal and/or non-verbal communication through reading, writing, and listening.
• Critically understand the role of language and media: their rhetorical, artistic, and symbolic expression and the ways in which these expressions both reflect and influence culture and society.
• Examine the social and cultural context of art works arising over a variety of historical periods.
  

Africana Studies—AFRS 200*
American Culture Studies—ACS 200, 300
Architecture and Design—ARCH 231*
Art—ART 101
Art History—ARTH 145, 146, 458*, 459*, 461*, 462*, 463*, 466*, 468*
Arts & Sciences—A&S 110, 250
Chinese—CHIN 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*, 216*
Classical Civilization—CLCV 241, 242, 380
English—ENG 150, 200, 201, 261*, 262*, 264, 265, 274, 275, 269*, 290
Ethnic Studies—ETHN 220*, 310*, 340, 425*, 460*
French—FREN 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*, 212*, 222*
German—GERM 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*, 260*
Greek—GRK 201*, 202*
Honors—HNRS 260
Humanities—HUM 101
Italian—ITAL 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*
Japanese—JAPN 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*, 215
Latin—LAT 201*, 202*
Musicology/Composition/History—MUCT 101, 125*, 221, 233*, 234*, 235*
Music Education—MUED 222*
Philosophy—PHIL 101, 102, 103, 125, 204, 211, 219, 224, 227, 230, 242, 245, 300, 321*, 332
Popular Culture—POPC 160, 165, 220
Residential Community—RESC 210
Romance and Classical Studies—ROML 220*
Russian—RUSN 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*, 215*, 216*
Spanish—SPAN 101*, 102*, 201*, 202*, 212*
Theatre —THFM 141, 161, 202, 347, 348

Online Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE UNITED STATES

• Utilize modes of inquiry into the ways ethnic cultures have shaped American life.
• Identify issues and problems in cultural diversity from the perspectives of diverse cultures and locate yourself in your own culture.
• Engage in critical inquiry into the problems, challenges, and possibilities inherent in a multicultural democracy.
• Develop skills of communication, analysis, and problem solving in a format requiring active participation.
  

American Culture Studies—ACS 250, 252
Educational Foundations and Inquiry—EDFI 408
English—ENG 211, 212
Ethnic Studies—ETHN 101, 110, 120, 130, 211, 260, 301, 305, 312, 410
Geography—GEOG 337, 342
Gerontology—GERO 301
History—HIST 319, 432
Human Development and Family Studies—HDFS 107, 408
Musicology/Composition/Theory—MUCT 237, 431
Popular Culture—POPC 170
Sociology—SOC 316
Telecommunication—TCOM 270, 467 (after 8/08)
Theatre—THFM 215
Women's Studies—WS 200, 467 (after 8/08)

Note: ACS 252, ENVS 253, and GEOL 250 and 251 are corequisite and are taught together in a field experience program.

Online Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php

EXPANDED PERSPECTIVES (e.g., interdisciplinary, engagement, community-based and service learning, quantitative or information literacy courses)

Finance—FIN 200
University Libraries—LIB 225 (after 8/08)
Technology—TECH 421 (after 8/08)

WRITING PROFICIENCY

Recognizing that the ability to communicate in writing is a valuable skill and a hallmark of an educated person, each student enrolled in a baccalaureate or associate degree program must complete satisfactorily GSW 112 or give evidence of proficiency in written expression equivalent to that attained by the student who completes this course. No student can be excused from meeting this requirement, nor can the requirement be postponed.

The courses and services designed to aid students in meeting the writing requirement are coordinated through the General Studies Writing Program. The English Placement Test, administered through this program, assesses the writing skills of entering students. On the basis of this test, students are placed in GSW 110 (Intensive Introduction to Academic Writing), GSW 111 (Introduction to Academic Writing), or GSW 112 (Academic Writing). A student may be required to take two or three of these courses, but no more than six hours of credit earned in these courses may be applied toward graduation. The writing proficiency of students is evaluated at the end of each course until students have reached the University proficiency requirement expected upon completion of GSW 112. Students who receive transfer credit for English composition and communication courses taken elsewhere may be tested for writing proficiency if it is not clear that they have completed a course equivalent to GSW 112. Students who wish to be exempted altogether from English composition are also tested for writing proficiency.

Special courses and services designed to aid international students in improving their English proficiency are coordinated through the program in English as a Second Language. Upon reporting to the University and before registering for classes, all entering international students admitted through the Office of International Programs and the Office of Admissions, except those whose native language is English, are required to take on-campus proficiency tests; international students transferring from other colleges and universities in the United States as well as students from Puerto Rico are also required to take these tests. On the basis of these tests, the University reserves the right to place students in ENG 100 (English as a Foreign Language I), ENG 101 (English as a Foreign Language II) or courses designed to develop the students' oral skills in English. A student may be required to take one or both of these courses, but no more than four semester hours of credit may be applied toward graduation. The English proficiency of students is evaluated at the end of each course until the students have reached the level of English language proficiency expected for admission into GSW 110. The University also reserves the right to require enrollment in the special section for international students of GSW 110 if the student has no transfer credit for the course.

To encourage all students to pass GSW 112 prior to the beginning of the junior year, three credit hours are added to the graduation requirements of students who pass GSW 112 after accumulating 60 credit hours; four hours to the graduation requirements of those with 90 or more credit hours.

The following are exempt from this penalty:

1. Students transferring to BGSU with 31 or more credit hours, provided that GSW 112 is passed within the first 30 credit hours earned at BGSU after the transfer, and
2. International students who transfer to BGSU with 21 or more credit hours and for whom English is a second language. Exemption from the penalty must be recommended by the director of international programs, and GSW 112 must be passed within the first 40 credit hours earned at BGSU.