University general education curriculum
The General
Education curriculum provides a premier liberal arts foundation
leading BGSU students to graduate prepared for self-reliant learning
throughout life and effective participation in a democratic society.
General Education classes, taken by all students at BGSU, reflect
a deep conviction by the BGSU faculty as well as of 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. General Education at BGSU offers a solid foundation for
active learning by providing students with both vital intellectual
skills and breadth of knowledge to be successful in their major
area of study and later, in their chosen professions. These 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 contemporary culture.
General Education
at BGSU is defined by particular intellectual skills integral to
all courses: critical thinking and effective communication; investigating
and problem solving; participation and leadership through active
learning. These skills are central to all courses in the four domains:
social and behavioral sciences, natural sciences, humanities and
arts, and cultural diversity in the United States.
Intellectual
Skills: Learning Outcomes for all General Education courses
- Communicate
effectively by gaining proficiency in reading, writing and presenting.
- Think critically
through investigating and creative problem solving.
- Participate
effectively and lead 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 from the University General Education
curriculum, distributed as follows:
International
Perspective
The General
Education Program also has an International Perspectives requirement
that explores the significance of diverse cultures and addresses
international issues and connections. At least one of the courses
from either the social and behavioral sciences or the humanities
and arts must contain an international perspective. Courses satisfying
this international perspective requirement are marked with an asterisk
(*) in the General Education course list below.
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 University
general education course at the 300 or 400 level.
General Education 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*
Economics—ECON 100 (until 8/03), 200, 202, 203
Environmental Health—ENVH 210*
Environmental Studies—ENVS 101, 201, 301
Ethnic Studies—ETHN 430*
Geography—GEOG 121*, 122*, 225*, 230*, 325*, 331*, 343*,
346*, 349*, 426, 435*
Gerontology—GERO 405*
History—HIST 151*, 152*, 180*, 205, 206, 310*, 311*, 370*,
377*, 382*, 411*, 429, 470*
Honors—HNRS 201, 240
International Studies—INST 200* (after 8/03)
Political Sciences—POLS 110, 171*, 172*, 301*, 335, 351*,
361* (until 8/03), 372*, 402, 403
Psychology—PSYC 101
Public Health—PUBH 301*, PUBH 320
Residential Community—RESC 201, 205
Sociology—SOC 101, 202, 231*, 361
Technology—TECH 302* (i.p. status effective spring 2002)
Online
Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/
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.
Biology—BIOL
101, 104, 108, 204, 205
Chemistry—CHEM 100, 109 & 110, 117 & 118, 125, 127
& 128, 135, 137 & 138
Geography—GEOG 125
GEOLOGY—GEOL 100, 104, 105, 205, 215, 322
Honors—HNRS 250
Materials Sciences—MATS 100
Physics and Astronomy—PHYS 101, 201, 202, 211, 212; ASTR
201, 212
Residential Community—RESC 220
Online
Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/
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.
American Culture
Studies—ACS 200, 230, 300
Architecture and Design—ARCH 231* (after 8/03)
Art—ART 101
Art History—ARTH 145, 146
Arts & Sciences—A&S 250
Chinese—CHIN 216*
Classical Civilization—CLCV 241, 242, 380
English—ENG 150, 200, 261*, 262*, 267, 269*, 290
Ethnic Studies—ETHN 220*, 310*, 340, 425*, 460*
Foreign Language—Intermediate French, Greek, Italian, Latin,
Spanish (FREN, GRK, ITAL, LAT, & SPAN 201*, 202*)
French and Spanish Cultural Series (FREN, SPAN 212*)
Intermediate German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (GERM, RUSN, JAPN,
& CHIN 201*, 202*)
Intermediate Conversational German (GERM 217*, 218*)
German—GERM 260*
Honors—HNRS 260
Humanities—HUM 101
Musicology/Composition/History—MUCT 101, 125*, 221, 233*,
234*, 235*
Philosophy—PHIL 101, 102, 103, 204, 211, 212 (until 8/03),
230, 245, 319, 321*, 325, 327, 332, 342
Popular Culture—POPC 160, 165, 220
Residential Community—RESC 210
Russian—RUSN 215*, 216*
Theatre—THEA 141, 161, 202, 347, 348
Online
Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/
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
Educational Foundations and Inquiry—EDFI 408
English—ENG 200 (African American Lit.), 424 (until 8/03)
Ethnic Studies—ETHN 101, 110, 120, 130, 211, 260, 301, 302,
312, 361, 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
Theatre—THEA 215
Women's Studies—WS 200
Online
Course Descriptions: http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/
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
ENG 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 ENG
110/110S (Developmental Writing), ENG 111 (Introductory Writing)
or ENG 112 (Varieties of 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 ENG 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 ENG 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 ENG 110. The University also reserves the right
to require enrollment in the special section for international
students of ENG 110 if the student has no transfer credit for
the course.
To
encourage all students to pass ENG 112 prior to the beginning
of the junior year, three credit hours are added to the graduation
requirements of students who pass ENG 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:
- Students
transferring to BGSU with 31 or more credit hours, provided
that ENG 112 is passed within the first 30 credit hours earned
at BGSU after the transfer, and
- 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 ENG 112 must be passed within the first 40 credit hours
earned at BGSU.
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