General Education Foundation Courses

A. Oral Communication:

Student Learning Outcome: Students should be able to deliver messages appropriate to their audience, purpose, and context.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Perform verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors that illustrate the competency of an effective communicator.
  2. Support and organize their ideas in a coherent manner.

Required: 1 Course
G-CM130 Interpersonal Communication
G-CM140 Public Speaking
G-CM218 Business and Professional Communication

B. Written Communication & Information Literacy

Student Learning Outcome for Written Communication: Students should be able to write with skill and clarity.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Produce writing that shows an awareness of audience.
  2. Demonstrate effective participation in the writing process.
  3. Coherently organize their writing.
  4. Produce writing that shows careful attention to craft.

Student Learning Outcome for Information Literacy: Students should be able to demonstrate ethical and efficient use of information.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Show that they can find appropriate sources.
  2. Show that they can evaluate the reliability of sources.
  3. Use information from sources appropriately in their work.

Required: 4 Courses
G-EN110 College Composition I
G-EN111 College Composition II
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts are required to take Spanish and one Language Intensive (LI) course in their major department.  Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science are required to take 2 Language Intensive courses with at least one LI course in the student’s major department.

Language Intensive – Oral and Written Communication

Student Learning Outcome for Oral Communication: Students should be able to clearly voice a coherent message.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Show that they can speak clearly and audibly.
  2. Support their ideas with appropriate research.

Speaking Component

(1) Informal oral communication exercises should be used frequently in the LI classroom. Most often, these will consist of required participation in small group and class discussions. LI instructors can make even routine student participation in class discussions and activities into helpful oral communication exercises simply by (a) raising students’ consciousness about the variety of signals they send when they speak informally in class, and (b) helping students eliminate their careless habits in speech and delivery.

(2) At least one formal oral presentation should be included in the LI course. The presentation, probably brief, may be delivered to part or all of the class, or some other audience. It may derive from a formal writing assignment, recast for oral delivery.

Student Learning Outcome for Written Communication: Students should be able to write with skill and clarity.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Produce writing that shows an awareness of audience.
  2. Demonstrate effective participation in the writing process.
  3. Coherently organize their writing.
  4. Produce writing that shows careful attention to craft.

Writing Component

(1)Informal writing assignments should be frequent, perhaps one per class session, but certainly one per week. Most informal writing activities are in the “writing to learn” mode; that is, they are intended to push students to read, think about, and interpret course material more carefully and deeply than they otherwise might do. From a handful of basic, informal writing models, such as journals and microthemes, LI instructors can improvise an almost endless array of specific informal writing activities.

(2) Formal writing assignments should be substantial (but the meaning of “substantial” depends upon the course and the exact nature of the assignment.) There should be at least one formal, polished piece of writing. Whenever possible, LI instructors should give formal assignments in stages, conference with students over drafts, and allow ample time for revision(s).

Courses designated as Language Intensive:

G-AR310 Art History I
G-AR311 Art History II
BA 324 Organizational Behavior
BA 339 Human Resource Management
BA 475 Business Strategy & Policy
BI 391 Evolution
CI 455 Teaching Learning Process
G-CM130 Interpersonal Communication
G-CM218 Business & Professional Communication
G-CM221 Intercultural Communication
CM 475 Senior Seminar in Communications
G-EE210 Children’s Literature
EE 303 Reading/Language Arts I
G-EN210L Masterpieces of World Literature (4 hours)
G-EN220L Contemporary World Literature (4 hours)
G-EN255L American Literature II (4 hours)
G-EN270L Fiction (4 hours)
EN 313 Expository Writing
EN 475B  Senior Seminar
G-EN370L Poetry (4 hours)
G-HI333 Technology & Society
HI 475  Senior Theses
IT 475 Senior Projects in Information Tech.
G-MA290 History of Mathematics
MA 475 Senior Project in Mathematics
ML 385 Advanced Level Composition and Conversation
NS 300 Research Methods
NS 475 Senior Research
G-PA265 Script Analysis
G-PA385  Performing Arts History & Literature I
G-PA390  Performing Arts History & Literature II
PA 475 Senior Projects in Performing Arts
PE 380 History & Philosophy of Health, PE, Sport
PE 445  Readings and Research for Health Science
G-PR104L Ethics (4 hours)
G-PR106L Spiritual Pathways
G-PS215  Global Peace Studies
PS 475  Senior Thesis
PY 450 History and Systems of Psychology
PY 475 Senior Thesis
SO 475 Senior Thesis
G-TE 333 Technology & Society
TE 475 Senior Project

C. Mathematics

Student Learning Outcome: Students should be able to use mathematical concepts.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate understanding by performing accurate computations.
  2. Apply algorithms to solve problems.

Required: 3-4 hours chosen from the following:
G-MA105   College Algebra
G-MA111   Calculus I
G-MA153   Principles of Geometry
G-MA201   Survey of Mathematics
G-BA220  Business Applied Statistics
G-MA221   Elementary Applied Statistics

D. Religion/Beliefs/Values

Student Learning Outcome: Students should be able to answer fundamental religious or philosophical questions.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Develop answers relative to alternative religious/philosophical perspectives.
  2. Explain their position on religious or philosophical issues.

Required: 3-4 hours chosen from the following:
G-PR101   Hebrew Bible: God and People in Ancient Israel
G-PR102    Jesus: New Testament Foundations
*G-PR104  Ethics (LI if taken as G-PR104L for 4 hours)
G-PR106    Spiritual Pathways: Transformation, Compassion, and Vocation (LI if taken as G-PR106L for four hours)
G-PR107    Critical Thinking
G-PR201     Introduction to Philosophy
G-PR202     Christian Traditions
G-PR203    Science and Religion
G-PR204    Peacemaking: Religious Perspectives
G-PR206    Religion and Environmental Stewardship
G-PR306    World Religions
*G-PR391  Evolution
G-PA125     Film and Culture

E. Wholeness/Health/Fitness

Student Learning Outcome: Students should be able to identify optional behaviors that promote lifelong personal health.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Develop a personal strategy for health and fitness emphasizing the physical domain.
  2. Illustrate the relationship between personal behaviors and lifelong health and wellness.

Required: 2 hours chosen from the following:
G-PE150     Concepts in Holistic Health
G-PE170     Personal & Community Health

F. Global/Intercultural Experience

Student Learning Outcome: Students should be able to understand they live in a world of diverse cultures.

Performance Indicators – Students should be able to:

  1. Identify social, cultural, religious, or linguistic differences.
  2. Explain how values and contributions of diverse societies affect individual experiences.

Required: 3 hours+ chosen from the following:
G-CI251     Introduction to Education Practicum
G-CI333     Intercultural Education Seminar
*G-CM221 Intercultural Communication
*G-EN210 Masterpieces of World Literature (LI if taken as G-EN210L for four hours)
*G-EN220 Contemporary World Literature (LI if taken as G-EN220L for four hours)
G-HI210    Topics in World History
*G-HI333   Technology and Society
*G-MA290   History of Mathematics
G-ML108   Spanish Level I
G-ML109   Spanish Level II
G-ML208   Spanish Level III
G-ML209   Spanish Level IV
G-ML350   Junior Year Abroad
G-PR306     World Religions
G-PS130     Principles of Geography
*G-PS215 Global Peace Studies
G-SO202   Minorities in the U.S.
*G-TE333 Technology and Society

+Students completing a Bachelor of Arts degree must take G-ML108 Level I Spanish for three hours as well as three additional hours in the Global/Intercultural Experience Foundation. These students will be required to take only one Language Intensive (LI) course.

College Seminars

In the seminar series, students will demonstrate (1) that they have explored traditional Church of the Brethren values; (2) that they understand service- learning and can complete a service project; (3) that they can make informed ethical decisions in personal and professional situations; and (4) that they have investigated career options in the fields of study. In addition, the various seminars address the following goals.

  1. G-ID101 Academic Community Essentials (ACE) Seminar: Students will show that they have learned about college life, create a degree plan, and practice good study skills, critical thinking, and conflict resolution.
  2. G-ID201 Sophomore Seminar: Students will complete a service project, develop a career plan, and show that they have explored internship options.
  3. Junior Seminar: Working closely with faculty in their fields, students will show that they have explored professional and service options and have fulfilled other objectives as determined by department faculty.
  4. Senior Capstone Experience: Students will complete a senior project, as designed by department faculty.