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 following domains: English Composition and Oral Communication, Quantitative Literacy, Humanities and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, as well as Cultural Diversity in the United States, and International Perspective.  

The BG Perspective Curriculum

All candidates for a baccalaureate degree at Bowling Green State University must take at least 36 credit hours from the BG Perspective curriculum, distributed as follows:

At least one course in each of the following:

  • English Composition and Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Literacy

At least two courses in each domain:

  • Humanities and the Arts
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences
  • Natural Sciences

Each student enrolled in a baccalaureate program must satisfactorily complete GSW 1120, one course approved for Cultural Diversity in the United States, and one course approved for International Perspectives.

Additional courses from any of the five bulleted categories listed above to reach a minimum of 36 credit hours.

BGSU Core Learning Objectives

Courses in the BG Perspective Program are aligned with BGSU's learning outcomes and are taught with particular emphasis upon BGSU's core learning objectives:

  • Critical Thinking
  • Oral and Written Communication
  • Inquiry
  • Engagement
  • Information Literacy

BG Perspective Learning Outcomes for Each Domain

ENGLISH COMPOSITION AND ORAL COMMUNICATION

Upon the successful completion of English composition and oral communication courses, students will:

  • Formulate effective, ethical written and/or oral arguments which are based upon appropriate, credible research
  • Construct materials which respond effectively to the needs of a variety of audiences, with an emphasis upon academic success
  • Analyze how the principles of rhetoric work together to promote effective communication
  • Communicate effectively when participating in small groups and/or making formal presentations
  • Utilize rhetorical strategies that are well-suited to the rhetorical situation, including appropriate voice, tone, and levels of formality
  • Demonstrate critical thinking, reading, and writing strategies when crafting arguments that synthesize multiple points of view

QUANTITATIVE LITERACY

Upon the successful completion of quantitative literacy courses, students will:

  • Interpret mathematical and statistical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics, and draw inferences from them
  • Represent mathematical and statistical information symbolically, visually, numerically, and verbally
  • Use arithmetical, algebraic, geometric and statistical methods to solve problems
  • Estimate and check answers to mathematical problems in order to determine reasonableness, identify alternatives, and select optimal results
  • Recognize that mathematical and statistical methods are based on assumptions and have limits

HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS

Upon the successful completion of humanities and the arts domain courses, students will:

  • Apply humanistic modes of inquiry and interpretation in the illustration of the discipline's connection to human values
  • Demonstrate a fundamental critical understanding of the role of art, language, and/or media in culture and society
  • Examine how the social and cultural contexts of creative endeavours arise over a variety of historical periods
  • Illustrate the development of verbal and non-verbal communication in the humanities and/or the arts

SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Upon the successful completion of social and behavioral sciences domain courses, students will:

  • Describe significant social/behavioral issues/questions using appropriate theories and evidence
  • Articulate how the values of the social/behavioral sciences impact decision-making in contemporary society
  • Deconstruct social/behavioral arguments critically, refuting logical and reasoning flaws inherent in them
  • Compose written or oral arguments related to issues or questions in the social/behavioral sciences
  • Evaluate evidence supporting arguments and conclusions on each side of major social and behavioral issues

NATURAL SCIENCES

Upon the successful completion of BG Perspective natural science domain courses, students will:

  • Describe how natural sciences can be used to explain and/or predict natural phenomena
  • Identify misconceptions associated with the specific scientific discipline
  • Explain simple quantitative data and its limits relative to the study of science
  • Demonstrate the application of simple quantitative and qualitative data in the scientific process
  • Solve problems using one or more of the logical approaches of science
  • Reflect on the relevance of science to one's everyday life

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE UNITED STATES

Upon the successful completion of cultural diversity in the United States courses, students will:

  • Recognize the ways in which diverse cultures or subcultures have shaped and continue to shape American life
  • Explain ways in which diverse cultures or subcultures have shaped and continue to shape American life
  • Examine issues and challenges in cultural diversity from the perspectives of diverse cultures
  • Compare values of their own subcultures(s) with those of others

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Upon the successful completion of international perspective courses, students will:

  • Explain how national cultures affect world views or ways of thinking
  • Explain how world issues and international connections impact people's lives/ways of life
  • Analyze problems and possibilities inherent in global economic, geographic, ecological, political, social, and/or technological systems
  • Demonstrate competency in speaking, reading, and/or writing a foreign language

WRITING PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

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 satisfactorily complete GSW 1120 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 Writing Placement Test, administered through this program, assesses the writing skills of entering students. On the basis of this test, students are placed in GSW 1100 (Intensive Introduction to Academic Writing), GSW 1110 (Introduction to Academic Writing), or GSW 1120 (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 1120. 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 1120. Students who wish to be exempted altogether from English composition are also tested for writing proficiency.

Special courses and services designed to aid fully-admitted international students in improving their English proficiency are coordinated through the program in English for Speakers of Other Languages. Upon reporting to the University and before registering for classes, all entering international students, 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 ESOL 1000 (Academic Composition I), ESOL 1010 (Academic Composition II), or courses designed to develop the students' speaking and listening skills in English. A student may be required to take one or all 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 1100. The University also reserves the right to require enrollment in a special section of GSW 1100 which is offered for non-native speakers of English.

To encourage all students to pass GSW 1120 prior to the beginning of junior year, three credit hours are added to the graduation requirements of students who pass GSW 1120 after accumulating 60 credit hours; four hours to the graduation requirements of those with 90 or more credit hours.

The following students are exempt from this penalty:

  1. Students transferring to BGSU with 31 or more credit hours, provided that GSW 1120 is passed within the first 30 credit hours earned at BGSU after the transfer.
  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 Partnerships (or the designee), and GSW 1120 must be passed within the first 40 credit hours earned at BGSU.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE REQUIREMENT

The BG Perspective general education program requires students to complete an international perspective theme that facilitates student exploration of the significance of diverse international cultures within their own lives and promotes exploring the role of international issues and connections in our increasingly interconnected global society. Students are required to satisfactorily complete at least one approved course, from either the social and behavorial sciences or the humanities and the arts domains, that addresses an international perspective. Courses approved to satisfy this international perspective requirement are marked with an asterisk (*) in the general education course lists and online catalog.

An international experience, defined as an academic study abroad experience bearing three or more credits or a documented international military deployment of at least 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days, also will fulfill that International Perspective requirement.

Fulfilling the International Perspective requirement through a credit bearing study abroad experience is accomplished by contacting the Director of BG Perspective, who will request verification of the experience from the Education Abroad Office and then request that the Office of Registration and Records update the student's record, indicating that the International Perspective requirement has been fulfilled. If the study abroad experience was completed through another university, the student is responsible for providing the BGP Director with documentation regarding the experience.

Fulfilling the International Perspective requirement through international military deployment is accomplished by providing the Director of BG Perspective with documentation of the experience, typically a DD214 Form. The director subsequently will request that the Office of Registration and Records update the student's record, indicating that the International Perspective requirement has been fulfilled.

SPRING 2016 SEMESTER
BG PERSPECTIVE COURSE LISTING

Please note that the following course list applies to students who enter BGSU in Fall 2015 or thereafter.

Key:

*    Courses which fulfill the International Perspective requirement
**  Courses which fulfill the Cultural Diversity in the United States requirement

Note: All courses are worth 3 credit hours except as indicated ().

English Composition and Oral Communication
COMM 1020 Introduction to Public Speaking  
GSW 1110 Introduction to Academic Writing
GSW 1120 Academic Writing
   
Quantitative Literacy
MATH 1150 Introduction to Statistics
MATH 1220 College Algebra II
MATH 1230   Mathematics for Architecture and Construction (5)
MATH 1260 Basic Calculus (5)
MATH 1280 Precalculus Mathematics (5)
MATH 1300 Accelerated Precalculus Mathematics
MATH 1310 Calculus and Analytic Geometry (5)
MATH 1340 Calculus and Analytic Geometry IA  
MATH 1350 Calculus and Analytic Geometry IB
POLS 2900 Statistics and Research Methods
PSYC 2700 Quantitative Methods I (4)
SOC 2690 Introductory Statistics
STAT 2000 Using Statistics
STAT 2110 Elementary Statistical Methods I
STAT 2120 Elementary Statistical Methods II
   
Humanities and the Arts
ACS 2000 Introduction to American Culture Studies
ACS 2500 Cultural Pluralism in the United States**
ARCH 2330 History of Architecture I*
ARCH 2340 History of Architecture II*
ART 1010 Introduction to Art
ARTH 1450 Western Art I*
ARTH 1460 Western Art II*
ARTH 2700   Survey of World Art*
AS 1100 Arts BG
CLCV 2410 Great Greek Minds*
CLCV 2420 Great Roman Minds*
CLCV 3800 Classical Mythology
ENG 1500 Response to Literature
ENG 2010 Introduction to Literature
ENG 2110 African American Literature**
ENG 2120 Native American Literature**
ENG 2610 World Literature from Ancient Times to 1700*
ENG 2620 World Literature from 1700 to Present*
ENG 2640 British Literature to 1660
ENG 2650 British Literature 1660-1945
ENG 2740 American Literature Survey to 1865
ENG 2750 American Literature 1865-1945
ETHN 2200 Introduction to African Literature* (also listed as ROCS 2200)
FREN 2010 Intermediate French I*
FREN 2020 Intermediate French II*
FREN 2220 French Culture*
GERM 2150 German Culture and Civilization*
GERM 2160 Contemporary Germany*
HNRS 2020   Critical Thinking about Great Ideas
ITAL 2620 Italian-American Experience: Mafia, Migration and the Movies**
MUCT 1010 Exploring Music
MUCT 1250 Exploring Music of World Cultures*
MUCT 2220 Turning Points: Arts and Humanities in Context
MUCT 2610 Music History I
PHIL 1010 Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 1020 Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 1030 Introduction to Logic
PHIL 1250 Contemporary Moral Issues
PHIL 2320 Environmental Ethics**
PHIL 2420 Medical Ethics
POPC 1600 Introduction to Popular Culture
POPC 1650 Popular Culture and Media
POPC 1700 Black Popular Culture**
POPC 2200 Introduction to Folklore & Folklife
ROCS 2200 Introduction to African Literature* (also listed as ETHN 2200)
RUSN 2150 Russian Culture*
RUSN 2160 Post-Communist Russia*
SPAN 2010 Intermediate Spanish I*
SPAN 2020 Intermediate Spanish II*
SPAN 2030 Intermediate Spanish for the Professions*
SPAN 2700 Introduction to Latin American Cultural Studies*
THFM 1410 The Theatre Experience
THFM 1610 Introduction to Film
THFM 2020 Performance in Life & on Stage
THFM 2150 Exploring Cultural Diversity Through Performance**
WS 2000 Introduction to Women's Studies: Perspectives on Gender, Class, and Ethnicity**
   
Social and Behavioral Sciences
AFRS 2000 Introduction to Africana Studies*
ASIA 1800 Asian Civilizations* (also listed as HIST 1800)
ASIA 2000 Introduction to Asian Religions*
CAST 2010 Introduction to Canadian Studies*
CDIS 1230 Introduction to Communication Disorders
ECON 2000 Introduction to Economics
ECON 2020 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 2030 Principles of Macroeconomics
EDFI 2980 School, Society, and Cultural Diversity**
EIEC 2210 Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Early Childhood**
ENVS 1010 Introduction to Environmental Studies
ETHN 1010 Introduction to Ethnic Studies**
ETHN 1100 Introduction to Latina/o Studies**
ETHN 1200 Introduction to African American Studies**
ETHN 1300 Introduction to Asian American Studies**
ETHN 1600 Introduction to Native American Studies**
ETHN 2010 Ethnicity and Social Movements**
ETHN 2600 Contemporary Issues in Native America**
GEOG 1210 World Geography: Eurasia & Africa*
GEOG 1220 World Geography: Americas and the Pacific*
GEOG 2300 Cultural Geography
GEOG 2630 The Rising Dragon: China's Global Reach*
GERO 1010 Aging, the Individual and Society
HDFS 1930 Lifespan Human Development
HDFS 2020 Contemporary Marriages and Families
HIST 1510 World Civilizations*
HIST 1520 Modern World*
HIST 1800 Asian Civilizations* (also listed as ASIA 1800)
HIST 2050 Early America**
HIST 2060 Modern America
HNRS 2010 Introduction to Critical Thinking (4)
INST 2000 Introduction to International Studies*
POLS 1100 American Government: Processes and Structure
POLS 1710 Introduction to Comparative Government*
POLS 1720   Introduction to International Relations*
PSYC 1010 General Psychology (4)
SOC 1010 Principles of Sociology
SOC 2020 Social Problems
SOC 2120 Population and Society
SOC 2160 Minority Groups**
SOC 2310 Cultural Anthropology*
TCOM 1030 Media and the Information Society
TCOM 3520 Online Social Media
TECH 3020 Technology Systems in Societies*
   
Natural Sciences
ASTR 2010 Modern Astronomy
ASTR 2120 The Solar System
BIOL 1010 Environment of Life
BIOL 1040 Introduction to Biology (4)
BIOL 1080 Life in the Sea
BIOL 2040 Concepts in Biology I (5)
BIOL 2050 Concepts in Biology II (5)
CHEM 1000 Introduction to Chemistry
CHEM 1090/1100 Elementary Chemistry (3/1)
CHEM 1250 General Chemistry I (5)
CHEM 1350 General Chemistry (5)
ENVS 1940 Changing Environment, Changing World
FN 2070 Introduction to Human Nutrition
GEOG 1250 Weather and Climate
GEOL 1000 Introduction to Geology
GEOL 1040 Earth Environments (4)
GEOL 1050 Life Through Time (4)
GEOL 2150 Geologic History of Dinosaurs
PHYS 1010   Basic Physics
PHYS 2010 College Physics I (5)
PHYS 2020 College Physics II (5)
PHYS 2110 University Physics I (5)
PHYS 2120 University Physics II (5)
   
Cultural Diversity in the United States
Cultural Diversity in the United States courses approved to also fulfill a Humanities and the Arts requirement
ACS 2500 Cultural Pluralism in the United States
ENG 2110 African American Literature
ENG 2120 Native American Literature
ITAL 2620 Italian-American Experience: Mafia, Migration and the Movies
PHIL 2320 Environmental Ethics
POPC 1700 Black Popular Culture
THFM 2150 Exploring Cultural Diversity Through Performance
WS 2000 Introduction to Women's Studies: Perspectives on Gender, Class, and Ethnicity
   
Cultural Diversity in the United States courses approved to also fulfill a Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement
EDFI 2980 School, Society, and Cultural Diversity
EIEC 2210 Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Early Childhood
ETHN 1010 Introduction to Ethnic Studies
ETHN 1100 Introduction to Latina/o Studies
ETHN 1200 Introduction to African American Studies
ETHN 1300 Introduction to Asian American Studies
ETHN 1600 Introduction to Native American Studies
ETHN 2010 Ethnicity and Social Movements
ETHN 2600 Contemporary Issues in Native America
HIST 2050 Early America
SOC 2160 Minority Groups
   
International Perspective
GERM 2010 Intermediate German I
GERM 2020 Intermediate German II
   
International Perspective courses approved to also fulfill Humanities and the Arts requirement
ARCH 2330 History of Architecture I
ARCH 2340 History of Architecture II
ARTH 1450 Western Art I
ARTH 1460 Western Art II
ARTH 2700 Survey of World Art
CLCV 2410 Great Greek Minds
CLCV 2420 Great Roman Minds
ENG 2610 World Literature from Ancient Times to 1700
ENG 2620 World Literature from 1700 to Present
ETHN 2200 Introduction to African Literature (also listed as ROCS 2200)
FREN 2010 Intermediate French I
FREN 2020 Intermediate French II
FREN 2220 French Culture
GERM 2150 German Culture and Civilization
GERM 2160 Contemporary Germany
MUCT 1250 Exploring Music of World Cultures
ROCS 2200 Introduction to African Literature (also listed as ETHN 2200)
RUSN 2150 Russian Culture
RUSN 2160 Post-Communist Russia
SPAN 2010 Intermediate Spanish I
SPAN 2020 Intermediate Spanish II
SPAN 2030 Intermediate Spanish for the Professions
SPAN 2700 Introduction to Latin American Cultural Studies
   
International Perspective courses approved to also fulfill a Social and Behavioral Sciences requirement
AFRS 2000 Introduction to Africana Studies
ASIA 1800 Asian Civilizations (also listed as HIST 1800)
ASIA 2000 Introduction to Asian Religions
CAST 2010 Introduction to Canadian Studies
GEOG 1210 World Geography: Eurasia & Africa
GEOG 1220 World Geography: Americas and the Pacific
GEOG 2630 The Rising Dragon: China's Global Reach
HIST 1510 World Civilizations
HIST 1520 Modern World
HIST 1800 Asian Civilizations (also listed as ASIA 1800)
INST 2000 Introduction to International Studies
POLS 1710 Introduction to Comparative Government
POLS 1720 Introduction to International Relations
SOC 2310 Cultural Anthropology
TECH 3020 Technology Systems in Societies

Updated: 12/01/2017 10:31PM