BG Perspective (general education curriculum)

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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 (at least one Lab Science required)

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

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 audiences
• 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 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/or statistical models such as formulas, graphs, tables, and schematics, and draw inferences from them
• Represent mathematical and statistical information symbolically, visually, numerically, and/or verbally
• Use arithmetical, algebraic, geometric and/or 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/or statistical methods are based on assumptions and have limits

Humanities And The Arts

Upon the successful completion of humanities and the arts 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/or non-verbal communication in the humanities and/or the arts

Social And Behavioral Sciences

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

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

Natural Sciences

Upon the successful completion of natural sciences 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/or 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 have shaped and continue to shape American life
• Explain ways in which diverse cultures have shaped and continue to shape American life
• Examine issues and challenges in cultural diversity in light of the perspectives of diverse cultures
• Compare values of their own cultures(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 and/or 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 valuable across disciplines, each student enrolled in a baccalaureate or associate degree program must satisfactorily complete WRIT 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 University Writing Program. BGSU’s Writing Placement, administered through this program, assesses the writing skills of entering students. On the basis of this placement, students are placed in WRIT 1110 Seminar in Academic Writing , possibly with a co-requisite of WRIT 1010 Academic Writing Workshop , or in WRIT 1120 Seminar in Research Writing . Students who request transfer credit for English composition and communication courses taken elsewhere may write a placement essay if their course does not transfer to BGSU.

Courses and services designed to aid fully-admitted international students in improving their English proficiency are coordinated through the English for Speakers of Other Languages program. All international applicants whose native language is not English are required to take English placement tests upon reporting to the University and before registering for classes. International students transferring from other colleges or universities in the United States as well as students from Puerto Rico are also required to take these tests. Depending on a student’s placement score, the University reserves the right to require ESOL 1000 Academic Composition I , ESOL 1010 Academic Composition II , and/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. If ESOL writing classes are required, students are admitted to WRIT 1110  with a co-requisite of WRIT 1010  after successful completion of ESOL 1010 . The University also reserves the right to require enrollment in a special section of WRIT 1110  with a co-requisite of WRIT 1010  which is offered for non-native speakers of English.

To encourage all students to pass WRIT 1120  prior to the beginning of junior year, three credit hours are added to the graduation requirements of students who pass WRIT 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 WRIT 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 WRIT 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 behavioral 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.

BG Perspective Course Listing

Please note that the following course list applies to students who entered 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 ().