General Education Program

Berea College’s General Education Program is designed to help students develop important knowledge, skills, and habits of mind. The program extends from the first year through the senior year and includes, in addition to course work, convocations and other experiences.

The Aims of General Education

Knowledge: the General Education Program will help students understand:

1. aesthetic, scientific, historical, and interdisciplinary ways of knowing;
2. religion, particularly Christianity, in its many expressions;
3. Berea College’s historical and ongoing commitments to racial (traditionally black and white) and gender equality, as well as to the Appalachian region;
4. the natural environment and our relationship to it;
5. the roles of science and technology in the contemporary world;
6. U.S. and global issues and perspectives.

Skills: the General Education Program will help students develop the abilities to:

1. read and listen effectively; write and speak effectively, with integrity and style;
2. think critically and creatively, and reason quantitatively;
3. develop research strategies and employ appropriate technologies as means to deepen one’s knowledge and understanding;
4. work effectively both independently and collaboratively;
5. resolve conflicts nonviolently.

Habits of Mind: the General Education Program will help students:

1. deepen their capacities for moral reflection, spiritual development, and responsible action;
2. develop an openness to and knowledgeable appreciation of human diversity, in terms of race, gender, class, religion, sexuality, language, and culture;
3. cultivate their imagination and ability to discern connections, consider alternatives, and think about topics and issues from multiple perspectives;
4. think and act in ways that promote peace with justice;
5. develop habits leading to lifetime health and fitness.

Learning Experiences: the General Education Program will help students become independent learners through:

1. Discussion and lecture;
2. Student-initiated learning;
3. Experiential learning (for example, service learning, travel, internships, etc.);
4. Collaborative learning.

General Education Requirements

• GSTR 110: Writing Seminar I: Critical Thinking in the Liberal Arts
• GSTR 210: Writing Seminar II: Identity and Diversity in the United States
• GSTR 310: Understandings of Christianity
• GSTR 332: Scientific Knowledge and Inquiry
• GSTR 410: Senior Seminar in Contemporary Global Issues
• Practical Reasoning Requirement
• Six Perspectives Areas—Arts; Social Science; Western History; Religion; African Americans', Appalachians', Women's; and International (Language or World Culture option)
• Lifetime Health and Fitness: PEH 100 and Physical Activity Requirement
• Active Learning Experience (ALE)
• Writing Competency Requirement
• Developmental Mathematics Requirement
• Twenty-one (21) courses taken outside the major
• Convocation Requirement

Practical Reasoning Requirement

The Practical Reasoning Requirement is met through the satisfactory completion of two courses, at least one of which must be firmly grounded in mathematics or statistics. Courses meeting this requirement are intended to help students to be able to discern connections, consider alternatives, and think about topics and issues from multiple perspectives.

Designations for Practical Reasoning Courses—An approved Practical Reasoning course that is “firmly grounded in mathematics or statistics” is called “Practical Reasoning with Quantitative Emphasis” and is given the designation “PRQ.” Other approved Practical Reasoning courses are given the designation “PR.”

Courses Approved to Meet PR or PRQ Credit (as of July 2008)
The Committee on General Education (COGE) has approved the following courses to meet the Practical Reasoning Requirement. COGE continues to review departmental proposals for additional courses to meet this requirement in the General Education Program.

Practical Reasoning (PR):
BUS 120: Accounting I
CFS 145: Consumer Decision Making
COM 201: Argumentation and Debate
COM 203: Persuasion
CSC 126: Introduction to Robotics
GST 235: Introduction to Behavioral Sciences
MAT 315: Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics
PHI 104: Law, Morality, and Philosophy
PHI 106: Introductory Reasoning
PHI 204: Law and Justice in Classical Political Philosophy
PHI 207: Human Rights, International Law
PHI 209: Freedom, Law, and the Modern State
PHI 214: Approaches to Ethics
PHI 218: Symbolic Logic
PHI 230: Reflecting on Nature
PHI 240: Practical Philosophy
PSC 204: Law and Justice in Classical Political Philosophy
PSC 207: Human Rights, International Law
PSC 209: Freedom, Law, and the Modern State
REL 235: Christian Social Ethics
SENS 100: Introduction to Sustainability and Environmental Studies
SOC 335: Methods of Social Research
TEC 110: Technology I

Practical Reasoning with Quantitative Emphasis (PRQ)
ECO 250: Applied Statistics
MAT 101: Mathematical Modeling Using the Computer
MAT 104: Introduction to Statistics
MAT 105: Introduction to Discrete Mathematics
MAT 108: Environmental Issues: Mathematical Modeling Approach
MAT 115: College Algebra with Modeling
MAT 125: Trigonometry with Applications
MAT 135: Calculus I
MAT 214: Linear Algebra
MAT 225: Calculus II
MAT 311: Probability
MAT 312: Operations Research
MAT 330: Calculus III
MAT 437: Differential Equations
PHY 111: Introduction to Astronomy
PSY 205: Statistics for Psychology
SENS 320: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
TEC 265: Electrical Fundamentals
TEC 352: Quality Control

Six Perspective Areas—All Six Areas Required

Individual courses may be approved to satisfy more than one Perspective Area; however, no single course will be designated to satisfy more than two Perspective Areas. Each course counts only once in the earned-credit minimum needed to graduate. The six Perspective Areas are:

• Arts—develops an understanding and appreciation of artistic form and creation through the study and/or practice of the visual arts, creative writing, literature, music, dance, and/or theatre.
• Social Science—develops a scientific understanding of human behavior at the individual, group, or community level.
• Western History—develops an understanding and appreciation of history as a way of knowing through the study of one or more major traditions, institutions, events, or achievements of Western Civilization. The “West” denotes those regions in which the primary influence has been European in origin.
• Religion—develops an understanding and appreciation of the role of religion in human experience through the study of one or more major religious traditions, institutions, or ideas.
• African Americans’, Appalachians’, Women’s—develops an understanding and appreciation of diversity through the study of one or more of those groups central to Berea’s Commitments: African Americans, Appalachians, and/or Women.
• International—develops an understanding and appreciation of world citizenship through the study of languages or world cultures. This perspective area may be met by the completion of either:
  1. two courses in the same, non-English language, one of which may be waived by a placement examination (i.e., at least one language course must be taken after entering Berea College) NOTE: Some majors require study in a foreign language. Students should check requirements for the program(s) they wish to pursue before deciding which option in the International Perspective to complete.
     
     OR
  2. two world culture courses, one of which must be Non-Western; one or both of which may be met by approved courses taken abroad.

Courses Approved to Meet Perspective Areas (as of July 2008)

The Committee on General Education (COGE) has approved the following courses to meet Perspective Area Requirements in the General Education Program. COGE continues to review departmental proposals for additional courses to meet Perspective Areas in the General Education Program.

Arts Perspective
AFR 141: African-American Literature
AFR 234: African-American Music: An Overview
AFR 270: Sub-Saharan Black African Art
APS 213: Appalachian Crafts
APS 224: Appalachian Music
ART 111: Printmaking I
ART 115: Drawing Fundamentals
ART 116: Painting I
ART 123: Ceramics I
ART 125: Fibers I
ART 130: Sculpture I
ART 242: Medieval Art
ART 246: Modern Architecture
ART 248: Islamic Art and Architecture
ART 250: Indian and Southwest Asian Art History
ART 262: Italian Renaissance Art
ART 267: Colonial and Modern Latin American Art
ART 270: Sub-Saharan Black African Art
ART 275: Pre-Columbian Latin American Art
AST 248: Islamic Art and Architecture
AST 250: Indian and Southwest Asian Art History
CFS 238: Human Environments II
COM 200: Oral Interpretation
ENG 122: Form and Meaning in Literature
ENG 124: Introduction to Creative Writing
ENG 138: Shakespeare: An Introduction
ENG 141: African-American Literature
ENG 236: Film
ENG 306: Playwriting
ENG 351: Medieval Texts
ENG 381: Greek Classics in Translation
FRN 320: Panorama of French Literature I
FRN 321: Panorama of French Literature II
FRN 325: Seventeenth-Century French Literature
FRN 330: Nineteenth-Century French Literature
FRN 340: Twentieth-Century French Literature
GER 320: German Poetry
GER 325: German Narrative Prose
GER 330: German Drama
GER 340: German Novel
HIS 210: Classical Roman Civilization
LAT 210: Classical Roman Civilization
LAT 215: Classical Mythology
LAT 223: Virgil
LAT 321: Latin Historians
LAT 324: Classical Poetry
MUS 106: World Music
MUS 115: Introduction to Music Literature
MUS 216: Perceptive Listening
MUS 224: Appalachian Music
MUS 234: African-American Music: An Overview
PED 245: Dance
PED 248: World Dance
PED 249: Dancing through Space and Time
PED 305: Improvisation and Choreography
REL 210: Theology in the Arts and Media
SPN 315: Introduction to Spanish Literature
SPN 320: Peninsular Literature I
SPN 321: Peninsular Literature II
SPN 330: Spanish American Literature I
SPN 331: Spanish American Literature II
SPN 340: The Novel
TEC 180: Graphic Communication
TEC 202: Photography
TEC 213: Appalachian Crafts

Social Science Perspective
BUS 257: Consumer Behavior
CFS 207: Family Relations
COM 300: Theories of Human Communication
ECO 101: Principles of Macroeconomics
ECO 102: Principles of Microeconomics
ECO 301: Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECO 302: Intermediate Microeconomics
ECO 370: Environmental Issues in Public Policy
GST 235: Introduction to Behavioral Sciences
HIS 200: Introduction to Historical Study
PSC 100: Introduction to the Study of Politics
PSC 110: American Government
PSY 100: General Psychology
SOC 100: Sociology of Everyday Life
SOC 110: Problems of American Institutions
SOC 220: Cultural Anthropology
WST 207: Family Relations

Western History Perspective
AFR 165: Introduction to African American History
ART 242: Medieval Art
ART 246: Modern Architecture
ART 262: Italian Renaissance Art
ENG 350: Classical and Biblical Texts
ENG 351: Medieval Texts
ENG 354: Nineteenth Century Texts
FRN 140: French Civilization
GER 140: German Civilization
HIS 101: Western Civilization I
HIS 102: Western Civilization II
HIS 140: History of Spain
HIS 161: American History to 1865
HIS 162: American History Since 1865
HIS 165: Introduction to African American History
HIS 209: Classical Greek Civilization
HIS 210: Classical Roman Civilization
HIS 215: History of Christianity to 1600
HIS 219: History of the British Isles
HIS 228: Gender in the Modern West, 1750-Present
LAT 210: Classical Roman Civilization
PHI 204: Classical Political Philosophy
PHI 209: Freedom, Law, and the Modern State
PHI 305: Classical Philosophy
PSC 204: Classical Political Philosophy
PSC 209: Freedom, Law, and the Modern State
REL 215: History of Christianity to 1600
REL 221: The Protestant Reformation and its Legacies
SPN 140: History of Spain
TEC 118: History of Technology
WST 228: Gender in the Modern West, 1750-Present

Religion Perspective
ART 248: Islamic Art and Architecture
ART 250: Indian and Southwest Asian Art History
AST 231: Religions of India and Tibet
AST 232: Religions of China and Japan
AST 248: Islamic Art and Architecture
AST 250: Indian and Southwest Asian Art History
AST 260: Buddhism
HIS 215: History of Christianity to 1600
HIS 240: Islam
LAT 215: Classical Mythology
PSJ 205: Peace and Social Justice Studies: Theories and Practices
REL 101: Wrestling with God: An Introduction to the Scriptures
REL 109: Introduction to Christian Thought
REL 117: An Introduction to World Religions
REL 126: Poverty and Justice
REL 200: Myth, Symbol, and Ritual
REL 205: Introduction to the Old Testament
REL 207: Introduction to the New Testament
REL 211: Women in Religion
REL 215: History of Christianity to 1600
REL 218: Voices of Nonviolence
REL 221: The Protestant Reformation and its Legacies
REL 223: Theologies of Liberation
REL 225: Images of Jesus
REL 227: Biblical Themes, Modern Life
REL 231: Religions of India and Tibet
REL 232: Religions of China and Japan
REL 235: Christian Social Ethics
REL 240: Islam
REL 250: Judaism
REL 260: Buddhism
WST 211: Women in Religion
WST 223: Theologies of Liberation

African Americans', Appalachians', and Women's Perspective
AFR 132: Introduction to Race in America
AFR 135: African American Women Writers
AFR 141: African-American Literature
AFR 165: Introduction to African-American History
AFR 202: Women and African Americans in Politics
AFR 212: Literature of Caribbean Women
AFR 222: Introduction to African-American Studies
AFR 225: Environmental Justice
AFR 230: African Americans in Appalachia
AFR 231: African American Religious Traditions
AFR 234: African-American Music: An Overview
APS 121: Appalachian Culture
APS 140: Appalachian Literature
APS 210: Health in Appalachia
APS 213: Appalachian Crafts
APS 215: Sustainable Appalachian Communities
APS 224: Appalachian Music
APS 225: Environmental Justice
APS 229: Contemporary Issues in Appalachia
APS 230: African Americans in Appalachia
APS 253: Appalachian America
APS 330: Community Analysis: The Appalachian Case
CFS 207: Family Relations
CFS 366: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Family
ENG 135: African American Women Writers
ENG 140: Appalachian Literature
ENG 141: African-American Literature
ENG 212: Literature of Caribbean Women
ENG 237: Women and Literature
HIS 165: Introduction to African-American History
HIS 228: Gender in the Modern West, 1750-Present
HIS 253: Appalachian America
HLT 210: Health in Appalachia
MUS 224: Appalachian Music
MUS 234: African-American Music: An Overview
PSC 202: Women and African Americans in Politics
PSJ 225: Environmental Justice
REL 211: Women in Religion
SENS 215: Sustainable Appalachian Communities
SENS 225: Environmental Justice
SOC 132: Introduction to Race in America
SOC 330: Community Analysis: The Appalachian Case
TEC 213: Appalachian Crafts
WST 124: Introduction to Women’s Studies
WST 135: African American Women Writers
WST 202: Women and African Americans in Politics
WST 207: Family Relations
WST 211: Women in Religion
WST 212: Literature of Caribbean Women
WST 225: Environmental Justice
WST 228: Gender in the Modern West, 1750-Present
WST 237: Women and Literature
WST 315: Classic Texts in Women’s Studies
WST 366: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Family
WST 401: Advanced Studies in Feminism

International Perspective (Two Options)
The International Perspective is met by taking EITHER: A) Foreign Language Option—two courses in the same foreign language, one of which may be waived by a placement examination (i.e., at least one language course must be taken after entering Berea College)’ OR B) World Culture Option—two approved World Culture courses, at least one of which must be approved as Non-Western. Here is a list of courses that have been approved to meet the World Culture component of this perspective.

Those approved to meet the required Non-Western component of this Perspective are indicated in the following list.

AFR 212: Literature of Caribbean Women (Non-Western)
AFR 260: Survey of African History (Non-Western)
AFR 270: Sub-Saharan Black African Art (Non-Western)
ART 267: Colonial and Modern Latin American Art
ART 270: Sub-Saharan Black African Art (Non-Western)
AST 122: History of China (Non-Western)
AST 123: History of Japan (Non-Western)
AST 229: Modern Imperialism
AST 231: Religions of India and Tibet (Non-Western)
AST 232: Religions of China and Japan (Non-Western)
AST 260: Buddhism (Non-Western)
AST 322: Seminar in Chinese History (Non-Western)
AST 323: Seminar in Japanese History (Non-Western)
CFS 225: Food, Culture, and Society
CFS 366: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Family
ENG 212: Literature of Caribbean Women (Non-Western)
ENG 242: Introduction to Non-Western Literature (Non-Western)
HIS 122: History of China (Non-Western)
HIS 123: History of Japan (Non-Western)
HIS 224: 20th-Century World History
HIS 229: Modern Imperialism
HIS 240: Islam (Non-Western)
HIS 260: Survey of African History (Non-Western)
HIS 322: Seminar in Chinese History (Non-Western)
HIS 323: Seminar in Japanese History (Non-Western)
LAT 117: Classical Etymology (Non-Western)
MUS 106: World Music (Non-Western)
PED 248: World Dance (Non-Western)
PHI 207: Human Rights, International Law
PSC 207: Human Rights, International Law
PSC 352: Politics of Developing Nations (Non-Western)
REL 117: An Introduction to World Religions (Non-Western)
REL 231: Religions of India and Tibet (Non-Western)
REL 232: Religions of China and Japan (Non-Western)
REL 240: Islam (Non-Western)
REL 260: Buddhism (Non-Western)
WST 212: Literature of Caribbean Women (Non-Western)
WST 366: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Family

Lifetime Health and Fitness: PEH 100 and Physical Activity Requirement

Berea College offers courses, programs, and facilities intended to promote the wellness and personal well being of students and employees. Every student is required to take PEH 100, a 1/2-credit course, usually taken in the first year, and two 1/4-credit courses chosen from the 200-level PED activity courses (from two different areas). If the student’s swimming skills are below the minimal safety/survival levels at the conclusion of PEH 100, one of the two subsequent courses must be PED 200.

Active Learning Experience

The Active Learning Experience (ALE) is an opportunity for students to explore interconnections among various venues for learning—courses, labor, service, research, internships, etc. All ALEs must include: a) learning through sustained, continual engagement in, reflection on, and assessment of experiences; b) the use of knowledge, imagination, and judgment to address questions in novel contexts; and c) the exploration of connections between theory and practice, and between learning in courses and from experiences outside the classroom. Students must complete one approved ALE.

Writing Competency Requirement

Students are required to demonstrate writing competency by passing the Writing Competency Examination administered in Fall and Spring, or through the successful completion of GST 150: College Composition or ENG 104: Advanced ESL. (See First-Terms Requirements, to follow, for more information.)

Developmental Mathematics Requirement

The Development Mathematics Requirement must be waived on the basis of test scores OR met by completing MAT 010, 011, and/or 012. Each of these full-term courses carries one full load term credit but not earned credit toward graduation. They are graded “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” (See First-Terms Requirements, to follow, for more information.)

Twenty-one Earned Course Credits Outside the Major Requirement

Students must complete 21 earned course credits outside the core and distribution requirements of their major. When a course is used to satisfy both a General Education requirement and a major requirement, the credit is counted only one time, and in the major discipline. Collateral courses are included in the 21 credits outside the major. (If a collateral course or a substitution for a collateral course is within the major rubric, it does not count in the 21 credits outside the major.) Collateral courses are included in the major’s GPA calculation. Cross-listed courses may be counted as being outside the major if the course does not count toward any requirement for that major (including collateral courses) and if it is taken under the non-major rubric.

First-Terms Requirements

GSTR 110 and GSTR 210 must be completed by the end of the third regular term of enrollment. Students who have not completed the Writing Competency Requirement by the end of their second regular term must enroll in GST 150: College Composition or ENG 104: Advanced ESL in their third regular term. Students must complete the Writing Competency Requirement by the end of their fourth regular term of enrollment. Those students not completing their Writing Competency Requirement by the end of their fourth term are subject to suspension for two regular terms.

Developmental Mathematics (MAT 010, 011, and/or 012), if required, must be completed satisfactorily prior to the beginning of the third regular term of enrollment. Students are required to enroll continuously—Fall-Short-Spring-Summer terms or Spring-Summer (optional, but recommended)-Fall-Short terms—in MAT 010, MAT 011, and/or MAT 012 until their Developmental Mathematics requirement is completed. Those students not completing their Developmental Mathematics requirement by the beginning of their third regular term are subject to suspension for two regular terms.

The Convocation Series

The Convocation Series is a vital component of Berea’s General Education Program. Through the Convocation Series, notable speakers, scholars, performers, and authorities on a variety of subjects, both historic and contemporary, address and enrich the campus community. Convocation topics often are related to substance that students are considering in their classes.

All students automatically will be enrolled in a one-quarter-credit Convocation course (CNV 100) during each of their regular terms of enrollment, with the exception of the final term of enrollment, for a maximum of eight (8) such terms. For each term of enrollment in CNV 100, the student may earn the grade of CA (which is calculated as an A in the GPA) for attending at least seven (7) Convocations. The grade of CF (which is calculated as an F in the GPA) will be awarded for attendance at fewer than seven (7) Convocations. Enrollment in this course is optional during the final term at Berea (or is prohibited if the student already has enrolled in this course for eight terms).

Convocation credits only count in the GPA and not in the total credits earned toward graduation.

Teacher Education majors who enroll full-time during a regular term following a term of student teaching are required to meet the convocation requirements in that term.