2005-06 Greenville College Catalog

Academic Information

General Education

An Orientation to Greenville College's Liberal Arts Focus

Greenville College provides education focused on the liberal arts and sciences. Because of this, students must complete not only a major, but also a general education curriculum. These are not courses the faculty added as afterthoughts. These courses are seminal in Greenville College's efforts to educate students who can live lives of character and service. This liberating learning will introduce students to transformative ideas, skills, and values that they can embrace for life-long learning. Required courses expose students to multiple views and perspectives to enable them to respond with maturity to the complexities of the contemporary world and its cultural, religious, and ideological diversity.

All degrees require students to complete general education courses. These courses are divided into two categories: Core and Distributed. Core requirements are those we view as fundamental to the Christian liberal arts focus of Greenville College. The content of these courses compels students to think about ideas from interdisciplinary perspectives. The Distributed requirements are offered in a variety of fields. They are required for two reasons. First, they are designed to help students develop essential skills that are attributes of all well-educated people such as critical thinking and communication skills. Second, they provide students with introductions to the humanities, the natural sciences, the social sciences, and physical fitness. These courses are designed to give students knowledge of and respect for the wholeness of God's creation and human efforts to understand that creation.

The general education requirements for each degree are presented in the table following the explanation of the Core and Distributed requirements below. The table indicates that there are different requirements for students seeking B.A., B.S., and B.M.E. degrees. There are also different requirements for students who come to Greenville College's campus with less than 60 hours of college credit, those with 60 or more hours of credit, and those with an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree. Because different students will have different requirements, they are advised to study the table and read this section carefully. They should also speak with their advisors about their specific general education requirements. (See the Table 107KB .pdf)

When specific courses are required of students they are listed in the table. For example, the specific course COR 401: Capstone Seminar in Advanced Integrative Studies is listed in the table. The “X” in each column of the table indicates that this specific course must be taken by all students who seek to graduate from Greenville College, regardless of their status when they enter and regardless of the degree that they seek. Detailed descriptions of these and all courses offered at the College are listed alphabetically in the Undergraduate Course Listings later in the Catalog.

Sometimes specific courses are not required. For example, the table shows that a Cross Cultural Course or Experience is required of all students who seek a degree from GC. They are not required to take one specific course that satisfies the requirement; many courses can. These are explained in the section below.

Core Requirements

Core Requirements: Core courses are fundamental to the Christian liberal arts focus of Greenville College. Most students are required to take four Core courses. These include COR 101: Cornerstone Seminar: Foundations in the Liberal Arts Tradition (3 credits); COR 102: Introduction to Christian Thought and Life (3 credits); COR 302: Science and Christianity (3 credits); and COR 401: Capstone Seminar: Advanced Integrative Studies (2 credits). Visit the Core Course Listing section to see a description of these courses.

Transfer students who arrive at Greenville College with 60 or more credits or an A.A. or A.S. degree are exempt from taking COR 101 and COR 102. However, these transfer students still must take COR 302 and COR 401. Their first fall semester on campus they must also take COR 301: Liberal Arts and Christian Thought (3 credits).

Distributed Requirements

Distributed Requirements. Distributed courses help students develop skills such as critical thinking and provide students with introductions to the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and physical fitness.

Required Courses: The faculty requires most students to take five specific general education courses in addition to the Core. These include COM 101: Speech Communication (3 credits); ENG 101: Research and Writing (3 credits); HPR 101: Wellness: Basic Concepts (1 credit); HPR 102: Wellness: Physical Fitness (1 credit); and HST 101: Western Civilization (3 credits). Students arriving on campus with an A.A. or A.S. degree are not required to take these courses. B.M.E. students are not required to take HPR 102 but must take all others.

Required Areas of Study: Students are required to study in a number of additional areas in order to complete their general education requirements. These are areas of study as opposed to specifically required courses. In each of these areas, students may choose among a number of different course options. These are listed by area below.

• REL 205: Old Testament Survey
• REL 215: New Testament Survey
• REL 270: Wisdom and Poetic Literature of the Old Testament
• REL 321: Pentateuch
• REL 322: Prophets
• REL 352: Pauline Epistles
• REL 353: Synoptic Gospels

Other courses (such as REL 199 or 399 open titled courses) may also fulfill the Biblical Studies requirement. Students interested in these alternative courses should check with the head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion to ensure that proposed courses will fulfill the Biblical Studies requirement.

Ideally, CC courses:

• Focus on a cultural group or groups other than the predominant culture group of the United States.
• Provide a significant knowledge base regarding a different culture or cultures and, in so doing, emphasize the importance of developing a comprehensive worldview.
• Explain ethnocentrism and its role in the development of perceptions and reality.
• Focus on the alternative views of reality and perceptions of the cultural group(s) studied: beliefs, values, customs, language, non-verbal communication, etc.
• Include the study of the accomplishments of the culture(s) being considered.
• Strive to develop empathy toward the group or groups studied.
• Address the issues of cultures in conflict between and within nations.
• Develop an understanding of social and cultural change.

Minimally, a CC course or experience must meet five of the eight criteria. The CC designation for a course is made by the director of multicultural and cross-cultural programs in conjunction with the General Education Council.

In unusual circumstances a student can meet the CC requirement through an alternative experience (CCE). The objective of the CCE alternative is to encourage formal cross cultural interactions, intentional learning, and engagement. A CCE must take place in an intercultural setting through an approved institution, voluntary service agency, or other approved organization. Completion of the CCE requires at least 100 contact hours with people of a different culture.

CCEs must be approved by the director of multicultural and cross-cultural programs and the student's faculty advisor at least two months before they occur. In no case will CCE approval be granted after an experience has occurred. The CCE alternative is intended for those who plan to participate directly in a cross-cultural setting, in service, work, and study activities. It cannot be met through informal travel or extended tourist activities.

For a full listing of available courses and CCE proposal forms visit the CC office or the website at http://www.greenville.edu/academics/mccc/index.shtml.

Foreign Language
Students pursuing a B.A. degree who enter Greenville College without an A.A. or A.S. degree must complete the foreign language requirement. To do this, they must demonstrate competency in French, Spanish, Greek, Latin, or some other approved foreign language. They can demonstrate their competency by passing two semesters (6 credit hours including courses numbered 101 and 102) of college coursework in one of the languages listed earlier, or by passing a proficiency examination. Students should contact Dr. Brian Reinhard (brian.reinhard@greenville.edu) for more information about competency testing.

Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPR) Activities
Most students pursuing B.A. or B.S. degrees must complete two HPR activity credits in order to graduate. HPR activities courses are usually 0.5 credit courses offered for seven weeks of each semester. Students may choose from a variety of courses, including HPR 200 Leisure Sports, or any HPR course numbered 202-205, 209, 212, or 213, entitled Individual or Team Sports.

Students who enter with an A.A. or A.S. degree are not required to complete the HPR activities requirement. B.M.E. students and those pursuing a B.S. in any of the eight secondary education programs are only required to complete one credit of HPR activities. One of the activities courses for secondary education majors must include Self Defense.

Students participating in a varsity sport, cheerleading, or dance team for a complete season may waive a maximum of one credit of the activity requirement. Varsity athletes, cheerleaders, and dance team members do not earn HPR activity course credit for their athletic participation; they waive the activity requirement. In other words, participation cannot help students accumulate credits towards graduation but can help them fulfill this requirement. The waiver applies only to HPR activity credits, not HPR 101 or HPR 102 requirements.

Veterans or students over 25 years of age when entering Greenville College for the first time may also waive the HPR Activity credits. The HPR 101 and HPR 102 requirements still must be completed.

Only two credits of HPR activities courses may be applied to the graduation requirement of 126 credits.

Courses that fulfill the literature requirement include ENG 201: Introduction to Literature and ENG 243: Masterpieces of World Literature. It is highly recommended that students majoring in early childhood, elementary, and/or special education take ENG 350: Children's Literature. Students pursuing B.S. degrees in one of eight secondary education programs may fulfill this requirement by completing ENG 351: Literature for Adolescents. Other approved multi-genre literature courses not listed here may also fulfill the literature requirement; contact the head of the English Department for more information.

Mathematics or Quantitative Reasoning
All students except those entering Greenville College with A.A. or A.S. degrees must complete the mathematics or quantitative reasoning requirement. Any mathematics course numbered 101 or higher offered for three or four hours of credit will meet the requirement, as will PSY 202: Statistics or SOC 202: Statistics (both three credits).

Natural Science
Most students at Greenville College must complete two natural science courses, and one of those courses must include a laboratory component. Natural science courses are those taught in Biology (BIO), Chemistry (CHM), and Physics (PHY). Students must take one course in one area and a second course in a second area. For example, a student can fulfill this requirement by taking one course with a BIO prefix and a second course with either a CHM or PHY prefix. A student cannot fulfill this requirement by taking two courses from a single area. For example, a student taking two courses with a BIO prefix will need an additional course with either a CHM or a PHY prefix. Courses that have laboratory components all require students to sign up for separate laboratory sections.

Some students are exempt from some or all of the natural science requirement. Students who are majoring in any secondary education program or are pursuing a bachelor's of music education degree must take only one natural science course. This course must include a laboratory component. Those entering GC with A.A. or A.S. degrees do not have to take natural science classes to fulfill the general education requirements.

Psychology
All students except those entering with an A.A. or A.S. degree must complete the psychology requirement. They may do so by taking any three-credit psychology course except PSY 202: Statistics. Often students take either PSY 101: General Psychology, or PSY 220: Psychology for Living to complete this requirement.

Sociology
Students completing a B.A. or B.S degree in an area other than secondary education must fulfill the sociology requirement unless they enter Greenville College with an A.A. or A.S. degree. This requirement can be fulfilled by the successful completion of any three-credit sociology course except SOC 202: Statistics. Students typically take SOC 101: Principles of Sociology, SOC 103: Social Problems, or SOC 112: Anthropology to complete this requirement.

• ART 353 Art History: The Twentieth Century
• BIO 410 Seminar in Biology
• CHM 409 Seminar in Chemistry
• CIS 365 Computer Science Theory
• COM 410 Communication Seminar
• EDU 305 Issues and Trends in Early Childhood Education
• EDU 312 Teaching of Reading
• EDU 340 Educational Measurement and Evaluation
• ENG 324 Writing Fiction and Poetry
• ENG 417 Assessment & Evaluation in TESOL
• ENG 456 English Seminar
• HPR 410 Seminar in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
• MGT 409 Seminar: Business as a Calling
• MGT/SS 301 Professional Communication
• MP 410 Media Promotions Seminar
• MTH 212 Linear Algebra
• MUSG 310 Music History II
• PHL 310 Philosophy of Religion
• PHL 330 Ethics
• PHL 470 Metaphysics Seminar
• PHY 409 Seminar in Physics
• PSY 350 Psychological Systems
• SOC 380 Sociological Theory

Last updated: September 13 , 2005