General Education Program
College: General
Degree Offered:
None
Program Contact:
Program Director: Doug Singsen
Email: generaleducation@uwp.edu
Overview
The role of the general education program in the liberal arts education provided by UW-Parkside is twofold:
- to acquire a knowledge and skill set used across all academic disciplines; and
- to become aware that knowledge is diverse and composed of different principles and methodologies.
The goal is to prepare students to be successful in their professional, civic, and personal lives because a liberal arts education takes students beyond training for a specific career; it establishes the knowledge and fundamental skills used throughout life.
The program learning goals are communication, reasoned judgment and social and personal responsibility. These goals are defined by outcomes that reflect skills and abilities valued by all employers. These learning outcomes are:
Communication
- Literacy – reading for understanding and writing effective communication
- Oral communication – listening, speaking and presenting effectively
- Information technology – using modern information technology to retrieve and transmit information
- Creative expression – communicating through artistic statement
Reasoned Judgment
- Critical thinking – applying logic and reasoning to problem solving
- Ethical thinking – recognizing and analyzing ethical issues and actions
- Scientific thinking – understanding and applying the scientific method
- Analytical skills – understanding how to produce and interpret quantitative and qualitative information
- Aesthetic skills – critiquing and appreciating the fine arts (literary, visual, and performing)
Social and Personal Responsibility
- Individual accountability – understanding what a responsible choice is and that one’s present education and lifelong learning is a personal responsibility
- Social justice – understanding and questioning the values and beliefs about social, political, economic and historical contexts that construct diversity and inequality
- Civic engagement – learning to use knowledge and skills to contribute to the community
- Global perspective – acquiring the knowledge and skills that provide an understanding of international/global issues and processes
- Teamwork – working effectively with others for a common goal
These outcomes serve as university-wide shared learning goals and represent a framework for academic and professional success and lifelong learning. The distribution requirement fosters awareness of the difference principles and methodologies across disciplines as well as the similarities in the essential skills used by all disciplines. Students learn a “breadth” of knowledge by completing courses from disciplines representing:
- Humanities and the Arts
- Social and Behavioral Science
- Natural Science
The humanities and the arts foster imagination and creative expression through and about human experience in ways that the other areas do not. The social and behavioral sciences develop an understanding of social systems, the dynamics of individual and group behavior and the forces that operate in social relationships in areas ranging from economics to politics. The natural sciences develop an understanding of natural phenomena and the process and importance of scientific investigations.
Courses are approved on a bi-annual basis and reviewed on a five-year cycle by the General Education Committee. All General Education courses are to be offered on a yearly basis and at least one of the offerings from every department should be offered in an alternative format every three semesters. Course substitutions are typically not allowed because the assessment protocols are also part of the university’s accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission. In general, changes are announced a full year in advance.
Program Requirement
Students must take 12 credits in each of three broad areas - Humanities and the Arts, Social and Behavioral Science, and Natural Science - for a total of 36 credits. Each of these three areas is further broken down into individual disciplines. Students must take courses in at least three different disciplines within each broad area. Courses taken to fulfill the General Education requirement may also be used to fulfill requirements in a major, minor or certificate.
Courses meeting General Education Requirements
Students are required to take 12 credit hours from each area from at least three different departments/programs in each area. (A single course may be counted under one area only.)
UWX subject courses are for students in the online Associate of Arts and Sciences degree program.
Humanities and the Arts
12 credit hours from at least three different departments/programs
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ART 100 | Foundations of Art and Visual Culture | 3 |
| ART 102 | Introduction to Two Dimensional Design | 3 |
| ART 103 | Introduction to 3-D Design | 3 |
| ART 122 | Introduction to Drawing | 3 |
| ART 124 | Lowriders, Kicks, and Graffiti | 3 |
| ART 125 | Survey of World Art | 3 |
| COMM 105 | Public Speaking for the 21st Century | 3 |
| COMM 168 | Introduction to Visual and Digital Communication | 3 |
| COMM 205 | Oral Interpretation | 3 |
| COMM 285 | Introduction to Conflict Analysis and Resolution | 3 |
| ENGL 106 | Introduction to Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 167 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 168 | Introduction to Professional Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 252 | Introduction to Film | 3 |
| ENGL 253 | Literature Into Film | 3 |
| ENGL 267 | Literature of Diversity | 3 |
| ETHN 208 | Multicultural Theatre in America | 3 |
| GNED 102 | Foundations of Learning: Humanities and the Arts | 3 |
| GNED 191 | Special Topics: Humanities and the Arts | 1-5 |
| LBST 100 | The Life Expressive: Introduction to the Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| LBST 101 | Beauty, Bewilderment, and Love: The Humanities through 1500 | 3 |
| LBST 102 | Independence and Mystery: The Humanities from 1500 to the Present | 3 |
| LBST 103 | Understanding Social Justice | 3 |
| MODL 191 | Culture of Food: The French Case From Croissants to Champagne | 3 |
| MODL 218 | French Life and Culture | 3 |
| MUSI 100 | Appreciation of World Music | 3 |
| MUSI 101 | Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| MUSI 104 | Music Appreciation | 3 |
| MUSI 106 | Jazz Appreciation | 3 |
| MUSP 102 | Large Music Ensemble | 1 |
| PHIL 101 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 102 | Great Thinkers | 3 |
| PHIL 205 | Philosophy of Religion | 3 |
| PHIL 206 | Introduction to Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 215 | Contemporary Moral Problems | 3 |
| SPAN 203 | Intermediate Spanish I | 3 |
| SPAN 204 | Intermediate Spanish II | 3 |
| THEA 110 | Theatre Appreciation | 3 |
| THEA 112 | Behind the Scenes | 3 |
| THEA 114 | Musical Theatre Appreciation | 3 |
| THEA 125 | Acting I: Fundamentals of Acting | 3 |
| THEA 208 | Multicultural Theatre in America | 3 |
| THEA 215 | Queer Representation on Stage and Screen | 3 |
| UWX AR104 | Introduction to Graphic Design and Digital Art | 3 |
| UWX AR175 | Worlds of Art | 3 |
| UWX CM101 | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
| UWX CM114 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| UWX EN203 | Creative Writing | 3 |
| UWX EN210 | Business Communication | 3 |
| UWX EN250 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| UWX EN278 | Multicultural Literature in the United States | 3 |
| UWX LB103 | Diversity in the U.S. | 3 |
| UWX MU278 | Rock and Roll Roots | 3 |
| UWX PH121 | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| UWX PH237 | Technology, Values, and Society | 3 |
| UWX RE101 | Introduction to Religion | 3 |
| UWX SP101 | First Semester Spanish | 4 |
| UWX SP102 | Second Semester Spanish | 4 |
| UWX SP236 | Cultures and Civilizations of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America | 3 |
| WGSS 112 | Women In Literature | 3 |
| WGSS 215 | Queer Representation on Stage and Screen | 3 |
Social and Behavioral Science
12 credit hours from at least three different departments/programs
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 100 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 200 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| ANTH 201 | Introduction to Archaeology | 3 |
| BUS 100 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| BUS 201 | Experiencing Business | 3 |
| CBL 101 | Introduction to Community Engagement | 3 |
| COMM 107 | Communication and the Human Condition | 3 |
| COMM 108 | Media and Society | 3 |
| CPS 103 | Introduction to Smart Cities | 3 |
| CPS 104 | Introduction to Race and Ethnicity Concepts | 3 |
| CRMJ 101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CSCI 279 | Basic Information Security | 3 |
| ECON 101 | The American Economy | 3 |
| ECON 120 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 121 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ETHN 101 | Geography of American Ethnicity and Race | 3 |
| ETHN 201 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| FIN 134 | Personal Financial Planning | 3 |
| GEOG 101 | Geography of American Ethnicity and Race | 3 |
| GEOG 105 | Contemporary Human Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 108 | Culture and Environmental Sustainability | 3 |
| GEOG 110 | Introduction to Geography: World Regions | 3 |
| GNED 104 | Foundations of Learning: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| GNED 193 | Special Topics: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 1-5 |
| HIST 101 | The United States: Origins to Reconstruction | 3 |
| HIST 102 | The United States: Reconstruction to Recent Times | 3 |
| HIST 103 | History and Cultures of Modern Asia | 3 |
| HIST 119 | Western Civilization II: The Middle Ages to 1815 | 3 |
| HIST 128 | World History III: From 1800 to the Present | 3 |
| HLTH 270 | Lifetime Wellness | 3 |
| INTS 100 | Introduction to International Studies | 3 |
| INTS 210 | Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| INTS 228 | Peoples of Southeast Asia | 3 |
| LBST 210 | Introduction to Leadership | 3 |
| POLS 100 | American Politics | 3 |
| POLS 103 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POLS 104 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 |
| POLS 105 | Introduction to Politics | 3 |
| POLS 116 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychological Science | 3 |
| PSYC 275 | Job Search and Work-Life Transitions | 3 |
| SOCA 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOCA 206 | Race and Ethnic Relations in the U.S. | 3 |
| SOCA 207 | Marriage and Family | 3 |
| SOCA 216 | Social Issues in Substance Use and Abuse | 3 |
| SPMT 200 | Ethics and Issues in Sport Management | 3 |
| SPMT 210 | Sport in Society | 3 |
| UWP 294 | Work-Based Learning | 3 |
| UWX AN100 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| UWX BU101 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| UWX CM213 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| UWX EC203 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| UWX EC204 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| UWX FN210 | Personal Finance | 3 |
| UWX GS101 | Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies | 3 |
| UWX GS231 | Sex, Power, and Public Policy | 3 |
| UWX HE106 | Lifetime Wellness and Self Growth | 3 |
| UWX HS102 | U.S. History Since 1877 | 3 |
| UWX HS127 | The World in the 20th Century | 3 |
| UWX PL104 | Introduction to American Government and Politics | 3 |
| UWX PS101 | General Psychology | 3 |
| UWX PS250 | Lifespan Psychology | 3 |
| UWX SC101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| UWX SC222 | Race and Ethnicity | 3 |
| UWX SC231 | Crime and Criminal Justice | 3 |
| UWX SS310 | Media Literacy | 3 |
| UWX SW150 | Social Advocacy and the Social Work Experience | 3 |
| WGSS 110 | Introduction to Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies | 3 |
| WGSS 213 | Gender and Society | 3 |
Natural Science
12 credit hours from at least three different departments/programs
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 202 | Human Evolution | 3 |
| BIOS 100 | Nature of Life | 3 |
| BIOS 101 | Bioscience | 4 |
| BIOS 103 | Human Biology | 3 |
| BIOS 104 | Environmental Science: Biological Approach | 3 |
| BIOS 109 | Biology of Aging | 3 |
| BIOS 125 | Fundamentals of Freshwater | 3 |
| CHEM 100 | The World of Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 101 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHEM 115 | Chemical Science | 4 |
| CSCI 105 | Introduction to Computers | 3 |
| CSCI 130 | Introduction to Programming | 3 |
| CSCI 220 | Client Web Programming | 3 |
| CSCI 241 | Computer Science I | 5 |
| ENVS 101 | Introduction to Environmental Studies | 3 |
| ENVS 109 | Fundamentals of Climate Change | 3 |
| ETHN 120 | Astronomy of Native America | 3 |
| GEOG 100 | Physical Geography and the Environment | 3 |
| GEOS 100 | Earth in Perspective | 3 |
| GEOS 101 | Introductory Geology | 3 |
| GEOS 105 | Oceanography | 3 |
| GEOS 106 | Great Lakes Water Resources | 3 |
| GEOS 107 | Geology of National Parklands | 3 |
| GNED 106 | Foundations of Learning: Natural Science | 3 |
| GNED 195 | Special Topics: Natural Science | 1-5 |
| GSCI 102 | Science and Pseudoscience | 3 |
| HLTH 250 | First Aid and Safety | 3 |
| HLTH 280 | Nutrition for Wellness | 3 |
| MATH 103 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| MATH 110 | Cultural Perspectives of Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 221 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | 5 |
| MATH 222 | Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | 5 |
| MIS 221 | Business Programming I | 3 |
| PHYS 101 | Principles of Physics | 4 |
| PHYS 105 | College Physics I | 5 |
| PHYS 110 | Introduction to Astronomy | 3 |
| PHYS 120 | Astronomy of Native America | 3 |
| PHYS 150 | Physics of Music | 3 |
| PHYS 201 | General Physics I | 5 |
| UWX AS100 | Survey of Astronomy | 3 |
| UWX BL101 | Concepts of Biology | 4 |
| UWX BL285 | Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| UWX BL286 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| UWX CH114 | Chemistry in the Kitchen | 4 |
| UWX CH140 | General Chemistry I Lab | 1 |
| UWX CH144 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| UWX CS130 | Introduction to Programming | 3 |
| UWX ES105 | Introduction to Environmental Science | 3 |
| UWX GE100 | Physical Geography and the Environment | 3 |
| UWX GE170 | Disasters: Living on the Edge | 4 |
| UWX HE209 | Nutrition and Weight Management | 3 |
| UWX MA117 | Elementary Statistics | 4 |
| UWX MA221 | Calculus I | 5 |
Courses offered by General Education
GNED 102 | Foundations of Learning: Humanities and the Arts | 3 cr
Introduces core skills essential to success in college and the professional workplace, including time management, study techniques, information literacy, and writing skills. Explores interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving, through the frame of multiple academic or professional disciplines.Topics may vary by instructor.
Prerequisites: Freshman Standing.
Offered: Fall.
Meets: Humanities and the Arts: GNED
GNED 104 | Foundations of Learning: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 cr
Introduces core skills essential to success in college and the professional workplace, including time management, study techniques, information literacy, and writing skills. Explores interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving, through the frame of multiple academic or professional disciplines.Topics may vary by instructor.
Prerequisites: Freshman Standing.
Offered: Fall.
Meets: Social & Behavioral Science: GNED
GNED 106 | Foundations of Learning: Natural Science | 3 cr
Introduces core skills essential to success in college and the professional workplace, including time management, study techniques, information literacy, and writing skills. Explores interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving, through the frame of multiple academic or professional disciplines.Topics may vary by instructor.
Prerequisites: Freshman Standing.
Offered: Fall.
Meets: Natural Science: GNED
GNED 190 | Special Topics | 1-5 cr
Topics of special interest to the process, content and assessment of general education. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Note: In some cases, online formats may be explored.
Prerequisites: Varies by topic.
Offered: Occasionally.
GNED 191 | Special Topics: Humanities and the Arts | 1-5 cr
Topics of special interest to the process, content and assessment of general education with specific emphasis in humanities and the arts. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
Prerequisites: Varies with topic.
Offered: Occasionally.
Meets: Humanities and the Arts: GNED
GNED 193 | Special Topics: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 1-5 cr
Explores topics of special interest to the process, content and assessment of general education with specific emphasis in the social and behavioral sciences. May be repeated for credit with different topic.Counts towards completion of the university's general education requirement in the social and behavioral sciences.
Prerequisites: Varies with topic.
Offered: Occasionally.
Meets: Social & Behavioral Science: GNED
GNED 195 | Special Topics: Natural Science | 1-5 cr
Topics of special interest to the process, content and assessment of general education with specific emphasis in the natural sciences. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
Prerequisites: Varies with topic.
Offered: Occasionally.
Meets: Natural Science: GNED
GNED 290 | Special Topics in General Education | 1-3 cr
Topics of special interest to the process, content and assessment of general education. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
Prerequisites: Freshman, sophomore standing.
Offered: Occasionally.