AA in General Education

The course provides instruction that focuses on the writing process, evaluating and explaining ideas, critical reading, conducting library and Internet research, developing a research paper, and documenting research. Students will learn that reading is a complex process. Students are required to complete a minimum of 10,000 graded words in essays that include a researched essay. All work shall be submitted as a part of a final writing portfolio.

Prerequisite: ENGU 103.

English 104 develops a student’s critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as they apply to the analysis of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction. The readings for the course reflect the diversity of writers and perspectives. Through a variety of essays, students will demonstrate their understanding of a variety of literary devices and their ability to write persuasively about literature. Not only will students improve their ability to analyze and write about literature, but they will also increase their understanding of the world and its people. Students will complete five essays totaling at least 8,000 words.

This course presents contemporary and historical topics in mathematics and discusses their use in modern business, science, social science, and other applications. Students will explore mathematical concepts in a real-world context. These concepts include problem-solving methods, set theory, graph theory, number theory, algebraic modeling, probability, statistics, voting methods, fair division, economics, and finance topics.

The primary goal of COMU 101 is to provide students with the opportunity to improve their public speaking skills in the areas of preparation and delivery. The method of speaking emphasized is extemporaneous. Though public speaking is the primary focus of the course, other issues of communication, such as written, interpersonal and group, are also discussed. In addition, students will learn to be more critical consumers of communication.

Students will explore and practice strategies designed to improve their success throughout their college experience. Topics include specific study skills, such as note-taking, critical thinking and test-taking. Students will also address goal setting, stress reduction and time management, to help them balance work and home life. Additionally, students will evaluate how their own learning styles guide their approaches to education, and they will formulate a personal strategy for success.

This course introduces students to core intellectual concepts in a liberal arts education. The course focuses on a critical reading and interpretation of resources from a broad range of disciplines, including literature, history, philosophy, and social sciences. Students will be encouraged to develop an ability and desire to question, examine, and discover connections between course topics, their own lives, and the broader community.