The General Education The General Education Program at WestmontProgram at Westmont

Its goals and how to navigate the Its goals and how to navigate the requirementsrequirements

The Graduation RequirementsThe Graduation Requirements• Complete at least 124 units with at least a 2.0 GPA.

• Complete the general education requirements

• Complete a major with– at least 2.0 average in the upper-division major courses– at least one half of the upper division major requirements taken

“at Westmont”

• Complete 68 units outside your major department

• Meet the senior residence requirement

The Purpose of the GEThe Purpose of the GE• Foster

– Intellectual vitality– Christian character– Commitment to service

• Provide– Support for the major area of study– Tools to relate specialized knowledge to other

areas of learning, to life, and to the world

The Components of General The Components of General Education at WestmontEducation at Westmont

• Common Contexts

• Common Inquiries

• Commons Skills

• Competent and Compassionate Action

Common Contexts – PurposeCommon Contexts – Purpose

• Ground our pursuit of knowledge in the context of God’s revelation

• Provide contextual background, concepts, vocabulary to support exploration in other areas

Common Contexts – Content Common Contexts – Content

• Biblical and Theological Canons– Life and Literature of the New Testament– Introduction to Christian Doctrine– Life and Literature of the Old Testament

• Introduction to the Christian Liberal Arts– Philosophical Reflections on Truth and Value– World Civilizations in Christian Perspective

Common Contexts Common Contexts Special ConsiderationsSpecial Considerations

• Common Contexts courses must be taken at Westmont

• Take these courses early. Try to complete these requirements by the end of your second year.

The Components of General The Components of General Education at WestmontEducation at Westmont

• Common Contexts

• Common Inquiries

• Commons Skills

• Competent and Compassionate Action

Common Inquiries – PurposeCommon Inquiries – Purpose

• Provide an introduction to a range of methodological approaches to knowledge and ways of thinking

• Provide a broad context within which to place the major discipline

Common Inquiries – ContentCommon Inquiries – Content• Reading Imaginative Literature• Exploring the Physical Sciences• Exploring the Life Sciences• Reasoning Abstractly• Performing and Interpreting the Arts• Thinking Globally• Thinking Historically• Understanding Society

Common Inquiries Common Inquiries Special ConsiderationsSpecial Considerations

• These are method, not departmentally, based

• Be conscious of the requirement that 68 units be taken outside the major department when selecting these courses

• One time only, you can use one course to satisfy two Common Inquiries requirements

Common Skills – PurposeCommon Skills – Purpose

• Improve communication skills to support academic, professional and personal life

• Enhance the capacity to work with numerical data and analytic models

• Develop physical skills and habits of fitness to support a healthy and active life

Common Skills – ContentCommon Skills – Content• Three writing or speech intensive courses

– Writing for the Liberal Arts– writing/speech-intensive course in the major– writing/speech-intensive course outside the

major• Quantitative and Analytical Reasoning• Modern/Foreign Language• Physical Education (4)

Common Skills Common Skills Special ConsiderationsSpecial Considerations

The first two parts (A and B) are not assigned units – they should be done in the context of other GE or major courses

Common Skills Common Skills Writing for the Liberal ArtsWriting for the Liberal Arts

• You should take this during your first year• ENG 002: Composition is typically required• You may use an alternate writing-intensive

course if you have a qualifying test score (ACT, SAT WR II, TSWE)

• A qualifying score does not exempt you from the requirement – it gives you more course options.

Common Skills Common Skills Writing/Speech-Intensive CoursesWriting/Speech-Intensive Courses

• Take these at a rate of one per year• Take these in the context of another GE or

major course• Writing/Speech-Intensive courses in the

major are typically offered as upper division courses

• Sections C and D of RS 20: Doctrine are writing-intensive

Common Skills Common Skills Modern/Foreign LanguageModern/Foreign Language

• If you will be continuing in a language, your course level will be established by a placement exam

• Student placing into the fourth semester of a language or with an AP score of 4 or 5 are not required to take an additional language course. However, they are encouraged to do so.

Common Skills Common Skills Physical EducationPhysical Education

• All students must take Fitness for Life (not

necessarily first) and three additional activity courses

• You should take the PE Activity courses at the rate of at least one per year

• Only one PE Activity course per term will count toward your total unit count or the GE requirement

• Athletes can use their sport one time

Competent and Compassionate Competent and Compassionate Action – Purpose Action – Purpose

• Provide an opportunity to integrate the entire educational experience

• Put your learning into practice

• Initiate the practice of life-long, reflective service

Competent and Compassionate Competent and Compassionate Action – ContentsAction – Contents

• One of– Productions and Presentations– Integrating the Major Discipline

• One of– Serving Society; Enacting Justice– Communicating Cross-Culturally

Competent and Compassionate Competent and Compassionate Action – Details Action – Details

• These experiences are intended to be culminations of your studies – they should be done in your junior or senior year

• These must be done with the academic oversight, but need not be connected with a particular course

• It is preferable, but not required, to satisfy these requirements in the context of your major

The Flow of a Westmont EducationThe Flow of a Westmont Education

Common Contexts

Com

mon S

kills

Major

Competent & Compassionate Action

Common Inquiries

AP, IB and A-LevelsAP, IB and A-Levels

• Credit toward the total 124 required units is awarded for AP scores of 4 and 5 and IB (HL) scores of 5, 6 or 7

• Credit will be awarded after the registrar’s office has received official notice of the results

• You can tell what credit has been awarded by checking the GE checklist

• A maximum of 32 units will be accepted

AP, IB, A-Levels and the GEAP, IB, A-Levels and the GE

• AP/IB credit may not be used to satisfy Common Contexts requirements

• Credit may be applied for up to three appropriate Common Inquiries requirements without restriction

• AP credit may be applied to additional Common Inquiries areas upon completing an advanced course in the area at Westmont

• Upon completion of the course, the student must file a form with the registrar's office

Planning for an Off-Campus Planning for an Off-Campus ExperienceExperience

• Plan early • Talk with your major advisor

• GE courses that are not likely to duplicate off-campus offerings– Common Contexts courses (5)– Reading Imaginative Literature– Exploring the Physical Sciences– Exploring the Life Sciences– Reasoning Abstractly

Liberal Studies MajorsLiberal Studies Majors(Prospective Elementary School Teachers)(Prospective Elementary School Teachers)

• You will need to make specific choices for your GE courses to fit with your major

• Consult carefully with your departmental advisor

Questions?Questions?

Common Contexts

Com

mon S

kills

Major

Competent & Compassionate Action

Common Inquiries