University of Nebraska at Kearney
1998-2000 Undergraduate CATALOG

General Studies Information

GENERAL STUDIES COURSES

Throughout the catalog the letters GS are added following the number of a course which is part of the General Studies Program.

Because courses which can be used to satisfy the writing intensive and cultural diversity requirements may be limited to certain sections of the course taught each semester, the WI and CD designations appear only in the class schedule.

General Studies courses designed for students in the Honors Program carry the "H" designation after the course number.

Go directly to:

• I. ENGLISH LANGUAGE
• II. FOREIGN LANGUAGE
• III. HUMANITIES
• IV. MATHEMATICS, STATISTICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE
• V. NATURAL SCIENCES
• VI. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
• VII. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
• VIII. CAPSTONE COURSE

I. ENGLISH LANGUAGE
(6 hours of composition and 3 hours of speech coursework or waiver required)

In addition to those objectives required of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to form and support a coherent position on an issue,
2. demonstrate the ability to write and speak in a formal manner appropriate to the audience,
3. demonstrate the ability to read, speak, and write "expressive" as well as "transactional" language i.e., to develop and understand the role of voice in communication as well as the message itself.

ENG 101GS, Expository Writing I - 3 hours
ENG 102GS, Expository Writing II - 3 hours
SPCH 100GS, Fundamentals of Speech - 3 hours

II. FOREIGN LANGUAGE
(0-3 hours of 200 level classes in foreign language may be counted towards the requirement for 45 hours of General Studies courses. Students with a grade of A or B in English 101 may substitute a 200 level General Studies foreign language course for the English 102 requirement.)

III. HUMANITIES
(9-15 hours coursework from three separate perspectives or waiver required)

In addition to those objectives required of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to comprehend primary texts, i.e., the work of literary figures, historical figures, philosophers, and critics; film and theatrical performance; works of art; music in performance and/or notation,
2. demonstrate the ability to form and support , in writing, coherent positions on issues relevant to primary texts,
3. demonstrate the ability to use, in speaking and writing, the forms of reference and the manners of discourse appropriate to the particular discipline,
4. demonstrate the ability to see primary texts as cultural descriptions as well as individual creation.
   While not all courses in the Humanities focus exclusively on primary texts, students in every course will experience, through reading, seeing, or hearing, significant cultural works and documents.

Within the Humanities requirement, courses should be distributed among the perspectives listed below. At a minimum, students must take one course from Literary Perspectives, one from Aesthetic Perspectives and one from Historical Perspectives.

IV. MATHEMATICS, STATISTICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE
(3-6 course work or waiver required. One course must be a Math or Statistics course at the level of Math 102 or higher. Math 090 and 101 do not count as General Studies.)

In addition to those objectives required of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to manage and interpret numerical data using the appropriate mathematical tools,
2. demonstrate the ability to express formal, mathematical relationships using logical analyses and differing forms of mathematical reasoning,
3. demonstrate the ability to utilize mathematical techniques in order to define problems and to search for strategies for testing solutions.

Mathematics/Statistics Courses
(3-6 hours of Math/Statistics or waiver required)

Any courses offered by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at the level of Math 102 or above may count for General Studies credit.
(Math 090 and 101 do not count as General Studies.)

Computer Science Courses
(0-6 hours or waiver required)
The following computer science courses may count towards the Math requirement beyond the 3 hour minimum which must be taken within Math/Statistics:

CSIS 109GS, FORTRAN Programming - 3 hours
CSIS 110GS, Structured COBOL Programming - 3 hours
CSIS 111GS, Applied BASIC Programming - 3 hours
CSIS 130GS, Introduction to Computer Science - 3 hours

V. NATURAL SCIENCES
(7-15 hours coursework from at least two Departments or waiver required. At least one of the courses taken will have a laboratory component.)

In addition to those objectives of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to apply the logical structure of scientific methodology in the laboratory setting,
2. demonstrate the ability to comprehend how scientific concepts originate, are validated and refined,
3. demonstrate the ability to use the specialized vocabulary needed to understand matter and energy.

VI. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
(9-15 hours coursework from three separate perspectives or waiver required)

In addition to those objectives required of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate an understanding of human experiences and be able to relate them to the present,
2. demonstrate the ability to understand the application of the empirical research methods used in the social sciences to understand individual behavior as well as the interrelationships among people,
3. demonstrate the ability to comprehend how social scientific concepts originate, are validated and refined within a variety of social science disciplines,
4. demonstrate the ability to evaluate the strengths and limitations of the social sciences and the explanations they offer for contemporary life.

Within the Social and Behavioral sciences, courses should be distributed among the following perspectives:

VII. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
(2-3 hours course work or waiver required.)

In addition to those objectives required of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to confront the complexities--physical, emotional, economic, and/or technological--of the contemporary world.
2. demonstrate the development of skills, behaviors and problem solving strategies necessary to prevail in the contemporary world.

BSAD 160GS, Personal Money Management - 3 hours
CSIS 108GS, Computers in Society - 3 hours
FCSC 108GS, Space for Family Living - 3 hours
FCSC 110GS, Introduction to Nutrition - 3 hours
FCSC 151GS, Human Sexual Behavior - 3 hours
ITEC 150GS, Telecommunications Literacy - 3 hours
ITEC 211GS, Alternate Energy and Technology - 3 hours
JMC 100GS, Mass Media in America - 3 hours
PE 109GS, Basic Sports - 0.5 hour
PE 110GS, Basic Sports - 1 hour
PE 160GS, Healthful Living - 3 hours
PE 260GS, First Aid, Responding to Emergencies - 2 hours
SFED 235GS, General Safety Education - 3 hours

VIII. CAPSTONE COURSE
(0-1 semester hour after development and approval of the course)
The University is in the process of developing Capstone Courses. When such courses become available, students may apply up to 1 hour of a capstone course to meet the 45 hours General Studies requirement.

In addition to those objectives required of all General Studies courses, students will:

1. demonstrate the ability to use the breadth and diversity of knowledge and experience from a variety of disciplines in order to solve real world problems.
2. demonstrate an understanding of cultures other than their own.
3. demonstrate the understanding and knowledge needed to function responsibly in one's natural, social, and political environment.