Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts

In this foundational course, students explore the principles necessary for achieving personal and career success. GEN 101 serves as a road map, guiding students as they begin their academic journey. Through self-discovery, surveying available resources, connecting with UAGC groups, and engaging with Career Services, students learn the essential skills of planning and goal setting. Students apply their personal strengths, skills, and lifelong learning strategies to develop essential career competencies. By making these meaningful connections students gain a deeper understanding of how their education relates to their desired career path.  Congratulations on embarking on this college journey filled with growth, exploration, and endless possibilities! This course is not available for non-degree seeking students and is not available as an elective.

This course offers an overview of digital fluency as it applies to personal, academic, financial, and professional success. Students will analyze the impact of digital technology on personal, social, and diversity issues and will develop digital skills that will assist in achieving academic, personal, and career goals. An overview of digital media is introduced with practical strategies for application in personal and professional life.

Learn and use key, practical skills that are applicable at home, at work, and in all UAGC courses! As UAGC students progress in their academic journey, strategies for personal, professional, and academic success continue to develop. This introductory course takes a two-pronged approach to setting students on a path to success. It merges fundamental informational literacy concepts with essential resources and skills that prepare students for college and career. Students learn how to identify, locate, evaluate, apply, and acknowledge information obtained through UAGC Library databases and internet search engines. By applying the research process, students sharpen critical thinking skills and learn to use information ethically. The final project is a practical and relevant opportunity for students to apply their learning in personally, professionally, and academically meaningful ways.

ENG 121 is designed to introduce students to the standards of writing in both academic and professional settings. The class will operate by first introducing, and then allowing students to practice, several written communication skills. Throughout, we will work to understand writing as a process, one that is strengthened through critical thinking, deepened by research, and built on a foundation of professional standards. Students will articulate a sense of their own skills and goals, and engage in collaborative conversations with peers and their instructor so as to be able to express their ideas more effectively. During the course, students will use the writing process to scrutinize their own perspectives while challenging them to embrace a wider conversation.

This course is a study of correct and incorrect reasoning involved in everyday activities. The fundamentals of language and argument, deductive and inductive reasoning and other aspects of practical reasoning are examined. 

This course examines and evaluates theories and arguments concerning ethics and moral reasoning from a philosophical perspective. By engaging with historical and contemporary sources, students will analyze theories about the meaning, nature, and justification of ethical concepts; determine and assess how different forms of moral reasoning apply to contemporary moral issues; become more reflective and informed about their own moral beliefs; and develop their capacity for critical practical reasoning.

In this course, students will develop and expand their research and writing skills to communicate ideas in informed, ethical, and persuasive written documents intended for a range of audiences across a range of situations and contexts. Students will receive instruction and practice in synthesis and analysis, bolstering their written communication skills with a thorough understanding of academic research while honing critical thinking skills and effective work habits. Through writing well-structured, logical, and effective academic essays, students will explore tools and develop topics in a way that is meaningful to academic and professional lives. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 121 or equivalent with a grade of “C-” or better.

This course is designed to aid students in understanding the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. Verbal and nonverbal communication patterns among people in personal, social, academic, and professional settings will be examined, within and between cultures, including both face-to-face and technologically mediated channels.  The nature of these interactions will be evaluated using contemporary communication theory. The course will enable students to identify their interpersonal communication skills and behaviors and to more critically evaluate their own oral communication and that of others. The primary goals of the course are to improve the quality of students’ communication in their personal and professional relationships, to enhance students’ experience and. confidence with oral communication, and increase awareness of the importance of interpersonal communication that is inclusive and equitable.

A survey of government at the national level. Emphasis is placed on the constitutional basis of American government, federalism, the sources and forms of political behavior, the operation of the three branches of government, and the making of national policy.

In this course, learners deepen their understanding of the importance of natural resources to mankind. Students explore physical, biological, and ecological principles, examine how human alterations affect the environment, and reflect on the controversies surrounding various approaches to addressing environmental problems and the steps some communities have taken to address these challenges.

In this course, students will explore a wide range of Algebra topics. Topics will include study of linear equations, linear relationships, slope, polynomials, and functions, including graphing relations and solving systems of equations. Emphasis will be placed on developing an awareness of historical and current uses of algebra in real life settings, in various careers, and in solving important societal problems.

The capstone serves as an opportunity to reflect upon, integrate, and showcase learning achievement. Through discussions and course-embedded assessments, students will demonstrate a mastery of essential general education competencies as they relate to their personal and professional lives and provide evidence of growth through application of competency related skills to real-world situations. A minimum grade of “C-“ is required to meet course requirements. Prerequisite: 75 completed credits or permission of the student’s college or dean.

In this course, students will examine how works of literature, philosophy, theology, visual art, architecture, and music from antiquity through the early modern era express the human condition. In addition, students will focus on differentiating primary, secondary, and tertiary sources of information and the value of each. Key to this inquiry is considering the significance of gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and geography on the development of humanistic inquiry within multicultural contexts. Awareness of these issues will allow students to understand how ideas from the past about the human condition impact contemporary society.

In this course, students will examine how works of literature, philosophy, theology, visual art, architecture, and music from the fifteenth century to the present express the human condition. They will analyze how diversity of gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and culture impact perspective. They will describe the components of critical thinking and apply those components to discovering the causes, consequences, and significance of historical and sociological developments.

This class serves as the gateway into the upper-division sequence of the Liberal Arts program. It is designed to introduce key terminology and methodology associated with both disciplinary and interdisciplinary work in the liberal arts. In addition to this foundational work, students will begin to design and develop an individualized ePortfolio, which will continue to be built and refined over the course of their studies. The unifying goal of the class is that students identify competencies associated with attaining individual goals within the framework of interdisciplinary liberal arts. Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of the instructor.

Women, Culture, and Society” examines the images, roles, and contributions of women in historical and artistic contexts from the Renaissance to the present. The course is designed to give students an understanding of the role women have played in the development of culture in Western Civilization as well as the ways western societies have shaped women’s lives and creative expression. With conversations on the arts and theory, the course analyzes the complex ways gender, intersecting with race, class, and ethnicity, influences our experience and culture.

The Environment and the Human Spirit class asks students to develop a conscientious awareness of relationships between humans and the world in which they live. Students will question how they came to hold their beliefs about “nature” or the environment, including the role of personal and cultural narratives surrounding these positions. This knowledge will inform discussions of attitudes and policies required to resolve serious environmental issues. The ultimate goal is the development of analytical skills to understand and engage in discourses around nature from an interdisciplinary perspective. Prerequisite: ENG 122 or Written Communication Competency II. 

This course examines the historical movements and events that have influenced the production of literary works from 1775 to the present. Students will analyze literary works of different genres, historical periods, and regions of the world in order to explore the ways in which literature has influenced and been influenced by social, political, and historical contexts and discourse. Students will also consider how literary works contribute to collective and cultural memory, and cultural identity.

This course explores contemporary world literature as it highlights universal human themes across diverse regions and cultures. Students analyze literary works within their cultural contexts and assess how literature and language are shaped by the history, traditions, values, and geographies of diverse human cultures. Students also consider how literature addresses modern social issues, especially those influenced by the complex relationship between personal and group identities. Prerequisites: Fulfillment of English Proficiency requirement.

This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and tools to develop an understanding of the nature of literature, what functions it has, and what the relation of the text is to the author, the reader, language, society, and history.

This course examines complex interrelationships between science and culture from antiquity through the modern era. A focus on Cabinets of Curiosities as sociocultural artifacts conveys how science, religion, philosophy, history, art, and culture influence the evolution of knowledge, its dissemination, and its impact on society. By constructing personal Cabinets of Curiosities, students will develop their own understanding of the ways scientific inquiry and culture are entwined in the quest to observe, record, and categorize natural phenomena to expand their understanding of the physical world.

Students will explore Middle Eastern civilization by examining its geography, culture, history, government, and economy. They will select a country in the region during the first week of class and study this country and the region each week. This will provide students with in-depth knowledge of a single country and highlight the common elements of the region’s culture. Students will utilize interdisciplinary research methods to create websites that introduce their countries.
 

The Liberal Arts Capstone provides students the opportunity to show what they have learned over the course of their studies as a Liberal Arts major. In the final Capstone project, students develop a project that addresses a real-world problem or question within a career field or area of interest from a humanistic, interdisciplinary perspective. In finalizing their ePortfolio, compiled over the course of their studies, students align knowledge and skills learned through a study of the humanities to work-force competencies and personal goals. The Capstone also provides students with the opportunity to reflect on how humanistic inquiry enables them to better understand modern social, global, and local workplace challenges.