Course Requirements (46 semester hours)

A. Basic Skills – 12 semester hours

1. College Reading and Writing - 4 S.H.

The purpose of the College Reading and Writing requirement is to help WSU students increase their critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. The course will help students develop a mature writing style and an ability to integrate material from multiple sources with their own writing. The course will further emphasize writing as essential to academic learning and intellectual development. The course is designed to establish a foundation for the reading and writing done in later college courses, supporting a larger writing-across-the-curriculum educational experience; therefore, students should take it as soon as possible, preferably in their first year and certainly no later than their third semester.

2. Oral Communication - 3 S.H.

The purpose of the basic Oral Communication requirement is to provide all students with the knowledge and experience required to enable them to become highly competent communicators by the time they graduate. A goal of the Oral Communication course in the University Studies program is to produce students who are skilled at expressing their ideas effectively, and who are skilled at interacting with others in dyadic and group contexts. The basic Oral Communication course should be viewed as a starting point, supporting a larger communication-across-the-curriculum program educational experience. Students should complete the class during their first two years.

3. Mathematics – 3 S.H.

The purpose of the Mathematics requirement in University Studies is to help students develop an appreciation of the uses and usefulness of mathematical models of our world, as applied in a variety of specific contexts. Students should complete the requirement as soon as possible, preferably in their first year and certainly no later than their third semester.

4. Physical Development and Wellness - 2 S.H.

The purpose of the Physical Development and Wellness requirement is to provide students with fundamental knowledge and practical skills in the areas of lifetime physical activity, health awareness and wellness. Such courses offer experiences designed to initiate quality lifetime health, nutrition, fitness, leisure and wellness habits in a challenging technologically focused and service oriented society. These courses will offer the student the opportunity to complement and enhance their educational foundation by learning how to live a healthy lifestyle.

B. Arts & Sciences Core: minimum of 22 semester hours

1. Humanities - 6 S.H.

The purpose of the Humanities requirement in the University Studies program is to provide a framework for understanding the nature and scope of human experience. Humanities courses explore the search for meaning and value in human life by examining its expression in cultural forms and texts, literature and the arts.

2. Natural Science - 7 S.H.

The purpose of the Natural Science requirement in the University Studies program is to provide students with the tools to understand and be able to apply the methods by which scientific inquiry increases our understanding of the natural world. At least one laboratory course must be included.

3. Social Science - 6 S.H.

The purpose of the Social Science University Studies requirement is to assist students to understand and explain the economic, political, psychological, and sociological perspectives regarding human behavior.

4. Fine & Performing Arts - 3 S.H.

Courses in the Fine and Performing Arts area of the University Studies program offer opportunities for creative expression. These courses, which have a significant experiential/studio component, introduce the student to the creative process. They develop basic skills and aesthetic awareness in tandem with a fundamental understanding of artistic traditions and contemporary expressions.

C. Unity and Diversity: minimum of 12 semester hours

1. Critical Analysis - 3 S.H.

Critical Analysis courses in the University Studies program are devoted to teaching critical thinking or analytic problem-solving skills. These skills include the ability to identify sound arguments and distinguish them from fallacious ones. The objective of these courses is to develop students' abilities to effectively use the process of critical analysis.

2. Science and Social Policy - 3 S.H.

The purpose of the Science and Social Policy requirement in the University Studies program is to promote students' understanding of the interrelated concerns of society and the sciences. These courses integrate issues related to one of the sciences with the social and government policy decisions that stem from these issues. Issues include the environment, genetic testing and mapping, applications of technology, etc. They are treated from the perspective of the scientific foundations of the problem and address ethical, social, historical, and/or political implications of the issue.

3. Global or Multicultural Perspectives - 3 S.H.

The purpose of the Global Perspectives requirement in University Studies is to improve students' understanding of the growing inter-relatedness of nations, people, and the environment, and to enhance students' ability to apply a comparative perspective to cross-cultural social, economic, political, spiritual, and environmental experiences.

The purpose of the Multicultural Perspectives requirement in University Studies is to develop students' understanding of diversity (gender, ethnicity, race, etc.) within and between societies. Courses in this area help students employ a multicultural perspective for examining historical events: contemporary social, economic, and political issues; and artistic, literary , and philosophical expressions.

4. Contemporary Citizenship or Democratic Institutions - 3 S.H.

The purpose of the Contemporary Citizenship requirement in University Studies is to provide students with the ability to participate as effective citizens in a democratic, multicultural, and global society. Courses in this area focus on developing the skills and knowledge base to enhance students' ability to make effective decisions, pursue personal well-being, work collaboratively with others, and/or participate effectively in professional or civic responsibilities.

The purpose of the Democratic Institutions requirement in University Studies is to provide students with a basic understanding of concepts of social justice, the common good, and the legitimate scope of government in democratic and pluralistic society. The requirement should also enhance students' ability to participate in the free exchange of ideas and function as a public-minded citizen.