General Studies Course Descriptions
ART210 Art Appreciation
This course on foundational art history introduces students to the vocabulary of the art world, investigates methods and processes used in the creation of artistic and culturally significant objects, and the historical and aesthetic importance of art within a multi-cultural context.
COM204 Visual Communication, Graphics and Presentational Strategies
This course explores visual design, graphics and presentational strategies by introducing students to digital photography and layout and design skills. Students will learn digital and graphic design techniques using the leading industry software applications for desktop publishing and graphics illustration. Students will incorporate visual expression techniques and presentational strategies to produce brochures and newsletters.
COM241 Introduction to Mass Communication
A survey course examining the various media (i.e., newspaper, radio, television, film, etc.) comprising the mass media in contemporary American society. Emphasis is given to the history, structure, and potential effects of each medium.
CIT105 Introduction to Information Technology and PC Applications
A survey of beginning basics; concepts and common Microsoft Office applications, responsible use of software and technology, file management techniques, and sound information consumption practices will be covered. This course is designed for beginners with little or no experience using MS Word. Other software will include Excel and PowerPoint. This is a hands-on skills and a conceptual course. Participants will be required to demonstrate software proficiency in the lab, as well as, through objective written tests. Students receiving credit for this course are not eligible to enroll in CIT111.
CIT111 Intermediate Information Technology & PC Applications
This course is designed for students who have used MS Word regularly and have an understanding of MS Windows. Topics covered include responsible use of information technology, hardware concepts, the use, development and maintenance of spreadsheets (Excel), the creation of electronic presentations (PowerPoint), and an introduction to databases (Access). This is a hands-on skills and a conceptual course. Participants will be required to demonstrate software proficiency in the lab, as well as, through objective written tests. This course is recommended for Computer and Information Technology majors and any student who has received previous instruction in MS Office Applications. Students receiving credit for this course are not eligible to enroll in CIT105.
CUL210 Comparative Cultures
Introduces the concept of culture, discusses its role in a society, and explores different manifestations of culture.
CUL220 Religions of the World
A survey of the prominent religions that influence the lives of people around the world.
ECO190 Special Topics
Topics will vary.
ECO221 Principles of Macroeconomics
A study of macroeconomics (the "whole" economy), concepts and principles, plus current issues in macroeconomics.
ENG141 Expository and Research Writing
This is a course in written communication. Emphasis is placed on development, structure, and writing of abstracts, summaries, and critiques. Literary devices such as pro/con, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, persuasion/argumentation essays and research/synthesis skills are used through a research paper. Must receive a grade of "C" or better to enroll in ENG142.
ENG142 Introduction to Literature and Criticism
This course presents literature—drama, short stories, novel, poetry and critical essays from literary critical perspectives. Through reading, discussion, and critical writing, students become familiar with representative genres in literature as well as authentic critical approaches.
ENG242 Short Story Interpretation
Examines the short story with a view to helping students understand, enjoy, critique and appreciate more fully any story that they may read. This is a writing intensive course.
ENG291 British Literature I (Chaucer to Romantics)
The development and history of British literature will be studied through a survey of works from Chaucer to the Romantics, such as William Wordsworth and Percy and Mary Shelley. The major prose and poetry of English writers from the Anglo-Saxon period through the early 1800s century will be examined to understand the ideas and literary genres that define these periods to build a foundation for advanced studies in English literature. All readings will be considered in a literary and historical context so that the student will gain an understanding of the historical, cultural and philosophical influences that shape the texts.
ENG292 British Literature II (Romantics to WWII)
This course introduces students to a broad range of important and influential works in British literature from the late 1700s to the end of WWII, including poetry, essays, novels, and short stories. Students will gain an overview of the various socio-cultural and historical pressures that shaped these writers' imaginative productions and our understandings of the origins of modernity from the French revolution to the rise of literacy, industrialization and urbanization, and the rise and fall of being a world empire. By the end of the course, students will have a solid foundation in many important and influential works of late Romantic, Victorian, and early Modern literature such as that of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson, T. S. Eliot, George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf.
ENG293 American Literature I (Colonial to Civil War)
This course will introduce students to major trends in American literature from the Colonial Period through the Civil War. Students will read works by authors such as John Winthrop, William Bradford, Mary Rowlandson, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, and Herman Melville with a focus on issues such as American identity and purpose, the relationship of self to community, the role of religion in early American life, the impact of secularism, the value and the limits of human reason, and the role of imaginative expression in human life.
ENG294 American Literature II (Civil War to WWII)
This course will introduce students to major works and trends of American literature from 1865 to 1945. Students will read works by authors such as Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Jack London, Stephen Crane, Edith Wharton, Kate Chopin, Henry James, T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, F. Scott Fitgerald, and Ernest Hemingway with a focus on the development and impact of American literary realism, naturalism, and modernism.
HIS111 American Society to 1865
This course follows changes in social, political, economic and cultural institutions from the first European contact with North America through the American Civil War. Emphasis is on understanding events in historical context. Students work with primary and secondary source materials to develop both content knowledge and process skills.
HIS112 American Society since 1865
Considers issues of economic development, territorial expansion, changes in the ethnic, cultural and racial composition of American Society, and the relationship between the United States and the rest of the world. Writing assignments require independent research. Lecture and discussion format with increased emphasis on student participation.
HIS211 Western Society to 1500
This course introduces students to the evolving civilizations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas before 1500. It seeks to make students aware of the evolving cultures, key events, and major themes that drove human history during these times. A special effort will be made to highlight those areas where cultures intersect. The lecture and discussion format holds the expectation of active student participation.
HIS212 Western Society since 1500
This course completes the study of European, Asian, African, and American civilizations. The emphases and expectations remain the same.
MAT174 Finite Mathematics
A course with emphasis in business applications that involves the study of topics including linear functions, applications using linear equations in two variables, counting methods, probability, finance applications, interpretation of date presented graphically, computation of mean, median, standard deviation, normal distribution curve, and z scores.
MAT181 College Algebra
This course focuses on developing a conceptual understanding of college algebra and problem solving skills. The topics include functions and graphs, polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, systems of equations, and combinorics and probability.
MAT273 Applied Statistics I
A study in descriptive and inferential statistical methods that aid decision-making. Includes the following topics: probability, probability distributions, calculation of parameters from a universe, calculation of statistics from a sample, hypothesis testing, regression, and correlation. A hand-held calculator with scientific functions is required.
MAT281 Applied Calculus
This course introduces the basic concepts of calculus. Major emphasis is on the development of the fundamentals of differentiation and integration. A variety of business and economic problems are solved by applying differentiation and integration techniques.
MUS223 Music Appreciation
The course focuses on the aesthetics of music, listening skills necessary to fully appreciate music, and the societal and cultural roles that music plays. Various folk and art musical styles will be studied, with attention to their historical evolution and influence on one another.
NAT105 Earth Science
An introduction to the basic concepts of earth sciences. Topics to be covered include the structure and composition of earth, physical and chemical processes shaped/ shaping the earth, types and distribution of rocks and minerals, natural resources, and environmental and economic impacts of the earth.
NAT110 Oceanography
An introductory course dealing with the basic physical and chemical aspects of oceanography. Topics to be covered include the origin and evolution of oceans, physical, and chemical properties of ocean waters, physical and chemical processes operating in oceans, climate/weather patters, and the interaction between humans, oceans, and the atmosphere.
NAT115 Environmental Science
An introduction to the basic chemical, physical, and geological aspects of environmental sciences. Topics to be covered include ecosystems, physical, chemical, and geological processes involved in shaping the environment, political, economic, and social impacts of the environment, pollution, and the major contemporary environmental issues with examples from Ohio and surrounding states.
NAT120 Survey of Health Issues
This course will assist the student in making personal health decisions by the introduction of resources and information pertaining to various health issues, health trends and examination of issues pertinent to the life of today's college student. Through lecture, personal assessments, personal contracts for behavior change, group presentation and debate, students will be given the opportunity to examine their own health decisions and encouraged to take an informed proactive role in their personal health. Practice in access to and use of scientific literature will also be provided.
PHL110 The Art of Reasoning
All students but those whose majors require this course may take this course to fulfill the Philosophy requirement of the Liberal Education Core. This course introduces students to philosophy through a study of the art of reasoning, which is essential in any field or endeavor that requires clear, skillful and critical thinking. Students will learn how to classify concepts, formulate definitions, analyze and evaluate propositions, analyze, construct and evaluate arguments, and identify common fallacies in reasoning. The study is oriented towards practical applications and involves a variety of skills in the analysis and evaluation of reasoning in daily life, scientific inquiries and professional fields.
PHL112 Great Philosophers
This course may be taken to fulfill the Philosophy requirement of the Liberal Education Core. It introduces students to philosophy through a historical study of great philosophers and their representative works. The course study may be a survey of the history of philosophy, or the history of philosophy in a particular culture (e.g., a history of Chinese philosophy), or the history of a particular area in philosophy (e.g., a history of epistemology), or a survey of a particular historical period (e.g., ancient Greek philosophy), or a study of a particular school (e.g., pragmatism) or a study of one philosopher's work (e.g., Plato).
POL101 Introduction to the American Political Process
A survey course that covers the American democratic process and the distribution of authority and responsibility between the federal, state, and local levels.
POL205 The Presidency
The course studies the American presidency from 1787 to the present and examines the history, development, and operation of the U.S. Presidency. Analysis is of the institution of the presidency, its functions, formal and informal relationships, and its limitations within the American political system. Emphasis is on the dynamics of the presidency, including presidential personality, conceptions of role, impact of public opinion, and responses to changes in the environment. Also considered are the evolution of the presidency, its powers and restraints; organizing and using White House staff; executive decision-making; and contemporary views of the office.
PSY101 Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to psychology as a behavioral science, including historical background, human development (genetic and physical) from birth through death, the senses and perception, intelligence and creativity, and the principles of conditioning, learning, memory, and forgetting.
PSY263 Theories of Personality
An overview of historical and current theories regarding personality formation and development, and methods of measuring personality characteristics. Psychodynamic, humanistic, behaviorist, trait, and cognitive approaches are discussed.
SOC101 Principles of Sociology
Introduction to the basic concepts of sociological study, elements of social life, social patterns and institutions, and the process of maintenance and change in society.
SOC250 Social Psychology
Study of the influences that people have on the beliefs and behaviors of others. Topics will include social perception and attribution, self-presentation, attitudes and attitude change, aggression and violence, group dynamics, and their relationship to selected fields.