| The Liberal Education Core |
43-45 Hours |
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Union's vision for the academic experience
states that "Union College helps students make learning
connections, with a well-qualified faculty that collaborate
and cooperate across traditionally separate disciplinary lines.
Intellectual and ethical development, plus the ability to make
meaningful choices and informed decisions, is nurtured through
a variety of on- and off-campus learning experiences."
This vision guided the careful crafting of
Union's core curriculum - a curriculum that challenges each
student to develop a life philosophy, that enables members of
the faculty to significantly improve student learning, and that
intentionally seeks to produce graduates who see being educated
as a quality of mind, not simply an accumulation of facts.
Union's core contributes toward the nurturing
of a graduate whose personal integrity, intellectual aptitude
and responsible citizenship mark him or her as a Union graduate.
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| Humanities |
21 hours |
| Western Cultures in a World Context
I |
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| ENCO 101 Composition and Ancient
Literature |
3 |
| HIST 110 Civilization and Religions
of the Ancient World |
3 |
| Western Cultures in a World Context
II |
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| ENCO 102 Composition and Medieval
& Renaissance Literature |
3 |
| HUMN 112 Religion & Empire
(14CE-1648CE) |
3 |
| Western Cultures in a World Context
III |
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| HUMN 211 Roots of Modernity: Revolutions
in Literature, Arts and Society |
3 |
| HUMN 213 Roots of Modernity: Revolutions
in Politics, Society and Thought (1648-1890) |
3 |
| Western Cultures in a World Context
IV |
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| HUMN 214 The Modern World in Crisis |
3 |
| (See course descriptions below) |
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| Cultural Studies |
3 hours |
| Choose three hours from the following: |
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ANTH 251 North American Indian Cultures
APST 202 Service Learning
APST 204 Appalachian Cultures
ENCO 232 Appalachian Literature
*HIST 211 Topics in Global History
PSYH 275 Cross Cultural Psychology
*RLGN 231 Topics in World Religion
SLRN 102 Service Learning (1 hr-can be taken 3 times)
SOCI 241 Sociology of Appalachia
SOCI 271 Marriage & the Family
SPAN 211 Intermediate Spanish 1
*may be taken more than once if topic is different
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| Social & Behavioral Sciences |
6 hours |
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| The Power of Paradigms |
3 hours |
INSS 101 Introduction to the Social Sciences
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| Paradigms and Individual Disciplines |
3 hours |
| Choose one 3-hour course from the
following: |
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ANTH 221 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
APST 104 Introduction to Appalachian Studies
CRJU 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice
ECON 203 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 204 Principles of Microeconomics
INSS 103 Cultural Geography
PSYH 200 Introduction to Psychology
SOCI 131 Introduction to Sociology
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| Wellness |
3 hours |
| WELL 278 Life Choices I |
3 |
| WELL 131 First Aid and Safety |
3 |
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| General Sciences Sequence |
7-8 hours |
| Students must take two science
courses from different areas, one of which must include a lab. |
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| Biological Science: |
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| BIOL 109 Elements of Biology |
3 |
| BIOL 111 General Biology (includes
lab) |
4 |
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| Environmental Science: |
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| ENVS 101 People and the Environment |
3 |
| ENVS 110 Physical Systems of the Environment (includes lab) |
4 |
| GNSC 105 Physical Science |
3 |
| PHYS 111 College Physics |
3 |
| PHYS 211 General Physics |
4 |
| CHEM 121 General Chemistry (includes
lab) |
4 |
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| Lab Experience: |
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| BIOL 110 Elements of Biology Lab |
1 |
| GNSC 106 Physical Science Lab |
1 |
| PHYS 113 College Physics Lab |
1 |
| PHYS 213 General Physics Lab |
1 |
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| Mathematics Competency |
3-4 hours |
| General College Mathematics: A
revised MATH 110 course, which includes some basic statistics
and probability. Or, MATH 131 (College Algebra) or MATH 241 (Calculus
I). |
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| Integrated Courses in Major |
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| In completion of each major at
Union College, students will take a course(s) in that major which
is/are designed to build upon the learning in the Liberal Education
Core curriculum and connect it to that major. Examples of such
courses would include designated 300-level or above courses within
the major, one-hour Service Learning courses in supplement of
appropriate major courses, or one-hour readings courses attached
to the major as a requirement. |
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| Capstone Course & Life
Philosophy |
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| In the senior year, each Union
College student will also participate in a capstone course in
the major, a course that brings together all of the learning experiences
at the College in context, and that asks each student to form
and write a life philosophy document. This document, which builds
on the portfolio already begun in core classes and continued throughout
his or her major area of study, will be the student's final assessment
of what learning (past, present, and future) means. The portfolio
will, thus, be used in College and program outcomes assessment. |
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| Humanities Sequence |
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| The Humanities Sequence is a series
of seven three-hour courses that chronologically and thematically
examine the literature, history, philosophy, religion, and fine
arts of western culture in their world context. Six of the courses
are "conjoined"; that is, students will take two closely
related courses during each of three semesters. Upon completing
the sequence or designated portions of the sequence, students
will: |
(1) understand the basics of such academic
discourse as speeches, written argumentation, and documented
research papers (first year);
(2) comprehend the major topics and historical development
of philosophy;
(3) understand the beliefs and historical development of such
major religions as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism,
and Buddhism, and how each relates to the others;
(4) be familiar with the tools of literary analysis (first
year);
(5) understand the development of canonical literature from
its beginnings through the late Renaissance (first year);
(6) and from the Enlightenment to the present (second year);
(7) be familiar with major trends in art (including architecture)
(8) and music;
(9) and understand the historical contexts of Western culture,
from its prehistoric beginnings to the late Renaissance (first
year)
(10) and from the Enlightenment to the present day (second
year).
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ENCO 101. Composition and
Ancient Literature (F,S)(3)
Examines various forms of academic writing
and speaking, students will practice and develop their composition
skills in response to selections from the literature of ancient
civilizations, as well as the art, history, and culture addressed
in both ENCO 101 and HIST 110. In addition, students will study
the major principles of documentation. |
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ENCO 102. Composition and Medieval
and Renaissance Literature (F,S)(3)
As part of the Critical Dialogues sequence, this course works
with INLA 112 to examine Western culture from the rise of Christianity
to the scientific revolution of the 17th century. Student papers
and presentations focus on literature, art, and music of the
Middle Ages and Renaissance, with attention to such non-western
influences as Islam. Prerequisite: ENCO 101 and HIST 110. Corequisite:
INLA 112.
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HIST 110. Civilizations
and Religions of the Ancient World (F,S)(3)
Introduces students to the study of history
through the study of the great civilizations of the ancient world.
The civilizations studied are those of the Fertile Crescent, India,
China, and the Mediterranean (Greece and Rome). The course focuses
on the origins and foundations of the first great civilizations,
with special attention to the function of religion in the maintenance
of civilization. Particular attention is given to the factors
occasioning the transition from polytheism to monotheism in the
mid-1st millennium BCE, a period commonly referred to as the Axial
Age. Fall offerings of the course are for incoming freshmen only.
Transfer students wanting to take an introductory level history
in the fall are advised to take HIST 211. |
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HUMN 112.
Religion and Empire (14 CE-1648 CE) (F,S)(3)
As part of the Critical Dialogues sequence, this course examines
the role of religion in the maintenance of Roman, Christian, and
Islamic empires, with particular attention to religiously inspired
art and architecture. The course begins with an examination of
the Roman Empire after Augustus and proceeds to examine the Christian
transformation of the Roman Empire from Constantine through the
Middle Ages (Byzantine Empire and "Christendom" in Western
Europe). Attention is also given to the origin and spread of Islam,
the rise of Islamic Empires (Arab, Turk, Persian, and Mughal),
and conflicts between Christian and Muslim empires. The course
ends with examination of forces that challenge the medieval religious
establishment in Western Europe (Renaissance and Reformation),
culminating in the Thirty Years War. Prerequisite: ENCO 101 and
HIST 110. Corequisite: ENCO 102. |
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HUMN 211.
Roots of Modernity: Revolutions in Literature, Arts, and Society
(F,S)(3)
As part of the Critical Dialogues sequence, this course works
with INLA 213 to examine Western Culture from the Enlightenment
to the 20th Century. This course will examine the development
of literature and the major trends in art, music, and architecture.
This course includes student papers and presentations. Prerequisite:
ENCO 102 and INLA 112. Corequisite: INLA 213. |
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HUMN 213.
Roots of Modernity: Revolutions in Politics, Society, and Thought
(1648-1890) (F,S)(3)
As part of the Critical Dialogues sequence, this course begins
with an examination of the impact of the religious wars in the
17th Century and the Scientific Revolution on society and culture
in Western Europe. Attention then shifts to the political, economic,
and ideological causes of revolutions in America and France. The
course then examines the Industrial Revolution, the rise of mass
society, and their impact on society and culture in Europe and
the United States. The course ends with an examination of significant
developments in politics and science in the last half of the 19th
Century; namely, imperialism, nationalism, and Darwinism. Throughout
the course, attention is given to developments in philosophy (particularly
political philosophy) and religion during these pivotal periods
of history. Requirements include papers and presentations. Prerequisite:
ENCO 102 and INLA 112. Corequisite: INLA 211.
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HUMN 214.
The Modern World in Crisis (F,S)(3)
As the final part of the Critical Dialogues sequence, this interdisciplinary
course focuses on significant developments in western society
and culture in the 20th Century. Prerequisite: INLA 211 and 213
or 27 hours of transfer credit in the humanities, including courses
in composition, speech, modern history, modern literature, fine
arts, and modern religion or philosophy. |
