Message from the Director of General Education
Typically, prospective students applying to Cogswell College are attracted by the programs we offer in the digital arts, music technology and engineering fields. What they may not know is that we also offer a program of General Education courses - one third of everyone's curriculum - designed specifically to appeal to and complement their artistic and technical interests.
We live in a global society where fast paced change is the norm. At Cogswell we recognize that our graduates must be ready not only to take their places in the international marketplace but also to change as it changes, and even to anticipate and lead the change. You may wonder how we can prepare students for such a dynamic future. Our answer is: by creating a unique partnership between our degree programs and the General Education program. The art and technical programs prepare our students for jobs in the industries we serve while General Education - a carefully crafted course of study in the humanities, social sciences, English, math, and science - gives students a broad base of knowledge and skills they will draw upon all their lives. This knowledge and these skills are critical in today's world and are much in demand by employers.
Our dedicated and experienced faculty create GE courses that are innovative and fun as well as academically rigorous. In recent years students have fulfilled English requirements in courses such as The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Battlestar Galactica. They have studied the history of art and of music and have taken film history classes such as Focus on Horror, Science Fiction Cinema, and Novel into Film. Our scriptwriting and storytelling classes are indispensable for students in the animation, videogame and audio technology programs and our courses in modern world history, global political economics, and contemporary ethical issues introduce them to ideas they will need to navigate the world. Courses in math, physics and anatomy round out the whole.
In each of these courses we emphasize written and oral communication, observation and analysis, critical thinking, familiarity with the basic principles of math and science, competence in the use of information technology, awareness of world issues and their historic origins, and tolerance of diversity in its many forms. By the time our students graduate they can write correctly, argue a case persuasively, discuss world affairs intelligently, and make ethical decisions carefully, integrating their professional and personal lives in preparation for a lifetime of new learning.
Those who hire Cogswell graduates confirm that these qualities make our students particularly desirable employees. Our alumni reaffirm the importance of General Education to their lives.
If you have any questions about the General Education Program please feel free to contact me directly.
Dr. Kathleen Broome Williams,
Professor, Director of General Education
General Education Program Learning Outcomes
At its best, education can be a joyful voyage of discovery. The General Education Program at Cogswell College is designed to ensure that this voyage provides a quality liberal education characterized by active learning. A core curriculum of courses in the humanities, mathematics, science, and the social sciences prepares graduates who:
- Demonstrate written communication skills by writing clear, coherent, and grammatically correct reports and papers.
- Demonstrate oral communication skills by making effective speeches and presentations.
- Analyze and evaluate critically information from diverse sources by explaining the credibility, logic and purpose of the material; construct an argument and support it logically and persuasively by synthesizing information.
- Explain and apply quantitative reasoning to interpret tables, graphs and charts and to solve numerical problems.
- Describe scientific principles and perform experiments illustrating those principles; apply scientific reasoning to analyze data.
- Demonstrate competence with information technology by identifying, locating, and evaluating its products and using them effectively to support research.
- Describe and explain how the history, culture, economics, and politics of diverse societies have shaped the global world of today.
- Explain the importance of civic engagement in a democratic society by identifying and comparing examples from literature, history, government, and other fields.
- Demonstrate an understanding of and appreciation for diversity, for example by engaging in civil discourse with those of differing views.
- Explain the foundations of ethical theory and apply ethical principles to assess contemporary issues.
General Education Curriculum
General Education Curriculum of Courses 2011-2012: Click here to view.
- English - 9 credits
- ENG100 Composition 3
- ENG228 Creative Writing
or
ENG227 Scriptwriting 3 - ENG310 Classics of Western Drama
or
ENG320 Classics of World Drama 3
- Humanities - 18 credits
- HUM120 Nature and History of Western Art
or
HUM130 Modern Art History 3 - HUM122 World Music
or
HUM125 Music in Western Culture 3 - HUM200 History of the Modern World 3
- HUM227 Film History
or
HUM230 History of Animation 3 - HUM361 Contemporary Ethical Issues 3
- HUM400 General Education Capstone Research 3
- HUM120 Nature and History of Western Art
- Social Science - 6 credits
- SSC200 U.S. Government 3
- SSC332 Global Political Economics 3
- Math - 6 credits minimum
- MAT115 Basic Topics in Mathematics 3
- Math Course higher than MATH115
or
Scripting or Programming (4credits) 3
- Science for DAA - 6 credits
- SCI100 Basic Concepts of Physics 3
- SCI130 Basic Concepts of Anatomy& Physiology
or
SCI200 General Science: Principles & Trends 3
If you are a current student enrolled before fall 2008, please refer to the appropriate catalog and use one of the links below.