Rationale: The general education curriculum is designed to assure that each graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College has achieved a broad educational foundation that includes meaningful engagement with the principal areas of human inquiry. The knowledge and skills derived from this broad-based education are the mark of an educated person, and help prepare the student for the demands of life after graduation. Students select courses from a range of choices which satisfy requirements of the general education program. Students are encouraged to satisfy some requirements through upper-division courses (300-level). Students pursuing an Honors Degree should refer to requirements of the Honors Program.

GENERAL EDUCATION CONNECTIONS CURRICULUM:  West Virginia Wesleyan College seeks to fulfill its mission of preparing students for their lives and vocations through a rich array of curricular and co-curricular offerings. Each candidate for graduation is required to satisfy the following requirements; no single course may satisfy more than one general education requirement. The General Education Program connects students to the four main goals of the institution’s Mission Statement that aspires to graduate broadly educated men and women who:

  • Think critically and creatively,
  • Communicate effectively,
  • Act responsibly, and
  • Demonstrate their local and world citizenship through service.

Before graduating each candidate is required to satisfy the following distribution requirements; no single course may satisfy more than one general education requirement.

  • Written Expression (3-8 hrs)

    *the first three to be taken in sequence upon entering Wesleyan

    A grade of C or better is required in Composition I and II and Fundamentals of Human Communication.

    • ENGL 101, Composition I (3 hrs.) (unless waived on the basis of test scores and high school composition grades) OR INDS 106, First Year Seminar (4 hrs.)

    Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course:

    1. COMPOSITION: The student will compose coherent essays in response to a variety of rhetorical situations.
    2. WRITING PROCESS: The student will be able to complete the stages required to produce competent writing through planning, drafting, revising, and editing.
    3. GRAMMAR AND USAGE: The student will be able to demonstrate competence in Standard Written English, including grammar, syntax, and mechanics.
    • ENGL 102, Composition II (3 hrs.) OR INDS 102, First Year Seminar/Composition II (4 hrs.)

    Learner Outcomes (Revised May 8, 2018): Upon successful completion of the course:

    1. RHETORICAL: The student will be able to compose complex persuasive arguments regarding controversial public issues, using appropriate secondary sources, and deliberately designed to appeal to a particular
    2. RESEARCH: The student will be able to plan and conduct appropriate self- directed research on controversial public issues using a variety of strategies, e.g. primary research, electronic, online and/or print research. The student will be able to demonstrate an engagement in the evaluation of the coherence and logical consistency of argumentative writing.
    3. DOCUMENTATION: Students incorporate sources ethically and appropriately in accordance with assigned citation format.
    • Capstone Writing Course: Successfully complete an approved departmental senior seminar or writing course (courses satisfying this requirement will be noted in the course descriptions of the college catalog).

    General Education Learner Outcomes:  Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Content Development: Use relevant and compelling content to illustrate mastery of the subject, conveying the writer’s understanding, and unifying all elements of the work in a logical framework.
    2. Sources and Evidence: Demonstrate skillful use and attribution of high-quality, credible, and relevant evidence to develop ideas that are appropriate for the discipline and genre of the writing.
    3. Control of Syntax and Mechanics: Use graceful language that skillfully communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency, and is virtually error-free.

    Discipline-Specific Learner Outcome:  Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Context and Disciplinary Conventions: Demonstrates a thorough understand of rhetorical context for the work within the conventions of a specific discipline with attention to audience, purpose, organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices.
  • Experimental Inquiry (3-7 hrs)
    • Two laboratory courses in the physical or biological sciences for students seeking a B.S. degree or additional major classified as a B.S.
    • One laboratory course in the physical or biological sciences for students seeking a B.A. or M.E degree  (3 hrs.) INDS 112 First Year Seminar/Lab Science satisfies one lab science course. (4 hrs.)

    Experimental Inquiry Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Apply the basic concepts and/or theories of a field of science;
    2. Apply an evidence-based problem-solving approach which moves from problem identification, to identification of causal factors, to evidence-based recommendations for solutions, to evaluation of outcomes.
    3. Demonstrate the use of the basic tools and techniques of the scientific discipline; and
    4. Apply an evidence-based decision-making approach, identifying elements which frame and drive decision making.
  • Religious and Philosophical Inquiry (6-7 hrs)
    • One course in religion (3 hrs.) OR INDS 111 First Year Seminar/Religion

    Religion Learner Outcome: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. The student will be able to think critically about classical and contemporary religious questions and articulate their relationship to the study of the liberal arts.
    • One course in philosophy (3 hrs.) OR INDS 110 First Year Seminar/Philosophy

    Philosophy Learner Outcome: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. The student will be able to think critically about philosophical questions in light of classical/contemporary responses to them.
  • Aesthetic Expression (3-4 hrs)
    • Three semester hours in a single fine art selected from art (except ART-265), dance, music or theatre, INDS 107 First Year   Seminar/Fine Arts or ENGL-213, Intro to Creative Writing (options:  one 3-hr. course; one 2-hr. course and a 1-hr. performance credit in the same general discipline; three 1-hr. performance credits in the same general discipline)

    Aesthetic Expression Learner Outcome: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Engage with the creative process, through making art or through analysis of art.
  • Cultural Studies (6-7 hrs)
    • One designated United States Cultural Studies course (3 hrs.) as noted in the college catalog or semester course schedule or INDS 109 First Year Seminar/US Cultural Studies

    U S Cultural Studies Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Identify the patterns of oppression, exclusion, and/or resistance of marginalized groups in the United States;
    2. Analyze cultural, material, and/or sociopolitical implications of historical or contemporary marginalization in the United States.
    • One designated Non-Western Cultural Studies course (3 hrs.) as noted in the college catalog or semester course schedule OR INDS 108 First Year Seminar/Non-Western Cultural Studies

    Non-Western Cultural Studies Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Identify the values and cultural elements of non-Western societies;
    2. Analyze and explain course-specific elements of the linguistic, political, social, economic, or cultural systems of non-Western societies.

    Physical and Mental Well-Being (3-4 hrs.)

    • One course selected from:
      • EXSC 110, Personal & Community Health (3 hrs.)
      • EXSC 130, Personal & Community Health (3 hrs.)
      • EXSC 120, Women’s Wellness (3 hrs.)
      • EXSC 201, School Health (3 hrs.)
      • EXSC 121, Wellness Across the Lifespan (3 hrs.)
      • EXSC 240, Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 hrs.)
      • INDS 105, First Year Seminar/Wellness (4 hrs.)

    Physical and Mental Well-Being Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Be able to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy behaviors.
    2. Demonstrate the above outcome through application of healthy behaviors to lifestyle choices.
    3. Articulate healthy lifestyle choices through written or verbal communication with a client, professor, or other individual.
  • Oral Expression (3-4 hrs)
    • COMM 211, Fundamentals of Human Communication (3 hrs.) OR INDS 103 First Year Seminar/Human Communication (4 hrs.)

    Oral Expression Learner Outcomes:   Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Demonstrate communication competence in public speaking, interpersonal, and/or small group settings.
    2. Demonstrate an increase in their communication confidence through a decrease in communication apprehension.
  • Quantitative Inquiry (3-4 hrs)

    *to be taken during freshman or sophomore year     

    • One course in mathematics (100-level or above except MATH 112, 141, 203 or 205) (3 hrs.) OR PSYC 225, Intro to Statistics for Social Sciences (3 hrs.) OR PSYC 230 Stats/Methodology for Social Sciences (4 hrs.), OR  INDS 114 First Year Seminar/Quant Inquiry (4 hrs.)

    Quantitative Inquiry Learner Outcomes (Revised 1/19/2017): Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Represent quantitative information symbolically, visually, numerically, and verbally.
    2. Use or develop appropriate quantitative methods to solve both formulaic and non-formulaic problems.
    3. Interpret quantitative models such as formulas, graphs, tables, spreadsheets, and schematics, and draw inferences from them.
    4. Correctly identify numerical errors, misinterpretations of graphs and data, and other missteps in quantitative approaches.
  • Humanities (6-7 hrs)
    • INDS 120, Introduction to the Humanities (3 hrs.) (to be taken during the freshman or sophomore year) OR INDS 116 First Year Seminar/Humanities

    Humanities Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Describe vocabulary and tools of inquiry both distinctive of and common to various art forms.
    2. Analyze examples of art works using the appropriate vocabulary and tools of inquiry.
    3. Defend an interpretation of a work of art supported by evidence.
    4. Reflect upon how your personal reaction to these works affects your world view.
    5. Propose a solution to a contemporary problem informed by the study of the Humanities*
      (*Honors sections only)
    • One course in literature (3 hrs.) or INDS 113 First Year Seminar/Literature

    Literature Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will through a combination of written and oral responses be able to:

    1. Demonstrate comprehension of texts through close reading.
    2. Examine literary texts within course-specific historical, aesthetic, or cultural contexts.
  • Social Sciences (6-7 hrs)
    • One history course at the 100 or 200 level with the exception of HIST 201 (3 hrs.) OR INDS 117 First Year Seminar/History
      *Students in the Honors Program may substitute an Honors History course

    History Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. Identify, examine, and explain elements of historical context.
    2. Recognize conflicting interpretations of history.
    3. Evaluate and integrate types of historical sources including popular, academic, primary and/or
    • One course selected from criminal justice, economics, geography, gender studies, political science, psychology, or sociology (3 hrs.) OR INDS 104, First Year Seminar/Social Science (4 hrs.)

    Social Science Learner Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

    1. COMPREHENSION: Identify, define, and describe key concepts, themes and/or issues related to human behavior, social interactions, and institutions.
    2. APPLICATION: Analyze and evaluate the complexities of human behavior, social interactions, and institutions.
  • General Education Curriculum Overview

    Total Hours of General Education Curriculum: (42-51 hrs)

    Click here for a printer friendly version of the General Education Curriculum.