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COURSES OF STUDY
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2014-2015
two courses from two different disciplines in the interpretation or
analysis of people, societies, artifacts, or theories (IA)
(3) Civic Engagement.
The fully engaged citizen articulates his or her
place in the world by attending to historical, social, economic, and
geographical differences; such a citizen is equally capable of attending
to competing interests by weighing the costs of privileging one
perspective over another. To assist students in refining this attention,
we invite them to participate in three courses or experiences among the
following, with no more than two of the three coming from any one
option:
courses in a foreign language
courses whose primary concerns are the understanding of subject
matter within a global perspective, be that a cultural, political,
social, economic, historical, linguistic, or aesthetic framework
(GP)
courses whose primary interests are in competing ethical, moral, or
community interests (CI)
a study abroad experience for at least one fall or one spring term
(no more than one may be counted toward the three) in a
program approved by the Sklenar Center
an approved travel experience during the Exploration term (no
more than one may be counted toward the three) (GP or CI)
(4) Connectivity.
Creative insight and generative problem solving frequently
occur by connecting previously disconnected areas of thought. In this
vein, we expect students to be able to identify and employ connections
within one academic area, among academic areas, and between the
academy and the wider world. Two courses, one at the beginning
and one at the conclusion of the Explorations Curriculum, assist in
developing this ability:
one designated first-year explorations in scholarship seminar (ES)
one connection in scholarship senior experience, which serves
as the capstone within the major and includes a required
public presentation
(5) Self-Directed Teaching and Learning.
In any exploration, unplanned,
unscripted, or non-routine events frequently provide the most
memorable experience. Recognizing the difficulty in scripting the
unscripted, we hope to foster such unplanned insights by providing
a space for students to engage in independent study, seek out new
opportunities and experiences, and actively pursue those experiences
based on their own interests and concerns by enrolling in three units
beyond their other general education requirements and outside the
disciplines of the major. Partial-unit activity courses in DA, MS, MU,
and THA may be grouped to equal one unit of the same experience.
Approved independent study (-93) and internship experiences (-97)
may count.
