通识教育
Students who graduate from 365英国上市官网 have demonstrated success in two programs of study: Their major degree program and OU’s innovative 通识教育 program. Alongside the in-depth study for professional success, the 通识教育 program provides students opportunities to cultivate the skills valued by employers and essential to successful engagement as 公民 and members of local and global communities.
The core skills of critical thinking, effective communication, 信息素养, and social awareness shape all of the courses offered in our 通识教育 program. Because they are essential to our students’ educational and future success, these core skills are recognized as University Learning Outcomes (ULOs).
- 至关重要的思想家 are capable of comprehensively exploring issues, 的想法, 工件, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion. 他们分析, 评估, and synthesize relevant information, alternative points of view, 推论, 和/或假设, in order to arrive at substantiated conclusions.
- Effective communicators analyze rhetorical situations, adapt their discourse to diverse genres and media, treat their sources and source material ethically, and meet the expectations of a variety of discourse communities in the academy and beyond. 它们传达思想, 参数, or analyses clearly and cogently in oral, 写, 或者视觉形式, and they apply effective communication skills as appropriate to the context and intended audiences.
- 公开大学毕业生 信息素养的 公民 who reflectively find and 评估 information, understand how that information is produced and valued, and use information responsibly and ethically to create new knowledge and participate as lifelong learners in society. They effectively integrate relevant information sources to build new, 或者添加到现有的, public or professional understandings.
- Socially aware 公民 demonstrate their intercultural competence and consider the ethical implications of their words, 行动, and engagement with or indifference to other communities. 他们运用原则, 方法, 价值体系, or ethics to social issues confronting local and global communities.
365英国上市官网’s 通识教育 program has a three-part structure that complements every major, giving students a well-balanced, 完善的教育. Complete requirements are available in the 课程目录.
- 基金会 courses prepare students for writing and reasoning in their professional lives.
- 探索 courses offer understanding of the universe, of society, and of humankind.
- 集成 courses prepare students to solve real world problems.
基金会 courses prepare students for writing and reasoning in their professional lives.
OU students must meet the writing foundations requirement. You'll be introduced to the elements of effective writing and rhetoric. Composition II (WRT 1060) meets this requirement, but students who do not qualify (based on 课程分班测验) will first need to complete prerequisite courses. See also writing intensive on the 集成 选项卡.
我能学到什么??
- Elements, writing processes, and organizing strategies for creating analytical and expository prose
- Effective rhetorical strategies appropriate to the topic, audience, context and purpose
This area incorporates courses from disciplines such as computer science, 数学, 统计数据, linguistics and logic that require students to use formal reasoning systems to model and solve problems. A formal reasoning course must be taken prior to junior standing (56 credits).
我能学到什么??
- One or more formal reasoning systems such as computer programming, 数学, 统计数据, 语言学或逻辑学
- Read, understand, model and solve problems across a variety of applications
OU students are required to take one course in each of the seven knowledge explorations categories outlined below. This is where you'll learn a breadth of knowledge and analytical skills.
While completing each of these courses, keep in mind that some also may count as the diversity requirement (see the 集成 选项卡) and/or the writing intensive requirement (see the 基金会 选项卡).
我能学到什么??
- Cultural or historic artistic traditions in visual, auditory, movement, theatrical or cinematic art
- The role of art as critical commentary on society and as an aesthetic expression of experience
我能学到什么??
- Knowledge of two or more of the following: environments, 政治制度, 经济体, 社会, and religions in any region outside of the United States
- Knowledge of the role that different cultural heritages (past and present) play in forming values in another part of the world, enabling the student to function in a global context
我能学到什么??
- An additional language and its associated culture
- Linguistic and cultural diversity and the contributions of such diversity to the global society
我能学到什么??
- How literature is an expression of culture
- 文学形式
我能学到什么??
- Major concepts from natural science or technology, including developing and testing of hypotheses; drawing conclusions; and reporting findings through some laboratory experience or an effective substitute (lab experiences are met by either a limited number of interactive experiences, collecting and 解释 raw data, or other effective experiences such as a virtual laboratory)
- How to 评估 sources of information in science or technology
我能学到什么??
- Concepts, 方法 and theories designed to enhance understanding of human behavior and/or 社会
- Concepts and theories to problems involving individuals, institutions or nations
我能学到什么??
- Historical events and/or philosophical 的想法 of European or American culture
- How Western 的想法 or institutions have evolved over time
The knowledge integration area focuses on issues of ethics, the application of knowledge to specific problems, and the relevance of the undergraduate experience to life.
Explore the ways in which knowledge can be applied in areas outside your own field of study. You'll compare and contrast 方法 used in your major with those in another field. The course must be outside of your major.
我能学到什么??
- Evaluate and apply knowledge in a field outside of your major to solve real-world problems across a range of applications
- Personal, professional, ethical and societal implications of these applications
The capstone experience will create an explicit link between general education and your major (or between general education components if you take a general education capstone instead of one in your major). The capstone can be interdisciplinary- or discipline-specific. 如果是主修的话, it must explicitly address the relevance to the major of a combination of at least three of the general education knowledge areas and capacities to the major.
Although students who change majors may be required to take a second capstone as part of their major, you are only required to meet the general education capstone requirement once.
我能学到什么??
- Appropriate uses of a variety of 方法 of inquiry and a recognition of ethical considerations that arise
- The ability to integrate the knowledge learned in general education and its relevance to your life and career
写作 intensive courses help students develop advanced writing competency within their major (WIM) and in a discipline outside of their major (WIG). 写作 intensive courses require the completion of the writing foundation requirement.
我能学到什么??
- More than one writing format, 比如书面论文, 实验室报告, 摘要, 小测验, 考试, 期刊, ungraded writing assignments, 课堂写作, and writing in small groups
- Critical inquiry through the writing process, 包括收集, 解释, 评估, and revising information appropriate to the area of study
View the complete requirements for writing intensive courses.
Make sure one of your general education courses and/or courses for your major also fulfills the diversity requirement. A course can qualify to meet the diversity requirement if one-half of its content deals with issues relating to at least two of the following: race, 性别或种族.
我能学到什么??
- Knowledge of how diverse 价值体系 and societal structures are influenced by at least two of the following: race, 性别和种族
- Major challenges and issues these raise in society