General Education (GEN)

GEN 1000 - First Year Inquiry - 3 credits

Fall and Spring Semesters

This first-year course introduces students to the liberal arts through examination of topical, relevant, real-world issues through a focused disciplinary and broader interdisciplinary perspective. Using common readings, speakers, and information drawn from liberal arts disciplines, students will explore their own ideas and assumptions while discussing ways in which information offers deeper understanding and insight into their lived experiences – personal or educational. Additionally, throughout the course, information literacy and portfolio development will be introduced as students retrieve and evaluate information, and demonstrate their learning.

GEN 1001 - Curry Launch - 1 credit

Fall Semester

The 1 credit Curry Launch Seminar is designed to assist first year students with the transition to the college experience. Students will be introduced to the methods and resources to promote success in college and have opportunities to discover how they learn, relate, and make choices. Topics will focus on the purpose and value of higher education, academic development, organizational skills, Curry’s course learning management system, Curry’s electronic portfolio system, and wellness topics such as stress management, drug abuse, sexual assault, relationships, and personal well-being. Campus life and support systems for academics and wellness will be introduced.

The course satisfies the General Education Wellness Requirement. NOTE – Open only to first year students.

GEN 2200 - Introduction to International Studies - 3 credits

Spring Semester

This course positions the contemporary international status quo as the product of known and generally predictable factors. It provides students with foundational learning in world regional geography, world history, and world politics so that they acquire the knowledge to identify patterns in international events, the influence of international structures and systems, and proximate and ultimate causes of international crises and problems. The course builds on these foundations with case studies that introduce students to economic, cultural, and social issues while applying macro and micro-level analyses to the actions of nation- states, non-state actors, peoples, and individuals.

This course satisfies the General Education International/Global Interdependence requirement.

GEN 3001 - Gen Ed Capstone - 3 credits

Fall and Spring Semesters

This course emphasizes the integration of ideas and knowledge in Liberal Arts disciplines and is the culminating experience in the General Education curriculum at Curry College. A thematic approach using readings, discussions, and examinations of work included in the Portfolio, the course provides students with an in- depth, personal understanding of the many sensible if sometimes subtle connections among liberal arts disciplines, the value of a Liberal Arts education, and ways to integrate Liberal Arts learning further into their studies. This course may be retaken for elective credit.

Prerequisites: GEN 1000 and at least one course in each General Education Breadth area: Sciences, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.