General Education Courses

GEN 110 MEDAILLE EXPERIENCE
This course is designed to enhance both the student's academic and personal success at Medaille. The content of this course will enable the student to develop academic, study and personal skills as well as a sense of campus involvement. As such, the course is designed to fulfill the broad intent of Theme I of Medaille's General Education curriculum: to assist students in developing an awareness of their personal and academic strengths, to equip them with decision-making and communication skills, and to prepare them for participation in a broad constellation of social and group interactions. Three credit hours. This course is required of all first-year day students. Offered every semester (d & e).

GEN 220 CONCEPTS OF AMERICAN CULTURE: EARLY FOUNDATIONS AND ENDURING THEMES
This course examines the foundation of America's culture and its global connections. Students will study the historical development of the relationships between different groups in the United States, exploring how social, economic, political, ecological and other perspectives assist in coming to a clearer understanding of our past. Above all, this course will demonstrate how the American past is a vastly textured garment, the complexity of which is the product of a dynamic process of adaptation, accommodation, and conflict that endures to this day. Three credit hours. Prerequisites: GEN 110 and WRT 175. Offered every semester (d & e).

GEN 230 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
(Topic to be specified each semester.)
This course explores forms of creative expression in visual, performing, and literary arts. Students will acquire abilities and perspectives about these arts and interrelationships among them. In addition, through exploring, developing, and demonstrating their creativity in one art form, students will enhance their understanding of artistic expression. A student may not take this course more than once for credit under different topics. Three credit hours. Prerequisites: GEN 110 and WRT 175. Offered every semester (d & e).

GEN 240 SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
An inquiry into the process of scientific discovery, its methodology, development, relationship with technology, and role in modern society. By exploring aspects of scientific inquiry, students will develop a critical awareness of scientific and technological issues, methods, and processes.Three credit hours. Prerequisites: GEN 110 and WRT 175. Offered every semester (d & e). Note: Registration for both the lecture (GEN 240) and the lab (GEN 240L) is required.

GEN 410 BACCALAUREATE CAPSTONE I
The bacalaureate capstone is a course about ideas and the ways in which the educated person contends with them. The course deals in an integrative, interdisciplinary fashion with the five broad General Education themes: Self and Others, Global Perspectives, Creative Expression, Science and Technology, and Communication. The course invites students to engage in a sophisticated way with ideas and works that raise questions about and shed light upon contemporary life. Through the process of reading, reflection, writing, and discussion, students will be required to demonstrate the critical thinking and commmunication skills generally held to be the hallmark of the educated individual pursuing and enjoying an informed life. Three credit hours. Prerequisites: Junior standing and completion of all lower-level General Education requirements. Offered every semester (d & e).

GEN 411 BACCALAUREATE CAPSTONE II
This seminar course gives students the opportunity to integrate their course work with individual research projects. Each student is responsible for the production, presentation, and defense of a research paper which addresses a specific academic topic related to the College's General Education core. Research projects must demonstrate significant knowledge within the selected topic area, an understanding of its place in an integrated intellectual framework, and a high level of skill development. Three credit hours. Prerequisite: GEN 410. Offered every semester (d & e).