Integrative Studies Requirements

Competencies: Preparing for Calling (0-12 hours)

Health and Wellness Competency (0 hours): Because the liberal arts tradition aims at developing a sound mind in a sound body, students are encouraged to develop habits of lifelong physical wellness by accumulating four required Wellness Points.
- Goals and outcomes: Points 1 and 2 – Fitness for Life and Fitness Lab Component
  - Students will gain an understanding of the following components of fitness and lifetime wellness: cardiovascular fitness, body composition and weight management, nutrition and fitness, cancer prevention, and stress management.
  - Students will acquire an enhanced understanding of their choices for seeking medical care and other services in the health professions.
  - Students will learn about disease prevention.
  - Students will learn means of improving their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.
- Goals and outcomes: Points 3 and 4 – Indoor Activity and Outdoor Activity
  - Students will gain familiarity with fitness activities promoting habits of lifelong wellness.
Writing Competency (0-4 hours): Writing is both a fundamental skill for college coursework and a discipline in its own right, as mastery over language is a vehicle for creating meaning and exploring truth. Students must therefore demonstrate basic competency in writing by satisfying the writing competency requirement by the end of their first year.
- Goals and outcomes:
  - Students will be able to choose and narrow a topic.
  - Students will be able to formulate a clear thesis.
  - Students will be able to support a thesis by the use of appropriate rhetorical strategies.
  - Students will understand and use the writing process as a tool for thinking, creating texts for specific audiences, and engaging issues of faith.
Quantitative Literacy Competency (hours included under "Creation" below): Quantitative literacy is essential for coursework in both the natural and social sciences and is a key skill of a liberally educated person. It also trains the mind in logical thinking and fosters appreciation for the structure of the natural world. Students must therefore demonstrate basic competency in quantitative literacy by satisfying the quantitative literacy competency by the end of their second year, and preferably by the end of their first year.
- Goal:
  - Satisfying the Quantitative Literacy Competency ensures that students possess basic mathematical abilities necessary to succeed in the college's introductory level science courses. (See “Creation”, below)
Foreign Language Competency (0-8 hours): Study of a second language enables students to communicate across cultural boundaries. It trains the mind in verbal expression and logical, systematic thinking. It opens up new worlds of literature and ideas. And exposure to a second language is increasingly important for students hoping to serve in an ever more integrated world. Students must therefore demonstrate competency in a language other than their native tongue equivalent to the first year of college language instruction, and are further encouraged to continue their language study beyond a single year, or to sample multiple foreign languages.
Goals:
- Communication: To facilitate communication in, and understanding of, a language (classical or modern) other than the student's native tongue.
- Cultures: To advance knowledge and develop awareness, appreciation, and understanding of other cultures.
- Connections: To enable the acquisition of information in another language and establish connections with other disciplines.
- Comparisons: To enhance and broaden the development of insight into the nature of language and culture.
- Communities: To encourage and promote participation in multilingual communities at home and around the world.

Faith Foundation (8 hours)

Familiarity with Scripture and Christian theology is central to a Christian liberal arts education that aspires to the full integration of faith and learning. Students must therefore complete 8 hours of approved coursework in Bible and Christian Theology. Because of these disciplines' foundational character, students are expected to complete at least some coursework in either Bible or theology by the end of their first year.
- Goals and outcomes for all Bible courses:
  - Students will practice reading biblical texts using the skills of literary analysis and careful observation.
  - Students will grow in awareness of the historical contexts of biblical books and the advantage of reading them within this context.
  - Students will develop an understanding of proper methods of interpretation and application (exegesis, hermeneutics).
- Goals and outcomes for BIBL 101 additionally:
  - Students will acquire knowledge of the outline of biblical history.
  - Students will acquire a beginning acquaintance with the theological viewpoints of various biblical writers.
- Goals and outcomes for 200-level BIBL courses additionally:
  - Students will acquire a more precise and detailed understanding of the theology of the biblical writers and books studied, as well as their overall contribution to biblical theology.
  - Students will engage critical questions of the literature, historical context, socio-religious setting, and authorship of the books studied, as appropriate to the topic.
- Goals and outcomes for Christian Theology:
  - Students will be introduced to systematic Christian theology.
  - Students will be able to identify significant streams of Christian thought and their sources.
  - Students will encounter the intersection of theology and practice through the study of spiritual disciplines and ethical positions of Christians in various church traditions.

Culture: Understanding Human Thought and Creative Expression Across Time (16 hours)

Liberal arts graduates should be acquainted with the ways of thinking and forms of creative expression that form our historical tradition. They must therefore complete approved coursework in History, Literature, Philosophy, and either Art or Music. Because of these disciplines' foundational character, students are encouraged to complete coursework in either history or philosophy by the end of their first year.
- Goals and outcomes for History:
  - Gain understanding about how past societies were constituted, how people have conducted themselves, and how these things have changed over time.
  - Increase self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-reflection as person in a particular time and culture by studying the different social perceptions of past cultures.
  - Demonstrate developed historical knowledge through broad historical reading and evaluation of authors’ arguments.
  - Learn and practice skills in historical evidence collection and historical evidence evaluation.
  - Show satisfactory mastery of written communication in arguments and conclusions drawn logically from historical evidence.
  - Evidence sharpened general intellectual skills in critical thinking, logical analysis and argument formation.
- Goals and outcomes for Literature:
  - Students will demonstrate a working knowledge of the complex ways in which literary texts engage culture.
  - Students will develop a critical appreciation of literature and culture through the reading and analysis of texts and the investigation of genre.
  - Students will develop an ability to interact with literature and culture from a thoughtful Christian perspective.
- Goals and outcomes for Philosophy:
  - Students will explore the basic intellectual commitments--metaphysical, ethical, and epistemic--constitutive of differing world-and-life views.
  - Students will become conversant with a variety of texts that have had an enduring impact on the history of ideas.
  - Students will think critically and Christianly about their own and others' basic intellectual commitments.
  - Students will practice analyzing arguments and will acquire concepts and terms to aid them in such analysis.
  - Students will learn to speak and write with greater clarity and precision.
- Goals and outcomes for Art:
  - For studio courses:
    - Students will be introduced to aesthetic problem-solving through the making of work.
    - Students will develop a vocabulary for discussing the process of decision-making and critical skills in judging how well others in the class have succeeded or failed in their projects.
    - Students will be opened to the creative process of intuition through exposure to theory and practice.
    - Students will acquire a working knowledge of how skills are developed for their future exploration outside of the studio classroom.
    - Students will enhance their appreciation of the language of the visual arts by acquiring a working sense of how non-conceptual ideas emerge in visual artworks.
  - For lecture courses:
    - Students will understand the basic theories and ideas behind important works of visual art.
    - Students will develop a vocabulary for discussing works of art and the ideas that inform them.
    - Students will become familiar with the "great monuments" of the visual arts.
    - Students will understand how cultural perspectives and values are constructed and expressed through various works of art.
    - Students will learn to see how the visual arts are, as Henry James said, "the same in degree though different in kind" from other forms of art and ideas.
    - Students will be able to cross disciplines and make connections between the visual arts and other areas of the humanities and sciences.
- Goals and outcomes for Music:
  - Students will develop understanding of the basic principles and materials of music, either from classroom study or from participation in music making, as well as how those elements and theories have been and/or can be used to create actual musical works.
  - Students will interact with a body of historically significant works of music, either from classroom study or from participation in music making, and based on such interaction they will, concurrently and/or subsequently, refine their aesthetic sensibilities.
  - Students will develop understanding of the place of music in human culture, with emphasis on music as an expression of humankind's spiritual dimension, and including discussion of the issue of human creativity as related to the original creativity of God.
  - Students will participate actively in the artistic process through either thoughtful listening (or viewing, as appropriate) with appropriately sophisticated response, or presenting a carefully prepared musical performance.

Creation: Understanding the Natural World (8 hours)

In the modern world, the method of natural science, drawing on the language of mathematics, has become one of the most powerful tools for understanding the physical universe. Science profoundly shapes the world that we today inhabit. Students must therefore complete 8 hours of approved coursework in math and the natural sciences, to be chosen from at least two of the following disciplines: mathematics, computer science, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. All students must take at least one science course that includes a laboratory experience. Students not satisfying the quantitative literacy competency by some other means must take an approved math course in order to do so.
- Goals and outcomes for Mathematics and Computer Science:
  - Students will use mathematical algorithms and reasoning to solve problems.
  - Students will learn mathematical and/or computer science content that is at least equivalent to introductory calculus or object oriented programming.
  - Students will communicate about mathematical ideas and problem-solving both orally and in writing.
  - Students will use technology (e.g., graphing calculator, Derive, Java) as a tool to solve problems.
  - Students will encounter mathematical and/or computer programming content that is historically significant in its impact on society.
- Goals and outcomes for Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics:
  - Students will be able to identify aspects of nature that illustrate the intricacy of God's creation.
  - Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the materials, principles, and basic content of one or more of the natural sciences.
  - Students will be able to demonstrate basic current scientific literacy and language of one or more of the natural sciences.
  - Students will be able to use principles of one or more of the natural sciences to solve quantitative and conceptual problems relating to real applications.
  - Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the role of experimentation in one or more of the natural sciences and will be able (for courses involving a laboratory component) to use the laboratory skills and techniques of the discipline.

Community: Understanding Human Society (8 hours)

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the social sciences, through their attempt to apply scientific methods to the study of human behavior, became a powerful tool for studying and shaping human communities. They permeate much contemporary discourse about public life and social interaction. Students must therefore complete 8 hours of approved coursework in the social sciences, to be chosen from at least two of the following disciplines: anthropology, communication, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology.
- Goals and outcomes for Anthropology:
  - Students will be introduced to the underlying issues within anthropology, such as fieldwork, language, kinship, marriage, gender, economics, stratification, politics, law, religion, and values.
  - Students will be exposed to the diversity of human cultures and will acquire an appreciation of that diversity.
  - Students will become more self-reflective and grow in awareness of their own culture.
- Goals and outcomes for Communication:
  - Students will understand the use of symbols and signs in the task of creating shared meaning.
  - Students will understand how strategic choices are made in selecting and organizing content to convey a message.
  - Students will appropriately adapt a message to fit the audience and context.
  - Students will explain the consequences of particular choices one makes in the communication process.
- Goals and outcomes for Economics:
  - Students will be introduced to the economic way of thinking and learn to apply it to history and current events.
  - Students will review basic concepts of Christian faith as they relate to economic thinking.
  - Students will learn the fundamental concepts of scarcity and economic efficiency, as well as economic models and strategies for explaining scarcity and efficiency.
  - Students will apply economic method to American economic history, globalization, political economy, economic systems, and/or financial markets.
- Goals and outcomes for Political Science:
  - Students should become familiar with key concepts from the history of political thought.
  - Students should develop an understanding of fundamental theoretical concepts and problems of political life.
  - By studying both the normative (philosophical) and empirical (social scientific) aspects of political science, students should develop an understanding of its characteristic attention to both theory and practice.
  - Students should acquire a broad understanding of "the political," one that helps them see connections between politics and other disciplines, especially in the humanities and social sciences.
  - Students should reflect upon the intersections between politics and Christian faith.
- Goals and outcomes for Psychology and Sociology:
  - Students will develop basic knowledge of the historical origins of and systems or models used by sociology, psychology, or family systems theory to examine the human experience.
  - Students will be able to describe ways that psychological, social, or cultural factors influence our understanding of behavior, social interaction, and public life.
  - Students will examine the disciplinary methods and theories used to analyze, evaluate, and respond to problems of individuals, groups, and communities.

Requirements for B.Mus. Students: Students completing a Bachelor of Music degree shall be required to complete at least 32 hours of Integrative Studies coursework. They shall complete the Faith Foundation requirement (8 hours) and shall do work in at least two of the three humanities disciplines (History, Literature, Philosophy) within the Culture requirement. They shall also satisfy the Writing Competency. Performance, Music Education Vocal Emphasis (Voice Concentration), and Non-Music Elective Studies majors shall satisfy the Foreign Language Competency; Composition, Music Education Instrumental, and Music Education Vocal Emphasis (Keyboard Concentration) majors shall complete one semester of beginning Foreign Language. Beyond that, all students shall take courses satisfying as many different IS requirements as necessary to reach a total of 32 hours.