An important part of the academic experience here at Capital is the incorporation of certain general education course requirements, otherwise known as signature learning courses, into each student’s schedule. These foundational requirements aim to help students explore and think critically about several different modes of thought.
These signature learning courses are something that each Capital student has in common no matter what major they have chosen to pursue on their own, so we reached out to students on social media to see which of these courses they’ve enjoyed the most.
Of Capital’s 12 signature learning course requirements, these are the top 5 that tend to be favored the most by students:
Cultural Pluralism
This course fulfills the Cultural Diversity signature learning requirement, and primarily focuses on topics of cultural diversity and social responsibility. It also aims to teach students about the sources of prejudice and discrimination in the United States.
Students describe this as one of the most important courses they’ve taken as far as overall content goes. They believe that the lessons learned in Cultural Pluralism are relevant to many current issues and should also be taught at the high school level.
Ethics
Ethics is mostly a discussion-based course that explores theories about what makes an action right, a character good, a society just, etc. These discussions are usually facilitated by applying the theories to certain modern day issues and situations.
Students who take this course tend to have different classroom experiences depending on which professor they are taking the course with, as is the case with any college course. Overall, students who have enjoyed Ethics say that their professors made the discussions interesting and engaging.
Global Systems
Global Systems, formerly known as Global Awareness, is a signature learning course that encourages students to analyze and research a number of topics that influence humanity as a whole.
Students tend to enjoy this course for the same reason they enjoy Cultural Pluralism, which is that it opens them up to new perspectives.
“I am most looking forward to taking Global Systems. I like to study economics and politics in my free time, so I’m hoping this class will broaden my perspectives,” Nick Ferda, sophomore psychology and philosophy pre-law major said. Though he’s looking forward to taking Global Systems, his favorite signature learning course thus far has been Oral Communication.
Humanities
This course explores the human condition in different historical contexts by analyzing a number of primary sources. However, the particular cultures and time periods that are explored in Humanities usually depends on the professor that is teaching the course.
Students enjoy the artistic aspect of this course and mentioned having good experiences with the different professors who teach it.
Oral Communication
Of all the responses received on social media, Oral Communication seems to be the most popular among Capital students. This course aims to help students develop their public speaking skills, but also emphasizes the importance of listening too.
“My favorite gen ed class at Capital was Oral Communication with Seth Smith. I absolutely loved his class,” Ashley Miller, senior Early Childhood Education major said. “I am typically a shy person, but he made the class fun and less intimidating.”
Other students have praised Oral Communication for being applicable to several other courses they’ve taken, and for being a great place to make new friends.
