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General Education Requirements

The Arts and Sciences faculty have identified a set of core competencies within the general education program:

1. To obtain knowledge of the distinctive methodologies and subject matter of the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
2. Ability to read, think, write, and speak critically and analytically.
3. Ability to identify and articulate ethical dimensions of a personal or social issue.

To be eligible for a bachelor of arts degree, students must complete one course from each of the general education areas listed below:

Expressive Arts (A)

Artistic creation is a central and enduring activity in all cultures. The arts attest to the fundamental human need for self-expression and for the transformation of human experience into lasting symbolic form. Furthermore, the great diversity of art forms across cultures is evidence of the degree to which human experience, while shared, is also culturally determined. Expressive arts classes provide students with an appreciation for aesthetic experience by teaching the skills necessary for individual aesthetic expression or by focusing on acquiring a critical vocabulary with which to articulate aesthetic experience, or both, depending on the discipline. The expressive arts thus encompass both primary aspects of artistic creation: its practice and its scholarly study.

Knowledge of Other Cultures (C)

Humans have adapted to a wide range of habitats and developed a rich variety of ways of interpreting and understanding the world. The diversity of these interpretations is part of what defines our species. By analyzing a non-Western culture, students will better understand what is common to human nature, how societies differ from each other and how our lives are shaped by our cultural beliefs. Non-Western cultures are those that are not European derived or that may be European derived but include a substantial cultural component from Middle Eastern, Native American, Asian, Australian Aboriginal or Pacific Island sources.

Knowledge of Western Culture (H)

The ideas, arts, and institutions that define Western society and culture have emerged from a rich historical process. In order to understand, appreciate and critically evaluate any aspect of this culture, one must have an understanding of the context from which it arose. By studying the Western heritage in its historical development, students will be encouraged to see the historical dimensions of the issues they face as engaged citizens today.

Introduction to the Liberal Arts (I)

The objective of this requirement is to enable students to develop a heightened appreciation of the human condition through interdisciplinary liberal arts study. The course is designed to introduce new students to the liberal arts and to prepare them to engage fully in the conversation inherent in a liberal arts education. This requirement is fulfilled by completing INT 200 Introduction to the Liberal Arts, which is required during the first six courses at Rollins. Students who hold the associate of arts degree or have completed two or more humanities courses prior to admission to Rollins are exempt from this requirement. 

Awareness of Literature (L)

This requirement seeks to develop lifelong readers, sensitive to the richness of literary texts and to the pleasure of exploring that richness. In support of this goal, the Literature requirement develops students’ ability to discover and articulate the ways in which literature imaginatively reflects the human condition. 

Oral Communication (T)

Oral Communication is the process of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages to create shared meaning. Students graduating from Rollins College will be able to use oral communication skills to shape public dialogue by offering perspectives, sharing facts, raising questions, and engaging others in discussion. To achieve this goal, students will be able to organize ideas and concepts persuasively, tailor messages to a particular audience, adapt to listener feedback, and—employing appropriate technology—make effective oral presentations.

Scientific Perspective (P)

Humans live in and are part of the natural world. Our survival and success depend on our ability to understand, draw sustenance from, and sustain this world. This requirement focuses on understanding the nature of science: its discovery process, the scientific method, and the historical sequence leading to major discoveries. Where possible, the social context of the sciences is discussed, and examples given of the interplay between science and society. Laboratory required.

Quantitative Thinking (Q)

Quantitative methods have become increasingly important in the natural and social sciences, business, government, and in many other activities that directly affect our lives.  Furthermore, with the advent of fast computers with huge storage capabilities, it has become possible to collect, process, and disseminate large amounts of data. Playing an active role in the decision-making that shapes our society requires us to be able to interpret, analyze, and draw sound conclusions from the standard representations of data.  

Writing Reinforcement (R)

In a contemporary global society, one must be able to write coherently and thoughtfully in both public and professional spheres. To master the skills and rhetorical practices of writing within a given discipline, students must move beyond basic instruction to the complexities of audience analysis and engagement in the larger queries of an informed citizenry. These courses require students to produce a series of written assignments intended both to extend facility in English composition and to deepen understanding of course content. Effective Summer 2002, the “R” requirement replaced the “E” requirement. Expository Writing courses (any focus) may be used to satisfy the “R” requirement. This 300-level advanced writing requirement has a prerequisite of Freshman Composition and must be completed at Rollins College.

Written Communication (W)

The communication of ideas, information, poetry, stories, intent, and even culture itself has been dependent on the ability of humans to store facts effectively and convert thoughts to written language. The ability to communicate ideas and information in writing is at the core of a liberal arts education and is essential for active citizenship. In covering both academic and, to a lesser degree, familiar writing, the “W” course focuses on understanding rhetorical strategies. Students will read the texts of others and learn to shape their own meanings by writing and editing a variety of forms. 

This requirement may be fulfilled by a score of 500 or more on the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), Achievement Test in English Composition; by scoring 65 or better on the English Composition with essay General Examination of the CEEB’s College Level Examination Program (CLEP); or by completing ENG 140 Composition: Writing About Selected Topics with a grade of “C” or better.

All students are expected to complete ENG 140 Composition: Writing About Selected Topics as one of their first four courses at Rollins, unless it is transferred from another institution.

Last Update: November 23, 2007
Catalog 2007-2008

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