General Education Department
Mrs. Sheri Popp, chair, Mr. Ben Brown, Mr. Tim Iverson, Miss Megan Von Bergen, Mr. Arthur Manning, Dr. James Van Dine
Department Mission
To equip learners with the foundational knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be productive contributors to society.
Program of Study
General Education (a component of each academic program)
General Education Purpose
One of the purposes for higher education is the broadening and deepening of a person’s understanding of the world. Emmaus not only acknowledges this but embraces it since we subscribe to the view that “all truth is God’s truth.” Students at Emmaus Bible College are required, in addition to their major area of study, to participate in a program of general education that is designed to provide the knowledge and learning experiences preparatory to the assumption of their role as productive, educated citizens.
General Education Philosophy
The complexity of the modern world demands that an educated person have a variety of skills and understandings to function successfully. The General Education program at Emmaus contributes to this by adding a dimension of breadth to the education of all of our graduates regardless of program. Here students have the opportunity to acquire the general knowledge, skills, dispositions, and insights required of educated persons in contemporary society. This is accomplished through a General Education program that includes coursework in humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and inter-area studies. A uniform set of core studies are required of each degree graduate. These are supplemented with additional requirements that vary depending on the academic major the student pursues. Therefore, Emmaus Bible College does not assert that there is a uniform set of course work that imparts a common set of knowledge to all students in all programs. Rather we subscribe to the position that, within the guidelines of each program, the General Education course work is of sufficient breadth and depth to allow graduates to acquire the characteristics of educated persons.
In addition to the more traditional general studies curriculum, each Emmaus student, as part of the General Education component of his or her education, will complete coursework in Inter-area studies. These courses facilitate the integration of General Education knowledge and skills with the academic majors and allow students to apply knowledge gained in the classroom in other settings. Courses include Transitions Seminar, Chapel, Servant Leader Training, and Senior Seminar. The service component of an Emmaus education provides students the opportunity to practice their skills, apply their knowledge, and exercise their dispositions for the benefit of others.
The college requires that an amount of General Education coursework appropriate to the specific certificate or degree is present in all programs regardless of major or program emphasis. All bachelor degree graduates complete between 40-45 credits of General Education coursework.
General Education Outcomes
The General Education program is planned and presented to assist graduates to:
- Write effectively with precision and detail to communicate the intended message.
- Understand and apply mathematical and scientific principles.
- Use current technology for educational and work-related purposes.
- Compose and deliver speeches which clearly and effectively communicate the intended message.
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills through integration of Christian theology and worldview with other academic disciplines.
- Defend the value of the arts and sciences in terms both of their aesthetic worth and their role in shaping the worldview(s) and values of a culture.
English Composition Requirement
Degree-seeking students must earn a minimum grade of C- in English Composition (ENG 101), or equivalent in the case of transfer students, to pass this course. Ordinarily, the course will be completed within the student’s initial 30 credit hours at Emmaus. Course withdrawal is rarely granted, and only when a formal request with written documentation of extreme hardship is provided to the VP/Dean for Academic Affairs.
Students with transfer, AP, or CLEP credits in English Composition who score below 75 on the English placement exam (or below 80 for Teacher Education majors) will be required to register for the Writing Seminar (1 credit; Pass/Fail) each semester until they achieve a Pass (P).
General Education Course Work
- Humanities
- COM 112 Fundamentals of Speech
- COM/BUS 230 Business Communication
- ENG 010 Introduction to English
- ENG 101 English Composition
- ENG 102 Introduction to Literature
- ENG 220 Christian Classics
- ESL 202 Introduction to Linguistics
- FL 102 & 104 Greek 1
- FL 103 & 105 Hebrew 1
- MUS100/1-400/1 Chapel Choir
- MUS102/3-402/3 Emmaus Ensemble
- MUS 108/9-408/9 Small Vocal Ensemble
- MUS 180/1-480/1 Dubuque Community String Orchestra
- MUS 173 Survey of Music History
- MUS 242 World Music
- MUS 250 Foundations of Church Music
- PH 106 Introduction to Philosophy: Christian Worldview
- PH 108 Logical Analysis
- PH/BT 364 Apologetics
- REL/ICS 204 Religions in America
- REL/ICS 216 Judaism
- REL/ICS 308 Comparative Religions
- REL/ICS 341 Roman Catholic Context
-
Social Sciences
- COU 161 Counseling Foundations
- COU 210 Methods and Techniques of Counseling
- CS 101 Fundamental Computer Literacy
- CS 240 Educational Technology
- ECN 105 Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECN 205 Principles of Microeconomics
- GEO 117 World Geography
- GEO/BT 278 Bible Geography
- HIS 131 Western Civilization 1
- HIS 132 Western Civilization 2
- HIS 234 American History
- HIS 270 The Holocaust: 1933-1945
- HIS 281 History of the Brethren Movement
- HIS 340 Latin American History
- HIS 350 Modern World History
- HIS/BT 376 Church History
- HIS/BT 381 History of Israel
- HIS/BT 382 History and Literature of the Intertestamental Period
- HIS/BT 410 History of the Ancient Near East
- PSY 151 Introduction to Psychology
- PSY 254 Child Development
- PSY 260 Development Psychology
- PSY 351 Educational Psychology
- SOC/CE 109 Marriage and Family Life
- SOC/ICS 314 Cultural Anthropology
- SOC/ICS 330 Cross-Cultural Communication
-
Natural Sciences
- MAT 050 Introduction to Algebra
- MAT 140 College Mathematics
- MAT 160 Introduction to Statistics
- MAT 270 Number Operations and Algebra in Elementary School
- MAT 370 Spatial Math and Data Representation in Elementary School
- SCI 230 Introduction to Earth Science
- SCI 231 Earth Science Lab
- SCI 241 Introduction to Human Biology
- SCI 242 Human Biology Lab
- SCI 255 Astronomy
- SCI 256 Astronomy Lab
-
Inter-Area Studies
- IAS 101 Transitions Seminar
- IAS 102/3-402/3 Servant Leader Training
- IAS 104/5-404/5 Chapel Attendance
- IAS 410 Senior Seminar