16 courses with the subject GN, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
GN 100Start to Write: Basics of College-Level Writing (3 cr.)
This course introduces students to essential college-level writing skills while nurturing the intellectual and character strengths vital for academic and civic life. Through reading, writing, feedback, and reflection, students learn to communicate clearly, ethically, and thoughtfully. The course emphasizes writing as a process of inquiry, expression, and personal growth. It fosters virtues such as curiosity, honesty, civility, and resilience, aligned with the university’s commitment to human flourishing. Students also develop practical wisdom by making intentional choices about language, tone, and argument in real-world writing situations.
This course explores how societies exercise power, confront global challenges, and pursue justice and progress. Through case studies on civil rights, climate justice, global health, and post-conflict rebuilding, students examine issues of inequality, conflict, and social transformation. The course emphasizes the ethical dimensions of progress and the role of intellectual and moral virtues—like curiosity, justice, and compassion—in shaping change. Students engage in collaborative problem-solving to develop resilience, critical thinking, and a sense of agency. Ultimately, students reflect on global systems of power and what it means to be a responsible and flourishing citizen.
This course examines how cities shape human flourishing and the common good. Using ethical and civic frameworks, students explore issues such as housing affordability, gentrification, transportation, environmental health, immigration, public space, and climate resilience. Students practice making thoughtful decisions when values conflict and build applied skills in ethical reasoning, stakeholder engagement, equity analysis, and impact assessment.
This course explores human anatomy and biology, focusing on structure–function relationships across major body systems. By examining societal challenges—such as environmental pollution, health disparities related to gender and race, weight bias, bioethics, and community health—students deepen both scientific understanding and emotional insight. Students cultivate intellectual, moral, and civic virtues through practical wisdom and learn how to become informed, compassionate advocates for positive change in their communities.
GN 120Thinking Twice: How We Choose and Why It Matters (3 cr.)
This course explores how individuals and groups make decisions and the consequences for communities and society at large. Drawing on history, psychology, and sociology, students examine case studies and contemporary dilemmas. Through analysis of decision-making frameworks, students will connect theory with practice and build skills for thoughtful, ethical, and effective decision-making across diverse contexts.
This course introduces practical mathematical reasoning for everyday life and civic decision-making. Students learn to model trade-offs, interpret and visualize real data, estimate risk, make fair comparisons, and apply budgeting and investment math. Emphasis is placed on testing claims encountered via current events and communicating results clearly. Students also build career-ready skills such as critical thinking, teamwork, and effective use of technology.
GN 130What Is the Good Life? - Philosophy and the Human Condition (3 cr.)
This introductory philosophy course invites students to explore foundational questions about the human condition, virtue, and what constitutes a life well‑lived. Through a blend of historical texts and contemporary perspectives, learners will engage with the nature of happiness, purpose, moral responsibility, civic engagement, and personal flourishing. Students reflect on their character, values, and life goals while cultivating intellectual, moral, civic, and performance virtues - all in pursuit of professional and personal development and the good life.
This course explores how images—from photographs and graphic designs to film clips and social media—influence thoughts, feelings, and actions. Students analyze classic and contemporary examples of persuasive visual media, uncovering how form, context, and ethos shape meaning and impact on communities and society at large. Students develop career-ready competencies in critical thinking, communication, and technology through visual analysis, collaboration, and creative production.
This introductory course in communication equips students with essential communication skills for a wide range of contexts – from academic presentations and professional environments to civic and interpersonal dialogue. Students examine the principles of purposeful speaking, active listening, ethical persuasion, and inclusive communication. Through structured presentations, constructive feedback, and reflective practice, participants strengthen key career-readiness competencies such as teamwork, professionalism, leadership, and critical thinking.
This course explores pressing global and local challenges—such as climate change, pandemics, social injustice, and technological disruption—through the lens of moral and creative responses. Using case studies, philosophical inquiry, reflective dialogue, and solution-oriented projects, students examine how character and conscience inform decision-making in complex situations. The course also cultivates key career-readiness competencies, including critical thinking, collaboration, and equity and inclusion, preparing students to engage with the future ethically and effectively.
GN 150Human Flourishing: Practical Contributions of Holistic Living (3 cr.)
This course traces the history of human flourishing—holistic living—through the contributions of well-known church orders such as the Benedictines, Cistercians, Carthusians, and Trappists, among others. It studies examples of spirituality, intellectual inquiry, and scientific, architectural, and agricultural inventions and styles that were central to the holistic philosophy of life developed by church orders in the pursuit of human flourishing. Through class lectures, discussions, and visits to such sites as monasteries, medicine gardens, pharmacies, museums housing early inventions, and farms, this course highlights the idea that the pursuit of a holistic life a way of life for these early church orders was not just a way of life that they strived to perfect, but in doing so they pioneered enduring examples of human flourishing - environmental sustainability, scientific inquiry, inventiveness, and compassion, relevant even in contemporary times.
GN 155The Archaeology of Human Flourishing in the Eternal City (3 cr.)
This course provides a foundation on the ancient cultures present through time in the Eternal City of Rome. The initial Etruscan established a sophisticated, prosperous society that flourished in central Italy (modern-day Tuscany) from approximately 900 to 100 BCE, peaking around the 6th century BCE. Known for advanced art, metallurgy, and urban planning, they heavily influenced the early Romans. Roman civilization evolved into a dominant Mediterranean superpower over 1,000 years. Key Roman innovations are examined, including their advanced roads and aqueduct systems. Throughout the course, the archeological methods used to discover these innovations will be explained.
This course examines the aesthetic and contribution of performing, visual, and literary artists in creating social change. Intentions of the artist, controversy around censorship, involvement of stakeholders, and the transformative impact of the arts are explored. Fieldwork is required; students attend one event in their community to complete the coursework.
GN 250Humanities Studies: The Global Roots of Our American Identity (3 cr.)
This course explores the diverse voices of our fellow Americans (both immigrant and Native), considering the promises and disappointments of American life through reading fiction, essays, memoirs, and poetry; viewing film and videos; and developing a personal narrative using digital storytelling. With the exception of Native Americans (for whom immigration was displacement), Americans have all come from somewhere else. These journeys were both voluntary, due to economic or political hardships or the promise of a different life in America, and involuntary, as slaves or servants or dispossessed peoples. Students reflect on and share what an American identity means in light of these voices.
This course examines the impact of human activity on the earth’s physical environment. A variety of environmental considerations and issues such as energy conservation and global warming are analyzed. Environmental issues are reviewed from a variety of political, economic, and media contexts. Consideration is given to a variety of energy sources, affordability and environmental impact, as well as analysis of energy and environmental issues portrayed through the media.
This course emphasizes reflective and analytical writing grounded in personal experience, guiding students to critically examine how those experiences have shaped their understanding of themselves and the world. Students explore both traditional and experiential learning approaches and evaluate how each contributes to the construction of knowledge. Through structured reflection and analysis, students identify knowledge gained from experience and assess its impact on their learning. Emphasis is placed on connecting these insights to personal, academic, and professional growth and on applying lessons learned to future contexts
