General Education Requirements

Partly as an introduction and transition to college life, all first-time college students entering Belmont are required to take GND 1015: First-Year Seminar. The theme of the course is “ways of knowing,” and you will explore the nature of knowledge, how it differs from mere belief and the various ways in which human beings construct and evaluate knowledge claims. Individual faculty members choose sub-themes for their own sections, with a variety of topics including Japanese culture, dreams, finding common ground and voodoo, to name a few. No matter the sub-theme, you will improve and develop your reading and critical thinking skills.

Interdisciplinary Learning Communities (ILC) are one of the critical ways the BELL Core helps you see that all the various academic disciplines are interconnected. In your Interdisciplinary Learning Community Courses, you will be enrolled in two different courses that each have the same group of students. The instructors in the two courses work deliberately to explore a connection between the two disciplines. For instance, your link might be between a political science class and a chemistry class. In both classes, from two different points of view, you might examine the relationship that does or should exist between science and public policy. Or you might link a computer science course and a literature course focusing on science fiction and examine the relationship between humans and machines. Note that the classes you link are not requirements above and beyond the other requirements. Presumably, both of the courses you link will also help meet other graduation requirements. In the first example above, the student would also be receiving science credit for the chemistry course and social science credit for the political science class.

Building on the First-Year Seminar theme of “ways of knowing” and the connection between two particular ways of knowing from your interdisciplinary learning community courses, Junior Cornerstone engages students in the actual practice of a specific disciplinary way of knowing, ideally one that is different from their chosen major; thus, Junior Cornerstone will also typically simultaneously satisfy another requirement in the BELL Core, such as the Social Science, Humanities or Religion requirement. Further, in Junior Cornerstone, conscientious attention is paid to developing skills of collaboration and problem-solving. A substantial portion of students’ course grades will be determined by how well they collaborated, not merely the quality of the final product. Junior Cornerstone is ideally taken in the student’s Junior or Senior year. Courses numbered XXX3015 may not count in a student’s major or minor course of study. And while many students meet their Junior Cornerstone requirement by studying abroad, it cannot be met by transfer, AP or dual enrollment credits.

Taken during your last year at Belmont, the Senior Capstone is the culminating event of the BELL Core program. The emphasis in the course is on reflection. You will explore how the various components of the BELL Core mesh with the experiences of your major to shed light on the nature and source of meaningful living. You will review and reflect on the challenges and growth you have experienced at Belmont, and how those experiences will inform and guide your future. Many academic areas and programs integrate the BELL Core Senior Capstone with a culminating experience specific to the major or course of study. For other programs of study, the Senior Capstone is independent of study in the major. Your academic advisor will be sure to direct you to the right class.

Religion is an abiding feature of human life, offering a wellspring of meaning and purpose across human civilizations. The BELL Core religion requirement does not advocate a specific doctrine, but it seeks to provide opportunities for students to reflect deeply on the role of religion in human life, understand the variety of religious experiences and have an intellectually sophisticated encounter with the Bible. These are key areas of learning that are important for a liberal arts education, regardless of your religious perspective. In line with Belmont’s Christian tradition, we have made this a signature feature of the BELL Core, ensuring that Belmont graduates have a sophisticated understanding of religion and the Bible. To meet the requirement, you will take two religion courses, one in your first year and one in your third year. There are two different paths to complete this requirement. Path A is Introduction to the Old Testament (REL 1020) in the first year and Introduction to the New Testament (REL 3050) in the third year. Path B is Understanding the Bible (REL 1010) in the first year, and one of eight topical courses such as Spirituality in World Religions (REL 3090) or Questions that Matter (REL 3080) in the third year.

Though religion courses transferred in from accredited institutions will typically count toward the requirement, all Belmont students are required to have an academic encounter with the whole biblical text. Therefore, for example, a student transferring to a World Religions course would have to take Understanding the Bible (REL 1010) to complete the BELL Core requirement.

Effective written communication is essential for all academic disciplines, and it is a skill that is central to a liberal education. Unlike many institutions, Belmont requires both a first and third-year writing course. In First-Year Writing (ENG 1010), you will learn that writing is a process of discovery as you hone your skills in personal, expository and, especially, argumentative writing. Third-Year (ENG 3010) writing focuses on more advanced skills of academic writing, with particular emphasis on integrating academic research into argumentative essays, usually in your own academic field. You should take First-Year Writing in the fall of your freshman year, and Third-Year Writing in the spring of your junior year.

Students can transfer to any appropriate first-year college writing course for ENG 1010, or receive credit for it by getting a 4 or 5 on the AP English Language and Composition. The ENG 3010 cannot be met by transfer credits.

Effective oral communication, including public speaking, is essential in nearly all academic and professional contexts. Belmont’s oral communication requirement is met by taking Fundamentals of Speech Communication (COM 1100), a public speaking course that will challenge you to refine your ability to put together and deliver effective messages. Teaching difficult concepts, organizing your thoughts, having a point and persuading others are just some of the invaluable skills you’ll have the opportunity to assess and improve in the course. COM 1100 is designed for students in their second, third or fourth semester (prior to 60 hours). “High Anxiety” sections are available for students who experience extreme anxiety while giving oral presentations.

Only courses that emphasize instruction in public speaking and contain at least two research-based, individual speeches will transfer for COM 1100. Online courses that require students to give speeches synchronously (i.e., live through video-conferencing) to their instructor are acceptable.

The social sciences explore the interrelationships of individuals and groups in society, including social institutions and cultural history. They are a fundamental component of modern liberal education. Depending on your specific course of study, you will be required to take between one and four social science classes in the BELL Core. In these courses, you will develop a deeper awareness of human behavior, institutions, culture and society through critical thinking and ethical reflection. You will also enhance a broad range of analytic and reading skills, as well as improve your capacity for civil discourse regarding matters of public interest. The academic areas offering BELL Core social science credit are:

• Sociology
• Political Science
• History
• Economics
• Communication Studies
• Public Relations
• Media Studies
• Asian Studies

Courses from those and related areas that are transferred from accredited institutions will generally count toward the social science requirement. There are also several AP tests in those areas, generally requiring a 4 in order to receive Belmont credit.

The humanities are those academic disciplines through which human beings engage and describe the human experience, and they are an essential component of a liberal education. Depending on your course of study, you will be required to take between one and four humanities classes as part of the BELL Core. Through these courses, you will encounter great literature and philosophy that sheds light on the human condition and the variety of human experiences. As a result, you will strengthen your skills of reading, writing and conversation - as well as your capacity to empathize with those whose experiences radically differ from your own. The academic areas offering BELL Core humanities credit are:

• English
• Philosophy
• Asian Studies
• Classics
• European Studies
• Foreign Language

Courses from those and related areas that are transferred from accredited institutions will generally count toward the humanities requirement. There are also several AP tests in those areas, generally requiring a 4 in order to receive Belmont credit.

Fine arts are activities geared toward producing beauty, and they include painting, music, sculpture and architecture. Though skill in these arts is not part of liberal education in itself, an understanding of their history and role in human life is an indispensable feature of liberal education. To meet Belmont’s fine arts requirement, you will take a class in Art, Music, Theatre or Dance. In this class, you will learn about the nature, variety and history of fine art. As a result, you will have a richer appreciation for the human experience of creating beauty, and hopefully, a greater capacity to understand, evaluate and enjoy such artwork.

Similar courses from accredited institutions will be accepted for transfer credit. Courses that focus on artistic performance, instead of artistic understanding and appreciation, will not be accepted toward the requirement.

Contemporary civic and professional life does not often call on us to solve quadratic equations, but it does regularly require reading, understanding, communicating and making decisions using quantitative (numbers-based) information. Therefore, Belmont requires that you take one of four classes that develop your quantitative literacy and reasoning. Those choices are:

• Quantitative Literacy and Reasoning (MTH 1010): open to all Belmont students, this course teaches students to apply proportional reasoning, linear models and exponential models to several real-life scenarios, including financial decision-making.
• Calculus 1 (MTH 1210): open to students with a strong mathematical background, this is a traditional introductory calculus course, where students learn how to apply differential and integral calculus to answer questions about change and accumulation.
• Introduction to Data Science (DSC 1010): open to all Belmont students, this course teaches the basics of the field of “data science,” whose practitioners try to make decisions and predictions from large sets of real-world data.
• Inquiry through Computer Science (CSC 1020): open to students with a moderate mathematical background, this course teaches students logical thinking and problem-solving in the context of contemporary computing and programming topics.

Students transferring in over 30 hours may meet the requirement with any non-remedial math course being transferred in. Students wishing to meet this requirement elsewhere will need to seek prior approval, as courses equivalent to the above (except for Calculus 1) can be hard to identify. Students who score high enough on the AP Calculus AB or BC exam can meet this requirement by getting credit for Calculus 1.

The physical and natural sciences use careful and systematic observations in order to describe and explain the natural world, yielding extraordinary insight into how the natural world came to be, what processes change and drive it and how it can be manipulated to improve the human condition. Providing an understanding of scientific processes and conclusions is near the center of modern liberal education. Depending on your course of study, you will take between one and three science classes as part of the BELL Core. In these classes, you will learn about scientific methodologies as well as the broad outlines of a core scientific discipline. You will learn how to evaluate scientific claims and, through a lab experience, learn something about how to do science. The academic areas offering BELL Core science credit are:

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Environmental Science
• Biology
• Psychology

Courses from those and related areas that are transferred from accredited institutions will generally count toward the social science requirement. There are also several AP tests in those areas, generally requiring a 4 in order to receive Belmont credit.

The Indian Yoga traditions, as well as the ancient Greeks, recognized that a truly well-rounded education includes the pursuit of excellence in both mind and body. The goal of the BELL Core wellness requirement is to provide you with an understanding of health and fitness, as well as the skills necessary to apply that knowledge and maintain a healthy lifestyle for years to come. With two different paths through the requirement, you will learn some basic nutrition science, as well as develop and implement a fitness program involving an activity such as jogging, ice-skating, racquetball or weight training.

Similar courses taken at accredited institutions will be accepted for transfer credit, but the wellness requirement is not met unless both aspects have been satisfied - the physical activity as well as the fitness and wellness content.

Degree Cognates differ depending on the type of degree that you are pursuing. They indicate the extension of liberal learning appropriate to your degree. Degree Cognates are additional courses in the same categories as the Foundations Courses, strengthening that foundation in particular areas essential to your overall course of study. For two examples, students pursuing a business degree get to take additional courses in the liberal art of economics, and nursing students get to take additional courses in liberal arts such as biology. You can see your particular Degree Cognates by looking at your DegreeWorks.

Review the BELL Core Handbook for the requirements of your intended degree

BELL Core Handbook