UW-Platteville's educational philosophy is rooted in four ideas: first, that students are capable of and responsible for making choices; second, that the quality of choice is largely dependent upon the nature and extent of their experience; third, that experience becomes more meaningful and constructive when it is informed by knowledge; and fourth, that while there are kinds of knowledge that people need in order to practice their particular professions, there are other kinds of knowledge that people need in order to live in a world larger than the purely professional.

The development of these latter kinds of knowledge is the essential purpose of a liberal education. Such an education empowers persons to live thoughtful lives, concerned about a universe much larger than their immediate environment and about a public realm that reaches far beyond their professional circle, local community, or nation. More specifically, this central part of education promotes the ability to think and communicate coherently, critically, and creatively about:

• the thoughts and actions of people from one's own culture, as well as from different cultures;
• the processes of nature, both animate and inanimate;
• the interrelations among people and between nature and humankind; and
• the possibilities for each person to enhance or detract from the goodness and beauty of life.

This philosophy of education is compatible with the opening statement of the Select Mission of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, which states: the University enables each student to become broader in perspective, more literate, intellectually more astute, ethically more sensitive, and to participate more wisely in society as a competent professional and a knowledgeable citizen.

What follows describes the university's plan for meeting this mission. It contains statements of UWP general education standards and requirements, together with a complete listing of the courses that students can take. Note that, in addition to these requirements, major programs may require additional courses from the list of general education courses. And some approved courses taken at other institutions or through UWP Study Abroad Programs may be used to fulfill a part of the requirements.

Competency Standards

At UW-Platteville, the competencies are comprised of the basic skills: English Composition, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Speech, and Wellness/Physical Activity. The design of the basic competency program assumes that high school graduates have met the minimum standards of the university. Opportunities for testing out of certain basic requirements for the baccalaureate degree will exist. Students with exceptionally strong high school backgrounds may earn general education credit by CLEP (College Level Examination Program) or AP (Advanced Placement) testing. Entering students who do not meet minimum standards on the UW System English and Mathematics Placement Tests may be required to take remedial courses in these areas, and such courses will not count toward general education or graduation requirements.

Students should be able to understand written English and communicate using it effectively. A course meeting competency requirements in English composition is designed to enable students to:

• understand written language, including various stylistic devices;
• recognize the importance context has for meaning;
• conceptualize a topic in order to establish a purpose for writing, while keeping in mind the intended reader;
• arrange ideas logically and present them coherently; and
• shape their writing imaginatively.

Students should be able to use a language other than English. A course meeting competency requirements in a foreign language is designed to enable students to:

• communicate in the standard literary and spoken forms of a language other than English.

Students should have a basic competency in computational skills and quantitative perception. A course meeting competency requirements in mathematics is designed to enable students to:

• develop problem solving skills using the methods of mathematics;
• use the recognition of patterns to solve problems;
• work with fundamental notions of number and space;
• distinguish between valid and invalid reasoning; and
• remain alert to the plausibility of solutions.

Students should be able to understand spoken English and communicate using it effectively. A course meeting competency requirements in speaking and listening is designed to enable students to:

• understand the processes of human communication;
• access and organize information logically;
• design and deliver speeches effectively; and
• develop critical listening and reasoning skills.

Students should learn how to achieve and maintain both their physical and mental well being. A course meeting competency requirements in wellness is designed to enable students to:

• assess their own overall fitness level; and
• understand what lifestyle changes are required to improve overall fitness.

A course meeting competency requirements in physical activity is designed to enable students to:

• develop an appreciation for, and basic skills in, an activity which if pursued will promote a lifetime of fitness and enjoyment.

In addition to the preceding specific requirements, the graduate of our general education program should be able to think critically - to ask probing questions, analyze problems, and suggest solutions. Courses that teach competency in critical thinking are designed to enable students to:

• recognize the assumptions upon which arguments are based;
• understand the requirements of sound argumentation; and
• gain experience in resolving issues and solving problems.

Finally, graduates of UWP should demonstrate competency in information literacy - an awareness of the available sources of information and an ability to use them competently. Courses that teach competency in information literacy are designed to enable students to:

• develop appropriate strategies for finding information;
• understand how information is produced, disseminated, and accessed;
• identify and evaluate primary, secondary, and tertiary information sources and know when one type must be preferred over the others; and
• understand how and when to use information sources.

Liberal Arts Standards

The liberal arts areas: Ethnic Studies, Fine Arts, Gender Studies, Historical Perspective, Humanities, International Education, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences, challenge students to explore the diverse range of disciplines necessary to accomplishing the purposes of general education outlined above. Each plays a significant role in enabling intelligence to mature and in promoting the development of clear, coherent, powerful, critical, creative, and appreciative thinking.

All liberal arts courses should include:

• a significant writing component;
• a challenge to critical thinking;
• the gathering and analysis of information;
• consideration of ethnic, gender, and international issues when germane; and
• a variety of ways of evaluating student learning, so that such evaluation does not rely alone on objective tests.

Furthermore, they must

• meet the standards identified below that are specific to their area.

Except for courses that count for international education, ethnic studies, or gender studies, a course may not fulfill more than one liberal arts requirement.

No more than six credits from a discipline may be counted towards fulfilling these requirements.

A course required by a department for its majors may not be counted towards the fulfillment of Liberal Arts requirements unless it is integral to the student's major.

An educated person is sensitive to the social realities and moral challenges of our time. The purpose of ethnic/gender studies is to help students come to a better understanding of the historical, social, and political structures of racism and sexism, of the Western ethical tradition of justice, and of themselves as responsible individuals acting within a cultural context. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in ethnic and gender studies is designed to enable students to:

• explore the history, culture, customs, values, lifestyles, and contributions of women and racial, ethnic, and socio-economic minorities in the United States;
• investigate the social and political structures that support racism and sexism;
• recognize the influence that students' own culture and experiences have on their attitudes towards women and minorities;
• understand the Western ethical tradition of justice; and
• examine the literature that depicts, analyzes, and protests racism and sexism.

An educated person is able to think creatively and to organize experience in imaginative ways. To accomplish this purpose, students should become familiar with the historical and cultural heritage of the arts. They should also gain a basic understanding of the creative processes, forms, and concepts used in the arts. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in fine arts is designed to enable students to:

• think imaginatively;
• explore the history and heritage of the arts; and
• examine the logic of artistic expression.

An educated person understands the forces and influences of the past - the judgments, visions, and actions of those who have gone before us and have helped shape the present. The purpose of the study of history is to challenge students to understand and assess our past, in order to form a clearer perception of the present and to deal more effectively with public issues. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in historical perspective is designed to enable students to:

• gain knowledge of the past, of the judgments, actions, and visions of those who have gone before us;
• explore the circumstances that have helped to shape those judgments, actions, and visions; and
• explore ways in which all of these have shaped the present.

An educated person understands what it means to be human and what the human condition is. The purpose of the study of humanities is to explore the range of human thought and experience - achievements and failures, joys and sorrows, comedy and tragedy, life and death. It should challenge students to understand and evaluate how others, past and present, historical and fictional, have struggled with these issues. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in humanities is designed to enable students to:

• confront basic questions about reality, knowledge, goodness, justice, and beauty;
• examine critically how great writers and thinkers have addressed these questions; and
• ponder these questions as they apply to their own lives and times.

An educated person understands his or her culture in a global context. The purpose of international studies is to challenge students to come to terms with the human commonality and diversity that characterize this interconnectedness and an interdependent world. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in international education is designed to enable students to:

• explore cultures, peoples, and nations other than those with which the students are familiar;
• analyze how people of diverse cultures address common issues and problems; and
• explore the implications of this study for the students' own lives.

An educated person understands the character, the structure, and the dynamics of the universe in which we live. The purpose of studying the natural sciences is to help students understand nature, matter, energy, and transformational processes through time to the best of our current assessment of available data, and how the processes of scientific investigation lead to new discoveries. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in natural sciences is designed to enable students to:

• discover what patterns, principles, and dynamics find expression in empirical data about natural phenomena;
• reflect on the history of science;
• assess the character, possibilities, and limitations of the scientific method; and
• engage actively in the analysis of directly encountered natural phenomena.

An educated person understands human behavior and social existence. The purpose of studying the social sciences is to develop an understanding of social systems, the dynamics of individual and group behavior, and the forces that operate in social relationships. A course meeting liberal arts requirements in social sciences is designed to enable students to:

• learn something of the reality of individual and social behavior;
• discover the principles and forces that find expression in that behavior; and
• explore the ways in which such structures and processes influence self- and group-perception.

General Education Credit Requirements

*depends upon high school foreign language courses completed, scores on the UW System Mathematics and English Placement Tests, and whether courses selected for international education and ethnic/gender studies also count for other liberal arts requirements.

To simplify the listing of approved general education courses which follows, the competency and liberal arts areas discussed previously will be condensed into the following areas: A, B, C, D, and E, where A refers to competency requirements and B, C, D, and E to liberal arts requirements.

1. Competency Requirements (13 credits)
   English 1130

   3* credits
   English 1230

   3 credits
   Speech 1010, 2250 or 3250

   2 credits
   Mathematics 1630 or above

   3** credits
   Wellness (PHYSED) 1000

   1 credits
   Physical Activity (PHYSED) 1100 to 1450

   1 credits
   Foreign Language

   0-8*** credits
   
   
2. Humanities, Fine Arts, and Historical Perspective (12 credits)

   Courses must be from areas of humanities, fine arts, and historical perspective.

3. Social Sciences (9 credits)

   Courses must be from areas of agriculture, communication, criminal justice, economics, ethnic studies, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, speech, or women's studies.

4. Natural Sciences (9 credits)

   Courses must be from areas of biology, chemistry, geosciences, physics, or physical science. All courses must involve a laboratory experience.

5. International Education/Ethnic and Gender Studies (6-9 credits)****
   International Education

   3**** credits
   Ethnic and Gender Studies

   3 or 6**** credits

   Approved courses are from eighteen different disciplines. Please consult The Approved Course Listing which follows.

   *Students with high UW System English Placement Test scores will be invited to take the test-out for English 1130.

   **Varies depending upon UW System Mathematics Placement Test score.

   *** Two years of the same high school language with a minimum of "C" average the second year fulfills this requirement.

   ****Courses selected for area E only may double count for credit in areas B, C, and D.

1. Only approved courses may be used to fulfill the general education requirements.
2. Except in the case of courses taken to fulfill the international education and ethnic/gender studies requirements, a course may not fulfill more than one liberal arts (B,C, D, or E) requirement. Students must take one 3 credit course counting for both ethnic and gender studies (EGS) or take six credits; one 3 credit course counting for ethnic studies (E) and one 3 credit course counting for gender studies (G). Courses that are listed in the Humanities, Fine Arts, Historical Perspective, and Social Sciences areas which can be used to meet the international education requirement are listed under the area of international education and are also designated with an (IE) in the respective lists. Courses which can be used to meet the ethnic/gender studies requirement are designated with an (EGS) for Ethnic and Gender, (E) for Ethnic only, or (G) for Gender only.
3. Liberal arts courses required by a department for its majors may not be counted towards the fulfillment of Liberal Arts Requirements unless they are integral to the student's major.
4. No more than six credits from one discipline may be counted toward the fulfillment of liberal arts requirements in the areas of B, C, D, and E.

Approved Course Listings

The competency requirements are met by taking approved courses in the areas of Communication (English Composition and Speech), Mathematics, Wellness, Physical Activity, and Foreign Language.

Students' UW System English Placement Test scores determine whether or not they will be invited to take the test-out for English 1130. Except for qualified students who test out of English 1130, students must take each of the courses in the freshman composition sequence:

Students not having maintained a "C" or higher average in a second year (2 semesters) high school foreign language course must complete one of the following groups. Students with one year of high school language may wish to test into the second course of the sequence. Students already fluent in a second language other than French, German, or Spanish should consult with the Humanities Department.

Students must take or test out of one of the following:

The number of mathematics credits required of students will vary with the degree they are completing. UW System Mathematics Placement Test results will establish a student's level of mathematics proficiency, and suggest which course the student should take. The minimum required number of mathematics credits for all degree programs is three credits, at or above Math 1630. However, a student may be required to take lower level or preparatory/remedial mathematics courses to meet the requisite Math 1630 or higher mandate. Also, the mathematics requirement will be waived for students who receive credit for Math 2640 Calculus and Analytic Geometry. Students may consult the Mathematics Department for details concerning test-out credit. Students may select from the following:

Students must choose one of the following:

Students must choose one of the following:

The humanities, fine arts, and historical perspective requirements are met by taking at least three credits in approved courses in each of the three areas below (Humanities, Fine Arts, and Historical Perspective). The remaining three credits must be a second course in the same discipline chosen for either the Humanities, Fine Arts, or Historical Perspective. Exception: Those courses designated as "second course only" need not be from the same discipline in order to fulfill this requirement.

All courses listed below under the area of Humanities that are NOT designated as (second course only) may be used as a first or second Humanities course.

All courses listed below under the area of historical perspective that are NOT designated as (second course only) may be used as a first or second historical perspective course.

To complete the final three credits in Humanities, Fine Arts, and Historical Perspective, a student must select either a second course in the same discipline or a class designated as "second course only." Prerequisite requirements must be met for any course taken to fulfill this area.

At least three credits must be taken in approved courses in each of two disciplines listed below (Agricultural Industries, Communication, Criminal Justice, Economics, Ethnic Studies, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Speech, and Women's Studies). The remaining three credits must be a second course in one of the two disciplines previously chosen.

The credits must be taken in approved courses in two areas (Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Geology, Physics and Physical Science). All courses must involve a laboratory experience.

In addition to courses approved for international education, the international education requirement may be satisfied through documented course work undertaken through participation in foreign exchange programs or study abroad programs. Short-term visits of less than six weeks duration and/or trips undertaken primarily for tourism or recreational purposes may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

At least three credits must be taken to satisfy the international education requirement. The following courses are approved for the international education requirement.

Three credits must be taken in approved courses to satisfy the ethnic and gender studies requirement. Students can take one 3 credit course counting for both ethnic and gender studies or take six credits, one 3 credit course counting for ethnic studies and one 3 credit course counting for gender studies. Students may select from the following:

(If the course carries other liberal arts credit, that area is also listed)

(Topic courses may or may not count for ethnic, gender or both, depending on course content)