Foundational Explorations (General Education)
Foundational Explorations (FE) is PLNU’s designation for General Education (GE) requirements.
Mission Statement
PLNU provides a foundational course of study in the liberal arts informed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In keeping with the Wesleyan tradition, the curriculum equips students with a broad range of knowledge and skills within and across disciplines to enrich major study, lifelong learning, and vocational service as Christ-like participants in the world’s diverse societies and cultures.
Foundational Explorations Learning Outcomes (FELO)
Context #1: Learning, Informed by our Faith in Christ
ILO1 #1: Students will acquire knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world while developing skills and habits that foster life-long learning.
FELO 1a. Written: Students will be able to effectively express ideas and information to others through written communication.
FELO 1b. Oral: Students will be able to effectively express ideas and information to others through oral communication.
FELO 1c. Information Literacy: Students will be able to access and cite information as well as evaluate the logic, validity, and relevance of information from a variety of sources.
FELO 1d. Critical Thinking: Students will be able to examine, critique, and synthesize information in order to arrive at reasoned conclusions.
FELO 1e. Quantitative Reasoning: Students will be able to solve problems that are quantitative in nature.
Context #2: Growing, In a Christ-Centered Faith Community
ILO #2: Students will develop a deeper and more informed understanding of self and others as they negotiate complex environments.
FELO 2a. Students will develop an understanding of self that fosters personal well-being.
FELO 2b. Students will understand and appreciate diverse forms of artistic expression.
FELO 2c. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the complex issues faced by diverse groups in global and/or cross-cultural contexts.
Context #3: Serving, In a Context of Christian Faith
ILO #3: Students will serve locally and/or globally in vocational and social settings.
FELO 3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of Christian Scripture, Tradition, and Ethics, including engagement in acts of devotion and works of mercy.
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ILO - Institutional Learning Objective
Committee
The Foundational Explorations Program is approved and sustained by the faculty under direction of the Associate Dean of Foundational Explorations and a faculty committee. The committee directs an on-going cycle of review and improvement based on established goals and objectives.
Prerequisites
Students are required to demonstrate basic competence in mathematics and writing based on standardized test scores. Any remedial courses, numbered below 1000, taken to satisfy competency requirements, are in addition to the minimum of 128 units required for graduation.
Divisions and Requirements
The Foundational Explorations curriculum is listed under a four-fold division. This structure provides continuity with the Wesleyan approach to knowledge by emphasizing the human response as foundational to the exploring, developing, and seeking aspects of education. The divisions, although not mutually exclusive or all-encompassing, organize similar themes relevant to faith and learning. Each complements the others and, in each, conscious efforts are made to reveal connections, develop perspectives, and build synthetic thinking skills. These divisions are: Exploring Theology and Philosophy; Exploring History, Society, and the Self; Exploring Science and Technology in Society; and Exploring Arts and Culture.
The specific requirements in Foundational Explorations, as established by the faculty, represent a broad-based experience in ideas, skills, and experiences. The following selection of courses is designed to guide the student toward a liberalizing educational experience in the arts and sciences while allowing for substantial choice in the development of that education.
Required First-Year Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 1001 | Psychology of Personal Development - First Year Experience (FE) | 3 |
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 2-4 | |
| College Composition: Writing and Research - First Year Experience (FE) | ||
| College Composition: Research - First Year Experience (FE) 1 | ||
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WRI 1016 is for transfer students who have completed an additional approved WRI course or for students who have transferred in approved AP work.
Foundational Explorations
I. Exploring Theology and Philosophy
The study of Scripture and Christian tradition is essential to Christian faith and practice. Students transferring to the university for the first time with 48 or more units, none of which are in religion, take only five units in this category at Point Loma Nazarene University (three of which must be at the upper-division level).
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A. Biblical Foundations | ||
| BIB 1001 | Old Testament History and Religion (FE) | 2 |
| BIB 1002 | New Testament History and Religion (FE) | 3 |
| B. The Christian Tradition | ||
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 3 | |
| Women in the Christian Tradition (FE) | ||
| The Christian Tradition (FE) | ||
| Christian Faith and the Natural Sciences (FE) | ||
| Christian Life as Vocation (FE) | ||
| Global Christianity (FE) | ||
| Total Units | 8 | |
II. Exploring History, Society, and the Self
A pursuit of historical, social, and personal awareness, focusing on the analytical, communication, and quantitative skills necessary for successful living in modern society.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A. Personal Development | ||
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 3 | |
| Psychology of Personal Development - First Year Experience (FE) (Freshmen) 1 | ||
| General Psychology (FE) (All Others) | ||
| B. Critical Thinking and Communication | ||
| Choose two (2) courses from the following: 2 | 5-7 | |
| Principles of Human Communication (FE) | ||
or COM 2031 | Argumentation and Debate (FE) | |
| College Composition: Writing and Research - First Year Experience (FE) | ||
or WRI 1015 | College Composition: Essay - First Year Experience (FE) | |
| College Composition: Research - First Year Experience (FE) 3 | ||
| C. The History of World Civilizations | ||
| HIS 1010 | World Civilizations I (FE) | 3 |
| HIS 1011 | World Civilizations II (FE) | 3 |
| D. The Social World | ||
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Survey of Economics (FE) | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics (FE) | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics (FE) | ||
| Understanding the Political World (FE) | ||
| U.S. Democracy (FE) | ||
| The Politics of Race, Class, and Gender (FE) | ||
| Introduction to Sociology (FE) | ||
| Cultural Anthropology (FE) | ||
| Living Justly in Contemporary Society (FE) | ||
| Total Units | 17-20 | |
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Required for all first-time freshmen through age 20 (at the start of the Academic Year) who have taken fewer than 24 transferable units after graduation from high school. This course must be completed by the end of the second semester.
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All students must fulfill the 4-unit composition requirement by the end of their second semester.
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WRI 1016 is for students who have transferred the first half of the FE writing requirement or received 3 units of AP English Language credit. It is a supplemental 2 unit research course, which fulfills the second half of the FE writing requirement.
III. Exploring Science and Technology in Society
An introduction to the natural and social sciences as tools for exploring the world, with emphasis on collecting and interpreting empirical data for both theoretical and practical purposes.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A. The Natural World | ||
| Choose two (2) courses; one from each group, and at least one with a lab: | 8 | |
Biological Science | ||
Choose one (1) course/sequence from the following: | ||
| Human Biology and Bioethics (FE) and Human Biology and Bioethics Laboratory (FE) | ||
| Environment and People (FE) | ||
| Introduction to Biology (FE) and Introduction to Biology Laboratory (FE) | ||
| Biotechnology and Society (FE) | ||
| Ecology and Conservation (FE) and Ecology and Conservation Laboratory (FE) | ||
| Global Health and Pathogens (FE) | ||
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I (FE) and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory (FE) | ||
| Cell Biology and Biochemistry (FE) and Cell Biology and Biochemistry Laboratory (FE) | ||
| Ecological and Evolutionary Systems (FE) and Ecological and Evolutionary Systems Laboratory (FE) | ||
Physical Science | ||
Choose one (1) course/sequence from the following: | ||
| Chemistry and Society (FE) | ||
| Chemistry in our Everyday Lives (FE) and Chemistry in our Everyday Lives Lab (FE) | ||
| Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry (FE) and Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Lab (FE) | ||
| General Chemistry I (FE) and General Chemistry I Lab (FE) | ||
| The Physics of Sound and Music (FE) and The Physics of Sound and Music Lab (FE) | ||
| General Physics I (FE) and General Physics I Lab (FE) | ||
| University Physics I (FE) and University Physics I Lab (FE) | ||
| The Cosmos (FE) | ||
| Physical Science for Teachers (FE) | ||
| B. Physical Fitness and Nutrition | ||
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 2 | |
| Fitness Through Movement (FE) | ||
| Optimal Health (FE) | ||
| Lifestyle as Medicine (FE) | ||
| Health and Well-Being (FE) | ||
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 1-2 | |
Any one (1) unit activity course 1 | ||
| Team Sports Fundamentals and Strategies (FE) | ||
| Individual and Dual Sports Fundamentals and Strategies (FE) | ||
| C. Problem Solving | ||
| Choose one (1) course/sequence from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Calculus with Applications (FE) | ||
| Calculus I (FE) and Calculus I Lab (FE) | ||
| Business Calculus (FE) | ||
| Problem Solving (FE) | ||
| Total Units | 14-16 | |
IV. Exploring Arts and Culture
A survey of human endeavors from a historical, cultural, linguistic, and philosophical perspective, including developing critical appreciation of human expression-both artistic and literary.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A. The Fine Arts | ||
| Choose two (2) courses in distinct areas from the following: | 4-5 | |
| Introduction to Art (FE) | ||
| Fundamentals of Art (FE) | ||
| History of Art I (FE) | ||
| History of Art II (FE) | ||
| Introduction to Music (FE) | ||
| Introduction to Listening (FE) | ||
| Introduction to Theatre (FE) | ||
| B. Literature 1 | ||
| Lower-Division | ||
| LIT 2000 | Literature and Culture (FE) | 2 |
| Upper-Division | ||
| Choose one (1) course from the following: | 3 | |
| Diverse Voices of World Literature (FE) | ||
| Diverse Voices of Cinema (FE) | ||
| Diverse Voices of American Literature (FE) | ||
| Diverse Voices of Women Writers (FE) | ||
All materials for the following Foundational Explorations (FE) Literature Upper-Division Requirement options are written in foreign language: | ||
| Survey of French Literature | ||
| Francophone Literature | ||
| Mexican American Literature and Culture | ||
| Genre/Period Studies in Hispanic Literature or Film | ||
| Peninsular Literature Before 1800 | ||
| Peninsular Literature Since 1800 | ||
| Latin American Literature Before 1910 | ||
| Latin American Literature Since 1910 | ||
| C. Foreign Language 2 | ||
| Choose one (1) sequence from the following: 3,4 | 8 | |
| Elementary Chinese (Mandarin) I (FE) and Elementary Chinese (Mandarin) II (FE) | ||
| Elementary German I (FE) and Elementary German II (FE) | ||
| Biblical Greek I (FE) and Biblical Greek II (FE) | ||
| Biblical Hebrew I (FE) and Biblical Hebrew II (FE) | ||
| Elementary French I (FE) and Elementary French II (FE) | ||
| Elementary Foreign Language I (FE) and Elementary Foreign Language II (FE) | ||
| Elementary Spanish I (FE) and Elementary Spanish II (FE) | ||
| D. Philosophy | ||
| PHL 2001 | Introduction to Philosophy (FE) | 3 |
| or PHL 2011 | Ethics (FE) | |
| Total Units | 20-21 | |
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B.S.N. candidates choose between two Literature options or one Literature and one Philosophy.
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A foreign language is not required for B.S.N. candidates.
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In the same language, all or part of which may be waived by examination or by petition when English is not the student’s native language.
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Students who believe they may qualify for a language waiver are advised to make application no later than spring of the sophomore year (or in the semester transfer to PLNU) to avoid possible delay in graduation.