Gone are the days of one general class for each general education topic. In the past, Roger students have had to take five specific courses, CORE/HONR 101-105 to fulfill their gen eds. However, changes have already started to take place, with more equivalency classes being offered that allow students to centralize their studies.
The new general education curriculum at RWU will run in a similar fashion, with many different courses being offered to fulfill each credit requirement. For example, there may be a dozen classes that fall under the “CORE.102” umbrella, and students can pick whichever one sounds most interesting to them. It will fulfill the same requirement that the original, singular, “CORE.102” course did.
In my opinion, this change is extremely important and beneficial. I have already reaped the benefits, with my last gen ed being fulfilled this semester with an equivalency course. I was dreading having to take HONR.101, the science core. I am not a STEM girly in the slightest, and taking a science course with a lab sounded like the worst thing. Luckily, HONR.140 (Systems Thinking) is an equivalency course that was offered this semester, fulfilling the original 101 requirement. There is no lab, and we do not discuss the traditional sciences I have grown to somewhat detest. Instead, we cover topics such as cause and effect relationships, how one action leads/spirals into others, and what structures are in place that cause this. For me, this is much more interesting than chemistry or physics. But, if you are interested in those sciences, those courses will still be offered under the “101 umbrella”.
I believe these changes will allow for deeper engagement in classes, as students will be able to take ones that are more interesting to them. Now, some may argue that, through these changes, students will miss out on more general information that would otherwise be covered in the old “CORE” classes. For example, chemistry, something that I will not have to take at a university level. But, I counter that by referring to classes taken in high school. I already know basic chemistry (and that it is not for me), I do not need to take a college class to reiterate said information (and how bad I am at it). So what do you think? We want to hear your voices! Vote on our Instagram @hawksherald if you think these changes are bettering our university!
