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2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog
General Education: The Human Community
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Margaret M. Mulrooney, Senior Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Curriculum
Mission Statement
In the liberal arts tradition, General Education: The Human Community aspires to create informed global citizens of the 21st century.
James Madison University’s General Education program is committed to creating an inclusive academic environment for all persons. We affirm that diversity advances understanding and is integral to a liberal arts education. We acknowledge the history of exclusion nationally and at James Madison University. We embrace the process of making JMU’s General Education program accessible, affirming, and action-oriented.
By placing inclusion at the center of our mission, we seek to implement strategies and diversity policies that reimagine the relevance of a liberal arts education. We challenge our community of students, faculty, and staff to engage in personal and collective reflection, development, and action.
Philosophy
General Education: The Human Community is the core academic program of James Madison University in which students come to understand how distinct disciplines look at the world from different vantage points. Courses in The Human Community are organized into five areas, each emphasizing unique tools, rationales and methodologies. Taken together, courses in a student’s chosen major and The Human Community complement and complete each other. Both are integral and essential components of a student’s full and proper education.
Goals
Students understand the historical and contemporary distinctions and interconnections among people, institutions and communities that create, preserve and transmit culture and knowledge in the arts, sciences, mathematics, social sciences and humanities.
Students become skilled in questioning, investigating, analyzing, evaluating and communicating.
Students participate in a variety of aesthetic and civic experiences reflecting human concerns and values that transcend the limits of specialization.
Structure
The Human Community credit hour requirements are:
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General Education Courses by Area
Please note: experimental courses are not listed in the catalog. Madison Foundations Requirements
Madison Foundations consists of nine credits distributed across four program requirements: Critical Thinking, Human Communication, Writing and Information Literacy. These requirements are satisfied with the completion of three courses: one each specifically for Critical Thinking, Human Communication, and Writing. These three courses collectively satisfy the Information Literacy requirement as well. Completion of all requirements in Madison Foundations is required of students in their first academic year at JMU, and the courses may be taken in any order. Madison Foundations courses are not repeatable without permission, which is given based on course availability. There are no overrides available in Madison Foundations courses during the Fall and Spring semesters. Summer term is an additional opportunity to complete Madison Foundations coursework. Critical Thinking [C1CT]
Each of the courses satisfying the Critical Thinking requirement presents students with various techniques and approaches to critical thinking such as analyzing and evaluating information, arguments, premises and concepts. Critical thinking fosters inquiry and problem-solving abilities. Depending upon the course, the content focuses on the function of language, basic business principles, issues in recent history, mediated communication, informal logical reasoning or problem-solving in science and technology. Additional Information
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree may not use either PHIL 120 or PHIL 150 to fulfill the B.A. philosophy course requirement. Students who have received credit for one Critical Thinking class are not eligible to receive credit for a second Critical Thinking class without permission. Human Communication [C1HC]
Each of the courses satisfying the Human Communication requirement introduces students to the study of human communication as a process. Emphasis is on examining the role of self-concept, perception, culture, verbal and nonverbal dimensions in the communication process; applying critical listening skills; and developing skills in oral presentations. Depending upon the course, the content focuses on an overview of the principles and practices of interpersonal, small group and public communication, or constructing informative and persuasive speeches with an emphasis on individual public speaking contexts, or constructing informative and persuasive group presentations. Additional Information
Students who have received credit for one Human Communication class are not eligible to receive credit for a second Human Communication class. Writing [C1W]
The course that satisfies the Writing requirement provides students with the tools to study the role of the writer, the purpose of documents, and the contexts and audience expectations within which documents are produced. Writing is taught as a process involving invention, collaboration, research and revision. Students read, analyze and create texts in multiple genres using traditional and digital communication tools. Content areas may include public and professional discourse, culture, humanities, and technology. Arts and Humanities Requirements
Arts and Humanities consist of nine credits distributed across three program requirements: Human Questions and Contexts, Visual and Performing Arts, and Literature. Students will choose one course to satisfy each of these three requirements. Arts and Humanities requirements may be completed concurrently or individually, in any order. Human Questions and Contexts [C2HQC]
AMST 200 takes a cross-disciplinary approach to questions about American identity and shows how they reflect a complex interplay of cultural, historical, religious and ideological perspectives. The ANTH and HIST courses introduce students to the great cultures of the world by surveying the common patterns of experience that characterized Western, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, Meso- and South American societies in the past. The HUM and LAXC courses are cross-disciplinary, in-depth explorations of specific topics, cultures, periods or themes. The PHIL and REL courses explore the great inquiries into human existence and the ways different cultures across different time periods constructed their responses to questions concerning humans’ existence and their relationship to nature, ultimate reality and the universe. Thus, all of the courses in Human Questions and Contexts emphasize central questions about the human condition and ways of studying values and beliefs as they are shaped by class, gender, race, historical events, philosophy and religion. Visual and Performing Arts [C2VPA]
ARTH 205 and ARTH 206 are global art history surveys that introduce students to the visual arts, whose history often has been interconnected with developments in music, dance and theatre/film. These surveys are organized chronologically, but focus distinctly on artistic perception and experience. ARTH 204 asks pressing questions of select, major monuments, examining how images and works of architecture most reflect current values as well as those from the past. MUS 206 explores history and the arts through the study of music: its development, aesthetics, forms and styles; and its context within the cultural communities that produced it. ART 200 and MUS 200 are introductions to art or music in general culture; DANC 215 considers the historic and cultural significance of dance as well as the components of dance performance; THEA 210 studies theatre as an art form in its cultural contexts including acting, directing, design, costuming and lighting; MUS 203 explores America’s music landscape and examines the interconnections among music, art and literature in historical periods. Literature [C2L]
The literature surveys provide students with extensive reading experiences of representative genres and authors and various critical approaches to literary texts, as well as opportunities to explore the complex ways that literature both reflects and helps change or create the cultural and intellectual contexts of the times in which texts are written. Students are expected to learn strategies for reading and interpreting any literary text so that they come to deepen their appreciation of the aesthetics, rhetorical strategies and meaning of a range of literary texts. Through the humanistic study of literature, students will also obtain a better understanding of themselves and their own culture as well as those of others. Literature and Writing Infusion The courses that satisfy the Literature requirement are designated as writing-infused. Students will write a minimum of 5,000 words (approximately 15 pages double-spaced in a standard font) in assignments that may include both informal and formal, ungraded and graded forms. The extensive opportunity to produce and receive feedback on various genres of academic writing will help students sharpen their responses to interesting and thought-provoking texts and promote more engaged and sophisticated reading strategies. The Natural World Requirements
The Natural World consists of 10 credits distributed across four program requirements representing four different aspects of scientific knowledge: Quantitative Reasoning, Physical Principles, Natural Systems and Lab Experience. Students will choose one course to satisfy each of these four requirements. Quantitative Reasoning consists of mathematics or statistics courses. Physical Principles and Natural Systems consist of science courses. The requirements may be completed in any order, except in the case of courses denoted by an asterisk (*), which have a mathematics and/or science prerequisite or corequisite. In addition, students are required to have at least one lab experience. Certain courses are designed for future teachers, and enrollment in these courses may be limited to Education majors; these courses are indicated with a double asterisk (**). Quantitative Reasoning [C3QR]
Students build mathematical models of systems and learn to understand, interpret and analyze data that is numerical in nature. Physical Principles [C3PP]
Each of the courses satisfying the Physical Principles requirement investigates underlying principles of nature. These principles are applied to build models, often quantitative in nature, that explore and explain a variety of natural phenomena. Natural Systems [C3NS]
Each of the courses satisfying the Natural Systems requirement explores the behavior of earth and life systems. Students will investigate interactions within these systems, between the systems and their environment, and with society. Lab Experience [C3L]
Each of the courses satisfying the Lab Experience emphasizes the observational and experimental nature of science. Through hands-on experiential learning, students will make observations and use them to test predictions and hypotheses. Students must take Physical Principles or Natural Systems course with a lab included, or: American and Global Perspectives Requirements
American and Global Perspectives consists of seven credits distributed across two program requirements: The American Experience and The Global Experience. Students will choose one course to satisfy each of these two requirements. American and Global Perspectives requirements may be completed concurrently or individually, in any order. Students may not take both POSC 200 and POSC 225 to complete the American and Global Perspectives requirements. The American Experience [C4AE]
Each American Experience course provides students with an understanding of the major themes and concepts that structure American life today. HIST 225 does so through a contextual and document-based study of the American historical experience that emphasizes the interaction of people, ideas and social movements. JUST 225 frames questions regarding historic and contemporary events in terms of issues of justice, highlighting how societal structures interact with individual lives and vice versa. POSC 225 focuses on the evolution and contemporary operation of the American political system by examining its fundamental principles and current dynamics. The Global Experience [C4GE]
Each of the courses in the Global Experience is an investigation into a series of global issues that are of great importance to the human community. Topics discussed will vary from course to course. Issues are examined in a systemic context that allows students to see connections between disciplines. The unifying theme is an analysis of overarching structures at the global level that condition people’s behavior and which are shaped by that behavior. From this perspective the study of global issues requires more than studying current events; it involves placing these global issues in a systemic context. Sociocultural and Wellness Area Requirements
The Sociocultural and Wellness Area consists of six credits distributed across two program requirements: the Wellness Domain and the Sociocultural Domain. Students will choose one course to satisfy each of these two requirements. Sociocultural and Wellness Area requirements may be completed concurrently or individually, in any order. Students are expected to complete Sociocultural and Wellness Area course work during their first two years at the university and are strongly encouraged to complete their Wellness Domain coursework in their first year. Wellness Domain [C5W]
Each of the courses satisfying the Wellness Domain requirement examines the individual behaviors that influence the dimensions of health and wellness. Students will gain knowledge and conduct self-assessments relating to a variety of health topics. In addition, students will learn strategies that improve lifetime health and wellness. Courses include a physical wellness component as a part of the course requirements. Sociocultural Domain [C5SD]
Each of the courses satisfying the Sociocultural Domain requirement focuses on sociocultural and psychological aspects of individuals interacting within societal contexts. These courses enable students to develop ethical and scientifically-based critical thinking about human behavior and social interaction. Students study the formation and functions of social relationships and reflect on personal responsibilities to diverse communities within which people function throughout life. Students explore sociocultural and psychological aspects of personal belief systems, self-identity and assumptions about others. |
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