Skills

To satisfy UGER requirements, students must satisfy a set of Skills requirements. 

  1. Skill: Written, Oral, and Multimodal Communication
  2. Skill: Quantitative Reasoning
  3. Skill: Wellness

1. Skill: Written, Oral, and Multimodal Communication

Written, oral, and multimodal communication is essential to all academic and civic endeavors.  The sequence of courses that satisfy this requirement ensures that students have multiple opportunities to compose texts and presentations that will contribute to their academic, civic, and personal growth.

Students must pass with letter grades the following sequence of courses:

  • An Academic Inquiry Seminar (3 credit hours) during their first year of enrollment.
  • Two Communication-Intensive courses (at least 3 credit hours each).
  • Disciplinary Communication course or course sequence (at least 3 credit hours).
  • Capstone Project course or course sequence (at least 3 credit hours).

Work from each of these components must be submitted to the student’s Experience Portfolio.

By the end of these experiences, students will be able to:

  • Identify, analyze, and respond appropriately to the contexts, audiences, and purposes of a variety of writing/communication tasks (rhetorical awareness).
  • Apply critical, creative, and analytical skills to describe and evaluate relevant questions of problems (critical thinking).
  • Use effective research methods to discover and evaluate credible, relevant, and diverse sources that are appropriate for the writing/communication task (information literacy).
  • Contribute to scholarly conversations among diverse people and perspectives (authorial agency).
  • Develop successful composing processes, including strategies for reading, responding, drafting, collaborating, revising, editing, and reflecting (composing processes).
  • Compose effective written, oral, and multimodal texts that address the expectations for the task, as appropriate to the genre and discipline (mechanical & stylistic agility).

Academic Inquiry Seminars develop the habits of mind and writing/communication processes that characterize academic discourse at CWRU.  Students engage with questions and topics from multiple perspectives, and they establish effective writing processes (including planning, drafting, responding to feedback, revising, reflecting, and self-assessing).

Students must pass with letter grades an Academic Inquiry Seminar during either their first or second semester of enrollment at CWRU.  Students may choose among topical seminars (AIQS 100), foundations seminars for students who need or want more experience with the writing process (AIQS 110), or seminars for non-native speakers of English (AIQS 120).  Students for whom English is a second language and who would benefit from an initial focus on academic English will enroll in AIAE 100 (3 credit hours) during their first semester of enrollment and then continue with an Academic Inquiry Seminar in the following semester.  Some students for whom English is a second language will go directly into an Academic Inquiry Seminar in their first semester.

Courses that satisfy the Academic Inquiry Seminar requirement:

Course List
Code Title Hours
Academic Inquiry Courses:  
AIQS 100 Academic Inquiry Seminar 3
AIQS 110 Academic Inquiry Seminar 3
AIQS 120 Academic Inquiry Seminar 3
AIQS 130 Community Engaged Academic Inquiry Seminar 3

Transfer students who have completed the first-year writing requirement at another college or university prior to matriculation at CWRU will earn transfer credit for the Academic Inquiry Seminar requirement.  Students who matriculate at CWRU as first-year students, or as transfer students having not completed the first-year writing requirement at another college or university may not use transfer credit to satisfy this requirement, unless approved through an appeal process with the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education.

Students must upload two assignments from the Academic Inquiry Seminar to their Experience Portfolios.  These will ordinarily be (1) a 1,000-1,500 word academic argument that articulates their own contribution to a relevant question/topic, including engaging with credible sources and diverse viewpoints; and (2) a final reflection on their writing processes and projects over the course of the semester.

Communication-Intensive courses use writing/communication to enhance students’ learning of the course content.  Students use writing and other forms of communication to engage with course topics and questions in ways that demonstrate their growing participation in academic inquiry and knowledge-making.

Students must pass with letter grades two Communication-Intensive courses of at least 3 credit hours each.

Courses used to satisfy the Communication-Intensive requirement must be taken at CWRU.  Students may not use AP, IB, or similar test scores or transfer credit to satisfy this requirement, unless approved by through an appeal process with the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education.  Students may receive credit based on AP, IB, or similar test scores or transfer credit based on the content of the work completed elsewhere, as approved by the appropriate academic department, but this credit will not satisfy the Communication-Intensive requirement.

For each Communication-Intensive course, students must upload an assignment to their Experience Portfolios.  This should ordinarily be a 2,000-2,500 word research-based argument with appropriate citation/documentation of sources, or an equivalent genre appropriate to the course content/discipline.

Courses that satisfy the Communication-Intensive requirement:

Course List
Code Title Hours
Communication-Intensive Courses: 3
ANEE 210 Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Literature 3
ANEE 242 Cooking Up the Past: Food & Foodways in the Ancient World 3
ARTH 220 Jewish Art and Architecture 3
ARTH 318 Sketches of Spain: Imagining the Iberian World in Early Modernity 3
ARTH 348 Cosmic Ecologies: Medieval Jewish Art 3
CLSC 204 Heroes and Hustlers in Roman Literature 3
CLSC 242 Cooking Up the Past: Food & Foodways in the Ancient World 3
ENGL 147 Writing Across Disciplines 3
ENGL 200 Literature in English 3
ENGL 217A Business and Professional Writing 3
ENGL 217B Writing for the Health Professions 3
ENGL 255 Rhetoric & the Art of Public Speaking 3
ENGL 257A Reading Fiction 3
ENGL 257B Reading Poetry 3
ENGL 258 Science Fiction 3
ENGL 260 Detective Fiction
**Note: This is a one-time offering in fall 2024 only.
3
ENGL 261 Travel and Literature
**Note: This is a one-time offering in fall 2024 only.
3
ENGL 280 The Politics of Beauty and Literature 3
ENGL 286 Literature, Gender, and Sexuality 3
ENGL 292 Hamlet: A Prince Through the Centuries 3
ENGL 361 Irish Literature 3
ENGL 362 Literary Responses to 9/11
**Note: This is a one-time offering in fall 2024 only.
3
ENGL 365F Afrofuturism and the Black Imaginary: Legacies and Futures
**Note: This is a one-time offering in fall 2024 only.
3
ENTP 222 Social Entrepreneurship: Igniting Social Change 3
ETHS 254 The Holocaust 3
HSTY 163 Introduction to Modern Britain and its Empire 3
HSTY 201 Science in Western Thought I 3
HSTY 217 The Secret History of Corporate America 3
HSTY 242 History of the Body 3
HSTY 254 The Holocaust 3
HSTY 268 American Rebellion 3
HSTY 271 Crime, Society, and Popular Culture in Early America 3
HSTY 275 The History of Now: The United States Since 1980 3
HSTY 345 The Modern European City 3
HSTY 353 Women in American History I 3
HSTY 371 Jews Under Christianity and Islam 3
HSTY 387 Growing Up in America: 1607-2000 3
HSTY 389 History of Zionism 3
HSTY 395 History of Medicine 3
HUMN 212 Interrogating Information: Research and Writing for a Digital Public 3
JAPN 337 Love and Loss: Reading the Tale of Genji 3
JAPN 341 Power of Words: Ritual Uses of Premodern Japanese Literature 3
JDST 220 Jewish Art and Architecture 3
JDST 254 The Holocaust 3
JDST 293 Introduction to Modern Jewish Literature, 1880-1945 3
JDST 371 Jews Under Christianity and Islam 3
JDST 389 History of Zionism 3
LING 333 Introduction to Language Teaching Methods 3
MGMT 222 American Business - History, Performance, and Critical Perspectives 3
NTRN 350 Community Nutrition 3
ORBH 240 Ethics for the Real World: Developing a Code of Ethics to Guide Decisions in Work and Life 3
PHIL 102 Moral Character 3
PHIL 202 Becoming Oneself 3
PHIL 207 Good Relationships 3
PHIL 308 Bioethics and Armed Conflict 3
PHIL 309 Climate Justice 3
PHIL 318 People and Planet 3
PHIL 319 Philosophy of State Violence: War, Colonization, Punishment, and Immigration 3
PHIL 322 Decolonization 3
PHIL 328 Moral & Social Responsibility 3
PHIL 337 Philosophy of Evil: Defining, Understanding, and Responding to Evil 3
POSC 201 Politics: Participation and Power 3
POSC 210 Political Losers
**Note: This is a one-time offering in fall 2024 only.
3
POSC 215 The Arctic in the System of States, Science and Markets 3
POSC 229 Writers and Government 3
POSC 231 Conflict Resolution: Essential Communication
**Note: This is a one-time offering in fall 2024 only.
3
RLGN 172 Introducing Islam 3
RLGN 220 Jewish Art and Architecture 3
RLGN 227 Islam, Gender, and Sexuality 3
RLGN 236 Religion and the Internet: Digitizing the Sacred 3
RLGN 242 World Christianity 3
RLGN 243 Bollywood, Social Justice, Gender and Sexuality: Contemporary Bollywood Movies with a Social Message 3
RLGN 254 The Holocaust 3
RLGN 275 Religion in the City: Skyscrapers, Hip-Hop, and Urban Spirituality 3
RLGN 347 Buddhism, Gender, and Sexuality 3
RLGN 371 Jews Under Christianity and Islam 3
SOCI 264 Body, Culture and Disability 3
WGST 227 Islam, Gender, and Sexuality 3
WGST 286 Literature, Gender, and Sexuality 3
WLIT 239 Writers and Government 3
WLIT 285 Land-Identity-Nation: An Introduction to Israeli Literature 3
WLIT 310 Tel Aviv-Jaffa-Jerusalem and the Israeli Cultural Imaginary 3
Any SAGES University Seminar (USNA, USSO, USSY)  

Disciplinary Communication courses introduce students to disciplinary and professional forms of communication, including questions, ethics, processes, and modes of response common to a specific academic discipline.

Students must pass with letter grades a Disciplinary Communication course or approved course sequence of at least 3 credit hours.  This requirement is usually completed within the major field of study.

Courses used to satisfy the Disciplinary Communication requirement must be taken at CWRU.  Students may not use AP, IB, or similar test scores or transfer credit to satisfy this requirement, unless approved by through an appeal process with the Faculty Senate Committee on Undergraduate Education.  Students may receive credit based on AP, IB, or similar test scores or transfer credit based on the content of the work completed elsewhere, as approved by the appropriate academic department, but this credit will not satisfy the Disciplinary Communication requirement.

Students must upload to their Experience Portfolios an assignment that demonstrates their ability to engage in disciplinary-specific writing and communication.

Courses that satisfy the Disciplinary Communication requirement:

Course List
Code Title Hours
Disciplinary Communication Courses:  
ANEE 316 Alexander the Great: Materials and Methods 3
ARTH 396 Majors Seminar 3
ASTR 350 Science Communication 3
BIOL 303 From Black Box to Toolbox: How Molecular Biology Moves Forward 3
BIOL 308 From Cloning to CRISPR: Advancements and Prospects in Genetic Engineering 3
BIOL 334 Disciplinary Communication Seminar in Cancer Biology
**Note: This is a one-time offering in spring 2024 only.
3
COGS 305 Social Cognition and the Brain 3
COGS 311 Mind and Media 3
CLSC 316 Alexander the Great: Materials and Methods 3
COGS 327 Gesture in Cognition and Communication 3
CSDS 310 Algorithms 3
EBME 356
EBME 370
Introduction to Biomaterials Engineering - Laboratory and Principles of Biomedical Engineering Design 4
ECHE 365 Measurements Laboratory 3
ECIV 260
ECIV 368
Surveying and Computer Graphics
and Environmental Engineering
6
ECON 391 Advanced Topics and Writing in Economics 3
ECSE 395 Junior Engineering Design Seminar 3
EEPS 390 Introduction to Geological Research 3
EMAC 355 Polymer Analysis Laboratory 3
EMAE 285 Mechanical Engineering Measurements Laboratory 4
EMSE 220
EMSE 320
Materials Laboratory I
and Materials Laboratory II
3
ENGL 380 Disciplinary Writing Seminar 3
ESTD 387 Environmental Justice 3
HSTY 250 Issues and Methods in History 3
HSTY 316 Alexander the Great: Materials and Methods 3
HSTY 349 Digital History Internship with the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History 3
HUMN 349 Digital History Internship with the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History 3
JAPN 397 Senior Thesis I 3
MATH 309 Sets, Logic, and Categories 3
MATH 358 Mathematical Modeling 3
NTRN 397 Research Methods and Disciplinary Communications in Nutrition 3
POSC 341 US Political Parties and Elections 3
POSC 345 The Politics of Guns in the U.S. 3
POSC 347 Economic Inequality and Power in the United States 3
POSC 349 Political Science Research Methods 3
POSC 370M Theories of Political Economy 3
POSC 373 Politics of the European Union 3
POSC 375 The International Politics of Technology 3
POSC 377 Politics of Russia 3
POSC 378 International Relations Theory 3
POSC 380A State and War in Africa and the Middle East 3
POSC 385 Doing Government Work: Public Administration in the U.S. 3
POSC 387 Environmental Justice 3
PSCL 220 The Self 3
RLGN 201 Interpreting Religion: Approaches and Current Issues 3
SOCI 328 Capitalism, Cities, and Inequality 3
SOCI 361 The Life Course 3
SOCI 380 Social Movements and Social Change 3
THTR 330 Play Directing I 3
Any course designated as a SAGES Departmental Seminar

In Capstone Project courses, students use what they have learned at CWRU to design a project that responds meaningfully to a question, problem, or issue that matters in the discipline of their choosing.  The writing/communication focus of Capstone Projects includes “translating” specialized, disciplinary knowledge for a diverse general audience.

Students must pass with letter grades a Capstone Project course or approved course sequence of at least 3 credit hours.  This requirement is usually completed within the major field of study,

Courses used to satisfy the Capstone Project requirement must be taken at CWRU.

Students must upload two assignments from the Capstone Project course to their Experience Portfolios.  These will ordinarily be (1) a substantial final project that includes a public-facing preface or executive summary communicating the project’s significance and contribution; and (2) a final reflection on their writing/communication development at CWRU.

Courses that satisfy the Capstone Project Requirement:

Course List
Code Title Hours
Capstone Courses:  
ANEE 381 Ancient Near East & Egypt Senior Capstone 3
ARTH 399 Capstone Project 3
BIOC 391 Capstone Research 3
CLSC 381 Classics Senior Capstone 3
COGS 397 Capstone in Cognitive Science 3
ECON 395 Capstone Research in Economics 3
EEPS 391 & EEPS 392 Senior Project and Professional Presentation
**Note: These 2-credit courses MUST BOTH be taken to satisfy the UGER Capstone requirement.
4
ENGL 320C Renaissance Literature Capstone 3
ENGL 364C Global Anglophone Poetry Capstone 3
ENGL 390C Independent Study and Creative Projects Capstone 1 - 3
JAPN 398 Senior Thesis II 3
NURS 373 Population Health Practicum 5
SOCI 392 Senior Capstone Experience 3
STAT 395 Senior Project in Statistics 3
Any course designated as a SAGES Capstone  

2. Skill: Quantitative Reasoning

Courses that satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirement engage students in reasoning using mathematical, statistical, computing, and/or data analytic methods for understanding and addressing concerns that are important to their profession and to society in general.

By the end of these experiences, students will be able to:

  • Apply effective and efficient approaches to mathematical or other formal quantitative reasoning problems.
  • Formulate, evaluate, and explain conclusions and inferences from quantitative information

Students must earn a passing letter grade in a course of at least 3 credit hours designated as satisfying the Quantitative Reasoning requirement.

This requirement may be satisfied with credit earned from AP, IB, or similar test scores recognized by the university or with transfer credit.

Quantitative Reasoning Courses:
Code Title Hours
ACCT 100 Foundations of Accounting I 3
ANTH 319 Introduction to Statistical Analysis in the Social Sciences 3
CSDS 101 The Digital Revolution: Computer and Data Science For All 4
CSDS 132 Programming in Java 3
DESN 210 Introduction to Programming for Business Applications 3
ECON 216 Data Visualization in R 3
ECSE 132 Programming in Java 3
ENGR 130 Foundations of Engineering and Programming 3
ENGR 131 Elementary Computer Programming 3
MATH 121 Calculus for Science and Engineering I 4
MATH 125 Math and Calculus Applications for Life, Managerial, and Social Sci I 4
PHIL 201 Introduction to Logic 3
PSCL 282 Quantitative Methods in Psychology 3
SOCI 307 Social Statistics 3
STAT 201 Basic Statistics for Social and Life Sciences 3

3. Skill: Wellness

Courses that satisfy the Wellness requirement engage students in the development and application of wellness-related knowledge to promote a lifestyle that will improve the quality of life for themselves and their communities.

By the end of these experiences, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of mental, physical, personal, or social self-care.
  • Practice physical, mental, and social activities that promote well-being and help reduce stress and anxiety.

Students must pass with letter grades at least two semester’s worth of enrollments in Wellness courses through a combination of full-semester and half-semester courses, regardless of the credit-hours attached to the courses.

At least one semester’s worth of enrollments must be in courses designated as including significant active participation in physical movement.

Students are ordinarily expected to meet the Wellness requirement with a variety of courses.  Except for varsity sports, ROTC, and marching band, no more than one semester or two half-semesters of a repeatable course may be counted toward fulfilling the Wellness requirement, though students may choose to enroll in additional iterations of the course as electives.

Students must meet this requirement through formal course enrollments that appear on the transcript.  However, the Wellness requirement will be waived for students who complete active military service.

This requirement may be satisfied with transfer credit.

Semester Wellness with Significant Physical Movement Courses:  
DANC 103 First-Year Contemporary Dance Technique I 3
DANC 104 First-Year Contemporary Dance Techniques II 3
MLSC 101 Leadership and Personal Development 1
MLSC 102 Introduction to Tactical Leadership 1
MUDE 101 Eurhythmics I 1
MUDE 102 Eurhythmics II 1
MUEN 384 Spartan Marching Band 0 - 1
PHED 108 Fencing 0
PHED 131 Personal Fitness 0
PHED 141 Dance 0
PHED 170 Varsity Baseball 0
PHED 171 Varsity Basketball (Men) 0
PHED 172 Varsity Basketball (Women) 0
PHED 174 Varsity Cross Country (Men) 0
PHED 175 Varsity Cross Country (Women) 0
PHED 178 Varsity Football 0
PHED 180 Varsity Soccer (Men) 0
PHED 181 Varsity Soccer (Women) 0
PHED 182 Varsity Swimming (Men) 0
PHED 183 Varsity Swimming (Women) 0
PHED 184 Varsity Tennis (Men) 0
PHED 185 Varsity Tennis (Women) 0
PHED 186 Varsity Track and Field (Men) 0
PHED 187 Varsity Track and Field (Women) 0
PHED 188 Varsity Volleyball 0
PHED 189 Varsity Wrestling 0
PHED 190 Varsity Softball (Women) 0
Half-Semester Wellness with Significant Physical Movement Course:  
PHED 10A Cardio Games (First Half) 0
PHED 10B Cardio Games (Second Half) 0
PHED 12A Badminton (First Half) 0
PHED 12B Badminton (Second Half) 0
PHED 13A Rock Wall Climbing (First Half) 0
PHED 13B Rock Wall Climbing (Second Half) 0
PHED 14B Indoor Rowing (Second Half) 0
PHED 21A Hatha Yoga (First Half) 0
PHED 21B Hatha Yoga (Second Half) 0
PHED 22A Intermediate Hatha Yoga (First Half) 0
PHED 22B Intermediate Hatha Yoga (Second Half) 0
PHED 24A Jogging (First Half) 0
PHED 24B Jogging (Second Half) 0
PHED 25A Power Volleyball (First Half) 0
PHED 25B Power Volleyball (Second Half) 0
PHED 26A Racquetball (First Half) 0
PHED 26B Racquetball (Second Half) 0
PHED 27A Indoor Group Cycling (First Half) 0
PHED 27B Indoor Group Cycling (Second Half) 0
PHED 29A Swimming - Beginning and Intermediate (First Half) 0
PHED 29B Swimming - Beginning and Intermediate (Second Half) 0
PHED 30A Swimming - Endurance (First Half) 0
PHED 30B Swimming - Endurance (Second Half) 0
PHED 31A Tennis (First Half) 0
PHED 31B Tennis (Second Half) 0
PHED 34A Weight Training (First Half) 0
PHED 34B Weight Training (Second Half) 0
PHED 39A Bowling (First Half) 0
PHED 40A Basketball (First Half) 0
PHED 40B Basketball (Second Half) 0
PHED 41A Softball (First Half) 0
PHED 41B Softball (Second Half) 0
PHED 42B Indoor Soccer (Second Half) 0
PHED 44A Core Yoga (1st Half) 0
PHED 44B Core Yoga (2nd Half) 0
PHED 55A Cardio-Fitness (First Half) 0
PHED 55B Cardio-Fitness (Second Half) 0
PHED 66A Advanced Rowing (First Half) 0
PHED 66B Advanced Rowing (Second Half) 0
PHED 68A Pickleball (First Half) 0
PHED 68B Pickleball (Second Half) 0
PHED 69A Full Body Flexibility 0
PHED 69B Full Body Flexibility 0
Course List
Code Title Hours
Semester Wellness without Significant Physical Movement Courses:  
AFST 285 Embodied Politics: Contemplative Practices and Social Justice 3
BIOL 112 Biology's Survival Guide to College 3
COGS 377 Ecopsychology: Reconnecting Mind, Body, Community 3
MGMT 205 Essentials of Personal Finance 1.5
NTRN 201 Nutrition 3
NTRN 300 Healthy Lifestyles as Preventative Medicine 3
NTRN 320 Women's Wellness: From Food and Nutrition to Reproductive Health and Aging 3
NTRN 328 Child Nutrition, Development and Health 3
NURS 112 Discovering Wellness 1
ORBH 330 Quantum Leadership: Creating Value for You, Business, and the World 3
ORBH 380 Managing Negotiations 3
PHED 130 Wellness 0
PHED 222 Sex Education 3
PHED 332 Introduction to Sports Medicine 3
PHIL 222 The Art & Science of Happiness 3
RLGN 285 Embodied Politics: Contemplative Practices and Social Justice 3
THTR 375 Voice 3
UNIV 200 Career Exploration and Professional Connection 1
WGST 285 Embodied Politics: Contemplative Practices and Social Justice 3
Code Title Hours
Half-Semester Wellness without Significant Physical Movement Courses:  
NTRN 200H Case Cooks: Healthy Lifestyles 1
NTRN 200S Case Cooks: Sports and Performance 1
NURS 277 BCLS and First Aid for Health Care Providers 0
PHED 50A Personal Safety Awareness (First Half) 0
PHED 50B Personal Safety Awareness (Second Half) 0
PHED 60A CPR/First Aid (1st half) 0
PHED 60B CPR/First Aid (2nd half) 0
PHED 65B Team Building, Leadership, and Creative Movement (2nd half) 0
PHED 67A Personal Self Defense (First Half) 0
PHED 67B Personal Self Defense (Second Half) 0