2021-22 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]
Northwestern Core
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Introduction
At Northwestern, integrative learning is our educational vision for all students. The Northwestern Core embodies the goals of the college’s Vision for Learning: that graduates will trust, love, and worship God, engage ideas, connect knowledge and experience, and respond to God’s call.
By encouraging connections across courses, time, communities and learning environments, integrative learning reflects an interconnected view of education. Above all, at Northwestern College, integrative learning means the integration of faith and learning. Integrative learning encourages students to connect knowledge gained from many academic disciplines, engage this knowledge in dialogue with biblical and theological understanding, and apply their knowledge and understanding in a personal sense of calling.
NWCore Goals
1. Integrate Learning
The overarching goals of NWCore are to:
- Integrate faith and learning
- Connect knowledge across disciplines
- Connect knowledge to life outside the academy
2. Seek Knowledge
Students will discover the knowledge, tools, and traditions that motivate disciplinary work. In particular, students will:
- Examine the major themes of the Bible and expressions of Reformed theology, and survey the theology of the broader Christian tradition
- Explore the mosaic of human cultures, human nature, and what it means to be a person
- Investigate the interdependencies and interconnections of the natural world
- Establish and nurture a sense of intellectual curiosity as a foundation for lifelong learning
3. Demonstrate Skill
Students will practice integrative habits of mind by engaging research questions and issues that demand multidisciplinary thinking, including dialogue with biblical and theological understanding. In particular, students will:
- Demonstrate creative, effective, and sophisticated abilities in listening, speaking, writing, and visual communication
- Develop effective quantitative and qualitative reasoning
- Engage, interpret, and respond to complex texts and problems
- Practice effective use of electronic tools and technology in communication and research
4. Live Responsibly
Students will participate in God’s redeeming work by developing a comprehensive view of ethical responsibility that encompasses both individual behavior and responsible action in community. In particular, students will:
- Gain an understanding of the needs of the world and issues of justice, mercy, and humility in keeping with the biblical narrative showing God’s concern for the last, the least, and the lost
- Articulate and support personal beliefs and engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold differing beliefs
- Develop a Christian ethic that informs individual choices; a sense of local, national, and global citizenship, and a sense of responsibility to others and to the natural world
- Discern a calling in which individual abilities and passions serve the church and the needs of the world
Writing-Across the Curriculum (WAC) and Writing-Intensive (WI) Courses
Following consistent findings of writing research, Northwestern College embraces a longitudinal approach to writing instruction through Writing Intensive (WI) courses that form a rigorous Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC) program. WI courses incorporate frequent writing activities and assignments in ways that help students learn both the subject matter of the courses and discipline-specific ways of thinking and writing. WI courses use a variety of writing activities, closely integrated with the course material, to help students acquire the knowledge and the skills relevant to that course. Students in these courses will write in a variety of forms, including formal, graded papers that require polished prose, and informal, ungraded papers that allow students to explore ideas and to experiment with writing strategies. WI courses also provide opportunities for students to prepare for, reflect on, and improve their writing-revision of formal writing is an essential part of the process, since it helps students clarify their ideas, recognize their strengths, and learn from their experiences.
Northwestern College students must take 16-20 credits of WI courses to graduate. The credits must come from the following courses:
- First Year Seminar (4 credits)
- Senior Seminar (2-4 credits)
- Course in Major (2-4 credits)
- Choose two:
- Historical Perspectives (4 credits)
- Literary Contexts (4 credits)
- Belief and Reason (4 credits)
NWCore Requirements
To graduate with a B.A. or B.S., Northwestern students must complete the NWCore requirements, which include a common Integrative Learning Core and a menu of courses in ten Integrative Learning Categories.
Integrative Learning Core
- First-Year Seminar: Speaking and Writing in Community (4 credits)
- Christian Story I: Biblical Tradition (4 credits)
- Christian Story II: Theological Tradition (4 credits)
- Senior Seminar: Vocation and Social Responsibility (2-4 credits)
Integrative Learning Categories
- Aesthetic Experience (AE) (3-4 credits)
- Choose courses from two different categories: (8 credits)
- Belief and Reason (BR) (4 credits)
- Historical Perspectives (HP) (4 credits)
- Literary Contexts (LC) (4 credits)
- Cross-Cultural Engagement (CC) (3-4 credits)
- Language and Culture (LA) (0-8 credits)
- Physical Wellness (PW) (2-3 credits)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR) (3-4 credits)
- Science and the Natural World (SN) (4 credits)
- Self and Society (SS) (4 credits)
Total NWCore Credits: 41-55
Students with Earned Degree
Students with a completed baccalaureate degree, Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate Degree Nursing from a regionally accredited college will have met the requirements for the Northwestern Core upon completion of:
- BTS150 or BTS250 (4 credits)
- Senior Seminar (SR) (2-4 credits)
Students with Earned Associate of Applied Science Degrees
Students who transfer to Northwestern with an Associate of Applied Science degree from a regionally accredited college or university must meet the following modified NWCore requirements, with these courses to be taken either at the original institution or at Northwestern. (This does not apply to students who completed an ADN program.)
- BTS150 or BTS250 (4 credits)
- Aesthetic Experience (AE) (3-4 credits)
- Choose courses from two different categories:
- Historical Perspectives (HP)
- Literary Contexts (LC)
- Belief and Reason (BR)
- Physical Wellness (PW) (2-3 credits)
- Fulfill one category: (3-4 credits)
- Cross-Cultural Engagement (CC)
- Language and Culture (LA)
- Quantitative Reasoning (QR) (3-4 credits)
- Science and the Natural World (SN) (4 credits)
- Self and Society (SS) (4 credits)
- Senior Seminar (2-4 credits)
Total NWCore Credits: 33-39
Northwestern Core
NWC101 First-Year Seminar: Speaking and Writing in Community
FYS initiates a four-year process in which students form a learning community marked by trust in God and each other; explore some of life’s most profound, enduring questions by grappling with provocative texts; employ the tools of information literacy in pursuing answers; and develop effective practices of reading, writing, and speaking.
After completing the First-Year Seminar, students will be able to:
- Engage a broad range of ideas through interdisciplinary writing and conversation.
- Write effectively to inform, persuade, and delight a particular audience.
- Speak effectively to inform, persuade, and delight a particular audience.
- Articulate the nature of a Christian liberal arts education in the Reformed tradition.
Students are invited to enroll in honors sections of FYS (NWC105) based on high school GPA and ACT or SAT scores.
NWC100 Writing Studio
Writing Studio provides additional writing instruction and feedback for students taking NWC101 (FYS: Speaking and Writing in Community). The studio engages students in essential practices of college writing through mini-lessons and workshop activities.
Note: Required for conditionally accepted students or students entering with an English ACT of 19 or below (SAT Verbal below 330) and no college-level writing course.
BTS150 Christian Story I: Biblical Tradition
Through Christian Story I, students learn skills and biblical content that prepare them for a lifetime of critical thinking and faithful living from a biblical-theological perspective. Students should complete this course by the end of their second term.
After completing Christian Story I, students will:
- Know and understand the Biblical Story in relation to (a) God and key historical characters, places, and events from the biblical world; (b) the literary contexts of the biblical writings; and (c) the thematic development of God’s story with Israel and the church, through the unfolding of the covenants and their implications for worship, holiness, justice, wisdom, and the kingdom of God.
- Think critically about and appreciate the Biblical Message through an examination of (a) the significance of the biblical canon in terms of the historical process by which the Bible developed and became authoritative; (b) the contextual nature of the Bible’s historical and literary “worlds” behind, within, and in front of the text; (c) the scholarly methods and tools that strengthen authentic study of the Bible; and (d) the contribution of the experiences of faith communities in responding to God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.
- Respond to God through Biblical Application as (a) individuals in a manner that promotes Christian virtues such as love, justice, peace, and truth; (b) members of a learning community studying scripture together; and (c) the church empowered by the Spirit to be the presence of Christ in the world.
BTS250 Christian Story II: Theological Tradition
Through Christian Story II, students learn skills and theological content that prepare them for a lifetime of critical thinking and faithful living from a biblical-theological perspective. Students should complete this course by the end of their fourth term.
After completing Christian Story II, students will:
- Know and understand Christian theology in relation to (a) God, the people of God and the redemptive gospel of Jesus Christ; (b) the traditions, councils, and theologians; (c) the cultural contexts of theological reflection from the first century until now; and (d) the mission and growth of the Church as the people of God since the apostolic era.
- Think critically about and appreciate the content and context of Christian theology through an examination of (a) the significance of Christian theology in terms of the historical process by which it developed within the Church and culture; (b) the nature of Christian theology’s historical, social, economic context; (c) the scholarly methods and tools that strengthen authentic study of theology; and (d) the contribution of Christian communities and experience in responding to God’s revelation in Jesus Christ.
- Respond to God through theological application as (a) individuals in a manner that responds in faith to the gospel and promotes Christian virtues such as love, justice, peace, and truth; (c) the church empowered by the Spirit for mission and witness to the gospel of Christ in the world.
Senior Seminar: Vocation and Social Responsibility
Senior Seminar serves as the capstone to the entire Northwestern education. Through course materials, oral presentations, and formal and informal writing assignments, students reflect on their learning and connect it to life after college. In all Senior Seminars students
- evaluate their success in meeting the goals of NWCore,
- synthesize their curricular and co-curricular learning experiences,
- identify their personal commitments, such as a Christian ethic; responsibility to others and the natural world; and a sense of local, national, and global citizenship; and
- articulate their sense of vocation.
In some Senior Seminars students may also
- evaluate their success in meeting the goals of their major(s), and
- produce a substantial original project.
Senior Seminar may be taught from a departmental, divisional, or interdisciplinary perspective. It includes readings on vocational formation and social responsibility. The original project, if required, may be any type of disciplinary work, including projects in the visual and performing arts.
Northwestern Core Learning Categories
No course may count toward meeting more than one NWCore requirement.
Aesthetic Experience (AE)
The following courses fulfill the Aesthetic Experience category requirement: Note:
Aesthetic Experience (AE) courses include a group of individual public speaking assignment. The assignment is graded and integrated into the course as a means of learning content. Expectations for the assignment are explained and taught in class. Feedback on organization and delivery is provided through rubrics developmentally linked to those used in FYS. The Aesthetic Experience requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available.
After completing the Aesthetic Experience (AE) requirement, students will be able to:
- Engage works of visual or performing art using their senses and intellect.
- Use appropriate tools and vocabulary to respond critically to works of art.
- Advocate for the value of the arts in society.
- Participate in an act of artistic creation and reflect on the experience.
- Express a thoughtful Christian perspective on the arts.
- Draw connections between divine and human creation.
Belief and Reason (BR)
The following courses fulfill the Belief and Reason category requirement: Note:
The Belief and Reason requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Approved courses in this category will bear the suffix BR and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Believe and Reason (BR) requirement, students will be able to:
- Think critically and creatively as they listen, read, and write.
- Use the tools of logic to recognize, evaluate, and construct arguments for or against a position.
- Participate knowledgeably in ongoing conversations about significant philosophical questions.
- Reflect on their own beliefs and practices with humility and intellectual honesty and examine the beliefs and practices of others with care and charity.
- Use the resources of the Christian tradition to work toward a coherent and plausible account of God, the world, and their place in it.
Cross-Cultural Engagement (CC)
The following courses fulfill the Cross-Cultural Engagement category requirement: Note:
After completing the Cross-Cultural Engagement (CC) requirement, students will be able to:
- Analyze the reciprocal relationship between self and culture, with particular attention to privilege and marginality.
- Engage people with other cultural frameworks by suspending judgment, demonstrating curiosity, and asking complex questions.
- Interpret experiences from the perspective of multiple worldviews, empathizing with the feelings and thoughts of others.
- Articulate ways faith traditions influence cross-cultural engagement.
- Articulate ways Christians can heed the scriptural call to love and respect others, value diversity, and seek reconciliation.
The Cross-Cultural Engagement requirement can also be met by an NWCore Committee-approved, semester-long, off-campus, residential course involving immersion in a different culture. The Cross-Cultural Engagement requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available.
International students are required to take ESL101, Introduction to American Culture.
Historical Perspectives (HP)
The current options for meeting the Historical Perspectives requirement are: Note:
The HP requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Options will vary by term and instructor. Approved courses in this category will bear the course suffix HP and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Historical Perspectives (HP) requirement, students will be able to:
- Describe how historical context shapes events and our understanding of events.
- Evaluate the nature and reliability of historical evidence.
- Develop a thesis-based argument using properly cited evidence.
- Demonstrate familiarity with a body of historical knowledge.
- Articulate how faith obliges Christians to pursue historical truth while acknowledging preconceptions, ideologies, and myths.
- Articulate how the resources of the Christian theological tradition provide a helpful vantage point to reflect on the significance of a historical event, person or idea.
Language and Culture (LA)
Students have three options for fulfilling the Language and Culture category requirement: OPTION 1: Achieve 112 proficiency in a modern foreign language:
OPTION 2: Achieve 102 proficiency in an ancient foreign language:
OPTION 3: Participate in an IGEC-approved semester-long immersion experience in a non-English-speaking country.
Notes:
The language placement exam is used to determine initial placement into a modern foreign language sequence prior to taking language courses at Northwestern College. Once a student is in the language sequence, the student must complete the 112-level course in that language to meet the general education language requirement. A student may repeat the placement exam prior to beginning the language sequence, with the highest score used for placement. Once a student is in the language sequence, the language placement test cannot be used to meet the general education requirement.
Students who claim proficiency at a 112-level in a modern foreign language not taught at Northwestern College may take an appropriate standardized placement test to determine if the student has the level of proficiency needed for exemption from the foreign language requirement. If 112-proficiency is not indicated by the exam, the student may meet the requirement by taking and transferring credits from a college or university offering that language.
Exception: Students who are non-native speakers of English have no additional language requirement.
The Language and Culture requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Approved courses in this category will bear the suffix LA and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Language and Culture (LA) requirement, students will:
- Have achieved novice high proficiency in another language.
- Be able to explain how their use of language and understanding of cultural differences will equip them to bless and/or be blessed by the linguistic and cultural other.
- Be able to articulate some ways that cultural differences are embedded in language.
- Have developed a personal view of the relationship between Christian faith and language study.
Literary Contexts (LC)
The current options for meeting the Literary Contexts requirement are: Note:
This requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Options will vary by instructor and term. Approved courses in this category will bear the course suffix LC and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Literary Contexts (LC) requirement, students will be able to:
- Imagine other lives, times, and places by reading a variety of texts.
- Empathize with characters who have diverse stories and perspectives.
- Analyze different genres of literature using the tools of literary study.
- Craft a coherent essay with a clear thesis and careful textual analysis.
- Articulate ways that literature speaks to and informs their own lives.
- Express delight in God through the beauty of language and literary texts.
- Witness God’s presence in the world through literature.
Physical Wellness (PW)
Students have two options for fulfilling the Physical Wellness category requirement: Note:
The Physical Wellness requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Approved courses in this category will bear the suffix PW and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Physical Wellness (PW) requirement, students will be able to:
- Articulate a Christian perspective on stewardship of the human body.
- Describe the integrative role of physical wellness in human flourishing.
- Implement a personal program of physical exercise.
- Address lifestyle imbalances through nutrition, stress management, and physical activity.
- Participate knowledgeably in a physical activity.
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
The following existing courses fulfill the Quantitative Reasoning category requirement: Note:
Students with Math ACT 19 or below (SAT 510 or below) or no ACT or SAT math score must pass MAT090, Basic Algebra (C- or better) or the mathematics department placement exam (70% or better) in order to take a QR course at Northwestern College. Additional prerequisite requirements apply to some mathematics courses.
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Approved courses in this category will bear the suffix QR and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) requirement, students will be able to:
- Interpret and draw conclusions from information presented in formulas, tables, or graphs.
- Form and evaluate arguments supported by numerical or symbolic reasoning
- Use quantitative problem-solving skills to pursue both routine and creative approaches to real-world problems.
- Articulate a Christian view of mathematics as reflecting attributes of God.
Science and the Natural World (SN)
The following laboratory science courses fulfill the Science and the Natural World category requirement: Note:
The Science and the Natural World requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Approved courses in this category will bear the suffix SN and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Science and the Natural World (SN) requirement, students will be able to:
- Understand the basic principles, structures, and processes of the natural world.
- Apply methods of scientific inquiry to the natural world.
- Evaluate the reliability of scientific practices and information.
- Articulate the connections between God’s natural and scriptural revelations.
- Explain how scientific reasoning and an understanding of the natural world equip them to pursue God’s redeeming work in the world.
Self and Society (SS)
The following courses fulfill the Self and Society category requirement: Note:
The Self and Society requirement may also be met by new NWCore courses as they become available. Approved courses in this category will bear the suffix SS and fulfill the following requirements.
After completing the Self and Society (SS) requirement, students will be able to:
- Investigate the causes and consequences of individual or collective human action.
- Explain some of the major forces that shape the diversity of human experience
- Articulate ways in which systematic study of humans informs their own views and actions
- Articulate some personal and communal implications of being made in the image of God.
- Describe ways that Christian thought and the social sciences shed light on each other.
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