Sewanee's General Education curriculum is broad and flexible. Rather than focusing on taking a specific set of courses, we help you develop ways of thinking and habits of mind that promote discovery, creativity, connections, and growth. Watch these videos to get to know more about the different learning objectives for Gen Ed.

As you think about what courses to take, you'll notice that we don't push students to "get your Gen Eds done." That's because nearly all courses available to incoming first-year students satisfy a General Education requirement, and those few that do not may still be essential: For example, while 100-level language courses do not fulfill Gen Ed, they are essential as pre-requisites for the advanced language courses that do fulfill Gen Ed. All Encounter courses apply to Gen Ed, as do all foundational courses for majors*. Given the flexibility of the Gen Ed curriculum, students are encouraged to select courses regardless of whether they satisfy Gen Ed requirements; you will end up taking multiple Gen Ed courses by default.

* Except PSYC 101 which is required for the major. Students wanting to take psychology—but not major in the field—can select other 100-level PSYC courses.

G1. Reading Closely

Literary Analysis and Interpretation

Learning Objective 1
Departments and programs offering courses in this area include: Asian studies, classical languages, English, French and French studies, Greek, German and German studies, humanities, Latin, religious studies, rhetoric, Russian, and Spanish.

G2. Understanding the Arts

Creativity, Performance, and Interpretation

Learning Objective 2
Departments and programs offering courses in this area include: art and art history, classical languages, computer science, dance, film studies, German and German studies, humanities, international and global studies, music, Russian, Spanish, and theatre.

G3. Seeking Meaning

Wisdom, Truth, and Inquiry

Learning Objective 3
Departments and programs offering courses in this area include: anthropology, art history, humanities, philosophy, religious studies, and Russian.

G4. Exploring Past and Present

Perspectives on Societies and Cultures

Learning Objective 4
Departments and programs offering courses in this area include: African and African American studies, American studies, anthropology, art history, classical languages, economics, French and French studies, German and German studies, history, humanities, international and global studies, politics, religious studies, rhetoric, Russian, and women’s and gender studies.

G5. Observing, Experimenting, and Modeling

The Scientific and Quantitative View

Learning Objective 5
Departments and programs offering classes in this area include: anthropology, biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, environmental studies, forestry, geology, mathematics, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, psychology, and statistics.

G6. Comprehending Cross-Culturally

Language and Global Studies

Learning Objective 6
Departments and programs offering classes in this area include: anthropology, art history, Asian studies, Chinese, classical languages, French and French studies, German and German studies, Greek, History, international and global studies, Latin, music, psychology, Russian, and Spanish.

G7. Encountering Perspectives

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Learning Objective 7
Departments and programs offering classes in this area include: anthropology, art and art history, dance, English, environmental studies, German and German studies, history, humanities, international and global studies, music, philosophy, politics, religious studies, Spanish, and theater.