First Year Seminar: 3 Hours
- Partly as introduction and transition to college life, all first time college students entering Belmont are required to take BEL 1015: First-Year Seminar. The theme of the course is “ways of knowing” and you will explore the nature of knowledge, how it differs from mere belief, and the various ways in which human beings construct and evaluate knowledge claims. Individual faculty members choose sub-themes for their own sections, with a variety of topics including Japanese culture, dreams, finding common ground, and voodoo. No matter the sub-theme, you will improve and develop your reading and critical thinking skills.
- Transfer students who have a full year of college experience at another accredited institution will be granted a waiver for FYS. No amount of AP or dual enrollment credits can result in a waiver.
Interdisciplinary Learning Communities
- Interdisciplinary Learning Communities (ILC) are one of the critical ways the BELL Core helps you see that all the various academic disciplines are interconnected. In your Interdisciplinary Learning Community Courses, you will be enrolled in two different courses that each have the same group of students. The instructors in the two courses work deliberately to explore a connection between the two disciplines. For instance, your link might be between a political science class and a chemistry class. In both classes, from two different points of view, you might examine the relationship that does or should exist between science and public policy. Or you might link a computer science course and a literature course focusing on science fiction, and examine the relationship between humans and machines. Note that the classes you link are not requirements above and beyond the other requirements. Presumably, both of the courses you link will also help meet other graduation requirements. In the first example above, the student would also be receiving science credit for the chemistry course, and social science credit for the political science class.
- Students bringing in at least 30 hours of credits (including transfer, AP, dual enrollment and IB) are exempt from ILC.
Junior Cornerstone
- Building on the First-Year Seminar theme of “Ways of Knowing” and the connection between two particular ways of knowing from your interdisciplinary learning community courses, Junior Cornerstone engages students in the actual practice of a specific disciplinary way of knowing, ideally one that is different from their chosen major; thus, Junior Cornerstone will also typically simultaneously satisfy another requirement in the BELL Core, such as the Social Science, Humanities, or Religion requirement. Further, in Junior Cornerstone, conscientious attention is paid to developing skills of collaboration and problem solving. A substantial portion of students’ course grade will be determined by how well they collaborated, not merely the quality of the final product. Junior Cornerstone is ideally taken in the student’s Junior or Senior year. Courses numbered XXX3015 may not count in a student’s major or minor course of study. And while many students meet their Junior Cornerstone requirement studying abroad, it cannot be met by transfer, AP, or dual enrollment credits.
Senior Capstone: 1-3 Hours
- Taken during your last year at Belmont, the Senior Capstone is the culminating event of the BELL Core program. The emphasis in the course is on reflection. You will explore how the various components of the BELL Core mesh with the experiences of your major to shed light on the nature and source of meaningful living. You will review and reflect on the challenges and growth you have experienced at Belmont, and how those experiences will inform and guide your future. Many academic areas and programs integrate the BELL Core Senior Capstone with a culminating experience specific to the major or course of study; for other programs of study, the Senior Capstone is independent of study in the major. Your academic advisor will be sure to direct you to the right class.
Religion: 6 Hours
- Six hours from the same path. Choose Path A or Path B.
- College of Theology and Christian Ministry majors fulfill the Religion BELLCore requirement by completing REL 1020 Introduction to the Old Testament and any 3000 Path B Religion BELLCore class.
- See BELL Core handbook for complete transfer policy for Religion courses.
- Religion is an abiding feature of human life, offering a wellspring of meaning and purpose across human civilizations. The BELL Core religion requirement does not advocate a specific doctrine, but it seeks to provide opportunities for students to reflect deeply on the role of religion in human life, understand the variety of religious experiences, and have an intellectually sophisticated encounter with the Bible. These are key areas of learning that are important for a liberal arts education regardless of your religious perspective. In line with Belmont’s Christian tradition, we have made this a signature feature of the BELL Core, insuring that Belmont graduates have a sophisticated understanding of religion and the Bible. To meet the requirement, you will take two religion courses, one in your first year and one in your third year. There are two different paths to complete this requirement. Path A is Introduction to the Old Testament (REL 1020) in the first year, and Introduction to the New Testament (REL 3050) in the third year. Path B is Understanding the Bible (REL 1010) in the first year, and one of eight topical courses such as Spirituality in World Religions (REL 3090) or Questions that Matter (REL 3080) in the third year.
- Though religion courses transferred in from accredited institutions will typically count toward the requirement, all Belmont students are required to have an academic encounter with the whole biblical text. Therefore, for example, a student transferring in a World Religions course would have to take Understanding the Bible (REL 1010) to complete the BELL Core requirement.
- See catalog or Degreeworks for specific courses that will count for general education in each area.
Path A: Intro to Old and New Testament
Path B: REL 1010 plus a 3000 level Religion course
Writing: 6 Hours
- Effective written communication is essential for all academic disciplines, and it is a skill that is central to a liberal education. Unlike many institutions, Belmont requires both a first and third year writing course. In First-Year Writing (ENG 1010), you will learn that writing is a process of discovery as you hone your skills in personal, expository, and (especially) argumentative writing. Third-Year (ENG 3010) writing focuses on more advanced skills of academic writing, with particular emphasis on integrating academic research into argumentative essays, usually in your own academic field. You should take First-Year Writing in the fall of your freshman year, and Third-Year Writing in the spring of your junior year.
- Students can transfer in any appropriate first year college writing course for ENG 1010, or receive credit for it by getting a 4 or 5 on the AP English Language and Composition. The ENG 3010 cannot be met by transfer credits.
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