Philosophy of General Education

Southwestern holds that general education should accomplish two major objectives. The first objective is to provide students with knowledge which will help them attain their full potential as informed and responsible members of society. General education courses offer knowledge which enables students to communicate effectively, to explain relationships among societies, to articulate what it is to be human, to develop artistic expression, to analyze the natural world, and to make informed decisions about physical and mental health.

The second objective of general education is to equip students with the mental skills they must possess if they are to learn independently. Mental skills such as listening, speaking, writing, computing, analyzing, synthesizing, and deliberating logically will enable students to learn on their own throughout their lives.

Southwestern intends for students who complete general education classes shall possess the knowledge and the mental skills essential if they are to develop their potential as individuals and as citizens. General education requirements are aimed at conveying to students the knowledge that each person is valuable and that communities of people are valuable. They are designed to prepare students to promote their own personal well-being and that of society.

A core of general education instruction permeates each of the College’s transfer degrees (AAS, AGS, AAOT, AS, ASOT-BUS, ASOT-CS, AS-Elem Ed), offering students many opportunities to acquire the knowledge and mental skills they must possess to become lifelong learners and responsible citizens.