Global Learning Program

Global Learning Program

HPU offers specially designated sections of many lower-division general education courses under the Global Learning Program. These special sections include both Global Learning First Year Seminars—identified in the schedule of courses with (FY) in the section number—and Continuing Global Learning Experiences—identified in the schedule of courses with (GL) in the section number. These courses are designed to engage students in reflecting on what it means to be a global citizen while providing international perspectives on the subject matter. For example, a global learning section of Introduction to Communication Skills might include a special emphasis on intercultural communication, and require students to focus their oral presentations on a specific global issue. Course sections are small so that professors and students can form a meaningful learning community. Professors are selected for their commitment to teaching general education courses and their willingness to mentor students. These courses incorporate co-curricular opportunities and/or connections to the local community such as field trips, cultural activities, community speakers, the Common Book Program, Viewpoints, and the Global Citizenship Student Symposium.

Program objectives

Students who enroll in and successfully complete a designated global learning section will:

Participate as active members of a learning community.

Learn about and interact with the local environment and community.

Experience a rich learning environment beyond the classroom, including co-curricular and/or extracurricular opportunities.

Demonstrate awareness of international perspectives.

Explore the concept of global citizenship.

In addition, students who enroll in and successfully complete a first-year seminar will:

Develop effective academic habits as a foundation for their academic careers.

Learn where to go for help if they need it.

Global Learning First-Year Seminars

These courses are offered only in the fall semester and are restricted to new freshmen. In addition to the global learning emphasis described above, these sections, which are limited to 15 or 16 students, also focus on orienting students to HPU and college life. Students who enroll in the program are invited to meet their classmates and course instructor at a special luncheon during orientation week. Students should enroll in only one first-year seminar to avoid duplication of shared global learning assignments and activities. Which specific courses are offered in FY sections varies from year to year. Incoming students can find a list of course with descriptions on the HPU web site on the First-Year Programs link under the Student Services menu and at the link in the left margin.

Courses frequently offered as first-year seminars include the following:

ANTH	2000	Cultural Anthropology
BIOL	1000	Introductory Biology
COM	1000	Introduction to Communication Skills
CSCI	1041	Digital Literacy in a Global Society
HUM	1000	Introduction to the Humanities
PHIL	1000	Introduction to World Philosophies
PSY	1000	Introduction to Psychology
WRI	1100	Analyzing and Writing Arguments

Please note that only a section containing an FY as part of the section designator is a first-year seminar. For example ANTH 2000 GFY, COM 2000 2FY or PSY 1000 FY are first-year seminars. ANTH 2000 A, COM 2000 1 or PSY 2000 BO are not first year seminars.

Continuing Global Learning Experiences

Beginning in the spring of 2009, HPU will expand this program to include sophomore- level courses and additional sections of freshmen courses. These courses will not be limited to new freshmen and will not include the orientation emphasis found in the first-year seminars. Thus students who enjoyed their first year seminar can seek out further global learning opportunities and students who were unable to enroll in seminar in their first semester will have other opportunities to take engaging general education courses with a global perspective. A list of courses being offered in continuing global learning sections will be published prior to pre-registration period for continuing students. Please click the link at the left after October 15.

Any of the courses taught as first-year seminars in the fall could be taught as a continuing global learning experience in the spring. Below are some additional courses that may be offered periodically as GL courses. Please note that only a section containing a GL as part of the section designator is a continuing global learning experience course. For example BIOL 1500 GL, HIST 2002 AGL or WRI 1200 3GL would be continuing global learning sections.

BIOL	1500	Conservation Biology
BIOL	2170	Ethnobotany: Plants and People
COM	2300	Communication and Culture
ECON	1010	Introduction to Global Economic Issues
ENG	2301	World Film Studies
GEOG	1500	World Regional Geography
GEOG	2000	Human Geography
HIST	2001	History of World Cultures to 1500
HIST	2002	Global Historical Experience since 1500
LIT	2510	World Literature I
LIT	2520	World Literature II
MARS	1000	Introductory Oceanography
MARS	1500	Marine Biology and the Global Oceans
PSCI	2000	Introduction to Politics
PSCI	2500	World Politics
WRI	1200	Research, Argument, and Writing

It is important to recognize that the Global Learning program refers to an approach to teaching and learning which can be applied to many different courses. Because most courses taught in the program are also taught in multiple “regular” sections each semester, students need to look for the FY or GL section designator when registering. Global Learning First-Year Seminars should not be confused with the one-credit course NSCI 1000 Freshmen Science Seminar which is required of all students majoring in the College of Natural Science.