Traditional Undergraduate Program > Academics

Awareness/Emphasis Courses:

American Studies (3 semester hours):

Lakeland expects its students to graduate with a heightened awareness of the issues and concepts that define and describe American culture. Courses fulfilling the American Studies requirement focus on the societal and cultural dynamics of the United States, whether in literary, sociological, political, or historical form.

  • One of the following:
    • CRJ 140 Introduction to Criminal Justice
    • ENG 220 Introduction to American Literature
    • ENG 225 Multicultural American Literature
    • HIS 201 United States History I
    • HIS 202 United States History II
    • POL 221 American Government I
    • POL 231 American Government II
    • SOC 210 Majority-Minority Relations
  • Note: Education majors must select two courses: HIS 201 or HIS 202 and POL 221 or POL 231.

Cross-Cultural Studies (3 semester hours):

As articulated in the campus compact, Lakeland is a global community, and the curriculum develops international knowledge and intercultural sensitivity through the Cross-Cultural Studies requirement. Courses satisfying this requirement focus on non-U.S. cultures and languages with substantial attention to current topics.

This requirement is waived for international students with a TOEFL score of at least 500 on the paper-based test (61 on the Internet-based test, 173 on the computer-based test) or who have successfully completed Lakeland College's English Language Institute.

  • One of the following:
    • One departmentally-designated study abroad course
    • One college-level foreign language course:
      • CHI 101, FRE 101, GER 101, JPS 101, SPA 101, or other
    • ANT 110 Introduction to Anthropology
    • BUS 284 Principles of International Business
    • ENG 123 London Theatre Trip
      ENG 200 World Literature
    • HIS 101 World History I
    • HIS 102 World History II
    • HIS 211 History of Asia
    • HIS 221 History of Europe
    • HIS 232 History of Africa
    • HIS 242 History of Latin America
    • PSYS227 Cross-Cultural Psychology
  • Note: Early Childhood Education majors and Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence Education majors should take HIS 101 or HIS 102. Early Adolescence through Adolescence Education majors should choose HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 211, HIS 232, or HIS 242.

Societal Studies (3 semester hours):

Lakeland seeks to produce graduates who are aware of the dynamics that shape the interactions between individuals and societies. Courses fulfilling the Societal Studies requirement cover theories of individual and social human behavior and/or methods of social observation and analysis.

  • One of the following:
    • ANT 223 Cultural Anthropology
    • ECN 220 Principles of Macroeconomics
    • EDUP 230 Educational Psychology
    • PHI 221 Introduction to Philosophy
    • PHI 232 Ethics
    • POL 350 Political Theory
    • PSY 200 General Psychology
    • SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
  • Note: All Education majors must select EDUP 230. Early Childhood and Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence Education majors must also take ANT 223.

Religious Studies (3 semester hours):

As a covenantal community, Lakeland is committed to providing an environment in which students study the role of spirituality in human life. Courses satisfying the Religious Studies requirement focus on the human understanding of God and the relationship between the divine and the human.

  • One of the following:
    • REL 111 Old Testament Theology
    • REL 122 New Testament Theology
    • REL 132 Religion in America
    • REL 220 Introduction to Christianity
    • REL 230 Christian Faith and Contemporary Culture
    • REL 232 Eastern Religious Traditions
      REL 233 Western Religious Traditions
    • RELP 491 Idea of God

Interdisciplinary Studies (9 semester hours):

The Lakeland Core sequence is a series of three General Studies courses designed to:

    • teach and develop methods of critical thinking;
    • encourage thoughtful interaction among students and their teachers;
    • integrate various disciplinary points of view;
    • and examine personal, social, and civic values.

Core courses are small, seminar-style, discussion courses that are built around a common issue and/or class theme. Unlike courses housed within academic departments, which explore an issue from a specific disciplinary or methodological approach, Core courses are interdisciplinary, including readings and discussions that are informed by the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Throughout the Core courses, students hone their critical-thinking skills through oral and written communication skills, while also developing an understanding of the ways current events reflect and have been shaped by timeless questions. All students entering as freshmen must take one course from each of the following categories:

CORE I: Knowing the Self (3 semester hours, freshman level)

The first level of the General Studies Core uses the theme of self-discovery to integrate the course's critical-thinking and skill-building goals. The course will encourage students to wrestle with questions of identity, frame of reference, and life goals. Students will be introduced to the academic disciplines through readings, discussions, and activities that pertain to the development of a self-concept. They also begin working on the skills they will need to develop in their college careers as a means to the larger goal of developing a sense of personhood and identity. Emphasis will be placed on developing analytical skills in written and oral form, in both informal and formal formats. By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • Read/listen for point of view and summarize the perspective of another
  • Summarize and describe a personal point of view, in both oral and written form
  • Demonstrate tolerance and respect for the ideas and perspectives of others
  • Articulate and defend a point of view in classroom discussion
  • Use analysis of frame of reference to develop reaction and reflection papers

Open to students of freshman standing.

  • GEN 130 CORE I

CORE II: Exploring the Human Condition (3 semester hours, junior level)

Courses at this level examine the central questions of the human condition, using classic and contemporary texts to compare answers to these questions across time periods and cultures. Using the insight about the self learned from Core I, students in Core II begin to see themselves as part of the larger drama of humanity, noting how contemporary questions have been addressed and readdressed throughout time and place and discussing how their individual frames of reference shape their own answers to these questions. Students develop understanding of how such issues have been handled by the different disciplines and will begin to conduct more sophisticated comparisons of points-of-view through formal presentations, analyses, oral debate, and participation. By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • Analyze and synthesize main ideas of readings and discussions
  • Compare and contrast points-of-view, both orally and in writing
  • Differentiate between fact and interpretation
  • Understand and articulate an idea from more than one disciplinary perspective
  • Use written and oral communication skills to reach conclusions based on evidence

Open to students of junior standing. One of the following:

  • GEN 310 CORE II: Exploring Vocation
  • GEN 311 CORE II: Ideas of Human Nature
  • GEN 312 CORE II: Gender Studies
  • GEN 345 CORE II: Visions of the Afterlife
  • GEN 355 CORE II: Science, Non-Science, Pseudoscience
  • GEN 365 CORE II: Prejudice and Discrimination

CORE III: Shaping the Future (3 semester hours, senior level)

The final level of the Core asks students to apply their understanding of individuals and the human condition to a contemporary societal problem. If Core I looks at the present and Core II builds on resources from the past, then Core III looks to the future, helping the student discover the utility of individual civic action. Emphasizing cross-disciplinary perspectives and cross-cultural analysis, Core III uses current events as a springboard for discussion on the future costs and benefits of particular policies, decisions, and choices. Given the writing-intensive designation of this course, the main assessment and critical thinking tool will be a fully researched written proposal or plan of action, but formal presentations and classroom discussion will further hone students' oral skills as well. Students will also be asked to gain some hands-on experience in the area of discussion by participating in and reporting on a service learning experience in the community. This fits with the "Student-as-Practitioner" focus and incorporates earlier ideas about individual actions within one's immediate community. By the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate mastery of Core I and II skills
  • Deliver formal group and individual presentations with classmate(s)
  • Engage with a topical issue through service in the local community
  • Identify and distinguish between various ethical strategies for addressing the issue
  • Use research to analyze and evaluate multiple solutions to a contemporary societal problem.

Open to students of senior standing. One of the following:

  • GEN 425 CORE III: Excellence and Innovation (Writing Intensive)
  • GEN 426 CORE III: The Digital Divide (Writing Intensive)
  • GEN 442 CORE III: Global Health Issues (Writing Intensive)
  • GEN 443 CORE III: Environment and Consumption (Writing Intensive)
  • GEN 445 CORE III: Global Conflict and Cooperation (Writing Intensive)

Education majors must also complete the following:

  • Two courses, one from each group:
    • Group A
      • ENG 200 World Literature
      • ENG 211 Introduction to British Literature I
      • ENG 212 Introduction to British Literature II
      • ENG 220 Introduction to American Literature
      • ENG 225 Multicultural American Literature
    • Group B
      • GEN 134 Humanities I
      • GEN 135 Humanities II

Core Student As Practitioner

All Lakeland graduates, regardless of their major, are required to complete three interdisciplinary Core courses. Student-as-Practitioner experiences in these courses prepare students for professional life by fostering the development of students’ observational, interpersonal, analytical, and critical thinking skills.

Activities in the Core courses are tied to the theme or the readings of the course. For example, Core I (GEN 130) students and faculty have camped together to complement their reading of Into the Wild, a study of a young man who moved to the Alaskan wilderness. Juniors in Core II are required to become critical observers of the concepts they’re studying. Students in the Gender Studies course (GEN 312), for example, are assigned two tasks: 1) looking for and reporting on gender markings in various community locations (such as stores, schools, and restaurants); and 2) deliberately transgressing gendered expectations at one such location and reporting on the reactions they witnessed. Students in another Core II course, Prejudice and Discrimination (GEN 365), have used the input of area school children to develop publicity and programming for events celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Some Core III students have also presented research at the annual conference for the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. These activities require students from all majors to engage with the course concepts outside of the traditional parameters of the classroom and to strengthen their organizational and interpersonal skills.

Learn more about the Student As Practitioner Program