Students are required to complete at least 65 credits of general education courses, composed primarily but not exclusively of foundation courses and global seminars in a diverse liberal education environment.
| General Education Requirements | |||
| Type of Course | # Classes | Credits | Total |
| Foundation Courses | 10 | 4 | 40 |
| Global Seminars | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| Writing Requirement* | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Quantitative Requirement* | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Senior Reflection Paper | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Work Portfolio | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Total | 65 | ||
* Based on a student’s background and preparation, a student may to be exempted from these requirements.
Foundation Courses
Foundation courses are at the heart of Antioch’s general education program and are primarily intended as introductions to the various ways of knowing that exist within and between disciplines. To fulfill the general education requirement, students must take a total of ten foundation courses distributed as followed:
- Take two courses from each academic division
- Take an additional two foundation elective courses from any academic division
Students are free to take foundation courses across their four years of education, but the majority of them should be taken within the first two years.
Foundation courses provide a common intellectual experience and a sound basis of education for students in the liberal arts. This foundation supports the creation of a strong intellectual community, which is further developed in other general education components as described below. Foundation courses also provide an introduction to the various disciplines in the curriculum and hence form the foundation for majors. They introduce disciplines critical to understanding the human experience, including life in the community. These courses focus on students’ intellectual development in the core competency and literacy areas of critical thinking, reading, writing, oral presentation, visual interpretation and analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis, experiment, and research. They provide a cross-disciplinary lens through which to view the various global issues examined in the global seminars, as well as experiences gained in other educational activities. This allows students ample opportunity to forge intellectual bonds that extend beyond the classroom, offering a more cohesive and integrated learning environment.
List of Foundation Courses
| Arts | |
| MEDA 101 | Issues in Contemporary Media Art and Internet-based Culture I |
| MEDA 102 | Basic Media Production |
| PERF 103 | Voice and Speech |
| PERF 104 | Presence of the Performer |
| VISA 101 | Visual Language: A Focus on Two Dimensions |
| VISA 102 | Visual Language: A Focus on Three Dimensions |
| Humanities | |
| HIST 105 | The World Beyond: Cultural Imagination, Exchanges, and History |
| HIST 110 | Ohio Stories |
| LIT 110 | Literature and History |
| LIT 120 | Literature and Science |
| PHIL 105 | Epistemology: Theories of Knowledge |
| PHIL 110 | Law and Justice in the Western Tradition |
| Science | |
| BIO 105 | General Biology I |
| CHEM 105 | General Chemistry I |
| ENVS 105 | Introduction to Environmental Science |
| MATH 105 | Statistical Discovery for Everyone |
| MATH 110 | Pre-Calculus |
| MATH 115 | Calculus I |
| Social Science | |
| ANTH 105 | Cultural Anthropology |
| ANTH 110 | Culture Conflict |
| PECO 105 | Foundations of Political Economy |
| PECO 110 | Principles of Economics |
| PSYC 105 | General Psychology |
| PSYC 110 | Foundations of Social Psychology |
Global Seminars
Global seminars are interdisciplinary, theme-based courses designed to provide students with a broad understanding of several of the contemporary challenges facing humanity, using economic, social, political, scientific, moral/ethical, philosophical, and other approaches.
Each seminar presents a range of diverse perspectives in a variety of formats, including interactive lectures, visiting speakers, small- and large-group discussions, field trips, and student-driven projects. While Antioch College faculty organize the seminars and present on some issues, many of the presenters come from outside the immediate community and may include visiting faculty, journalists, recognized field experts, and the like. These courses are specifically designed to integrate Antioch College’s long tradition of applied liberal arts learning with its socially conscious values and mission.
As a complement to the thematic courses in the global seminars, Antioch College offers students the opportunity to continue research interests they have developed in their global seminars through courses titled Continued Studies in Global Seminar (GSC). These courses, offered only with instructors’ permission, allow interested students to engage in projects, research, and field work relevant to a Global Seminar topic they have already studied. These courses do not count towards the general education requirement, but they can fulfill elective credits or become part of a self-designed major.
| List of Global Seminars | |
| GS 110 | Water |
| GS 120 | Food |
| GS 130 | Energy |
| GS 140 | Health |
| GS 150 | Governance |
| GS 160 | Education |
| GSC 210 | Continued Studies in Global Seminar |
| GSC 310 | Continued Studies in Global Seminar |
Writing and Quantitative Requirements
All students who graduate from Antioch College are expected to be able to write the English language with fluency and grace, and to be able to comprehend and use visual and numerical information effectively. By the end of their second year of study, and preferably within the first year, all students must complete the writing and quantitative requirement.
Students may complete writing and quantitative requirements in the following ways:
- Successfully complete in a GSW 105 or GSQ 105 course.
- Earn a sufficiently high score on the placement test during new student orientation for exemption from the quantitative skills requirement (There is no exemption by means of placement testing for the writing requirement).
- Earn sufficiently high scores on certain common standardized tests, such as the AP or IB examinations.
- Complete coursework at another institution that meets the writing or quantitative requirement (See transfer policy in the “Academic Policies and Regulations” chapter of the Course Catalog, page 176).
- Complete coursework at Antioch College that meets the writing or quantitative requirement (Consult with your academic advisor or the registrar).
In all cases, students should inquire about the possibilities of exemptions from the requirements with a faculty advisor and should not assume these requirements have been met until they receive written confirmation from the registrar’s office.
Placement testing for writing, quantitative skills, and language proficiency occurs during new student orientation, which takes place immediately before the beginning of a student’s first study term on campus. In the event that the student’s placement tests indicate that they do not meet the minimum college-level requirements, students must enroll in the appropriate basic math or basic writing course. Upon successful completion of these courses, a student would then proceed to take courses that satisfy the writing and quantitative requirements.
| List of Writing and Quantitative Courses | |
| GSW 105/ENG 105 | Writing Seminar |
| GSQ 105 | Quantitative Seminar |
| List of Basic Skills Courses | |
| ENG 090 | College Writing Skills |
| MATH 090 | College Math Skills |
Senior Reflection Paper
During their last study term on campus, all students write a formal reflection paper about their educational experiences at Antioch College, in consultation with their faculty advisor(s) who formally evaluate this work. This paper focuses on the relationship and integration of the various elements of their education: classroom, co-op, and community. Students should consider how particular work, study, community, and language experiences worked together and built upon each other. Students may reflect back upon specific assignments, texts, or projects, and upon various successes, failures, challenges, growth experiences, and most importantly continued questions and areas for future growth. Overall, students should contemplate the ways in which various aspects of their Antioch College education contributed to their overall development, their sense of themselves and their future goals, and their ability to be continuing and life-long learners.
| Senior Reflection Paper Course | |
| SRP 494 | Senior Reflection Paper |
Work Portfolio
During each co-op term, students enroll in work portfolio classes of ever-increasing complexity and expectation. Credit is not earned for the work but rather for completion of course requirements, which include reading, creating and maintaining a resume, journal writing, written responses to prompts, and a series of reflection papers on the readings and work experiences. As such, it is possible for a student to satisfy the co-op requirement but fail a work portfolio course. Work portfolio courses are designed to teach students how to learn about their work or other approved experiential learning environments, to enable self-reflection, and to encourage student growth during their co-ops.
| List of Work Portfolio Courses | |
| Work 125T | Work Portfolio for Transfer Students |
| Work 150 | Work Portfolio I |
| Work 250 | Work Portfolio II |
| Work 350 | Work Portfolio III |
| Work 425 | Work Portfolio IV |
| Work 450 | Work Portfolio IV: Cultural Immersion |
| Work 475 | Work Portfolio V |