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Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2015-2016
GENERAL INFORMATION
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GENERAL INFORMATION
MISSION OF THE COLLEGE
Birmingham-Southern College prepares men and women for lives of
significance. The College fosters intellectual and personal development
through excellence in teaching and scholarship and by challenging students
to engage their community and the greater world, to examine diverse
perspectives, and to live with integrity. A residential, baccalaureate liberal
arts institution, Birmingham-Southern honors its Methodist heritage of
informed inquiry and meaningful service.
OUR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION
At Birmingham-Southern College we believe the best educational
experiences we can provide students are those that encourage the
development of skills and interests that will serve graduates well
throughout a lifetime of learning. Toward that end we offer a curriculum
founded upon a rich liberal arts tradition.
All of our degree programs include a common foundation of general
education requirements designed to support the educational goals
of the College. Known as the Explorations curriculum, our general
education program has been purposefully designed to foster five learning
outcomes that the College expects all of its graduates to exhibit: effective
communication, creative problem solving, civic engagement, the ability to
connect disparate areas of thought, and self-directed teaching and learning.
In addition to completing general education requirements, students may
choose a major offered by the College or, in consultation with a faculty
committee, may design their own majors in order to pursue another specific
academic interest or goal. This option for allowing students to participate
in designing their own academic programs is one that we believe not only
encourages enthusiasm and responsibility but also adds to the intellectual
vitality of the College.
We work hard to keep our programs flexible, our courses up to date,
and our outlook toward education innovative. We value diversity in all
of its senses. Experiential learning, to which the College has a strong
commitment, complements classroom work. A number of learning
experience formats are available to all students, including internships,