Course Registration Guide

 

 

Guilford College: A Dynamic Curriculum for The 21st Century

Guilford draws on Quaker and liberal arts traditions to prepare students for a lifetime of learning, work, and constructive action dedicated to the betterment of the world.  Toward that end, our curriculum provides

 

  • student-centered instruction that nurtures each individual amid an intentionally diverse community;
  • a values-rich education that explores the ethical dimensions of knowledge and promotes honesty, compassion, integrity, courage and respect for the individual;
  • a challenging academic program that fosters critical and creative thinking through the development of essential skills: analysis, inquiry, communication, consensus building, problem solving and leadership;
  • a global perspective that values people of other cultures and the natural environment in which we all live; and
  • access to work and service opportunities that forge a connection between thought and action.

In addition, throughout their four years at Guilford, students will develop skill competencies in the following specific areas:

 

  • writing
  • oral communication
  • research
  • information technology
  • quantitative reasoning

The platform for these competencies will occur generally in the foundations courses and then will continue in sequence throughout the student’s course of studies.  Thus, writing instruction, for example, begins in two required Foundations courses and continues in a major-specific writing and research course and in IDS 401.

 

The set of general education requirements designed to facilitate these goals consists of five tiers:

 

I. Foundations

 

These six required skills and perspective courses provide solid grounding in Guilford’s five academic principles (outlined above); they also provide a platform for subsequent work in each of the college’s areas of study.  These six foundations courses are

 

FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE (FYE 101): This seminar introduces the Guilford curriculum and engages students in significant interactive and values-based inquiry.  With a focus on speaking and listening as well as experiential learning, each FYE course explores a different interdisciplinary content area. The instructor for the course will serve as the student’s academic adviser until he or she declares a major.

 

FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE LAB (FYE 102): The FYE Lab aids in the academic and social transition to college life. Topics include time management, campus community, and Quaker testimonies. Students also experience discussions of common readings and other co-curricular learning opportunities.

 

COLLEGE READING AND WRITING: MANY VOICES: This course provides a main site for identifying and working on the reading and writing skills which students need as members of the Guilford community. With the understanding that writing may be in part viewed as a skill, it also must be viewed as an expression of the creative spirit celebrating the power of language.  Embracing the value that multicultural issues and perspectives have in our society, the theme of the course is “Many Voices.”

 

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES:  This course focuses on teaching students about historical change and how individuals and groups both initiate change and respond to, for example, social, economic and political forces.  This course serves as a link with College Reading and Writing in a two-semester writing sequence; it focuses on critical writing and offers a research component including responsible use of the Internet.

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  An innovative, one-semester course provides an intensive, interactive experience in learning a foreign language and culture that prepares students to continue to be lifelong learners of languages and cultures. (This requirement can be waived through a placement exam.)

 

QUANTITATIVE LITERACY: All incoming students with a math SAT below 650 will take a basic mathematics test. Students scoring below the minimum level have an option to (1) take and pass the test at a later date, (2) make a passing grade on any four-credit mathematics course or (3) take and pass a specially designed two-credit Quantitative Literacy course.

 

II. Explorations

 

Students will take four specially designated breadth courses, one in each of the college’s areas of study outside the major:

 

  • Arts
  • Business and policy studies
  • Humanities
  • Natural science and mathematics
  • Social science

Additionally, each student will complete three critical perspectives courses as part of their course work. These three courses may double-count with the breadth courses, the Historical Perspectives course, the major and concentration courses, or the capstone course. The three categories are:

 

  • INTERCULTURAL, which involves either a course focusing on Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East or study abroad in one of those regions.
  • SOCIAL JUSTICE/ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY, which focuses on race, class, gender, sexual orientation, war and peace or the environment.
  • DIVERSITY IN THE U.S.: CULTURE AND IDENTITY, which explores subcultures within the United States.

 

III. Depth Experience

 

Each student will complete a major involving at least 25% (minimum of eight courses) of his or her courses at Guilford.  The major may be either disciplinary or interdisciplinary.

 

IV. Minor

 

In addition to the major course work, each student will take a focused collection of a minimum of four courses which either provide a second mini-depth area or pursue study related to the major. Minors may be either disciplinary or interdisciplinary.

 

V. Capstone

 

Each student, during his or her final two semesters at Guilford, will take an Interdisciplinary (IDS) 401 course. The course will allow students to draw upon the knowledge and skills gained from previous college work and explore issues which cross traditional disciplinary lines.

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Academic Advising

 

The faculty member who teaches your first-year experience course will also be your academic adviser. Your adviser is more than someone who helps you select courses. Your adviser is there if you have questions about future career goals, study abroad and service learning opportunities. And your adviser can be a good listener if you need someone to talk with about the transition to Guilford.

 

During Guilford’s fall orientation, known as “CHAOS” (Community, Health, Advisement, Orientation, Services), you will meet with your adviser in a small group to get familiar with the academic challenges facing you. You will also have the opportunity for individual appointments, allowing you to finalize your schedule and ask questions. In the meantime, as you complete the course registration materials, the first-year center staff can assist you with questions you may have.

 

At the end of your first semester, your adviser will check in with you about your plans for a major and a minor. When you declare your major, your first-year academic adviser will assist you in finding an appropriate faculty member in that department to become your new adviser. You may change your major or adviser at any time after the first semester, but you should declare a major by the end of your sophomore year.

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Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit

 

Advanced standing may be earned through the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board or the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) for a total of 32 credits (with a maximum of 16 in each) for those examinations that correspond to courses in the Guilford curriculum. The required course First Year Experience 101 cannot be waived by examination.  The appropriate department chairperson must approve placement and credit decisions in the student’s major. The appropriate division and/or program director must approve credit decisions for General Education requirements. General Education waivers through advanced placement should be requested in the first semester at Guilford College.

 

Placement requires Advanced Placement scores of three or better, or CLEP scores of 50 or better; credit requires Advanced Placement scores of four or better, or general CLEP scores of 55 or better. Subject CLEP scores must be at least 50 for placement and at least 55 for credit.  General examination scores may apply only to courses taken to satisfy the general college or distribution requirement.  Students may obtain credit for other courses only by taking subject area examinations.

 

Guilford College also recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB) for admission purposes.  A course-by-course review by the Registrar and the academic department(s) will specify placement and credit for the higher-level subjects passed at an acceptable level.

 

In order to receive academic credit for Advanced Placement, CLEP, or International Baccalaureate courses, the Registrar must receive official scores from the College Board, CLEP, and the International Baccalaureate.  You must arrange for your scores to be sent directly to the Registrar so they can be recorded on your transcript.  A faxed or photocopied version is not acceptable.

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The Honors Program

 

Students admitted to the honors program are strongly encouraged to take one honors course in either the fall or spring semester.  Designated courses will be identified as honors in the “Course Listings: Fall 2008” and in the “Fall 2008 Class Schedule.” 100- and 200-level courses are appropriate for first-year and sophomore level work, while 300- and 400-level courses indicate higher expectations. If you are not an honors student, you may still be able to enroll in some honors courses with the permission of the instructor. Please check the footnotes under the individual courses in the Fall 2008 Class Schedule.

 

Students can check the spring 2009 semester offering of Honors classes by checking the “Course Schedule” on the college Web site.  Look under Spring 2009 Semester and select for “Honors” under the bottom “Search Criteria.” Please note that Honors courses for Spring 2009 are still being planned.

 

If you have questions, you may e-mail them to Vance Ricks, director of the Honors Program, at vricks@guilford.edu.  Vance is not only a graduate of Guilford College, but also of Guilford’s Honors Program.

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First Year Writing

 

For more information, contact Cynthia Nearman, Director of Writing

336-316-2273 • cnearman@guilford.edu

 

The Writing Program extends you a warm welcome to your first year of study at Guilford College. As you’ve read in the catalog and on the website, a strong emphasis on writing is central to the challenge and rigor of all Guilford’s academic programs. We maintain this focus because all members of Guilford’s educational community believe that writing plays a crucial role in thinking, learning, and problem-solving situations, both in college and beyond. 

 

This information about first-year writing at Guilford should help you understand and navigate the foundational writing requirements designed to promote success in all major programs. Our purpose here is to inform you about how entering students are placed into ENGL 101, ENGL 102, and Historical Perspectives, and to clarify our expectations about the writing abilities and preparation required to advance through this sequence of courses.

 

ENGL 102 and Historical Perspectives (HP) are General Education courses required of all Guilford students. ENGL 101 is a four-credit, college-level writing course taken by more than one-third of our entering students; it is not officially required for graduation, but it counts as an elective. Students who take ENGL 101 must enroll in ENGL 102 the following semester, and ENGL 102 is a pre-requisite for HP. This sequence of writing courses should be completed within your first three semesters at Guilford. 

 

Traditional students are initially placed into ENGL 101 or 102 based on their SAT or ACT verbal scores. Students with appropriate AP-English exam scores—as well as transfer students with ENGL 101 and 102 credits—may place directly into HP. If you have neither SAT nor ACT scores, please see the enclosed “Instructions for Writing Samples.” 

 

In addition to these initial placement measures, the Writing Program and the English Department follow up with a direct assessment of students’ writing in the first week of classes. To ensure that all students are enrolled in a writing course appropriate to their needs, each semester students in ENGL 101 and 102 will write and submit short essays by the end of the first week of classes. These essays will be read and evaluated anonymously by members of the English Department. If a student’s writing sample signals to two or more readers a need for “re-placement” into a different course, the student and his/her advisor will be notified by both the course instructor and the Writing Director. In the early days of week two, the instructor, the advisor, and the Writing Director will work together to guide the student through the re-placement and drop/add process.

 

It is important to us that you know what to expect from writing courses and that you have the information you need to participate in these placement decisions. The ENGL 101 and 102 “Learning Outcomes” offer brief descriptions of the concepts, skills, and abilities covered in each course. The ENGL 101 outcomes descriptions should help you understand what it means to be prepared for ENGL 102; similarly, the ENGL 102 descriptions should offer you a sense of the levels of preparation and experience expected by HP instructors.

 

ENGL 101: Outcomes with Explanations

 

Both ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 require students to practice a process approach to composition, which involves learning to generate texts as part of an open process of on-going invention, reflection, and revision.  In addition to the specific reading, writing, and thinking outcomes listed below, students will be evaluated on the process they undertake to compose, revise, and edit multiple drafts of each essay.

 

By the end of ENGL 101, students should be able to:

 

1) Compose an essay that responds accurately to the writing situation and sustains a controlling idea that moves beyond informing and describing. 

 

Throughout college study and beyond, students will be asked to write for a variety of purposes: to inform, describe, report, explain, analyze, and argue. In ENGL 101, students learn to identify readers’ expectations in a variety of writing situations and compose essays that respond appropriately. Students practice and combine informative, descriptive, and persuasive writing while learning to articulate and develop a focus well-suited to each writing situation.

 

2) Maintain unity by organizing paragraphs that are tied by topic sentences to the essay’s controlling idea.

 

As students practice shaping a text’s central focus to meet audience needs and expectations, they learn to construct and order paragraphs that contain a single generalization or topic sentence that addresses one aspect of that focus. Students draft, revise, and edit paragraphs that signal the relationship between the paragraph’s individual example or thought and the essay’s purpose. They also learn to place paragraphs intentionally, choosing an order that also reflects their goals. 

 

3) Achieve coherence within paragraphs through the use of specific language, relevant examples, and logical progression.

 

Students learn to develop each paragraph’s primary claim by crafting sentences containing information that is more specific and detailed than the topic sentence. They practice constructing sentences that support and refine each paragraph’s main idea, eliminating sentences unrelated to the main idea, and arranging sentences in a reasonable order. Reading instruction in ENGL 101 reinforces students’ learning of these abilities; many reading activities require students to analyze how other writers achieve coherence and to explain how different purposes for writing determine what counts as “relevant examples.”

 

4) Identify and use cultural and personal evidence as primary research to support the controlling ideas in their writing.

 

Many writing assignments in ENGL 101 ask students to recognize their individual experiences and their observations of everyday activities as possible research materials from which they may gather and select examples to use in writing. Through informal invention activities and in the early drafting stages of formal essay assignments, students learn to articulate connections between their essay’s purpose, their intended audience, and possible primary sources of information appropriate to their goals. Students practice selecting, developing, and organizing necessary primary evidence throughout their composing and revising process. To sharpen their abilities to choose and arrange evidence intentionally, students may be asked to reflect in writing and in one-on-one conferences on how and why they selected and organized their evidence.

 

5) Communicate an ability to read texts carefully and closely, to summarize, and to make connections between readings and social and intellectual experiences.

 

Students strengthen their reading skills through the study of published works in multiple genres and of student writing in various stages of completion. Through class discussion as well as formal and informal writing assignments, students learn to recognize and describe a writer’s purpose, to describe a paragraph or a passage’s relationship to the entire text, to distinguish general statements from supporting details/specifics, to explain a text’s organizational pattern, and to articulate the connection between these textual features and a writer’s sense of audience. They explore how they “make meaning” of a text by becoming self-conscious about where, how, and why they relate ideas/examples in a text with their prior knowledge. 

 

6) Demonstrate improved performance of appropriate conventions such as usage, sentence structure, punctuation, and capitalization.

 

Students enter writing classes at any level with varying strengths and weaknesses in their ability to follow appropriate conventional forms. ENGL 101 teaches students to identify specific sentence-level errors they consistently make and to recognize how these major errors disrupt the meaning and clarity of their writing. Students practice editing their own and each others’ conventional errors during revising and editing stages of the composing process, as well as learn to use various print and electronic resources to seek grammatical assistance independently.

 

7) Demonstrate basic academic uses of technology, including use of e-mail, electronic attachments, paper formatting, and public search engines.

 

Although ENGL 101 does not ask students to engage in extended, formal research, students gain a foundation and a vocabulary for the technology-based research required in all disciplines.  They are occasionally required to submit invention activities, process reflections, or essay drafts electronically as e-mail attachments. Students learn to attend to their current and future instructors’ expectations of the way a final draft should look, and to develop an awareness of generally acceptable (as well as unacceptable) practices for submitting appropriately formatted written assignments. Informal research activities require students to spend limited amounts of time exploring and evaluating information available via public websites. 

 

ENGL 102: Outcomes with Explanations

 

Both ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 require students to practice a process approach to composition, which involves learning to generate texts as part of an open process of on-going invention, reflection, and revision.  In addition to the specific reading, writing, and thinking outcomes listed below, students will be evaluated on the process they undertake to compose, revise, and edit multiple drafts of each essay.

 

By the end of ENGL 102, students should be able to:

 

1) Compose an academic essay establishes a purpose for writing and sustains a qualified, limited thesis. 

 

In ENGL 102 students learn to see an academic thesis as a partial response to a complex question others have been/are also trying to answer.  Formal essay assignments ask students to move beyond simple pro/con arguments, to articulate the context or existing “conversation” that frames their purpose, and to clarify the reach and restrictions of their argument.  Students examine the role authority plays in persuading audiences; they practice employing a confident and assertive voice as they compose essays that engage and evaluate others’ texts.

 

2) Select and integrate relevant evidence from multiple sources.

 

Students draw on print, electronic, and cultural texts as they gather evidence to support their arguments and address counterarguments.  In ENGL 102, they sharpen their ability to choose, summarize, paraphrase, and quote textual or visual evidence directly related to the nature and scope of their argument.  In conferences, group-work, and/or process reflections, students explain their choices regarding the kind of evidence they use to develop each example and describe how their organizational pattern supports their overall purpose.  Students also practice integrating sources into their writing using framing devices and signal phrases that demonstrate each example’s relevance. 

 

3) Analyze the structure, style, and persuasive appeals of a text and interpret how these rhetorical elements form a meaningful whole.

 

Students deepen their ability to read rhetorically as they explore the relationship between how a text is constructed and what a writer is saying to whom and why.  Students learn how writings in multiple genres persuade readers implicitly and explicitly by examining authors’ stylistic, poetic, and structural choices.  In class discussion and writing assignments, students create and compare arguments about a text’s significance by focusing closely on short passages, scrutinizing literal and figurative meanings, and questioning how various parts of a single text work together to form a whole.

 

4) Engage readings from a range of diverse populations that collectively define the American landscape.

 

The texts assigned to achieve the critical reading outcomes described above are texts that invite exploration of the relationships among power, knowledge, and language.  As students engage writings from diverse populations that collectively define the American landscape—groups including Americans of African, Asian, Jewish, or Arab descent, Latinos, indigenous peoples—they begin to identify and question the role of language in questions of representation, subjectivities, and access.  In class discussion as well as formal and informal writing assignments, students explore diversity both within and between different groups (for example, along lines of gender, sexual orientation, and religious belief).

 

5) Control such surface features as syntax, diction, grammar, and punctuation.

 

Students enter writing classes at any level with varying strengths and weaknesses in their ability to follow appropriate conventional forms.  ENGL 102 teaches students to continue developing strategies to identify and correct their sentence-level errors and to recognize how these major errors disrupt the meaning and clarity of their writing.  Students practice editing their own and each others’ conventional errors during revising and editing stages of the composing process, as well as use various print and electronic resources to seek grammatical assistance independently.

 

6) Locate and use print texts using NC PALS and electronic databases for academic research.

 

In ENGL 102 students learn to find books and periodicals using NC PALS, and to locate them in Hege Library or access them from other institutions via inter-library loan.  As they search for evidence to integrate into research-driven assignments, students also learn to gather information electronically using both academic databases and public search engines.  Throughout the research process, students are asked to reflect on the relevance, authority, and quality of materials gathered from academic and non-academic sources.  Students receive an introduction to how database-research for general purposes may carry over into the discipline-specific research they’ll encounter in future classes.

 

7) Understand basic concepts of intellectual property, avoiding plagiarism, and discipline-specific documentation styles. 

 

Because ENGL 102 requires students to engage continuously with the ideas and language of other writers, this course encourages them to see their reading, writing, and thinking activities as contributions to on-going academic conversations.  Being part of an academic conversation means recognizing the importance of and gaining a respect for the contributions made by current and past participants.  Academic discourse follows conventions that help maintain the integrity of a group’s or an individual's ideas as those ideas are discussed by others.  While English uses MLA styles of citations, the ideas in this style can be applied to other disciplines with only slight modifications. Students learn how the primary elements of a citation (author's name, work's title, publication date and location) can be adapted to the specific styles of any other discipline.  They practice citing sources accurately, both in-text (using either parenthetical citations or footnotes) and at the end of their essay (final Works Cited page). 

 

First Year Math

For more information, contact Rudy Gordh

336-316-2230• rgordh@guilford.edu

 

To meet the quantitative literacy requirement, all incoming students whose math SAT scores are below 650 will be scheduled to take a quantitative literacy test during CHAOS.  Students who do not make the minimum passing score on the test will have the options of retaking the test; taking GST 110, a two-credit course which focuses on the quantitative literacy test; or satisfying the quantitative literacy requirement by passing any Mathematics course offered at Guilford (or transferring in an equivalent course from another college).  Students may register for a math course, or they may wait for the results of their test.  During CHAOS they will have the opportunity to drop or add a course as needed.

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Foreign Language

 

For more information, contact Sylvia Trelles, Department of Foreign Languages

336-316-2209 • strelles@guilford.edu

 

Guilford offers courses in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish and an academic major in French, German, and Spanish.  The department of foreign languages is an integral part of the college’s commitment to study abroad programs, and International Studies majors & concentrations.  Across the campus, and indeed the nation, educators in other fields are realizing that our evolving global economy and society require an understanding of and engagement with cultures other than our own.  Learning a language is a passport to another culture—in fact, one is hard pressed to separate the two—and just as it provides access to others, it also allows us to step outside our own culture with new insight.

 

At Guilford, we focus on language not only as a living, functioning, and fun discipline, but also as a new way of seeing and thinking.  Culture is an integral component of the foreign language curriculum. In all courses and at all levels, students continue to learn or improve their language skills while discovering the history, literature, arts, architecture, and political and social structures of various countries.  We are committed to preparing students for the possibility of study abroad; those students studying in our Guadalajara and Paris programs are required to have the equivalent of two semesters of Guilford language courses in Spanish and French, respectively. For the program in Munich, preference is given to students with at least two semesters of German. Since taking language early on prepares students for one of Guilford’s semester abroad programs, the department recommends beginning the study of a new language immediately, in order to take advantage of these exciting opportunities.  Students intending to participate in one of our programs in Japan are especially encouraged to take the introductory Japanese courses at Guilford.

 

There is a campus-wide requirement of the first semester of college-level language study.  NOTE: All incoming students who have taken more than one year of a foreign language in high school must take a language placement exam for that language during the summer or CHAOS if they plan to take a course in the that language. Students placing above the 101 level will have satisfied the Foreign Language studies requirement; however, they are encouraged to continue their language studies at the level they test into which they tested. Those who place into 101 must complete the one-semester language requirement before graduation. Students who want to begin a new language may register for a 101 level course without taking the placement exam. However, they are encouraged to also take the placement exam in the language they have studied, in case they change their plans later.  Students who feel they should be exempt due to documented learning differences should contact Guilford’s Learning Commons at (336) 316-2200.

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Disability Accommodations

 

If you have a documented physical, learning, or psychological disability for which you would like to request appropriate accommodations, you must complete the “Disabilities Disclosure and Request for Accommodation ” form and the single Room/Off-Campus Request (both forms are available online at http://www.guilford.edu/admission/application/handbook/forms.html). Please be sure to include specific information regarding your disability and how it affects your academic work, class schedule, residential living situation, and co-curricular involvement. You should attach appropriate documentation. Please indicate whether you are requesting assistance in arranging for accommodations. The form and documentation should be mailed to:

 

Coordinator of Disability Services

Learning Commons Hege Library

Guilford College

5800 West Friendly Avenue

Greensboro, NC 27410

 

The form and documentation will be directed to the Disability Services Committee for consideration. Once appropriate accommodations are agreed upon, you will collaborate with a member of Disability Services to complete your confidential “504 Accommodation Plan,” which you may share with instructors, resident advisors, staff members and others as appropriate. If you are requesting accommodations, please complete the “Disabilities Disclosure and Request for Accommodation” form early in the summer in order to allow time to arrange for accommodations.

 

Learning Strategies

 

The Learning Commons offers courses to assist students in their transition to the academic challenges of college. These courses are designed to help students develop successful learning strategies to improve preparing for exa ms, to improve time management, and to understand individual learning styles. The courses meet for the first 8 weeks of the semester. For more information, please contact Melissa Daniel Frink, Director of the Learning Commons, at danielfrinkmm@guilford.edu or 336-2200. Students successfully completing the course receive one credit hour.

 

An Alternative Learning Strategies course is offered for students with learning disabilities. Students successfully completing the course receive one credit hour. For more information on this course, please contact Kim Garner, Alternative Learning Specialist, at kgarner@guilford.edu or 336-316-2451.

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Majoring in the Natural Sciences and/or Pre-Health Professions

 

Since many of the courses in the sciences have prerequisites, it can be advantageous (and sometimes essential) to plan carefully, especially if you would like to participate in one of Guilford’s study abroad programs.

 

Science Majors

 

If you are considering a major in Biology (BS), you should take Chemical Principles I (Chemistry 111) in your first semester. The first biology course taken is usually Integrative Biology: Molecules and Cells (Biology 111) or Integrative Biology: Organisms, Ecology and Evolution (Biology 112), which can be taken in the second semester. A math course, either Math 112, 115, 121 or 122, can be taken in the first or second semester depending on your schedule and your background in Math. An alternative to the Biology (BS) major is the Biology (BA) major. This major is designed for students interested in the field of Biology who do not plan on pursuing a career in which undergraduate work in Physics or Calculus is required. Students who plan to follow the Biology (BA) major should take either Integrative Biology: Molecules and Cells (Biology 111) or Integrative Biology: Organisms, Ecology and Evolution (Biology 112), during their first-year.  Students who plan to major in Forensic Biology should take either Integrative Biology: Molecules and Cells (Biology 111) or General Botany (Biology 115) during their first-year.

 

Contact: Chuck Smith (336-316-2259, csmith@guilford.edu).

 

If you are considering a major in Chemistry, you should take Chemical Principles I (Chemistry 111) in your first semester. You should also take your first math course, either Calculus I (Math 121) or whatever calculus or pre-calculus (Math 115, Elementary Functions) course is appropriate to your level of math knowledge.

 

Contact: Rob Whitnell (336-316-2295, rwhitnel@guilford.edu).

 

If you are considering a major in Geology or Earth Studies, you should take Geology and the Environment (Geology 121) in the first semester and/or Historical Geology in the second semester. Chemical Principles I (Chemistry 111) and an appropriate math class are recommended additional courses if your schedule permits.

 

Contact: David Dobson (336-316-2278, ddobson@guilford.edu).

 

If you are considering a major in Mathematics, you should take Calculus I (Math 121), or, if already well prepared in introductory calculus, Accelerated Calculus (Math 123) in your first semester. In some cases, students will need Elementary Functions (Math 115) before trying calculus, and in a few cases students may be ready for more advanced mathematics courses.

 

Contact: Rudy Gordh (336-316-2230, rgordh@guilford.edu).

 

If you are considering a major in Physics, you should take Physics I (Physics 121) in your first semester. You should also take your first math course, either Calculus I (Math 121) or whatever calculus or pre-calculus course is appropriate to your level of math knowledge.

 

Contact: Thom Espinola (336-316-2193, tespinol@guilford.edu).

 

The Health Professions

 

Students who are considering a career in the health professions (medical, dental, veterinary, physician assistant, etc.)can major in any field, but need to plan their course work carefully. For example, in order to enter medical or dental school in the year immediately following graduation from Guilford, students must take certain admissions exams (such as the MCAT and DAT) in the spring or summer of the junior year. Therefore, courses required for those tests need to be completed by the end of the junior year.

 

One option for a major is the Health Sciences major, an interdisciplinary major that allows students to fulfill the prerequisites for any graduate program in the health professions and provides a capstone internship experience in the student’s area of interest. The Health Sciences major requires a second major. Students’ second majors are often in biology, but can be in any discipline. Chemical Principles I (Chemistry 111) is strongly recommended in the first semester if you intend to complete your course work in a timely manner. For more information on the pre-health programs at Guilford, please visit our web site located at http://www.guilford.edu/academics/departments/health/.

 

Contact: Anne Glenn, Chemistry Department (336-316-2234, aglenn@guilford.edu).

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Instructions for Course Selection

 

The three courses for which you must register are FYE 101, FYE 102, and English. During the summer or CHAOS, you will be scheduled to take a foreign language placement exam and a quantitative literacy exam. These exams will determine whether you have satisfied the foundations requirements for foreign language and math. The foreign language exam will also determine your placement level for language courses. You may opt to register for a math course if you believe you do not have a strong background in these areas. If you satisfy the requirements through the placement tests, you can change your course selection when you meet with your adviser during CHAOS.

 

While it is advisable to finish your foundations courses as early as possible, you are not required to complete your language or math requirement during your first semester. In addition to the FYE and English courses, you may select courses in areas of strong interest. Do not be concerned if you have not decided on a major. Many of the courses listed will fulfill one of the curricular requirements. Thus, you will be working on graduation requirements while exploring an area of interest.

 

Students can start many majors in the sophomore year. Notable exceptions are the natural sciences and Education Studies. If you are interested, even tentatively, in one of these areas as a major, be sure to list the courses required by this major in the electives section on your “Weekly Schedule Worksheet.” Failure to begin the course work for these majors in your first term may result in your having to spend an extra semester or summer at Guilford.

 

A full-time course load at Guilford generally consists of 4 courses (16 credit hours). Students are considered full-time with 12 hours and may carry as many as 18 hours with no additional charge.  Tuition remains the same for 12-18 hours. (Remember that there is no charge for the FYE 102 course, even if it gives you over 18 hours.)

 

Review the “Course Descriptions". You will want to pay particular attention to the varied descriptions for the FYE sections. Keep in mind as well that your FYE professor will be your academic adviser for at least your first semester at Guilford. Check the “Fall 2008 Class Schedule” for class meeting days and times of your selected courses. Use the “Weekly Schedule Worksheet” to chart your selections.

 

After you have selected your FYE and English courses, determine your other four most preferred classes and enter them on the “Weekly Schedule,” checking that they do not conflict with your FYE and English selections.  If any of your four electives conflict, decide which is your first, second, third, and fourth choice.  You will want to list them in that order when you register.  It is recommended that you choose four electives so you can be registered for alternative courses if your top two selections are unavailable.  As you make your choices, remember the following:

 

  • Most classes do not meet every day, and class times vary. You will need to block out course times on the sheet labeled “Weekly Schedule Worksheet” to ensure that your selected courses do not meet at the same day and time. The worksheet is provided to assist you with planning; you do not need to return it. Some courses have more than one section with each section taught at a different time. This allows you some flexibility in planning your schedule.
  • As you select times for your classes, remember to leave times for meals, athletic practice (Monday- Friday 3:30-5 p.m.), work, etc. Do not forget to list on your “Weekly Schedule Worksheet” one-day-a-week labs for science classes or additional class periods that many courses require.

 

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The Most Frequently Asked Registration Questions:

 

How do I know which English to take?

Your English placement is dependent upon your SAT/ACT score. To register for English 102, you need an SAT Verbal score of 530 or higher or an ACT score of 23 or higher. If you have not submitted standardized test scores, you will need to register for English 101. You may submit writing samples to place into English 102. Because AP and IB scores are not reported until mid-summer, English 102 placement may be changed after those scores are received.

 

How do I select an FYE?

Read all the descriptions thoroughly, then pick your top three choices.  Unless you are registering very late, you will get one of your selections.

 

Do I have to take a math class? Do I have to take a foreign language?

You might not have to take either one during your first semester. In fact, your placements tests (taken during the summer or CHAOS) may indicate that you have satisfied either or both of these course requirements.

 

What’s the best way to choose electives?

  • If you know your intended major, check the listings on the next two pages to see what courses, if any, are recommended. Majoring in the natural sciences or the pre-health professions needs careful planning for two-semester sequenced courses, such as Chemistry 111 and Chemistry 112.
  • Review the curriculum guide “General Education Requirements.” Choose electives that will satisfy your “Explorations: Breadth” and “Explorations: Critical Perspectives” requirements. The “Course Listings: Fall 2008” will indicate whether or not any available courses satisfy these requirements.
  • Take courses you that interest you. Not every course may fill a requirement, but any course may lead you to a major or a concentration. High interest leads to academic engagement and success.

Are there any restrictions on the courses I can take?

There are some general restrictions for first year students. They are:

  • Courses that begin after 6:00 PM (GST 120 and some Music and Physical Education 1-credit courses) are not available to first year students.
  • Fast Track and Saturday courses are not available to first year students.
  • Consortium courses at other colleges are not available to first year students.
  • Independent Study and Internships are not available to first year students.

 

Can I Make Changes before Classes Start?

No and Yes. Your Spring into Guilford registration establishes your preliminary schedule for the fall semester.

 

Your FYE class and academic adviser cannot be changed once your schedule has been processed. So, read the descriptions and choose carefully.

 

Once you arrive on campus in August, you will have time to meet with your advisor and review your schedule during CHAOS. You will be able to make schedule changes to your other courses then.

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Recommended Courses for Specific Majors

 

You may wish to explore a specific major.  Majors and the first few courses recommended for them are listed below.  Note that you might be required to take courses related to a field, or take general college requirements, before taking a course in a particular major.

 

MAJOR

RECOMMENDED COURSES

Accounting

MATH 112:  Elementary Statistics

(The first Accounting course is deferred until the sophomore year.)

African American Studies

HIST 225:  African American History

(Background in History preferred)

Art

ART 102:  Drawing I

ART 106:  Three-Dimensional Design

Biology

CHEM 111:  Chemical Principles I

(A year of Chemistry is required of all Biology majors and is recommended for first year students.)

MATH 112:  Elementary Statistics

MATH 121:  Calculus I or Math 115:  Elementary Functions

BIOL 114:  General Zoology

BIOL 115:  General Botany

Business Management

Business Management 120:  Introduction to Business

Chemistry

CHEM 111:  Chemical Principles I

MATH 121:  Calculus I
Computing & Information Technology CMIT 140: Introduction to Computer Programming

Criminal Justice

JPS 101:  Introduction to Criminal Studies

Economics

ECON 221: Macroeconomics

ECON 222: Microeconomics

Education Studies

PSY 224:  Developmental Psychology

Complete the foreign language requirement

English

ENGL 102: College Reading and Writing: Many Voices

Environmental Studies

Foundations courses

Exercise & Sport Studies

Foundations courses

French

The specific course depends on the student’s background.

Geology

GEOL 121: Geology and the Environment

MATH 115: Elementary Functions

MATH 121: Calculus I

German

The specific course depends on the student’s background.

History

HIST 101:  The Medieval Web

International Studies

PSCI 103: International Relations

SOAN 103: Cultural Anthropology Foreign language (area of interest)

Japanese

JAPN 101:  Introductory Japanese I

Justice and Policy Studies

JPS 101:  Introduction to Criminal Science

Mathematics

MATH 112: Elementary Statistics

MATH 115: Elementary Functions

MATH 121: Calculus I

MATH 123: Accelerated Calculus

Music

MUS 101:  Music Theory

Private lessons (270-level courses)

Ensemble courses

Peace and Conflict Studies

Foundations courses

Philosophy

PHIL 111: Ethics

Physics

PHYS 121: Classical & Modern Physics

MATH 121: Calculus I

Political Science

PSCI 101: The American Political System

PSCI 103: International Relations

Psychology

PSY 100: General Psychology

PSY 224: Developmental Psychology

PSY 232: Introduction to Personality

Religious Studies

REL 101: History of Religion in America

Sociology/Anthropology

SOAN 101: Principles of Sociology

SOAN 103: Cultural Anthropology

Spanish

The specific course depends on the student’s background.

Sport Management

MATH 112: Elementary Statistics

ECON 222: Microeconomics

Theatre Studies

THEA 111: Backstage Production

THEA 125 Fundamentals of Acting

THEA 170: Visual Composition in Film

THEA 171: Introduction to Theatrical Design

Women’s Studies

PSY 224: Developmental Psychology

 

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Instructions for Registering in BannerWeb

 

You will register for class using BannerWeb between June 16 and June 27. The steps to using BannerWeb are below. You can also get a Web Registration Help Sheet (PDF) by clicking here.

 

Steps for Banner Web Registration

 

  1. Open your web browser to the Guilford College homepage.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage.
  3. Click on “BannerWeb.”
  4. Click “Logon to BannerWeb.”

    You will need to logon to BannerWeb and change your password before you can register for courses. Logon on to BannerWeb with the student ID (your G-number) and password provide in the package of information. A new password will be required at this time. You may want to write down your new password. You will need to set up a security question so you can reset your password if it is forgotten.

  5. Click “Student & Financial Aid”
  6. Click “Registration”
  7. Click “Add or Drop Classes.”
  8. Select “Fall 2008.”
  9. Enter the CRN of each course or
  10. Click on “Class Search” button. Select the Subject to view the courses available. These are real-time numbers of seats available.
    • Click the box on the left side of the screen to select the course. A “C” instead of the check box indicates that the course is closed.
    • Click either “Register” or “Add to Worksheet.” “Register” will enroll you in that course. If a Co-requisite Lab is needed, an error message will appear. “Add to Worksheet” will not enroll you yet. After the worksheet is completed, click “Register.”
    • If the course is full by the time you click “Register,” an error message will appear.

To drop a course:

  1. Click the “Action” drop down box.
  2. Select “Web Drop” for the course to be dropped
  3. Click “Submit Changes”

 

Common Error Messages

 

Error Message Description & Resolution
Link Error

You have attempted to register for a lecture/lab course that requires registration in both the lecture and associated lab. Be sure to register for both at the same time. You can usually find the associated course or lab in the notes below the course title in the class schedule.

Campus Restriction

This course is restricted to only CCE and is not available to first year students.

Closed The course is filled to capacity. If you want, you may contact the instructor of the course and request that you either be added to the course or added to a wait list.
CORQ This is similar to the "Link Error" message. A corequisite lab section is linked to another course. This is most frequent with the FYE 101 and FYE 102 courses and some science courses in which a specific lab section is required with a lecture course. Check the course schedule to find the Course Registration Number (CRN) of the specific lab and then register for the course and lab at the same time.

 

Printing Your Schedule

  1. Once your schedule is completed, click “Return to Menu” (upper right of the screen)
  2. Click on “Student Schedule.”
  3. Enter the first day of the Fall 2008 term: 08/18/2008
  4. Click “Submit.”
  5. Print your schedule.

 

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