General Education Courses

Written Communication: Writing well is critical for success in college and beyond. First-year composition courses develop students’ skills in rhetorical analysis, critical thinking, information literacy, argument, and the process of writing academic papers.  Courses focus on the composition of academic writing, analysis of texts, and writing as an iterative process.

Oral Communication (optional): College graduates who have successfully taken courses in the Communication discipline have the knowledge and skills employers need. When responding to a recent National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook Survey, employers identified the ability to verbally communicate with others inside and outside the organization and the ability to create and/or edit written documents as among the top ten skills they seek when hiring new college graduates. Graduates who majored in Communication or took Communication courses bring these critical skills to the workplace. They demonstrate strong verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills and have considerable expertise in speaking well in front of small and large audiences. Additionally, Communication scholars appreciate how communication cuts across contexts and situations; it is the relational and collaborative force that constructs the social world. Finally, students who take courses in the discipline embrace a deep commitment to ethical and civically productive communication. These courses bring these values to students via coursework that reinforces the ethical imperative of good communication. YC Faculty understand that this is an important skill for students, so we will revisit this category on a regular basis to determine if it should become a requirement for students completing an AGEC/Associate’s degree at YC.

Written Communication courses - Oral Communication courses

Quantitative Reasoning: Modern society is run by numbers, from statistics to computer algorithms to news reporting on government budgets. Mathematics is the science of problem-solving and provides the tools for understanding our world and trying to solve its problems. Students that study mathematics develop competency and comfort working with numerical data, and they can apply the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they develop to many endeavors. Mathematics also requires imagination, necessitating abstract and formalized thought on the one hand and creativity and intuition on the other. All people, in every trade and profession, use mathematics in their personal and professional lives, and these skills are of unquestionable value to society. Mathematics is thus a crucial part of any general education curriculum.

Quantitative Reasoning courses (catalog)

Arts and Humanities: The field commonly designated as “arts and humanities” is the multifaceted study of how the human experience is documented and processed. Humanistic inquiry addresses the nature of thinking and knowledge, the understanding of morality and ethics, and the creation and exploration of the aesthetic experience. Philosophy, art, religion, literature, music theatre, history, and language are all ways in which students can explore their connections to the world around them, deepening their appreciation of human diversity while recognizing the ultimate connections between all human beings.

The disciplines that make up the Arts and Humanities are a traditional, accepted, and essential part of Yavapai College’s general education program, proving critical support for the college’s wider educational goals. Study in the humanities encourages reflection on what it means to be human through traditional methods of inquiry – dialogue, historical and logical analysis, critical interpretation and scholarly investigation. By sparking discussion on the most fundamental experiences of humankind, these disciplines offer methods and models for addressing ambiguity, paradox and the ineffable.

Arts & Humanities courses (catalog)

Social and Behavioral Sciences: The social and behavioral sciences address the interaction between the individual and society, individuals and their environments, and relationships between individuals within social groups. Comprised of sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, geography and law, the social sciences approach the study of human interaction in a disciplined and systematic way, using scientific methods of inquiry to generate empirical knowledge about human behavior. Courses in the social and behavioral sciences allow students to develop an understanding of cultural diversity and the complexities of living in a multicultural, globalized society.

Social & Behavioral Sciences courses (catalog)

Natural Sciences: Scientific literacy is critical for sound decisions on scientifically infused issues such as immunizations, disease processes, climate change and more. Understanding basic science concepts, such as the ability to utilize scientific method, is critical for many areas of life. It also includes the understanding that “science” is not an encyclopedic collection of facts. Rather, it is a process of exploration that embraces curiosity, inquiry, testing and communication, to reduce uncertainty about nature. Absent understanding of scientific concepts and of the nature of science, science and pseudoscience are difficult to distinguish, and normal scientific disagreements may be misinterpreted as ideological or political disputes. The goal of the physical and biological sciences requirement at Yavapai College is to instill understanding of basic science content and of the nature of science in every degree-seeking graduate.

Natural Sciences courses (catalog)

Institutions in the Americas: Courses in this category examine the diverse institutions, histories, and cultures of peoples within the Americas, particularly focusing on the development and function of governmental, legal, and civic structures. Emphasis is placed on how these institutions have been shaped by Indigenous, colonial, and post-colonial experiences, and how they continue to impact social and political life today. Students explore themes such as American constitutional democracy, Indigenous governance systems, civic engagement, public policy, and the effects of colonialism and social movements. Courses in this category include analysis of documentary evidence, examination of multiple perspectives, and articulation of informed, ethical positions on institutional issues affecting the Americas. 

Institutions in the Americas courses (catalog)