GES 101 • Pre-Intercultural Engagement Preparation 0.5 Credits

Prepares students to participate in a non-credit cross-cultural experience to fulfill the General Education Z-tag requirement. Includes introducing a method for reflecting on and analyzing an intercultural experience, assistance in creating a proposal for the Z-tag experience and an opportunity to develop mid-experience exercises and activities for GES 102Z.
Offered: Fall, Spring, Occasionally summer. Special Notes: Completion of GES 101 does not complete the Z-tag requirement, but is a prerequisite for GES 102Z. GES 101 must be taken before participating in the cross-cultural experience. This course is graded on an S/U basis.

GES 102Z • Post-Intercultural Engagement Processing 0.5 Credits

Guided post-processing experience necessary for students to benefit fully from an independent cross-cultural experience to complete the General Education Z-tag requirement. Evaluates the method of reflection and analysis used during the intercultural experience, the implementation of the non-credit proposal approved in GES 101, and the mid-experience exercises and activities.
Prerequisites: GES 101; Must be taken the semester following the completion of the independent cross-cultural experience. Offered: Fall, Spring, Occasionally summer. Special Notes: This course is graded on an S/U basis.

GES 103 • Writing Studio for Multilingual Students 1 Credit

Focuses on knowledge and skills necessary for successful college-level academic research and writing in the U.S. Students apply reading and writing strategies to other course writing assignments. Instruction tailored to provide linguistic support for students who speak more than one language.
Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course is graded on an S/U basis.

GES 109 • Orientation to College Studies 4 Credits

Students understand and improve their approach to learning to enhance success in college. Strategies developed are directly applied to learning in the Christianity and Western Culture course as well as other courses taken during Fall term.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Corequisites: Concurrent registration in GES 130 is required. Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course is required for provisionally admitted students.

GES 112 • College Composition 4 Credits

Development of skills necessary for expressing oneself competently through writing. Emphasizes the writing process, critical thinking, sensitivity to audience, core documentation skills and responsibilities, and revision (with peer and instructor feedback).
Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 119 • Introduction to Bethel 4 Credits

Introduces transfer students to resources to support and enhance their success at Bethel. Develops strategies to apply to learning in the Christianity and Western culture course as well as other courses taken during Fall term.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Corequisites: Concurrent registration in GES 130 is required. Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course is required for provisionally admitted students.

GES 125 • Introduction to the Creative Arts 4 Credits

Highlights the crucial experience of the creative arts; develops literacy in artistic language. Art forms may include dance, film, literature, music, theater, and visual arts. Stylistic, social, and historical contexts examined in light of various themes: death/despair, humor, relationships, and religion. Critical interaction and reflection from a variety of perspectives.
Offered: Fall, January, Spring.

GES 130 • Christianity & Western Culture 4 Credits

Movements that influenced Europe and North America up through the Enlightenment. Explores with insight and empathy the writings and lives that influenced the course of world societies. Evaluates the diverse ways in which Christians have interacted with Western culture by shaping, absorbing, and criticizing the culture of the West.
Offered: Fall, January, Spring.

GES 140 • Introduction to Wellbeing 2 Credits

Explores many of the dimensions that influence wellbeing, including Spiritual, Cognitive, Emotional, Physical, Relational, and Meaning. Examines the dynamic interconnection between the dimensions. Students integrate foundational knowledge, experiences, and strategies to become successful whole and holy individuals not only in college but also throughout adult life.
Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 141 • Physiology of Wellness 4 Credits

Synthesizes current evidence-based knowledge empowering healthy decisions around nutrition, fitness, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Identification of patterns of stress reduction through spiritual and physical health. Explanation of biological processes in the body. Analyzes the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.
Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 144 • Beginning Tennis 1 Credit

Basic tennis strokes. Includes instruction, drills, practice, and playing time. Covers rules, simple strategy, player position, etiquette, and guidelines for equipment selection.
Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 145 • Humanities I: Greco-Roman through Middle Ages 4 Credits

The first course in the Humanities Program focuses on great writings and works of art, music, and theatre from the Greeks through the Middle Ages. Likely figures for study include Homer, Thucydides, Plato, Virgil, Augustine, Anselm, and Dante.
Offered: Fall. Special Notes: Completing GES 145 and GES 147 replaces GES 125.

GES 147 • Humanities II: Renaissance and Reformation 4 Credits

The second course in the Humanities Program considers significant figures, movements, and texts in the Renaissance and the Reformation era. Likely figures for study include Luther, Calvin, Erasmus, Renaissance and Baroque artists, Machiavelli, Petrarch, and Shakespeare.
Prerequisites: GES 145. Offered: January. Special Notes: Completing GES 145 and GES 147 replaces GES 125.

GES 149 • Humanities III: Enlightenment to Modernity 4 Credits

The final course in the Humanities Program begins with great texts of the European Enlightenment and goes into modernity in the post World War II era. Likely figures and themes for study include Voltaire, Rousseau, Burke, Paine, Mary Shelley, Frederick Douglass, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, jazz, modern art, Nella Larsen, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Prerequisites: GES 147. Offered: Spring. Special Notes: Completing GES 149 replaces GES 130 and GES 160. 202611

GES 150 • Introduction to Art Appreciation 4 Credits

Cultivation of critical reading and writing skills through examination of artistic “texts” from a variety of genres: literature, drama, cinema, music, or the visual arts. Discernment of rich dimensions of the texts--technique, genre, social-historical context—and reflect on their spiritual significance.
Offered: Occasionally.

GES 152 • Yoga 1 Credit

Development of physical fitness and self-awareness through core stabilizing and strengthening exercises as an integral part of health and wellness. Emphasis on the integration of Christian faith and exercise while learning correct postures, alignments, and focus.
Offered: January. Special Notes: Students must provide their own exercise/yoga mat.

GES 160 • Inquiry Writing Seminar 4 Credits

While exploring a topic of interest, students learn college-level skills in research, writing, and presentation. Collect, summarize, and evaluate sources. Formulate, develop, and support a thesis; document; plan, draft, edit. Consideration of rhetorical situation (purpose, audience, message). Develop, organize, and deliver oral presentations. Formative feedback from peers and instructor.
Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 163 • Academic Research and Writing 4 Credits

Development of core academic skills in research and writing. Critical evaluation of rhetorical persuasion, forming and answering research questions, testing theses through consultation of scholarly sources, and formal documentation of research sources.
Offered: Occasionally.

GES 181 • Disc Golf 1 Credit

An introduction to the game of disc golf. Includes history, equipment, etiquette, rules, technique, scoring, and playing of the sport.
Offered: Fall.

GES 182 • Slow Pitch Softball 1 Credit

Fundamental skills of slow-pitch softball for the recreational player.
Offered: Spring.

GES 183 • Walk, Jog, Run 1 Credit

Basic introduction to running for health. Students learn to monitor heart rates as they process from a walking/jogging base to runs of up to an hour in length. Proper warmup and recovery are stressed. Students begin with workouts appropriate to their fitness levels and set goals appropriate for those levels.
Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 184 • Pickleball 1 Credit

Fast paced net game with similarities to tennis, badminton, table tennis, and racquetball; content includes rules, strategies, techniques, and court positioning for singles and doubles, and extensive active practice and play.
Offered: Spring.

GES 203 • Writing Studio for Multilingual Students 1 Credit

Focus on knowledge and skills necessary for successful college-level academic research and writing in the U.S. Students apply reading and writing strategies to other course writing assignments. Instruction tailored to provide linguistic support for students who speak more than one language.
Offered: Spring. Special Notes: This course is graded on an S/U basis.

GES 302K • Lethal Microbes 4 Credits

Despite amazing scientific and technical successes in medicine in the last century, diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria confront us today with both national and global healthcare crises. Living with the lethal microbes responsible for these diseases requires careful inquiry about these organisms and their wide impact on human society.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 303K • Genetics, Ethics and the Law 4 Credits

Study of the ethical and legal dilemmas created by recent advances in biotechnology. Focus on the question of what direction the law should take, specifically patent, family, and criminal law. Explores the struggle between the Christian worldview, rapid changes in science, and society’s resolution of the questions these changes produce.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 305K • Anatomy of a Pandemic 4 Credits

Explores the history, biology, and social and global impact of infectious diseases such as the bubonic plague, influenza, HIV/AIDS, and emerging pathogens. Evaluates technological advances that contribute to the treatment of infectious diseases, vaccine development, and modern epidemiology. Considers social factors related to disease ecology and the availability of medical treatment.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally January. 202611

GES 307K • Natural Resources: Use Them but Don't Lose Them 4 Credits

A consideration of the use and management of natural resources and their impact on society and vice versa. Primary resources considered include forests, agricultural land, and geologic/mineral resources. Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies are spotlighted as key management tools.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Spring.

GES 309K • Biology of the Mind 4 Credits

Survey of contemporary technologies and studies of brain structure and function and their relation to cognitive abilities and emotion. Introduction to modern technologies of brain mapping such as MRI, PET, and CAT scans. Combines neuroscience, philosophy of self, psychology, linguistics, and sociobiology.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally January.

GES 311K • Forensics: The Science of Crime 4 Credits

An introduction to the roles that biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology play in criminal investigations. Discovery, identification, and comparison of physical evidence using various current techniques. Discussion of the processes and limitations of scientific knowledge.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) Course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally fall, January, Spring.

GES 312G • Disability and Society 4 Credits

Exploration of ideologies of disability including medical, moral, rehabilitative, and minority approaches. Identification of the social, economic, religious, and other barriers faced by people with disabilities. International perspectives on disability, as well as the concept of a “disability culture.” Experiential learning components included.
Prerequisites: [GES 130; GES 160 or GES 149]; Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or World Cultures (U) course. Offered: Occasionally January.

GES 314K • Stem Cells, Cloning, and Reproductive Technologies 4 Credits

Stem cells, cloning, reproductive technologies, gene therapy, and drug production are all applications of biotechnology. Examines these applications along with their influence and impact on society.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 317KZ • Science and Technology in New Zealand 4 Credits

Exploration of historical development of science and technology in New Zealand, including current challenges. Topics include: inventions and inventors, health care, unique technologies, native and invasive species, sea life, earthquakes, hot springs, and volcanic activity in the context of historical Maori and British colonial cultures leading to the present day.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: January.

GES 318KZ • Ecology in the Tropics: Natural History and Future Prospects 4 Credits

Travel in Ecuador or Kenya surveying the land, climate, plants, animals, homes, transportation, and industries, noting especially the impact of human presence. Ecuador includes the Amazon rainforest, Andean cloud forests, volcanic mountains, highlands, towns, cities, and the Galapagos Islands. Kenya includes Nairobi, African savanna, the Rift valley, and Masai Mara.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: January. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in biology and environmental studies.

GES 322K • Cancer: Science and Society 4 Credits

The biology of cancer; the technologies of cancer diagnosis and treatment; and some social, family, and personal impacts of this disease.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 326K • Economic Botany 4 Credits

The history, principles, and technology used to domesticate and improve food and beverage crops, lumber, cloth and rope fiber, medicinal, and herbal plants for human use. Emphasizes modern technologies to increase quality, shelf life, transportability, yield, pest resistance, growing season, and soil type tolerances. Includes technologies that raise ethical issues.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 328K • Nutrition: The Total Diet 4 Credits

Investigates the science of interactions between proper nutrition and weight management and examines the appropriate ethical, and perhaps limited, use of technology as a means to reverse obesity. Topics include how hormonal imbalances and genetic alterations may result in failure to regulate appetite and metabolism.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 330KZ • History of Science in Europe 4 Credits

Study of scientists and their discoveries throughout history within the context of an experiential learning opportunity in Europe. Astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, medicine, and physics are addressed. Evaluation of the effect on society of these disciplines included.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally January.

GES 338K • Great Controversies in Science and Technology 4 Credits

Overview of great scientific controversies past and present. Topics include: science versus religion, age of the earth, evolution and creation, global warming, and energy issues. Relationships between science and society with particular emphasis on discerning the difference among scientific results, popular consensus, and societal pressures.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally January.

GES 339K • Nano: Small Science, Big Ideas 4 Credits

Investigation of nanotechnology: the science of very small things and their strange, unexpected behavior. Why and how nanotechnology is being applied to solve some of our greatest challenges in energy, medicine, and healthcare. Societal and environmental impacts and ethical concerns from a Christian perspective are explored.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 355 • Advanced Writing Studio for Multilingual Students 1 Credit

Students apply reading and writing strategies to writing lengthy assignments in advanced courses. Students are expected to take the studio in conjunction with a class that requires substantial writing and research. Instruction tailored to provide linguistic support for students who speak more than one language.
Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course is graded on an S/U basis.

GES 390K • Decision-Making and Medical Technology 4 Credits

Health technologies that may be both harmful and beneficial to human health are explored from the perspectives of ethical decision making, psychosocial dynamics, faith, and health policy formation. Topics include: genetic testing, contraceptives, intensive treatment of newborns, assisted reproduction organ transplantation, enhancement technologies, aging, and end-of-life decisions.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 407P • Women's Lives, Women's Choices 2 Credits

Female experience during adolescence and adulthood, emphasizing female socialization and potential adult roles. Personal experiences, future life choices, and their consequences in light of the course content and Christian faith.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 409P • Christian Leadership in a Secular World 2 Credits

Current issues facing Christian leaders today. The formulation of a personal biblical approach to leadership to enable one to impact society. A variety of personal decisions that are designed to facilitate knowing oneself and understanding one’s own responses in various situations.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 412P • The Plot Thickens: Character Growth in Literature and Life 2 Credits

Discussion of novels and short stories, examining characters and their values, and responses in the face of complex life situations. Insights of narrative theologians used to think about building character as individuals and the role of the community in this process.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 413P • Women's Spiritual Experience 2 Credits

Exploration of diverse women’s spiritual experiences by reading spiritual autobiographies, biblical feminist writings, and research on gender and religion. Discussion of how gender influences religious institutions and Christian women’s faith. Students write their spiritual autobiography.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 420P • Bioethics 2 Credits

How technological advances have increased our abilities to conceive, sustain, and alter human lives. How to make morally responsible decisions that shape a just society. Moral issues such as healthcare practices, reproductive methods, allocation of healthcare resources, and biomedical research.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Fall, Occasionally January, Spring.

GES 425P • Censorship and Freedom of Expression 2 Credits

Censorship from the perspective of various disciplines, such as psychology, theology, literature, history, and art. Key issues and formulation of student’s own positions.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 426P • Family Interaction 2 Credits

An integration of a Christian worldview related to the contemporary family unit; styles of parenting, issues of grief, power, stress, intimacy, and wholeness. The family system in light of contemporary trends and Christian choices. Communication patterns are examined and evaluated.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 433P • Biblical Spirituality: Experiencing God 2 Credits

A study of spirituality in a variety of biblical texts, both Old and New Testament. Essential issues related to spirituality, including: What is spirituality? What are biblical teachings regarding prayer, worship, and spiritual disciplines? How do we interpret biblical texts as paradigms for the contemporary practice of spirituality? .
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 444P • Christians and Conflict 2 Credits

Examines how we are called as Christians to respond to interpersonal conflicts that continually exist in our lives. Emphasizes many different types of interpersonal conflicts, including conflicts in friendships, marriages, parent/child relationships, workplaces, and churches. Analyzes conflict as it is currently portrayed in the media.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 448P • Abusive Relationships and Christian Responsibility 2 Credits

Explores different types of intimate violence using research from communication, psychology, and sociology. Examines the history of domestic violence, the prevalence of intimate violence, cycles of violence, and secular and Christian responses. Evaluates choices informed by Christian values, education, and personal experience. Develops personal strategies for responding to intimate violence.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally Fall, January, Spring.

GES 449P • Chance or Design: Our Place in the Cosmos 2 Credits

Exploration of recent advances in Big Bang cosmology and planetary science with an emphasis on apparent fine-tuning to conditions suitable for human life. Discussion of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. Analysis of design arguments, with the goal of developing a biblically sound view of our relationship to nature and God.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 451P • Spirituality, Sexuality, and the Family 2 Credits

Three powerful forces in everyday life that vitally affect people both personally and collectively. Both past and contemporary influences and experiences that are likely to impact people as they seek to make their personal sexuality, spirituality, and family relationships consistent with Christian values.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 452P • Sports in Society 2 Credits

Study of sports as a social phenomenon. Presentation of some of the basic elements involved in the interaction of the active human being. Includes sports and culture, sports in education, social stratification, race, and group dynamics.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally.

GES 453P • Ethics and Faith in the Workplace 2 Credits

Practical application of what it takes to function as a Christian in today’s workplace. Emphasis on the transition from college to a professional environment, focusing on personal maturity, workplace ethics, and lifelong Christian growth and service.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Occasionally January.

GES 455P • Covenant Relationships: Marriage, Friendship, and Beyond 2 Credits

An exploration of the relational dynamics of marriage, friendship, and Christian community within the context of the biblical concept of covenant relationship. Competing values within contemporary Western culture (e.g., individualism, hedonism) are explored and critiqued in light of the values associated with covenant community.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: Fall, Spring.

GES 457 • Advanced Writing Studio for Multilingual Learners 1 Credit

Students apply reading and writing strategies to writing lengthy assignments in advanced courses. Students are expected to take the studio in conjunction with a class that requires substantial writing and research. Instruction tailored to English Language Learners (international or immigrant students from non-English speaking backgrounds).
Offered: Fall, Spring. Special Notes: This course is graded on an S/U basis.

GES 463P • Masculinity Past and Present 2 Credits

Study of how men have understood their identities as men in different historical contexts, including the present. While strength, individuality, and aggression may seem paramount, many societies have emphasized moral ideas like piety, cooperation, and self-control. Encourages critical evaluation of how gender helps construct personal identity.
Prerequisites: Senior standing; [GES 149 or GES 160]; THE 201; [Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or Comparative Systems (G) course] or World Cultures (U) course]. Offered: January.

GES 477 • Summer Internship Completion 0 Credit

A learning/practicing experience to apply understanding and skills in an off-campus professional setting. Includes participation in an online course with weekly assignments.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Offered: Summer. Special Notes: This course is graded on an S/U basis.