- General Education
- Knowledge Areas
- Explorations
General Education
North Foundation Hall, Room 160
318 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester,
MI
48309-4454
(location map)

Explorations
OU students are required to take one course in each of the seven knowledge explorations categories outlined below. This is where you'll learn a breadth of knowledge and analytical skills.
While completing each of these courses, keep in mind that some also may count as the diversity requirement and/or the writing intensive requirement.
Arts
What will I learn?
- cultural or historic artistic traditions in visual, auditory, movement, theatrical or cinematic art
- the role of art as critical commentary on society and as an aesthetic expression of experience
Global Perspective
What will I learn?
- Knowledge of two or more of the following: environments, political systems, economies, societies, and religions in any region outside of the United States.
- Knowledge of the role that different cultural heritages (past and present) play in forming values in another part of the world, enabling the student to function in a global context.
Language and Culture
What will I learn?
- an additional language and its associated culture
- linguistic and cultural diversity and the contributions of such diversity to the global society
Literature
What will I learn?
- how literature is an expression of culture
- literary form
Natural Science and Technology
What will I learn?
- major concepts from natural science or technology, including developing and testing of hypotheses; drawing conclusions; and reporting findings through some laboratory experience or an effective substitute (lab experiences are met by either a limited number of interactive experiences, collecting and interpreting raw data, or other effective experiences such as a virtual laboratory)
- how to evaluate sources of information in science or technology
Social Science
What will I learn?
- concepts, methods and theories designed to enhance understanding of human behavior and/or societies
- concepts and theories to problems involving individuals, institutions or nations
Western Civilization
What will I learn?
- historical events and/or philosophical ideas of European or American culture
- how Western ideas or institutions have evolved over time