General Studies BGS English (BGS)
Program Purpose
English Emphasis BGS
In support of the mission of BYU and the Aims of a BYU Education, the Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) program extends the resources of BYU beyond Provo, to former BYU students who have been away from the university for some time and are unable to return to campus to complete a degree. The major is general studies, with a 30-credit emphasis in one of eight areas of study, writing being one of those emphases. The program is not available to current BYU students.
The BGS degree is a flexible, largely off-campus program that draws from the same BYU curriculum that is offered on campus and requires the same general education, religious education, and campus residency as on-campus degrees. However, having previously completed at least 30 hours of on-campus courses as an admitted day student, BGS students can complete the remaining credits through Independent Study. BGS students may also enroll in Evening Classes, at the BYU Salt Lake Center, and on campus during spring and summer terms.
Learning Outcomes
English BGS graduates learn the skills, contexts, and ethics of interpreting texts, particularly of the English literary tradition, and of communicating their interpretations through written and oral mediums.
BGS Learning Outcomes - Aims of a BYU EducationReflect on and describe how their coursework in the BGS program has contributed to the aims of a BYU education:
- Spiritually strengthening
- Character building
- Intellectually enlarging
- Preparing for lifelong learning and service.
English BGS graduates will develop and demonstrate critical reading strategies, professional writing expertise, and sophisticated analytical skills.
English graduates will explore the development of literary traditions and genres as well as become familiar with the critical methodologies and scholarly conversations in the discipline; they will engage with these contexts in their written, oral, and visual work.
English graduates will embrace literature as a source of wisdom, spiritual insight, and aesthetic pleasure; as a medium for encountering and reflecting upon the diversity of human experience; and as a guide for building relationships and discerning value.
Evidence of Learning
Direct Measures
Student Development 490 is a required BGS capstone course with four components:
1. Emphasis Paper (Outcome 2)-The student writes an eight- to ten-page paper responding to an emphasis-specific question. The student is required to: (a) integrate learning from the emphasis courses taken, (b) follow the MLA style manual, and (c) include appropriate citations from at least five sources, one of which must be recent. The paper will include a Works Cited page for the sources referenced. Randomly selected papers will be scored for writing and critical thinking according to published criteria that students receive at the beginning of the BGS program.
2. Two Sample Papers or Projects (Outcome 2)-The student submits two papers or assignments completed in emphasis courses that demonstrate one or more of the emphasis learning outcomes. For students in the English emphasis, one of those papers will be the paper submitted for English 495. Randomly selected papers will be scored for writing and critical thinking according to published criteria students receive at the beginning of the BGS program.
3. BYU Aims Summary Portfolio (Outcome 1)-Upon completing each course in the BGS program, the student analyzes it in light of the BYU Aims and creates a portfolio entry noting the specific Aims filled and the particular aspect of the course that contributed to each Aim identified. As part of the capstone course, the student submits a portfolio summary in which he or she synthesizes their BGS experience with reference to the Aims. The BGS office will continuously aggregate and report data from the portfolio summaries.
4. BYU Aims Reflective Paper (Outcome 1)-Drawing from the portfolio summary, the student writes a six-page reflective paper, showing how the Aims of a BYU Education were or were not met by the coursework completed. Randomly selected reflection papers will be scored for writing ability according to criteria that students receive at the beginning of the BGS program.
Indirect Measures
1. BGS Alumni Survey
2. Exit Interviews with Discontinuing Students
3. Retention and Graduation Rates
4. Independent Study Course Evaluations