WMU Essential Studies
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-4411 USA
(269) 387-4174
Level 2: Exploration and Discovery
For the Level 2: Exploration and Discovery requirements of the essential studies curriculum, Western Michigan University students will select one (1) course from each of the following six categories:
- Personal Wellness
- Science and Technology
- Scientific Literacy with a Lab
- World Language and Culture
- Artistic Theory and Practice
- Societies and Cultures
Important Note
The courses and descriptions listed below are for the spring 2025 and fall 2025 semester and summer I/summer II 2025 sessions. For a complete list of WMU Essential Studies courses, access the PDF. Enrolled students can also access descriptions by logging into GoWMU and accessing DegreeWorks.
Spring 2025
ANTH 3010 - Anthropology Through Film
ART 1200 - Introduction To Art
ART 1480 - Direct Encounter/Art [DI]
ART 2210 - Modern and Postmodern
CHIN 2800 - Chinese Calligraphy
ED 2300 - Nature Of Creativity
EDLD 3010 - Leadership in Graphic Novels [DI]
ENGL 1100 - Literary Interp
ENGL 2100 - Film Interpretation
ENGL 2660 - Writing-Fict/Poetry
ENGL 2810 - Youth Literature & Culture
HIST 3015 - History and Film
HIST 3150 - Pop Art-Arch In Amer
HNRS 3202 - Modernism in Art and Lit
HNRS 3302 - Civil Rights & Jazz, 1950-1975 [DI]
MUS 1510 - Jazz in America [DI]
MUS 1520 - Rock Music: Genesis & Devel [DI]
MUS 4500 - Mus Apprec: Symphony
PHIL 3120 - Philosophy Of Art
SPAN 3250 - Intro Study Span Lit
THEA 1450 - Beginning Acting
ADA 2250 - Drug Use: Per/Soc Impact
COM 1700 - Interpersonal Comm I
DANC 2550 - Dance for Fitness
EDLD 2020 - Leadership Skills [DI]
ENGL 3080 - Quest For Self
ENGR 2100 - First-Year CEAS Experience
FCS 2660 - Personal Nutrition [PS]
FIN 2010 - Personal Finance
HOL 1000 - Choices In Living [DI]
HOL 2000 - Choices In Global Living [PS]
HOL 2701 - The Resilient Mind
HOL 2801 - Health and Well Being-HC
HPHE 1110 - Healthy Living
HPHE 1701 - Hlth & Wellness Practices [PS]
HPHE 3600 - Sport & Perf Psych:Mentl Trng
NUR 2300 - Concepts Hlth/Well Nurs Prac
PSY 4630 - Health Psychology
SLHS 2090 - Comm Diversity & Access [DI]
ANTH 1500 - Human Biocultural Diversity [DI]
ANTH 2100 - Introd To Archeology
ANTH 2520 - Science Apps Forensic Bioarch
AVS 1200 - Introduction To Aviation
AVS 1801 - UAS I
CHEG 2611 - Environmental Engineering I [PS]
CIS 2500 - Data Analytics for Business
CIS 2640 - Applied Analytics Foundations
COM 2400 - Intro To Media & Telecom
CYIS 2310 - Ethics and Impacts
ECON 2190 - Econ Principles Sustainability [PS]
EDMM 1500 - Intro Manufacturing [PS]
ENVS 1050 - Perspectives on Sustainability [PS]
GEOG 1000 - Global Env Issues [PS]
GEOG 2440 Economic Geography
GEOG 3010 - Fundamentals of GIS [PS]
GEOG 3500 - Conserv/Environ Mgmt [PS]
GEOS 1050 - Dinosaurs
GEOS 3120 - Geol Natl Pks/Monumt
GWS 3400 - Race, Gender and Science [DI]
HIST 3180 - American Environmental Hist [PS]
IEE 3100 - Engineering Economy [PS]
ME 2320 - Thermodynamics I
PHIL 3160 - Ethics In Engineering & Tech [PS]
PHIL 3170 - Environmental Ethics
PHIL 3340 - Biomedical Ethics
PHIL 3350 - Medical Humanities
PSY 1000 - General Psychology
PSY 1400 - Intro to Behavior Analysis
SCI 1600 - Explorations in Integ Science
SCI 2080 - Explorations in Life Science
SPAN 3240 - Intro Study Span Ling
STAT 2160 - Introductory Statistics
ANTH 2500 - Intro Biological Anthropology
ANTH 2510 - Forensic Anthropology
BIOS 1050 - Environmental Biology [PS]
BIOS 1120 - Principles Of Biology
BIOS 1980 - Human Form and Function
BIOS 2320 - Micro Infec Diseases
CHEM 1100 - General Chemistry I [PS]
CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry Lab I [PS]
GEOG 1050 - Physical Geography [PS]
GEOG 2250 - Intr Meteor & Climat [PS]
GEOS 1000 - Dynamic Earth
GEOS 1300 - Physical Geology
GPS 1500 - Intro Graphic & Printing Sci [PS]
PHYS 1000 - How Things Work
PHYS 1060 - Intro To Stars And Galaxies
PHYS 1070 - Elementary Physics
PHYS 1130 - General Physics I
PHYS 2050 - University Physics I
PSY 3601 - Adv Operant Lab
SCI 2070 - Explorations in Phys Science
AAAS 2800 - Reparations in the Black World [DI]
AAAS 3010 - AfAm Hist,Cult,Exp 1866-Prsnt [DI]
ADA 3410 - Diversity and Substance Abuse [DI]
ANTH 2400 - Princ Of Cult Anthro [PS]
ART 2200 - Caves to Cathedrals
BUS 2200 - Managing Global Business
CHIN 2750 - Chinese Life And Culture
CHIN 2760 - Contemporary China
CLAS 2500 - Power and Morality
COM 3070 - Freedom Of Expression
ECON 3090 - Economics of Gender and Race [DI]
ENGL 3820 - Lit For The Young Child
FCS 2170 - Diverse Children,Fmlies,& Comm [DI]
GEOG 1020 - Wld Geog-Media/Maps
GEOG 3200 - Culinary Tourism [DI]
GIST 3100 - Global Studies in the Field [DI]
GWS 2000 - Intro Gender & Women's Studies [DI]
GWS 2010 - LGBT Studies [DI]
HIST 2125 - Sport in American Culture [DI]
HIST 3600 - Medieval World
HIST 3790 - WWII in US & Japanese History [DI]
HNRS 3204 - Postmodern Dystopias
HNRS 3303 - Vietnam Rock and Soul
JPNS 2750 - Japanese Life And Culture
LANG 2500 - The Nature of Language
MDVL 2000 - Medieval Encounters
MUS 3500 - American Music [DI]
PADM 2000 - Intro Public/Nonprofit Service [DI]
PH 2310 - Public Health Needs and Issues
PHIL 3000 - Ancient-Mdvl Phil
PHIL 3030 - Existentialist Phil
PHIL 3130 - Philosophy Of Law
PHIL 3140 - Study Abroad: Iceland
PHIL 3150 - Race And Gender Issues [DI]
PHIL 3330 - Metaphysics
PSCI 3610 - Modern Political Thought [DI]
REL 2010 - Buddhism
REL 3015 - Christianity in the U.S. [DI]
SLHS 2000 - Communication Disorders and Sciences [DI]
SOC 2100 - Modern Soc Problems [DI]
SPAN 3230 - Life and culture Spanish America [DI]
SWRK 3330 - Cult/Ethn/Inst Swrk Practice [DI]
THEA 1050 - Af Americans in Thea & Media [DI]
ARAB 1010 - Basic Arabic 2
ART 2220 - Africa, Oceania, Americas
BUS 3960 - Study Abroad Seminar [DI]
CHIN 1000 - Basic Chinese I
CHIN 1010 - Basic Chinese II
ENGL 2110 - Folklore and Mythology
ENGL 3140 - African Literature
ENGL 3160 - Storytellers
FREN 1010 - Basic French II
FREN 2010 - Intermed French II
GER 1010 - Basic German II
GIST 2000 - Global & International Studies
GREK 1010 - Basic Greek II
HIST 2020 - World History to 1500 [DI]
HIST 2030 - World History Since 1500
HIST 3850 - Modern Middle East
HNRS 2500 - The Politics of Genocide
IPE 3050 - Stud Abrd/Global Learn in H&HS [DI]
JPNS 1010 - Basic Japanese II
LAT 1010 - Basic Latin II
MKTG 2750 - Global Negotiation
MUS 3120 - Explorations in World Music [DI]
REL 2050 - Christianity
REL 2100 - Religions of the World
REL 2630 - Asian Religion and Environment [PS]
SIGN 1020 - American Sign Language II [DI]
SPAN 1000 - Basic Spanish I
SPAN 1010 - Basic Spanish II
SPAN 2000 - Intermed Spanish I
SPAN 2010 - Intermed Spanish II
SPAN 3160 - Spanish Composition
SPAN 3170 - Spanish Conversation
Summer I 2025
- ANTH 1500 - Human Biocultural Diversity [DI]
- AVS 1200 - Intro to Aviation
- CIS 2500 - Data Analytics for Business
- CIS 2640 - Applied Analytics Foundations
- COM 2400 - Intro to Media and Telecom
- CYIS 2310 - Ethics and Impacts
- GEOG 3500 - Conservation/Environ Mgmt[PS]
- GEOS 3120 - Geol Natl Parks/Monumt
- GWS 3400 - Race, Gender and Science [DI]
- IEE 3100 - Engineering Economy [PS]
- ME 2320 - Thermodynamics I
- PHIL 3160 - Ethics in Engineering and Tech [PS]
- PHIL 3170 - Environmental Ethics
- PHIL 3340 - Biomedical Ethics
- PSY 1000 - General Psychology
- PSY 1400 - Intro to Behavior Analysis
- SCI 1600 - Explorations in Integ Science
- SCI 2080 - Explorations in Life Science
- STAT 2160 - Introductory Statistics
- BIOS 1050 - Environmental Biology [PS]
- BIOS 1120 - Principles Of Biology
- BIOS 1980 - Human Form and Function
- CHEM 1100 - General Chemistry I[PS]
- CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry Lab I[PS]
- GEOG 1050 - Physical Geography[PS]
- GEOG 2250 - Intr Meteor & Climat[PS]
- GEOS 1000 - Dynamic Earth
- PHYS 1070 - Elementary Physics
- PHYS 1130 - General Physics I
- PHYS 2050 - University Physics I
- AAAS 2800 - African Amer and African Studies Spec Topics[DI]
- AAAS 3010 - AfAm Hist,Cult,Exp 1866 to present[DI]
- ADA 3410 - Diversity and Substance Abuse[DI]
- BUS 2200 - Managing Global Business
- ENGL 3820 - Lit For The Young Child
- FCS 2170 - Diverse Children, Famlies, &Comm[DI]
- GEOG 1020 - Wld Geog-Media/Maps
- GWS 2000 - Intro Gender & Women's Studies[DI]
- MDVL 2000 - Medieval Encounters
- PADM 2000 - Intro Public/Nonprofit Service[DI]
- PHIL 3140 - Ethical/Social Issues with AI
- REL 2010 - Buddhism
- SOC 2100 - Modern Soc Problems[DI]
- WFED 3050 - Career and Employability Skills
- BUS 3960 - Study Abroad Seminar [DI]
- CHIN 1000 - Basic Chinese I
- ENGL 2110 - Folklore and Mythology
- FREN 1000 - Basic French I
- GIST 2000 - Global & International Studies
- HIST 2020 - World History to 1500 [DI]
- HIST 2030 - World History Since 1500
- IPE 3050 - Stud Abrd/Global Learn in H&HS[DI]
- MUS 3120 - Explorations in World Music[DI]
- REL 2100 - Religions of the World
- SPAN 1000 - Basic Spanish I
- SPAN 1010 - Basic Spanish II
Summer II 2025
AAAS 2800 - Race and Identity in Media [DI]
AAAS 3010 - AfAm Hist,Cult,Exp to 1865 [DI]
ADA 3410 - Diversity and Substance Abuse [DI]
ART 2200 - Caves to Cathedrals
BUS 2200 - Managing Global Business
FCS 2170 - Diverse Children,Fmlies,& Comm [DI]
GIST 3100 - Global Studies in the Field [DI]
JPNS 2750 - Japanese Life And Culture
PHIL 3130 - Philosophy Of Law
PHIL 3140 - Ethical/Social Issues with AI
PHIL 3150 - Race And Gender Issues [DI]
SOC 2100 - Modern Soc Problems [DI]
BUS 3960 - Study Abroad Seminar [DI]
CHIN 1010 - Basic Chinese II
ENGL 3160 - Storytellers
FREN 1010 - Basic French II
GIST 2000 - Global & International Studies
HIST 2020 - World History to 1500 [DI]
IPE 3050 - Stud Abrd/Global Learn in H&HS [DI]
REL 2100 - Religions of the World
SIGN 1020 - American Sign Language II [DI]
SPAN 1000 - Basic Spanish I
SPAN 1010 - Basic Spanish II
TEL 3100 Second Language Learning [DI]
Fall 2025
ART 1200 - Introduction To Art
ART 1480 - Direct Encounter/Art [DI]
ART 2210 - Modern and Postmodern
ED 2300 - Nature Of Creativity
ENGL 1100 - Literary Interp
ENGL 2100 - Film Interpretation
ENGL 2520 - Shakespeare's Theatre
ENGL 2660 - Writing-Fict/Poetry
ENGL 2810 - Youth Literature & Culture
HISP 3390 - Contemporary Latin America - HC
HIST 3015 - History and Film
HNRS 3202 - Modernism in Art and Lit
HNRS 4103 - Classic Horror Cinema
MUS 1510 - Jazz in America [DI]
MUS 1520 - Rock Music: Genesis & Devel [DI]
MUS 4500 - Mus Apprec: Symphony
PHIL 3120 - Philosophy Of Art
SPAN 3250 - Intro Study Span Lit
THEA 1450 - Beginning Acting
ADA 2250 - Drug Use: Per/Soc Impact
COM 1700 - Interpersonal Comm - HC
DANC 2550 - Dance for Fitness
ECON 3180 - Health Economics
ENGL 3080 - Quest For Self
ENGR 2100 - First-Year CEAS Experience
FCS 2660 - Personal Nutrition [PS]
FIN 2010 - Personal Finance
HOL 1000 - Choices In Living [DI]
HOL 2000 - Choices In Global Living [PS]
HOL 2701 - The Resilient Mind
HOL 2801 - Health and Well Being-HC
HPHE 1110 - Healthy Living
HPHE 1701 - Hlth & Wellness Practices [PS]
NUR 2300 - Concepts Hlth/Well Nurs Prac
THEA 3480 - Embodying Wellness [DI]
ANTH 1500 - Human Biocultural Diversity [DI]
ANTH 2100 - Introd To Archeology
ART 2910 - Photography: Science and Syntax - HC
AVS 1200 - Introduction To Aviation
AVS 1801 - UAS I
CHEG 2611 - Environmental Engineering I [PS]
CIS 2500 - Data Analytics for Business
CIS 2640 - Applied Analytics Foundations
COM 2400 - Intro To Media & Telecom
COM 4710 - AI and Interaction Design
CYIS 2310 - Ethics and Impacts
ECON 2190 - Econ Principles Sustainability [PS]
EDMM 1500 - Intro Manufacturing [PS]
ENVS 1050 - Perspectives on Sustainability [PS]
GEOG 1000 - Global Env Issues [PS]
GEOG 3010 - Fundamentals of GIS [PS]
GEOG 3030 - Geographic Inquiry
GEOS 1050 - Dinosaurs
GEOS 3120 - Geol Natl Pks/Monumt
GEOS 3220 - Ocean Systems
GWS 3400 - Race, Gender and Science [DI]
IEE 3100 - Engineering Economy [PS]
ME 2320 - Thermodynamics I
MUS 3811 - Your Brain on Music
PHIL 3160 - Ethics In Engineering & Tech [PS]
PHIL 3350 - Medical Humanities
PSY 1000 - General Psychology
PSY 1400 - Intro to Behavior Analysis
SCI 1600 - Explorations in Integ Science
SCI 2080 - Explorations in Life Science
SPAN 3240 - Intro Study Span Ling
STAT 2160 - Introductory Statistics
ANTH 2500 - Intro Biological Anthropology
BIOS 1050 - Environmental Biology [PS]
BIOS 1120 - Principles Of Biology
BIOS 1980 - Human Form and Function
BIOS 2320 - Micro Infec Diseases
CHEM 1100 - General Chemistry I [PS]
CHEM 1110 - General Chemistry Lab I [PS]
CHEM 1510 - Health General Chemistry
CHEM 1520 - Health General Chemistry Lab
GEOG 1050 - Physical Geography [PS]
GEOG 2250 - Intr Meteor & Climat [PS]
GEOS 1000 - Dynamic Earth
GEOS 1020 - Planetary Geology
GEOS 1300 - Physical Geology
GEOS 1900 - Evolution of Life
GPS 1500 - Intro Graphic & Printing Sci [PS]
PHYS 1040 - Intro to Sky and Solar System
PHYS 1070 - Elementary Physics
PHYS 1130 - General Physics I
PHYS 2050 - University Physics I
SCI 2070 - Explorations in Phys Science
DI Courses designated as DI fulfill the Diversity and Inclusion requirement.
PS Courses designated as PS fulfill the Planetary Sustainability requirement.