Academic Affairs Office of the Provost
1201 S. State Street
Timme Center, CSS 310
Big Rapids, MI 49307
Cultural Enrichment courses are concerned with the study of the social, intellectual, and artistic achievements of cultures; how they were produced; why they were produced; the influence of the context of the times on their production; and their consequences.
One of the pivotal components of what makes us human is that we exist within historically evolving cultures that imbue our world with meaning, value and significance. Our projects, our involvements, our self understanding, our understanding of the many elements of our world are all profoundly informed by our cultures. Ideas as simple as "childhood" and "work" shift significance through history and across cultures. The horizons of meaning which are the fabric of our lives, including our perceptions, are articulated through the struggle of history, the formulation of philosophical ideas, the evolution of religions, and creations of the various arts. The Cultural Enrichment curriculum is concerned with increasing student appreciation of the significance of their relationship to the threads of culture, providing them with the tools for understanding components of culture, and engaging them in the kinds of reflective, analytic, or participatory involvement that will allow them to respond to cultures in a manner that enriches them and their overall relationship to the world. Given the above definition, the following are the criteria for cultural enrichment courses.