DEPARTMENT of

CHEMISTRY | GEOSCIENCE | PHYSICS

What is COR?

Drawing from its foundation in the Dominican tradition, Edgewood College places study, reflection, and action for the common good at the center of a liberal arts education. It is in this spirit that the general education program has been designed, to help cultivate the knowledge, skills, commitments and habits of mind necessary for a rewarding life of personal fulfillment, professional achievement and public service.

Named in recognition of Edgewood’s motto cor ad cor loquitur, Latin for “heart speaks to heart”, the COR Program is the heart of the Edgewood general education program. COR encourages students to examine the connection between learning, beliefs, and action in order to build a more just and compassionate world.

COR spans students’ entire time at Edgewood College, with three opportunities to participate in the COR curriculum; COR 1, COR 2 and COR 3. At each level of COR, students explore three key questions:

Who am I and who can I become? What are the needs and opportunities of the world? What is my role in building a more just and compassionate world?

You can explore COR courses offered by the department of Chemistry, Geoscience, and Physics below.

COR 1 Courses

all about water NATS 101 1EV NATS (3.00 credits)
All About Water explores water. Water is everywhere: in our bodies, in our food, in our atmosphere and underfoot. We can't live without it! And because we can't live without it, we fight about it, we write legislation regarding it, we try to steal it from each other, and we have turned it into big business. Unfortunately, we have also polluted it and wasted it with little regard to its value to us as individuals and the biosphere as a whole. This course will challenge students to explore and to critically reflect upon their personal values, beliefs, and worldviews in the context of decision making. It utilizes an inquiry-based approach to investigate how we use and abuse water, the importance of informed decision making, and our personal responsibly to our world. Cross-listed: GEOS 101. Offered: F Prerequisite: This course is for first semester freshmen or freshmen transfer students.
natural hazards; human disasters GEOS 105 1V GEOS (3.00 credits)
This course introduces students to the scientific study of the causes of natural hazards, and an interdisciplinary approach to how individuals and the public respond to natural disasters caused by those hazards. Students will discuss issues related to floods, hurricanes, other severe weather, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. While grappling with real-world concerns, this course enables students to discover connections between natural hazards with what they are learning about the needs of the world, in their liberal arts and sciences education, from culture and the news and through their own collaborative efforts towards making the world a better place. Cross-listed: None. Offered: No Information Provided. Prerequisite: This course is for first semester freshmen or freshmen transfer students.
climate and climate change GEOS 121 1V GEOS (3.00 credits)
Climate change is a far-reaching subject that intersects with many scientific and societal issues. Given the overwhelming scale of the problem it can be difficult to envision how this affects each of us on an individual level. This course will explore climate change both from a scientific standpoint, by addressing the impacts and solutions of climate change, and societal level by discussing how communities are affected by these changes. For example, students will explore both how greenhouse gases alter the energy budget of our planet, and how the politics of global warming has affected different communities. We will utilize an active approach to learning with discussion, activities, and field trips at the forefront to encourage all learners to understand the problem from multiple perspectives. 
SOCIETY'S GRAND CHALLENGES PHYS 110 1V PHYS (3.00 credits)
This course will introduce engineering as a field concerned with solving the challenges facing modern society. These challenges include finding clean water resources, improving solar power, developing medical technology, and rebuilding aging infrastructure, among others. The focus will be on the intersection of science, technology, and society (STS), and explore how scientists and engineers can work to build a more just and compassionate world. Students will engage in the engineering design process, evaluate various solutions to society's challenges, and meet engineers who work in the Madison community. Prerequisites: First semester freshman or freshman transfer students; Math placement level 2 or higher.  
GENDER & THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONS COR 115 1Q COR (3.00 credits)
This course examines the history and current trends in health-related professions as they relate to the gender distribution of practitioners. These fields include medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and pharmacy, as well as the relatively newer professions such as physical therapist and physician assistant. We will study the interaction of societal gender roles with career selection and the experiences of professionals within health fields, especially experiences of discouragement and discrimination. We will reflect on the results of our studies and propose actions that you take in determining your career path. Prerequisites: This course is for first semester freshmen or freshmen transfer students.

COR 2 Courses

SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT NATS 294 2V NATS (3.00 credits)
This course is for students who are interested in how science can be communicated to the community at large. Students will examine the roles of the scientists and science educators in society. Topics for discussion will include: ethical and controversial issues in science, the various ways scientific knowledge is conveyed to the public, and how the general public uses science in their lives. Through intensive community engagement, students will develop a sense of the role scientists and science educators play in the community at large. NOTE: Some class meetings or community outreach may occur on nights and weekends.  Cross-listed with COMMS 294. Prerequisites: Completion of COR 1 or COR 199 or COR 199 in progress; two full-time semesters of college credit, excluding retro credits, AP credits, and college credit earned while in high school; placement in or completion of ENG 110 or equivalent.
GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY CHEM 200 2E CHEM (2.00 credits)
This course covers the concepts of sustainability and environmental responsibility in the creation of goods and services required for our lives. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Green chemistry is the design, development, and implementation of products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of substances hazardous to human health and the environment. This course is designed to allow students to explore who they are and who they can become, and how are the needs of the world going to be met in a just and compassionate manner. Prerequisites: Completion of COR 1 or COR 199 or COR 199 in progress; two full-time semesters of college credit, excluding retro credits, AP credits, and college credit earned while in high school.

COR 3 Courses

ETHICS & RESPONSIBILTY SCI RESEARCH CHEM 400 3 CHEM (1.00 credits)
This course is intended for student who will be engaging in research in science or engineering. The student will be expected to prepare a personal statement about their ethics and responsibility to their field of science or engineering. Students will be expected to participate and engage in discussion of issues to become prepared for discourse with fellow professionals and the general public. Students will propose creative solutions for contemporary problems faced by the people working as scientific researchers. Prerequisites: CHEM 121 or Consent of Instructor