Are Christian universities’ general education requirements theologically distinct? An analysis of Protestant Gen Ed course descriptions

Abstract

This study examines the incorporation of theological language into general education course descriptions across 231 Protestant universities. Although all institutions required a Bible or theology course, only 16% integrated theological language into more than two non-theological or non-Bible general education course descriptions. We found theological integration particularly lacking in general education requirements such as fine arts, health, psychology, political science, public speaking, and sociology with a few notable exceptions. We then suggest that learning to integrate Christian theological perspectives into general education course descriptions could be a helpful exercise for the faculty who create and use them and the students who may read them.