WGU D198: Global Arts and Humanities

What D198 Global Arts and Humanities Actually Is

D198 Global Arts and Humanities is WGU's general education humanities course, and it appears in the general education core of many WGU bachelor's degree plans — business, IT, health, and education students alike find it on their schedules. The course asks one big question — what makes us human? — and answers it through literature, painting and sculpture, history, philosophy, and a substantial unit on music from around the world. If you have not taken a humanities class since high school, this is the course that eases you back into thinking and writing about culture.

Direct answer: You pass D198 by completing three written performance assessments — there is no proctored objective assessment for this course. Work through the three course modules, pick works of art or music you genuinely find interesting, and write papers that hit every rubric requirement in plain, clearly organized prose. Map each paper directly to its rubric and this becomes one of the more forgiving courses in WGU general education.

That last point deserves emphasis, because some outdated advice online still describes D198 as a multiple-choice exam. According to the official WGU course syllabus, D198 is assessed entirely through three papers, one per competency, each graded against a rubric. That changes how you should prepare: this is a writing-and-analysis course, not a memorization course.

The Three Modules and What Each One Asks of You

The course is organized into three modules, and each module feeds directly into one of the three performance assessments. Per the WGU syllabus, the competencies are analyzing diverse voices and cultural interactions through the humanities, analyzing the humanities in the Information Age, and analyzing how music shapes and is shaped by cultures.

• Voices & Culture — how different cultures express ideas through the humanities, how art and literature serve as a lens on the human experience, and how creative works function as a record of their time and place.
• Information Age — innovation in media and the arts in the digital era, how diverse voices are represented (or excluded) in modern humanities, and how communities use creative expression today.
• Musical Origins — the basic vocabulary of music, the cultural origins of musical genres, global fusion and exchange between musical traditions, and how people express identity through music.

Each module contains readings, videos, and ungraded practice activities. You do not need to master every lesson equally — your goal is to understand the concepts well enough to apply them to specific works in your papers.

How Hard Is It, Really?

D198 sits toward the easier end of WGU general education, and most students treat it that way. There is no test anxiety to manage, no memorized term lists, and the writing expectations are reasonable for an introductory course. Many students report finishing it in one to three weeks of part-time effort, often while carrying a heavier course in the same term.

Two caveats keep it from being trivial. First, if academic writing is rusty for you, the papers will take longer than the reading. Second, evaluators grade strictly against the rubric — a well-written paper that skips one required element comes back for revision. The course is forgiving of imperfect prose but unforgiving of missing pieces. If you would rather build confidence with another approachable general education course first, D268 Introduction to Communication pairs naturally with D198, since both reward clear, structured writing.

A Paper-by-Paper Study Plan

Because the assessments are papers, your plan should be built around writing early rather than reading everything first.

1. Read the task instructions and rubrics before you study anything. Open each performance assessment on day one and note exactly what each paper requires. Every hour of studying should map to a rubric line. This is the single highest-leverage habit in any WGU performance-assessment course.
2. Skim the module, then pick your works. Students consistently say the tasks go faster when you analyze pieces you actually care about. If you choose from provided options, pick the work you can say the most about — not the one that looks shortest.
3. Use active recall on the concept vocabulary. Terms like historical context, medium, genre, and the basic elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics) will appear in your analysis. After each lesson, close the material and explain the concept out loud in your own words. If you can teach it, you can write it.
4. Draft in rubric order. Structure each paper with headings or paragraphs that mirror the rubric sections. Evaluators check requirements one at a time; make each one impossible to miss.
5. Space the three papers out. Rather than binge-writing all three in a weekend, finish one, submit it, and start the next module while it is being evaluated. You get feedback sooner and the evaluation queue works in parallel with your studying.
6. Cite as you go. Note where every fact about your chosen artwork or song comes from while drafting. Reconstructing sources afterward is the most tedious way to spend an evening.

Spaced repetition matters less here than in an exam course, but a light version helps: revisit your music-terminology notes a couple of times across the week before writing the third paper, since that module introduces the most unfamiliar vocabulary.

Where Students Lose Points

• Describing instead of analyzing. The most common revision reason. Saying what a painting shows is description; explaining how its context, technique, or cultural moment shapes its meaning is analysis. Every competency in this course starts with the word "analyzes" — the papers must too.
• Skipping a rubric element. A missing sub-part means a revision even if everything else is strong. Check off each requirement against your draft before submitting.
• Thin sourcing. Claims about a work's history or cultural origin need support. Unsourced assertions and over-reliance on paraphrased summaries both trigger returns.
• Choosing an obscure work you cannot research. If you go off the beaten path, make sure credible information about the piece actually exists.
• Treating the music module casually. It has the most new terminology of the three. Students who skim it end up writing vague papers about songs they like without using the musical vocabulary the rubric expects.
• Panicking at a "revision needed" result. A returned task is feedback, not failure. Fix exactly what the evaluator flagged and resubmit — the syllabus allows a second attempt on each assessment before extra support steps in.

D198 Readiness Checklist

• Can you explain the difference between describing a work of art and analyzing it in its cultural context?
• Can you name the humanities disciplines the course covers and give an example of a work from each?
• Can you discuss how the Information Age has changed who creates art and whose voices get heard?
• Can you define basic musical elements — rhythm, melody, harmony, tempo — in your own words?
• Can you trace one musical genre back to its cultural origins and describe a fusion or exchange it produced?
• Can you connect a specific artwork, text, or song to the time and place that produced it?
• Have you read all three task rubrics and confirmed your drafts address every listed requirement?
• Do you have credible sources noted for every factual claim in each paper?

WGU D198 FAQ

Is D198 an OA or a PA course?

D198 is assessed entirely by performance assessment. Per the official WGU syllabus, you write three papers — one for each competency — and must earn a Competent rating on each to pass. There is no proctored multiple-choice exam, despite what some older guides claim.

How many competency units is D198 worth?

D198 carries 3 competency units and counts toward the general education requirements in many WGU bachelor's programs. You can confirm how it fits your specific degree plan in the WGU institutional catalog.

How long does D198 take to finish?

There is no fixed timeline, but many students report completing the course in one to three weeks alongside work. Strong writers who open the task instructions on day one and draft as they study tend to finish fastest; budget extra days if academic writing is rusty for you.

Do I need any art or music background?

No. The course is written for beginners and teaches the vocabulary it expects you to use. The music module introduces the most unfamiliar terms, so budget extra time there if you have never studied music.

What happens if one of my papers comes back "not passed"?

You revise and resubmit. The syllabus allows two attempts per assessment before additional support from your course instructor is required. Evaluator comments tell you exactly which rubric elements fell short — address those specifically rather than rewriting the whole paper.

Which courses pair well with D198?

Because D198 is low-stress and writing-based, students often schedule it alongside a heavier course in their term. Within general education, D459 Introduction to Systems Thinking and D268 Introduction to Communication are common companions. Browse the rest of the General Education guides or the full course guide index to plan your term.