Experience and learning have always communicated the
interdependencies and interrelationships that exist between persons and
things—and today, because of the increasingly powerful technologies of
information gathering, communication, and transportation, it is even more
vital for students to see that specialized knowledge alone is not
sufficient to meet the challenges of reasonable and responsible living in
a complex world. Specialties enable persons to be successful as
professionals. General Education must enable them to be successful as
human beings.
The General Education program is provided to help each
student attain the basic competencies, breadth of knowledge, and critical
judgment which characterize a mature and responsible individual in the
modern world. More specifically, the program is designed to: (1) stimulate
and direct learning throughout life; (2) provide exposure to methods of
understanding—past, current, and future; (3) promote active learning and
a critical response to what is read, heard, and seen; and (4) broaden
individual perspectives and emphasize relationships among the fields of
study, with other cultures and times.
The General Education Program seeks to develop further the abilities
and skills of students by fostering: (1) extensive communication and
analysis; (2) an elevated social conscience and commitment to a life of
involvement and public service; and (3) opportunities to study and to
develop one’s own system of values.
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College/School
Requirements. Any College or School of the University may establish
additional or more specific General Education requirements for any or all
of its degree programs. Such modifications are published in the
appropriate College and School sections of the Catalogue.
University
Requirements. The four categories of the program offer a wide range of
choice and ensure a basic understanding of representative disciplines.
From these options the student, in consultation with an adviser, can plan
a program which permits exploration of areas outside the major/minor
concentration, in directions suited to individual needs and interests.
Each candidate for a baccalaureate degree must earn a minimum of 39
credits in courses applicable to General Education requirements,
distributed among the four categories as indicated below.
Courses taken
to satisfy requirements for a major or minor program may be counted toward
the satisfaction of General Education requirements, within the
restrictions noted below. Appropriate credits earned by examination may
also be applied to the General Education program. Six CLEP general credits
may be counted as satisfying the requirements of one subcategory in each
of the second, third, and fourth categories (Natural Sciences, Social
Sciences, and Humanities), for a maximum of 18 credits representing three
subcategories.
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Restrictions:
1. No more
than ten credits from any one department may be counted toward General
Education requirements.
2.
Departments may designate certain specialized or professional courses as
inapplicable to General Education requirements. These courses are
identified in catalogue descriptions as "Not for GE." Applicable
courses are identified as "GE-IA, GE-IB," etc.
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Distribution:
CATEGORY
I. Communications.
Language
skills afford a powerful means of discovering both ourselves and our
world, allowing us to preserve and ponder our experience, to shape and
reshape it. Enhanced language ability serves as a catalyst for
intellectual and emotional growth. Analytical skills provide the
foundation for expressing logical and mathematical relationships, giving
us basic tools with which to solve the ordinary as well as the technical
problems in life. Requirements: A minimum of six credits, including at
least one course from two of the three subcategories:
A.
Language Skills
Communication/Journalism
English (language and composition courses,
excluding
Engl 110 and 112)
Foreign Languages (language and composition courses)
B.
Analytical Skills
Computer Science
Mathematics
Philosophy (logic courses)
C.
Interdisciplinary Studies - Communications
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CATEGORY
II. Natural Sciences.
Science
explores the phenomena of the natural world, illustrating the diversity
and beauty of nature. Students of the natural and physical sciences will
learn to analyze scientific data and search for informative patterns. In
addition, they will be introduced to scientific theories and laws that
will enable them to evaluate the many technological and scientific
issues of modern society. Requirements: A minimum of 11 credits, (at
least one course must be a *laboratory science course) from at least two
of the following subcategories:
A.
Biology
B.
Chemistry
C.
Geography (physical geography courses)
D.
Geology
E.
Physics
F.
Interdisciplinary Studies - Natural Sciences
*See
Degree Requirements in each College and School for information on
laboratory science courses.
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CATEGORY
III. Social Sciences.
Because the
social sciences investigate the behavior of individuals, groups, and
social institutions, study in these disciplines encourages the
appreciation of the wide range of cultural diversity that exists among
societies. In order to make wise and humane choices in a free society,
we must come to understand the scope and direction of change in social,
political, and economic institutions. Furthermore, we come to a fuller
understanding of the ways social interaction and institutions shape our
personal identity. Requirements: A minimum of 11 credits, including at
least one course from four of the seven subcategories:
A.
Anthropology
B.
Economics
C.
Geography (cultural geography courses)
D.
Political Science
E.
Psychology
F.
Sociology
G.
Interdisciplinary Studies - Social Sciences (including
AIS 101, Wmns 310)
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CATEGORY
IV. Humanities.
The
humanities provide a breadth of perspective on the richness of the human
experience, past and contemporary. By studying the range of expression
in literature and the arts, we become acquainted with the beauty, depth,
and variety of human creativity. We improve our standards of judgment
and appreciation as well as our personal powers of observation and
reflection. Requirements: A minimum of 11 credits, including at least
one course from four of the five subcategories:
A.
Fine Arts (Art, Art History, Music, Music Therapy,
Theatre Arts)
B.
Philosophy or Religious Studies (excluding logic courses)
C.
History
D.
Literature (English literature, Foreign Languages
literature and
civilization courses)
E.
Interdisciplinary Studies - Humanities (including AIS 102,
Humanities,
Interdisciplinary Studies, International Studies,
Women’s Studies)
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