PHILOSOPHY OF
GENERAL EDUCATION
General Education is the foundation for all university
degrees. It gives breadth and balance to a university degree and defines
an educated person. General Education:
- Provides students with the skills
and proficiencies needed to succeed academically;
- Exposes students to core
knowledge and concepts of the Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, and Natural
and Social Sciences;
- Provides a diversity of
viewpoints, ensuring that students gain familiarity with the art,
literature, philosophy, and institutions of our own and other cultures;
- Hones the students' thinking
and communication skills as they confront the complex issues of historical
and contemporary times and attempt to understand trends and problems; and
- Encourages students to
cultivate new interests so as to engage in lifelong learning.
Education for the professions needs to be built upon this base.
University graduates need to see the social and historical context of
their chosen profession so that they will understand the reciprocal
interaction of profession, society, and daily lives. Career
opportunities now and in the future will require individuals who can
actively respond to changing work environments, continue to learn and
grow, and work cooperatively with people of diverse backgrounds. The
broad exposure provided by the general education program facilitates
informed career decisions in college and better equips individuals to
respond to evolving personal aspirations and changing career opportunities.
GOALS OF GENERAL
EDUCATION
The goals of general education are to enable students to:
- Think critically and
analytically, integrate and synthesize knowledge, and draw conclusions
from complex information.
- Make sound ethical and value
judgments based on the development of a personal value system, on an
understanding of the cultural heritage students share, and a knowledge of
past successes, failures, and consequences of individual roles and
societal choices.
- Understand and appreciate the
cultures of the U.S.A.
and other countries, both contemporary and historical; appreciate
cultural diversity; and live responsibly in an interdependent world.
- Acquire a base of knowledge
common to educated persons, the capacity to expand that base over their lifetime
by understanding the way that knowledge is generated, organized, tested,
and modified, while recognizing the past and current limits to
understanding.
- Communicate effectively in
written, oral, and symbolic form with an appreciation of aesthetic and
logical considerations in conveying ideas.
- Understand the natural and
physical world; the process by which scientific concepts are developed,
tested, and modified; and the reliability and limitations of scientific
knowledge.
- Appreciate the importance of
the fine and performing arts.
- Develop the mathematical and
quantitative skills necessary for calculation, analysis, and problem
solving and the ability to use a computer when appropriate.
- Understand the factors and
habits that are essential for continual mental and physical health and
well being, and evaluate the information and advise
offered on these topics.
Proficiency Requirements: 12 -
13 credits or appropriate waivers required
|
English 101
|
Freshman English
|
3 credits or credits by exam
|
|
English 102
|
Freshman English
|
3 credits
|
|
Speech 110
|
Fundamentals of Speech
|
3 credits or waiver
|
|
Math 140 *
|
Mathematical Ideas
|
3 credits or waiver
|
|
or Math 141
|
Intermediate Algebra
|
4 credits or waiver
|
(* Math 140 is intended only
for students who will not have to take additional math for their major, minor,
or degree requirements.)
General
Education Requirements
32 units required
University
Requirements:
A. Quantitative
and Technical Reasoning
1.
Select a 4 - 5 unit lab science designated GL
2.
Select 3 - 6 units of science, math, or computer science designated as GL
or GM from at least one
discipline other
than the lab science used in area A 1 (astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer
science, geology,
LSINDP, physical geography, math, physics)
B. Cultural
Heritage (6 units)
1.
GENED 110 World of the Arts
2.
GENED 390 World of Ideas (requires junior standing)
C. Communities
1.
GENED 130 Individual and Society
2.
GENED 140 Global Perspectives or GENED 120 The U.S. Experience in a World
Context ***
*** Education students seeking licensure
must take GENED 140
D. Physical
Health and Well-Being
1.
PEGNRL 192 Personal Health and Fitness for Life
E. Electives
(7 - 12 units to bring total to 32 units)
1.
Additional electives designated GA, GE, GH, GI, or GS;
no more than 1 course from any one academic
area
may be counted.
GENERAL EDUCATION TOTAL 32 CREDITS