Category Descriptions and Criteria for General Education

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History

  • Policy Number: SP.02.003
  • Version: Original
  • Drafted By:
  • Approved By: Richard R. Rush
  • Approval Date: 3/4/03
  • Effective Date: 3/4/03
  • Supercedes:

Purpose

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Background

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Policy

Accountability

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Applicability

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Definition(s)

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Text

Category A: Communication in the English Language and Critical Thinking (9 units)

Courses in category A approach communication as the human process of symbolic interaction, with a focus on formulation and analysis of those interactions. Students learn how to discover, evaluate and report information, how to reason inductively and deductively, and they develop the ability to distinguish matters of fact from matters of judgment or opinion. Courses in categories Al and A2 emphasize the content and form of both oral and written communication in the English language, including exploration of the psychological  basis and the social significance of communication, and an understanding of how language works in diverse situations. Through active participation in written and oral communication, students develop the skills necessary for effective speaking, listening, writing, and reasoning. Modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and an understanding of the relationship of language to logic are stressed in all category A courses.

Students must take a minimum of one course in each of the three subcategories

Category A-1 Oral Communication courses shall:

  • Focus on communication in the English language
  • Focus on the formulation and analysis of human interaction
    • Prepare the student to use reasoning of both inductive and deductive types
      • Address modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic
      • Include exploration of the psychological basis and social significance of communication
      • Require significant oral presentation
      • Focus on oral as well as written communication, listening and reasoning.

Category A-2 English Writing courses shall:

  • Focus on communication in the English language
  • Focus on the formulation and analysis of human interaction
  • Prepare the student to use reasoning of both inductive and deductive types
    • Address modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic
    • Include exploration of the psychological basis and social significance of communication.
    • Address writing as a process of human interaction
    • Prepare the student for college level writing.

Criteria for Category A-3 Critical Thinking courses shall:

  • Prepare the student to use reasoning of both inductive and deductive types
  • Focus on the analysis of written, oral, visual and/or symbolic communication
  • Prepare the student to assess common fallacies inreasoning
    • Address modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic

Category B: Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology (12 units)

Courses in this area explore the scope and major concepts of mathematics and/or scientific disciplines. In the sciences, the intent is to present the principles and concepts which form the foundations of living or non-living systems. The focus of all courses in Category B is on the presentation and evaluation of evidence and argument, the appreciation of use/misuse of data, and the organization of information in quantitative, technological or other formal systems.

Students are introduced to the principles and practices that underscore mathematical and scientific inquiry (logic, precision, hypothesis generation and evaluation, experimentation and objectivity) and gain an understanding of the process by which new knowledge is created, organized, accessed, and synthesized. Students improve their reasoning skills (critical thinking, problem-solving,  decision making, analysis and synthesis), and apply information and technology to the understanding of complex and diverse problems in mathematics and the sciences. They become aware of the influence and significance of mathematics and the sciences in world civilization.

Students must take a minimum of one course in each of the subcategories. At least one course must include a laboratory component.

All Category B courses shall:

  • Promote the understanding and appreciation of the methodologies of math or science as investigative tools and the limitations of mathematical or scientific endeavors
  • Present mathematical ot scientific knowledge in a historical perspective and the influences of math or science on the development of world civilizations, both past and present
    • Apply inductive and deductive reasoning processes and explore fallacies and misconceptions  in the mathematical  or scientific areas.

Category B-1 Physical Sciences-Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and Earth Sciences courses shall:

  • Present the principles and concepts of the physical sciences and the physical universe.

Category B-2 Life Sciences-Biology courses shall:

  • Present the principles and concepts that form the foundation of living systems.

Category B-3 Mathematics-Mathematics and Applications courses shall:

  • Promote an understanding of mathematical ideas and problem solving skills.

Category B-4 Computers and Information Technology courses shall:

  • Include use of computers or information technology to solve problems as appropriate.

Courses with a Laboratory Component shall:

  • Meet for a minimum of two hours per week
  • Involve practical applications and problems related to the foundations of either living systems or the physical universe
  • Involve the analysis of data, either acquired or simulated
  • Provide students with practice in the use of scientific methodologies
    • Include both individual and collaborative learning.

Category C: Art, Literature, Languages, and Cultures (12 units)

The courses in this category enable students to develop a basic appreciation of the human imagination and understand the value of personal creativity in a complex, global society. Exposure to a diverse range of work in art, literature, languages, and cultures cultivates the student's ability to express intellectual and emotional responses and make subjective and objective evaluations. Awareness of diverse cultural contributions, in both historical and contemporary  work, stresses the interrelationship between individual aesthetics and collective human sensibility. Numerous teaching methodologies involve active participation  in the creative experience, leading to personal inquiries into the cultural diversity prevalent in the visual, literary, audible, kinetic, and oral traditions of human expression.

Students must take one course in each subcategory.

All Category C courses shall:

  • Develop students' ability to respond subjectively as well as objectively to experience
  • Cultivate and refine students' affective, cognitive, and physical faculties through studying great works of the human imagination
  • Increase awareness and appreciation in the traditional humanistic disciplines such as art, dance, drama, literature, and music
  • Examine the interrelationship between the creative arts, the humanities, and self
    • Include an exposure to world cultures.

Category C-1 Art courses shall:

  • Impart knowledge and appreciation of the visual and performing arts.
    • Promote students' ability to effectively analyze and respond to works of human imagination

Category C-2 Literature courses shall:

  • Involve the student with literary works
    • Promote students' ability to effectively analyze and respond to works of human imagination
    • Require substantive analyticaVcritical writing.

Category C-3a Language courses shall:

  • Include a cultural component and not solely skills acquisition
  • Include human to human communication.

Category C-3b Multicultural courses:

  • Address issues, "ways of knowing" and perspectives from at least two cultures, where a culture is broadly defined to include aspects of ethnicity, class, gender, ability/ disability and community
    • Involve students with other cultures in an in-depth way, not simply observing a culture from the outside, as in a survey of other cultures.

Category D: Social Perspectives (12 units)

The courses in this category enhance student knowledge of the complex cultural and institutional world in which we live. Each course examines relationships between various cultures and institutions that shape our social, economic, psychological, and political realities. Using the lenses of the social sciences, students gain insight and understanding of the social, political, historical, economic, educational or behavioral aspects of world cultures and systems, including the ways in which these interact and influence each other.

Students must select a minimum of three courses (12 units), each course in a different social science discipline.*

All Category D courses shall:

  • Promote understanding of how the issues relevant to social, political, contemporary/historical,  economic, educational or psychological  realities interact with each other within the realm of human experience
    • Focus on how a social science discipline conceives and studies human existence
    • Address issues using the methods commonly employed by a social science discipline.

*Social Science Disciplines commonly include the following: Anthropology, Child Development, Communications, Criminal Justice, Demography, Economics, Education, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, and Urban Planning.

Category E: Human Physiological and Psychological Perspectives (3 units)

The courses in this category enhance students' awareness and understanding of themselves as both psychological and physiological beings. These courses promote this awareness by focusing on issues such as human development, human sexuality, human behavior and psychology, health, nutrition, physical activity, and death and dying. The perspective is that humans, as physiological and psychological beings, must relate to others in a physical and social environment.

Students must complete at least one course to satisfy Category E. Courses that are primarily physical activity courses may satisfy no more than 1 unit of the 3 unit requirement.

All Category E Courses shall:

  • Focus on some aspect of human physiology, psychology, health, or physical activity.
  • Promote an understanding that humans, as physiological and psychological beings, exist and live in a social and physical environment.

Upper Division Interdisciplinary Requirement

Nine of the 48 units of General Education have been designated as upper division, interdisciplinary courses. In keeping with the University's dedication to offering an interdisciplinary education, these courses have been designed as follows. To be considered an "interdisciplinary" course, the syllabus must show that the course is an "integrative course with significant content, ideas, and ways of knowing from more than one discipline." Each of these courses will involve the student in collaborative work, critical thinking and integration of ideas. By taking nine units of these courses, students will extend their experience across the curriculum and gain more breadth of educational experience. In addition, they will begin to make connections between their majors and a variety of other fields and ways of knowing, increasing both their knowledge and their ability to communicate with people across the disciplinary spectrum. The nine units of required upper-division General Education must be selected from these interdisciplinary courses, and courses may be cross-listed in two or more disciplines. A minimum of three semester units must be from a discipline outside the student's major and not cross-listed with the student's major discipline. All three courses will include substantive written work consisting of in-class writing as well as outside class writing of revised prose. Courses numbered 330-349 do not have prerequisites. Courses numbered 430-449 may have prerequisites. Students must have junior standing or permission from the instructor to enroll in these courses.

In addition to meeting Category A-E criteria as appropriate all Upper Division Interdisciplinary GE courses shall:

  • Emphasize interdisciplinarity by integrating content, ideas, and approaches from two or more disciplines
  • Include substantive written work* consisting of in-class writing as well as outside class writing of revised prose.

*Examples of appropriate written work could include: short papers, long papers, term papers, lab reports, documentation, disciplinary-based letters and memos, and essays.

Category A: Communication in the English Language and Critical Thinking (9 units)

Courses in category A approach communication as the human process of symbolic interaction, with a focus on formulation and analysis of those interactions. Students learn how to discover, evaluate and report information, how to reason inductively and deductively, and they develop the ability to distinguish matters of fact from matters of judgment or opinion. Courses in categories Al and A2 emphasize the content and form of both oral and written communication in the English language, including exploration of the psychological  basis and the social significance of communication, and an understanding of how language works in diverse situations. Through active participation in written and oral communication, students develop the skills necessary for effective speaking, listening, writing, and reasoning. Modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and an understanding of the relationship of language to logic are stressed in all category A courses.

Students must take a minimum of one course in each of the three subcategories

Category A-1 Oral Communication courses shall:

  • Focus on communication in the English language
  • Focus on the formulation and analysis of human interaction
    • Prepare the student to use reasoning of both inductive and deductive types
      • Address modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic
      • Include exploration of the psychological basis and social significance of communication
      • Require significant oral presentation
      • Focus on oral as well as written communication, listening and reasoning.

Category A-2 English Writing courses shall:

  • Focus on communication in the English language
  • Focus on the formulation and analysis of human interaction
  • Prepare the student to use reasoning of both inductive and deductive types
    • Address modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic
    • Include exploration of the psychological basis and social significance of communication.
    • Address writing as a process of human interaction
    • Prepare the student for college level writing.

Criteria for Category A-3 Critical Thinking courses shall:

  • Prepare the student to use reasoning of both inductive and deductive types
  • Focus on the analysis of written, oral, visual and/or symbolic communication
  • Prepare the student to assess common fallacies inreasoning
    • Address modes of argument, rhetorical perspectives, and the relationship of language to logic

Category B: Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology (12 units)

Courses in this area explore the scope and major concepts of mathematics and/or scientific disciplines. In the sciences, the intent is to present the principles and concepts which form the foundations of living or non-living systems. The focus of all courses in Category B is on the presentation and evaluation of evidence and argument, the appreciation of use/misuse of data, and the organization of information in quantitative, technological or other formal systems.

Students are introduced to the principles and practices that underscore mathematical and scientific inquiry (logic, precision, hypothesis generation and evaluation, experimentation and objectivity) and gain an understanding of the process by which new knowledge is created, organized, accessed, and synthesized. Students improve their reasoning skills (critical thinking, problem-solving,  decision making, analysis and synthesis), and apply information and technology to the understanding of complex and diverse problems in mathematics and the sciences. They become aware of the influence and significance of mathematics and the sciences in world civilization.

Students must take a minimum of one course in each of the subcategories. At least one course must include a laboratory component.

All Category B courses shall:

  • Promote the understanding and appreciation of the methodologies of math or science as investigative tools and the limitations of mathematical or scientific endeavors
  • Present mathematical ot scientific knowledge in a historical perspective and the influences of math or science on the development of world civilizations, both past and present
    • Apply inductive and deductive reasoning processes and explore fallacies and misconceptions  in the mathematical  or scientific areas.

Category B-1 Physical Sciences-Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and Earth Sciences courses shall:

  • Present the principles and concepts of the physical sciences and the physical universe.

Category B-2 Life Sciences-Biology courses shall:

  • Present the principles and concepts that form the foundation of living systems.

Category B-3 Mathematics-Mathematics and Applications courses shall:

  • Promote an understanding of mathematical ideas and problem solving skills.

Category B-4 Computers and Information Technology courses shall:

  • Include use of computers or information technology to solve problems as appropriate.

Courses with a Laboratory Component shall:

  • Meet for a minimum of two hours per week
  • Involve practical applications and problems related to the foundations of either living systems or the physical universe
  • Involve the analysis of data, either acquired or simulated
  • Provide students with practice in the use of scientific methodologies
    • Include both individual and collaborative learning.

Category C: Art, Literature, Languages, and Cultures (12 units)

The courses in this category enable students to develop a basic appreciation of the human imagination and understand the value of personal creativity in a complex, global society. Exposure to a diverse range of work in art, literature, languages, and cultures cultivates the student's ability to express intellectual and emotional responses and make subjective and objective evaluations. Awareness of diverse cultural contributions, in both historical and contemporary  work, stresses the interrelationship between individual aesthetics and collective human sensibility. Numerous teaching methodologies involve active participation  in the creative experience, leading to personal inquiries into the cultural diversity prevalent in the visual, literary, audible, kinetic, and oral traditions of human expression.

Students must take one course in each subcategory.

All Category C courses shall:

  • Develop students' ability to respond subjectively as well as objectively to experience
  • Cultivate and refine students' affective, cognitive, and physical faculties through studying great works of the human imagination
  • Increase awareness and appreciation in the traditional humanistic disciplines such as art, dance, drama, literature, and music
  • Examine the interrelationship between the creative arts, the humanities, and self
    • Include an exposure to world cultures.

Category C-1 Art courses shall:

  • Impart knowledge and appreciation of the visual and performing arts.
    • Promote students' ability to effectively analyze and respond to works of human imagination

Category C-2 Literature courses shall:

  • Involve the student with literary works
    • Promote students' ability to effectively analyze and respond to works of human imagination
    • Require substantive analyticaVcritical writing.

Category C-3a Language courses shall:

  • Include a cultural component and not solely skills acquisition
  • Include human to human communication.

Category C-3b Multicultural courses:

  • Address issues, "ways of knowing" and perspectives from at least two cultures, where a culture is broadly defined to include aspects of ethnicity, class, gender, ability/ disability and community
    • Involve students with other cultures in an in-depth way, not simply observing a culture from the outside, as in a survey of other cultures.

Category D: Social Perspectives (12 units)

The courses in this category enhance student knowledge of the complex cultural and institutional world in which we live. Each course examines relationships between various cultures and institutions that shape our social, economic, psychological, and political realities. Using the lenses of the social sciences, students gain insight and understanding of the social, political, historical, economic, educational or behavioral aspects of world cultures and systems, including the ways in which these interact and influence each other.

Students must select a minimum of three courses (12 units), each course in a different social science discipline.*

All Category D courses shall:

  • Promote understanding of how the issues relevant to social, political, contemporary/historical,  economic, educational or psychological  realities interact with each other within the realm of human experience
    • Focus on how a social science discipline conceives and studies human existence
    • Address issues using the methods commonly employed by a social science discipline.

*Social Science Disciplines commonly include the following: Anthropology, Child Development, Communications, Criminal Justice, Demography, Economics, Education, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, and Urban Planning.

Category E: Human Physiological and Psychological Perspectives (3 units)

The courses in this category enhance students' awareness and understanding of themselves as both psychological and physiological beings. These courses promote this awareness by focusing on issues such as human development, human sexuality, human behavior and psychology, health, nutrition, physical activity, and death and dying. The perspective is that humans, as physiological and psychological beings, must relate to others in a physical and social environment.

Students must complete at least one course to satisfy Category E. Courses that are primarily physical activity courses may satisfy no more than 1unit of the 3 unit requirement.

All Category E Courses shall:

  • Focus on some aspect of human physiology, psychology, health, or physical activity.
  • Promote an understanding that humans, as physiological and psychological beings, exist and live in a social and physical environment.

Upper Division Interdisciplinary Requirement

Nine of the 48 units of General Education have been designated as upper division, interdisciplinary courses. In keeping with the University's dedication to offering an interdisciplinary education, these courses have been designed as follows. To be considered an "interdisciplinary" course, the syllabus must show that the course is an "integrative course with significant content, ideas, and ways of knowing from more than one discipline." Each of these courses will involve the student in collaborative work, critical thinking and integration of ideas. By taking nine units of these courses, students will extend their experience across the curriculum and gain more breadth of educational experience. In addition, they will begin to make connections between their majors and a variety of other fields and ways of knowing, increasing both their knowledge and their ability to communicate with people across the disciplinary spectrum. The nine units of required upper-division General Education must be selected from these interdisciplinary courses, and courses may be cross-listed in two or more disciplines. A minimum of three semester units must be from a discipline outside the student's major and not cross-listed with the student's major discipline. All three courses will include substantive written work consisting of in-class writing as well as outside class writing of revised prose. Courses numbered 330-349 do not have prerequisites. Courses numbered 430-449 may have prerequisites. Students must have junior standing or permission from the instructor to enroll in these courses.

Emphasize interdisciplinarity by integrating content, ideas, and approaches from two or more disciplines In addition to meeting Category A-E criteria as appropriate all Upper Division Interdisciplinary  GE courses shall:

  • Include substantive written work* consisting of in-class writing as well as outside class writing of revised prose.

*Examples of appropriate written work could include: short papers, long papers, term papers, lab reports, documentation, disciplinary-based letters and memos, and essays.

Exhibit(s)

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