GENERAL EDUCATION
General Education Requirements for Undergraduate Degree Programs
The General Education (Gen Ed) program is designed to help students gain breadth of knowledge beyond their major or specialization as well as develop competencies and qualities that support continued growth and achievement in their academic, professional, and personal lives.
By the time of graduation, all baccalaureate-seeking students are required to demonstrate an appropriate level of competency in the following areas:
General Education Objectives
Knowledge to Inform Life, through:
- Engaging with a variety of subjects, spanning civilization, culture, the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts
- Studying timeless values from Western and Eastern literature, philosophy, and the arts and applying them to one’s own life
The Ability to Transform Thought into Action, through:
- Engaging diverse audiences with appropriate oral, written, and visual modes of communication and rhetorical strategies in English
- Identifying, evaluating, and utilizing information from a variety of sources in support of lifelong learning
- Logically constructing and critiquing arguments with critical thinking as well as quantitative and scientific reasoning
- Solving problems by integrating knowledge and skills
Capacity for Self-Improvement and Responsible Citizenship, through:
- Self-reflection, ethical reasoning, and the ability to act responsibly and for the greater good
- Understanding the importance of living a meaningful life, and meeting the needs of body, mind, and spirit
Course Areas and Requirements
The general education objectives are the basis of a systematic curriculum of foundational coursework. Students must complete a minimum of 40 credits, of which 35 are fulfilled through courses offered by the LAS Department. The rest of the general education requirements are fulfilled through coursework in the student’s major.
Courses that fulfill the general education requirements are categorized into three areas: college core, breadth distribution, and world languages. Students are required to take specific categories of courses under each general education area, as identified by the “Gen Ed Tag” and corresponding credit requirement in Table 1A.
Table 1A: General Education Course Areas and Requirements
| General Education Area | Credits | Gen Ed Tag |
|---|---|---|
| College Core | ||
| College Success | 2 | COL |
| English Writing | 3 | ENG |
| World Civilizations | 6 | CIV |
| Breadth Distribution | ||
| Humanities | 6 | HUM |
| Modern World Affairs | 3 | MWA |
| Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | QR |
| Scientific Reasoning | 3 | SR |
| Moral Awareness | 1 | MA |
| Artistic Inquiry | 5 | ART |
| World Languages | ||
| Chinese Language or Literature | 8 * | LANG |
* To fulfill the world languages requirement,
students in the BFA and BM programs currently take 8 credits in Chinese
language and literature courses. All students taking Chinese courses are
placed in an appropriate-level course based on placement tests.
Table 1B lists the courses offered by the LAS Department that satisfy general education requirements.
Table 1B: Common Gen Ed Courses Offered by the LAS Department
| Code | Title | Cr | GenEd Tag | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS001A | ESL A | 0 | ||
| LAS001B | ESL B | 0 | ||
| LAS002A | Introduction to College English A | 0 | ||
| LAS002B | Introduction to College English B | 0 | ||
| LAS100A | College Success A | 1 | COL | |
| LAS100B | College Success B | 1 | COL | |
| LAS103A | Effective English A1 | 1.5 | ENG | Placement test |
| LAS103B | Effective English B1 | 1.5 | ENG | Placement test |
| LAS110A | Western Civilization A | 1.5 | CIV | LAS103A&B |
| LAS110B | Western Civilization B | 1.5 | CIV | LAS103A&B |
| LAS120A | Mathematics in Applied Context A | 1.5 | QR | |
| LAS120B | Mathematics in Applied Context B | 1.5 | QR | |
| CLC131A | Chinese Civilization A | 1.5 | CIV | |
| CLC131B | Chinese Civilization B | 1.5 | CIV | |
| LAS204A | Public Speaking A | 1.5 | HUM | LAS103A&B |
| LAS204B | Public Speaking B | 1.5 | HUM | LAS103A&B |
| LAS220A | Calculus A | 1.5 | QR | Placement test |
| LAS220B | Calculus B | 1.5 | QR | Placement test |
| LAS232A | The Making of the Modern World A | 1.5 | MWA | LAS110A&B, CLC131A&B |
| LAS232B | The Making of the Modern World B | 1.5 | MWA | LAS110A&B, CLC131A&B |
| LAS262 | Moral Awareness and Spiritual Practice | 1 | MA | |
| LAS313A | Masterpieces of World Literature A | 1.5 | HUM | LAS103A&B |
| LAS313B | Masterpieces of World Literature B | 1.5 | HUM | LAS103A&B |
| CLC331A | Topics in Chinese History A | 1.5 | HUM | CLC131A&B |
| CLC331B | Topics in Chinese History B | 1.5 | HUM | CLC131A&B |
| LAS334A | Topics in Liberal Arts and Sciences A | 1.5 | SR | Junior standing |
| LAS334B | Topics in Liberal Arts and Sciences B | 1.5 | SR | Junior standing |
| LAS350 | Independent Study in Arts and Sciences2 | 1-4 | Depends on topic | |
| CLC* | Chinese language and literature courses | 2 | LANG | Placement test |
1 LAS103A&B Effective English A&B are
prerequisites for other reading- or writing-intensive courses. Students
are required to take an English placement test prior to registering for
Effective English. Students demonstrating limited English proficiency
are required to take LAS002A&B Introduction to College English
A&B prior to, or in conjunction with, Effective English A&B.
Some international students from non-English-speaking countries may need
to satisfactorily complete English as a Second Language (ESL)
requirements before taking Introduction to College English.
2 See Section 10.6 for policies regarding directed and independent study.
Artistic Inquiry
The Artistic Inquiry general education objective provides opportunities for students to become informed viewers of creative expressions common to their major field as well as articulators of their own artistic intention and creative process. To graduate, students are required to demonstrate an ability to analyze and create different forms of artistic expression as well as communicate how they relate to the greater cultural context in which the works were created and received.
The Artistic Inquiry requirement is fulfilled by courses in the major as listed in tables 2A through 2C, totaling a minimum of 5 credits.
Table 2A: Gen Ed Courses for BFA in Classical Chinese Dance
| Code | Title | Credits | Gen Ed Tag | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAN311A | Dance Pedagogy A | 2 | ART | |
| DAN312A | Choreography A | 2 | ART | |
| DAN312B | Choreography B | 2 | ART | |
| DAN342 | History of Dance: East and West | 2 | ART |
Table 2B: Gen Ed Courses for BM in Performance
| Code | Title | Credits | Gen Ed Tag | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUS211A | Advanced Western Music Theory A | 2 | ART | MUS111B |
| MUS211B | Advanced Western Music Theory B | 2 | ART | MUS211A |
| MUS142 | History of Western Music (Medieval – Early Baroque) | 2 | ART | MUS141 |
| MUS241 | History of Western Music (High Baroque – Classical) | 2 | ART | MUS142 |
| MUS242 | History of Western Music (Romantic – Contemporary) | 2 | ART | MUS241 |
| MUS244 | Chinese Music I | 2 | ART | MUS111B |
| MUS245 | Chinese Music II | 2 | ART | MUS211A |
Table 2C: Gen Ed Courses for BFA in Stage Production and Design
| Code | Title | Credits | Gen Ed Tag | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPD101 | Fundamentals of Stagecraft and Production | 2 | ART | |
| SPD120 | Introduction to Digital Media | 2 | ART | |
| SPD140 | Introduction to Theater History and Practices | 3 | ART |