Faculty Senate
University College and General
Education Committee
Report #2003-04-8
Revised General Education Program
(2001)
The University College and General Education Committee considered
the following matters at their meeting of March 18, 2004. They are
now presented to the Faculty Senate for confirmation.
I. Courses
A. Fine Arts and Literature
Core Area (A)
The UCGE Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate
approve the following courses for the (A) area of the revised General
Education Program (2001), including the assignment of the Diversity
designation:
1) MUS 101 Introduction to Music (examining human
differences, using qualitative data, using artistic activity)
Diversity
2) RUS 391, 392 Masterpieces of Russian Literature (examining
human differences, reading complex texts, writing effectively)
Diversity
B. Letters Core Area (L)
The UCGE Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate
approve the following course for the (L) area of the revised General
Education Program (2001), including the assignment of the Diversity
designation:
PHL 325 American Philosophy (examining human
differences, reading complex texts, writing effectively, using
qualitative data) Diversity
C. Natural Sciences Core Area (N)
The UCGE Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate
approve the following courses for the (N) area of the revised General
Education Program (2001):
1) PHY 111 General Physics I (reading complex texts,
using quantitative data, using information technology)
2) PHY 112 General Physics II (reading complex texts, using
quantitative data, using information technology)
3) PHY 185 Laboratory for General Physics I (reading complex
texts, using quantitative data, using information technology)
4) PHY 186 Laboratory for General Physics II (reading complex
texts, using quantitative data, using information technology)
5) NFS 207 General Nutrition (reading complex texts, using
quantitative data, using information technology)
D. Social Sciences Core Area (S)
The UCGE Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate
approve the following courses for the (S) area of the revised General
Education Program (2001), including the assignment of the Diversity
designation:
1) ECN 100 Introduction to Economics (examining human
differences, reading complex texts, writing effectively) Diversity
2) ECN 306 Introduction to Economic Research Methods (using
quantitative data, using information technology writing effectively)
3) ECN 381 Radical Critiques of Contemporary Political Economy
(examining human differences, reading complex texts, writing
effectively) Diversity
II. UNIVERSITY MANUAL
The UCGE Committee recommends that the Faculty Senate
approve the following changes to the UNIVERSITY MANUAL to reflect the
revised General Education Program (2001): (changes are in green type):
8.20.10 (NEW) General Education The purpose of general
education at the University of Rhode Island is to lay a foundation
for the lifelong enrichment of the human experience and for a
thoughtful and active engagement with the world around us. This
foundation is built on recognition of the complex nature of the
natural and human worlds. The objective of general education is to
introduce students to the fundamental dimensions of this complexity
and to build an appreciation of different ways of understanding it
and different cultural responses to it. Specifically, courses in the
seven (7) core areas of General Education address: Artistic and
literary expression and interpretation (Fine Arts and Literature see
8.20.14); wisdom and traditions of the past and present in a global
setting (Letters see 8.20.17); interrelationships of the natural
world (Natural Sciences see 8.20.16); human behavior in social,
economic, cultural, and political contexts (Social Sciences see
8.20.15); mathematical and quantitative skills and their application
(Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning see 8.20.13); writing and
speaking in English (English Communication see 8.20.12);
communicating across cultures (Foreign Language/Cross-cultural
Competence see 8.20.18).
In addition, because particular skills are
essential to a thoughtful engagement with the world, each course in
General Education must incorporate opportunities to practice three
(3) or more of the following: reading complex texts, writing
effectively, speaking effectively, examining human differences, using
quantitative data, using qualitative data, using information
technology, engaging in artistic activity (see 8.20.23 for
descriptions of integrated skills)
8.20.11 All baccalaureate students at the University of
Rhode Island shall fulfill the University's General Education
requirements as outlined in paragraphs 8.20.12 through 8.20.24 (for exception(s) see paragraph
8.20.19). Students will normally fulfill a majority of their
University General Education requirements while in residence at
University College. Transfer students may receive General Education
credit for courses taught at another institution insofar as such
courses are equivalent to courses given General Education credit at
the University of Rhode Island. Students pursuing a second
baccalaureate degree shall be exempt from general education
requirements for the second degree if in the judgment of their
academic dean they have completed comparable requirements for their
first degree.
8.20.12 All baccalaureate students shall be required to
take six credits in courses that improve
written and oral communication skills. This English Communication
requirement includes at least three credits devoted
specifically to courses designed to improve written communication
skills. Courses which are appropriate for fulfilling the English
Communication requirement in general shall be designated "(EC)" and courses which are appropriate for
fulfilling the written English Communication requirement shall be
designated "(ECw)" in the University
Catalog. Only one
100-level writing (ECw) course may be included in satisfying the
six-credit English Communication requirement. For information
on having this requirement waived by proficiency examination see
8.20.19.
8.20.13 In order to ensure exposure to the subject matter
in mathematical and quantitative
reasoning, all baccalaureate students shall take three credits
in courses that advance skills in,
understanding of, and appreciation for mathematics and the
disciplines that have grown from mathematics. Courses which
are appropriate for fulfilling this requirement shall be designated
"(MQ)" in the University Catalog for information on having this
requirement waived by proficiency examination see 8.20.19.
8.20.14 In order to ensure exposure to the subject matter
in fine arts and literature, all baccalaureate students shall take
six credits in courses in the Fine Arts and Literature core area. This core area shall include courses that promote aesthetic interpretation and an
appreciation of its role in human experience; courses related to
historical and critical study of the arts and literature as well as
creative activity. Courses which are appropriate for
fulfilling this requirement shall be designated "(A)" in the
University Catalog.
8.20.15 In order to ensure exposure to the subject matter
in social sciences, all baccalaureate students shall take six credits
in courses in the Social Sciences core
area. This core area shall
include courses related to the study of human
development and behavior and varying social, economic, cultural, and
political solutions to societal and global problems. Courses
which are appropriate for fulfilling this requirement shall be
designated "(S)" in the University Catalog
8.20.16 In order to ensure exposure to the subject matter
in natural sciences, all baccalaureate students shall take six
credits in courses in the Natural Sciences core
area. Courses in this area employ
scientific methods to examine the physical nature of the world, the
biological dimension of human life, and the nature of the environment
and its various life forms. Courses which are appropriate for
fulfilling this requirement shall be designated "(N)" in the
University Catalog.
8.20.17 In order to ensure exposure to the subject matter
in letters, all baccalaureate students shall take six credits in
courses in the Letters core area. This
core area shall include courses that examine human values, thought and culture
in social, historical, and philosophical contexts through the use of
primary sources and critical expositions. Courses which are
appropriate for fulfilling this requirement shall designated "(L)" in
the University Catalog
8.20.18 Courses in the Foreign
Language/Cross-cultural Competence core area promote understanding of
one's own cultural perspective in a multicultural world and develop
the skills necessary to work, live, and interact with persons from
different backgrounds, including developing bilingual skills, the
comparative study of cultures, the study of cross-cultural
communication, and/or study/internships abroad. All
baccalaureate students shall take course work in a foreign language
or culture or demonstrate competency through the intermediate level
(104 in a living language or 302 in a classical language). This
requirement may be satisfied as follows: 1) a two-course sequence in
a language previously studied for two or more years in high school
through at least the 103 level in a living language or 301 in a
classical language appropriate to a student's level of competence
(e.g. 102 and 103, 102 and 301; 131 and 103; 103 and 104; 301 and
302). All placement issues, including appropriateness are the
responsibility of the Languages Department; 2) demonstration of
competence through the intermediate level by proficiency examination
(see 8.20.19) or by successfully completing the 104 level in a living
language or the 302 level in a classical language; 3) course work in
a language not previously studied (or studied for less than two years
in high school) through the beginning level; 4) two courses selected
from the list of courses designated by the
University College and General Education Committee as Cross-cultural
Competence courses; 5) study abroad in an approved academic
program for one semester; 6) majoring in a foreign language. Formally
registered international students, students with a recognized
immigrant status and students who are
naturalized citizens may be exempt from the foreign language or
cross-cultural competence requirement at the
discretion of the dean of the student's academic college.
Courses which are appropriate for fulfilling this requirement shall
be designated "(FC)" in the University
Catalog
8.20.19 Eligible students may have the requirement waived
in writing (ECw), mathematical and
quantitative reasoning (MQ), and/or
foreign languages or cross-cultural competence
c (FC) by successfully passing a proficiency test before the
beginning of their second semester of full-time registration.
Students who transfer from B.S. to B.A. programs may request
proficiency testing in foreign language before the beginning of their
second semester in the B.A. program. (Students for whom a requirement
is waived must still complete the specified number of credits for
their degree program.) The College Writing
Program, Mathematics, and Languages departments shall
determine criteria for eligibility no later than February of each
year so that new students may be notified of these criteria as part
of their Orientation. In February the departments also shall report
on these criteria and the results of the current year's proficiency
testing to the UCGE Committee.
8.20.20 Individual colleges may decrease the University
General Education requirements by reducing the number of credits in
any one of the core areas defined in
paragraphs 8.20.14-8.20.18 by three credits.
8.20.21 In the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Human
Science and Services and for the BGS program, credits within a
student's own field of concentration may not be counted towards
General Education requirements in Fine Arts and Literature, Letters,
Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. In the other colleges, credits
within a student's professional college may not be counted towards
General Education requirements. However, courses which serve as
prerequisites for a concentration can be used to fulfill the General
Education requirement. Exceptions to the above may be granted by the
UCGE Committee and the Faculty Senate.
8.20.22 Each undergraduate course approved as appropriate
for General Education may be placed in
more than one core area. If a course is
countable in more than one core area, a
student may count the course in only one core
area. Core area designations shall be indicated in the
University Catalog Placement of courses
within core areas shall be determined by
the University College and General Education Committee (UCGE) and the
Faculty Senate based on recommendations from the colleges. The
following criteria shall apply: 1) courses, except those focusing on
essential skills, must acquaint students with the modes of thought
and methods of inquiry used in the particular discipline while giving
due weight to content; 2) courses must serve the needs and interests
of students throughout the University and not be designed primarily
to satisfy concentration or professional program requirements; 3)
courses to be included in any particular core
area may be drawn from departments other than the one bearing
the name of the core area; 4) courses
with prerequisites will usually not be appropriate for General
Education purposes except that a course with a single prerequisite
which is itself appropriate for General Education may be appropriate;
5) in general, topics, directed study, and other open ended courses
shall be excluded from consideration for General Education; topics
for the Honors Colloquium shall be considered for General Education
upon request of the Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee.
8.20.23
(NEW) The following integrated skills shall be addressed in a
substantial part of the coursework and in the evaluation of students'
performance:
a. Read complex texts: Course
requires students to "read," evaluate, and interpret primary sources,
critical commentaries, or works of art.
b. Write effectively: Course requires
written assignments designed to allow students to practice and
improve writing skills with regular feedback from the instructor such
as by submitting drafts and revisions, by writing a series of
comparable papers, or by writing long assignments in shorter
units.
c. Speak effectively: Course requires oral
presentations designed to allow students to practice and improve
speaking skills with instructor and/or group feedback.
d. Examine human differences: Course
requires assignments which examine the role of difference within and
across national boundaries. Appropriate examples of "difference"
would include but not be limited to race, religion, sexual
orientation, language, culture, and gender.
e. Use of quantitative data: Course
requires assignments which involve the analysis, interpretation,
and/or use of quantitative data to test a hypothesis, build a theory,
or illustrate and describe patterns.
f. Use of qualitative data: Course requires
assignments which involve the analysis, interpretation, and/or use of
qualitative data to test a hypothesis, build a theory, or illustrate
and describe patterns.
g. Use of information technology: Course
requires assignments which involve the use of information technology
such as web-based research (access to and evaluation of information),
participation in class-related internet conferencing, or introduction
to and use of computer programs.
h. Engage in artistic activity: Course
requires assignments which involve the creative process in the
practice of fine arts skills and aesthetic appreciation with
instructor and/or group feedback.
8.20.24
(NEW) Two of the courses taken as part of a student's general
education program must be selected from courses designated by a "D."
This overlay does not increase the number of credits required in the
general education program.
8.20.25 (formerly 8.20.23) The University College and
General Education Committee shall make recommendations to the Faculty
Senate regarding implementation and administration of General
Education and shall report periodically its evaluation of the General
Education Program, including a review of the appropriateness of
courses for General Education.
8.20.30
(NEW) General Education is only a portion of any undergraduate degree
program. Major and minor requirements along with electives contribute
significantly to students' education. All programs should include in
their curricula opportunities for students to develop further the
skills that this general education program addresses. As a
consequence of the interaction between General Education and major
programs, the University of Rhode Island expects that all programs
will lead students toward:
a. The ability to think
critically in order to solve problems and question the nature and
sources of authority
b. The ability to use the methods and
materials characteristic of each knowledge area with an understanding
of the interrelationship among and the interconnectedness of the core
areas
c. A commitment to intellectual curiosity
and lifelong learning
d. An openness to new ideas with the social
skills necessary for both teamwork and leadership
e. The ability to think independently and
be self-directed; to make informed choices and take initiative