Recommendation of the General Education Review Task Force
Submitted to the Faculty Council
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
January 24, 2002
Contents
Part I. Catalog Copy for the 2003-2005 Undergraduate Catalog 1
Interlude.
Prototype of an Advising Worksheet 7
Part II. Rationale for the Program 8
Appendix. Background material on course proposals 11
Submitted by the General Education Review Task Force
David Bayer, Civil Engineering
Cindy
Combs, Political Science
Mike
Corwin, Physics
Lee
Gray, Architecture
James
Hovick, Chemistry
Karen
Hubbard, Dance and Theater
Ron
Lunsford, English
Al
Maisto, Psychology and University Honors
Meg
Morgan, English
Ann
Newman, Family and Community Nursing
David
Royster, Mathematics
Robert
Reimer, Languages and Culture Studies
Ed
St. St. Clair, Religious Studies (Task Force Chair)
Rosie
Tong, Philosophy
Jo
Wallace, Reading and Elementary Education
ex
officio
Deborah Bosley, Director, University Writing Programs
Ray Frankle, Special Assistant to the Provost
Bill Hill, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
The General Education Review Task Force recommends that the Faculty Council adopt the following as the University’s General Education Program, beginning First Summer Session 2003.
PART I. CATALOG COPY FOR THE 2003-2005 UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG
General
Education Program
The General Education Program is
central to UNC Charlotte’s basic mission of providing all of its undergraduates
with a liberal arts education. The Program approaches the liberal arts in its
traditional meaning of learning the arts appropriate for living the educated,
responsible life of a free (liberalis)
citizen. It provides all undergraduate students, regardless of their majors,
with the foundations of the liberal education they will need to be informed
people who have the ability to act thoughtfully in society, the ability to make
critical judgments, and the ability to enjoy a life dedicated to learning and
the pleasures of intellectual and artistic pursuits.
The Program is designed to address
four areas of liberal education. First, it helps students develop the
foundational skills necessary for obtaining the full benefits of a college
education: basic college-level writing, basic use of information
technology, and basic college-level mathematical and logical skills. Second, it helps provide students with an understanding of
the methods of scientific inquiry and the ways that knowledge is acquired and
accredited in the life sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. Third,
the General Education Program addresses major themes related to living as a
liberally educated person in the twenty-first century. Students take four
Liberal Studies courses designed especially for the General Education Program.
Fourth, it helps students develop more specialized skills for disciplinary
writing and oral presentations.
I. Development of Fundamental Skills of
Inquiry (9-12 semester hours)
First-year writing courses: Students take two courses, ENGL
1101 and ENGL 1102. Entering freshmen who qualify for the accelerated course in
writing and rhetoric may meet this requirement by completing one course, ENGL
1103. After completing these courses students are expected to be able to write
clearly and concisely in standard English and to be generally prepared to do
college level writing and editing.
Mathematical and logical reasoning: One course in
mathematics (MATH) and a second course selected from mathematics (MATH),
statistics (STAT), or deductive logic (PHIL 2105). Most undergraduates at UNC
Charlotte major in programs that require mathematics or statistics as related
work. For these students, the related mathematics requirements determine the
courses taken to meet the general education requirement. Students in majors
that do not require related work in mathematics normally take MATH 1100,
followed by either MATH 1102 or PHIL 2105.
Basic skills of information literacy and technology:
Entering students are expected to have already developed the basic computer
skills necessary to use word processing, email, and the internet. By the end of
their first semester at UNC Charlotte, students are expected to have developed
the basic information literacy necessary to find and evaluate information from
the internet and bibliographic and database sources in Atkins Library. These
skills are developed in English 1101 and 1103, and help with bibliographical
and database search skills is available in the information commons of the Library. Basic tutorial help is also
available at campus computer labs. Students are expected to exhibit ethical
behavior in the use of computers. More advanced information literacy and
technology skills are required by individual departments and majors.
II. Inquiry in the Sciences (11 semester
hours)
Two courses,
both taken with a laboratory, in the life sciences and/or the physical
sciences. These courses introduce students to the various methods of life
sciences and physical sciences. They provide an understanding of the current
scientific knowledge of the world, how that knowledge is secured, and how
scientific knowledge changes over time. Selected from:
Astronomy (PHYS 1130)
Biological Anthropology (ANTH 2141)
Biology (BIOL 1110, 1115, 1273, 1274)
Chemistry (CHEM 1111, 1112, 1203, 1204, 1251, 1252)
Earth Sciences (ESCI 1101)
Geology (GEOL 1200, 1210)
Physics (PHYS 1101, 1102, 2101, 2102)
Psychology (PSYC 1101)
One course in the social sciences. These courses introduce
students to the methods of the social sciences and to the applications of these
methods for gaining a scientific understanding of the social world. Selected
from:
Anthropology (ANTH 1101)
Geography (GEOG 1105)
Economics (ECON 1101 or 2101)
Political Science (POLS 1110)
Sociology (SOCY 1101)
III. Themes of Liberal Education for Private
and Public Life (12 semester hours)
The UNC Charlotte faculty has
selected eight themes of a liberal arts education around which to offer a core
of Liberal Studies courses. These courses examine the arts, literature, the
western historical and cultural tradition, global understanding, citizenship,
ethics, issues of health, and issues of science, technology, and society. Liberal Studies courses, which are taught by
faculty members from departments across the University, are dedicated exclusively
to general education. All these
courses include a consideration of the diversity of perspectives afforded by
gender, race/ethnicity, and class, as appropriate for understanding the
individual themes of these courses.
Each student must take four of these courses as follows:
One course in the arts and society. Art is indispensable to
the structure and fabric of all societies, and each course examines this
fundamental connection from the perspective a specific art form. Selected from:
LBST 1101 The Arts and Society: Dance
LBST 1102 The Arts and Society: Film
LBST 1103 The Arts and Society: Music
LBST 1104 The Arts and Society: Theater
LBST 1105 The Arts and Society: Visual Arts
One course in the western tradition. Each section of this course examines a major aspect of western culture through the process of analyzing the present in terms of the past.
LBST 2101 Western Cultural and
Historical Awareness
One course in
global understanding. All liberally educated people need to have the ability to
understand the world from the point of view of more than one culture and be
able to analyze issues from a global perspective.
LBST 2102 Global and Intercultural
Connections
One course
dealing with ethical issues and cultural critique. Each of these courses deals
with an important contemporary issue, and each one gives significant attention
to ethical analysis and cultural critique in the liberal arts. Selected from:
LBST 2211
Ethical Issues in Personal, Professional, and Public Life
LBST 2212 Literature and Culture
LBST 2213 Science, Technology, and Society
LBST 2214 Issues of Health and Quality of Life
LBST 2215 Citizenship
IV. Communication Skills
Writing in the discipline: Six semester hours, including at
least three semester hours in the major. These courses are spread throughout
the curriculum and are indicated with a (W) after the course title. These
courses assume that students have already developed the basic grammatical and
compositional skills needed to write college-level English, and they build on
these skills to develop writing strategies appropriate to the discipline of the
department offering the course.
Oral communication: At least one course designated as an
oral communication course. These courses are spread throughout the curriculum
and are indicated with an (O) after the course title. If a course is designated
as both a writing in the discipline course (W) and an oral communication course
(O), a student may apply that course to both requirements.
Foreign languages: Students majoring in a B.A. program in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete either a 2000-level course in a foreign language that uses the Latin alphabet (French, German, Italian, Spanish, etc.) or a 1202-level course in a language that is not written in the Latin alphabet (Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, etc.). Intermediate American Sign Language is also accepted. Students in other colleges or in programs leading to degrees other than the B.A. are not required to take foreign language courses, unless it is a related course requirement in their major. All UNC Charlotte students are encouraged to study a foreign language as a part of their undergraduate education.
University Lectures in the Liberal Arts
Each
semester a distinguished scholar gives the University Lecture in the Liberal
Arts. Each lecture addresses a topic
related to one of the themes of the Liberal Studies courses. The lecture will
be open to all students, but the primary audience will be students who are
taking the related Liberal Studies course that semester. Individual instructors
may require attendance.
Transfer of general education equivalent courses
Students
may meet any of the course requirements of the General Education Program with
approved equivalent courses transferred from other regionally accredited
institutions. At the time of admission, transcripts of work at other
institutions are evaluated to determine equivalency. This includes equivalency
for the Liberal Studies courses required in the General Education Program. (See
also section on transfer policies, page xx.)
Catalog Course Descriptions
LIBERAL STUDIES (LBST)
LBST 1101. The Arts and Society: Dance. (3) An introduction to dance in the context of the arts and
society. Exploration of the similarities among selected folk and ethnic dance
traditions from around the world in terms of functionality; how 20th century
American concert dance, social dance, and popular entertainment dance reflect
those traditions; socio-political issues evidenced in choreography through
lectures, discussion, film video, and live dance performance. (Fall, Spring)
LBST 1102. The Arts and Society: Film. (3) An introduction to the art of film in the context of the
arts and society. Analysis of the elements
of narrative and documentary film, including works made for television. Examines the role of Hollywood,
international, and independent cinema (including television) in reflecting,
shaping, and critiquing society. (Fall, Spring)
LBST 1103. The Arts and Society: Music. (3) An introduction to music in the context of the arts and
society. The analysis of a wide variety of musical forms. The place of music in
reflecting, shaping, and critiquing society. (Fall, Spring, Summer) (Evenings)
LBST 1104. The Arts and Society: Theater. (3)
An introduction to theater in the context
of the arts and society. Analysis of the elements that make up theatrical
events. The place of theater in reflecting, shaping, and critiquing society.
(Fall, Spring)
LBST 1105. The Arts and Society: Visual Arts.
(3) An introduction to the visual arts in
the context of the arts and society. The analysis of visual culture in a
variety of media and genres in different historical periods and geographic
locations. The function, meaning, and politics of individual works of art and
art movements. Also addresses the role of art as a site for the articulation of
value systems, including gender, class, and race. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
(Evenings)
LBST 2101. Western Cultural and Historical
Awareness. (3) Prerequisite: sophomore
standing. All sections of this course explore a major aspect of western
culture. Particular attention is given to an examination of the constructed
nature of the present through a close examination of the past and the ways that
selected institutions, ideas, or practices change over time and spread in human
society, producing both continuity and novelty. (Fall, Spring, Summer)
(Evenings)
LBST 2102. Global and Intercultural
Connections. (3) Prerequisite: sophomore
standing. All sections of this course examine two or more cultures in their own
contexts and in the contexts of the global conditions and influences that
impact all major world cultures today. Particular attention is given to an
analysis of the complex nature of globalization and to a consideration
of both its positive and negative impacts. (Fall,
Spring, Summer) (Evenings)
LBST 2211. Ethical Issues in Personal,
Professional, and Public Life. (3)
Prerequisite: sophomore standing. An analysis of the conceptual tools needed to
make informed, responsible judgments based on the ability to think critically
and knowledgeably about issues of personal, professional, and public ethics and
morality. The study of a variety of ethical views and ethical issues. (Fall,
Spring)
LBST 2212. Literature and Culture. (3) Prerequisite: sophomore standing. [Course description being
developed]
LBST 2213. Science, Technology, and Society.
(3) Prerequisite: sophomore standing. The
role of science and technology in society. The appreciation and understanding
of science and the public policy issues related to science and technology.
Issues such as science vs. pseudo-science, the ethics of science and
technology, the methods of the sciences, the importance of major scientific
discoveries, and public expectations of the sciences in the future. (Fall,
Spring)
LBST 2214. Issues of Health and Quality of
Life. (3) Prerequisite: sophomore
standing. A study of individual and social aspects of health. Analysis of
individual health and illness behavior and theory; the social, political, and
economic contexts of health and illness; and the broad cultural, ethical, and
religious understandings of health and illness. (Fall, Spring)
LBST 2215. Citizenship. (3) Prerequisite: sophomore standing. A study of the concept
of citizenship as it has evolved in different cultures with an emphasis on
scholarly understandings of the rights and responsibilities of
citizenship. Includes an examination of
the ethical dimensions of citizenship in political, social, and religious
contexts. The course includes a service component that allows students to
explore the relations of citizenship and public service. During the semester
the course meets a total of 30 hours for classroom lectures and discussions and
requires completion of 35 hours of voluntary service in the community. (Fall,
Spring)
Catalog Copy for Section on Transfer Policies
Students may meet UNC Charlotte General Education Requirements with approved equivalent courses transferred from regionally accredited institutions.
Courses from accredited institutions that are equivalent to UNC Charlotte courses in content and credit hours may be considered to fulfill General Education requirements.
Two courses with equivalent content that are not the same number of credit hours may transfer as General Education requirements if the courses are no more than one credit hour less than the UNC Charlotte equivalent. (This policy does not reduce the total number of credit hours required for a degree; students must complete the number of hours specified by the Department or program.)
Discipline-specific courses may be considered for transfer credit as Liberal Studies (LBST) courses, which are required to fulfill General Education. Courses will be reviewed for content and credit hour equivalency, consistent with the transfer credit policy stated above.
¾¾¾ End of Catalog Copy ¾¾¾
INTERLUDE: PROTOTYPE OF AN ADVISING WORKSHEET
This advising worksheet is
meant to have all the minimal information a student would need for advising,
exclusive of the list of the specific courses designated as O or W
courses. And for most students the W
and O courses will be in their major.
|
I. Development of Fundamental Skills of
Inquiry |
CrHrs |
Courses taken |
|
|
Basic writing skills |
Either ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1103 |
3 |
|
|
Basic writing skills |
ENGL
1102 (students who take ENGL 1103 do not have to take ENGL 1102) |
0-3 |
|
|
Mathematics
and logical reasoning |
MATH 1xxx |
3 |
|
|
Mathematics
and logical reasoning |
One of
the following: MATH
1xxx, STAT 1xxx, or PHIL 2105 |
3 |
|
|
II. Inquiry in the Sciences |
CrHrs |
Courses taken |
|
|
Life
sciences and/or physical sciences |
Two of
the following with labs: ANTH
2141 BIOL
1110, 1115, 1273, 1274 CHEM
1111, 1112, 1203, 1204, 1251, 1252 ESCI
1101 GEOL
1200, 1201 PHYS
1101, 1102, 1130, 2101, 2102 PSYC
1101 |
4 |
|
|
4 |
|
||
|
Social
science |
One of
the following: ANTH
1101, GEOG 1105, ECON 1101, ECON
2101, POLS 1110, SOCY 1101 |
3 |
|
|
III. Themes of Liberal Education for Private
and Public Life |
CrHrs |
Courses taken |
|
|
Arts and society |
One of
the following: LBST
1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105 |
3 |
|
|
Western culture |
LBST 2101 |
3 |
|
|
Global understanding |
LBST 2102 |
3 |
|
|
Ethical
and cultural
critique |
One of
the following: LBST
2211, 2212, 2213, 2214, 2215 |
3 |
|
|
IV. Communication Skills |
CrHrs |
Courses taken |
|
|
Writing
in the discipline course in the
major |
One
three semester hour course or its
equivalent totaling three
semester hours in the major with the W designation |
3 |
|
|
Writing
in the discipline course |
A
second course with the W designation (Can be
in the major or outside the major) |
3 |
|
|
Oral communication |
A
course with the O designation (If a course is designated for both O and W,
the one course can be applied to both.) |
3 |
|
|
The following applies only to students
majoring in a B.A. program in the College of Arts and Sciences |
CrHrs |
Courses taken, if applicable |
|
|
Foreign
language |
Either
a 2000-level course in a foreign language course that uses the Latin alphabet or a
course at the 1202 level in a
language that does not use the Latin alphabet |
3 |
|
PART II. RATIONALE FOR THE PROGRAM
(Also note that much of the rationale for the program is already embedded in the text of the catalog copy.)
I.
Development of Fundamental Skills of Inquiry.
First-year writing courses. Writing is a central part of a liberal
education. Thus, we require our
students to take two first-year writing courses, English 1101 and English
1102. In English 1101, students are
introduced to the rhetorical nature of writing; they come to understand the
various purposes writing can serve and the various audiences for whom they must
learn to write. In English 1102,
students focus on writing and persuasion.
Although there are many ways to influence others, a major tool of
persuasion for the liberally educated person is writing. In English 1102, students examine samples of
persuasive writing and hone their skills in using writing to persuade.
Mathematical and logical reasoning. Currently 78% of UNC Charlotte
students meet this requirement in completing their major. This requirement will prepare all students
for an increasingly information-based society in which the ability to use and
critically evaluate information, especially numerical information, is central
to the role of being an informed citizen. Students should acquire the skills
necessary to make rational decisions based on real data. They should be exposed
to general methods of inquiry that apply in a wide variety of settings; they
should be able to assess critically arguments and rational decisions. Finally,
students should develop the ability to judge the strengths and limitations of
quantitative approaches to knowledge.
Basic skills of information literacy and technology. Technology is all around us. Most
students will read about this school and this program ‘on-line’ rather than in
a physical publication. This
illustrates that we believe it to be essential for all students to feel
comfortable with computers from the beginning of their college experience. In
today’s increasingly technological society, the ability to use computer
technology effectively is essential. We recognize that students come to UNC
Charlotte from a variety of backgrounds and different school systems and that
not all will have had the same exposure to technology. By defining this set of
basic competencies we will be ensuring that students and instructors will have
a shared understanding of the computing skills necessary for the successful
completion of the General Education program.
Professors will expect students to prepare papers and presentations,
communicate via e-mail, search the Internet and appreciate the nature of the
information found there.
II.
Inquiry in the Sciences
Two laboratory based courses in the life sciences and/or the physical sciences. Science plays an important role in society. Appropriate public policy in these matters requires an informed citizenry, and scientific literacy is an important component of a liberal education. To understand more fully how science differs from other ways of knowing and understanding, students must do science as well as study about science. Hence, the laboratory component is an essential part of the science requirement.
One course in the social sciences. These courses introduce students to the methods and theories of the social sciences and to the applications of these methods for gaining an empirical understanding of the social and behavioral world.
III.
Themes of Liberal Education for Private and Public Life
One Liberal Studies course in the arts and society. Dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts are
expressive aspects of society and as such establish a frame of reference for
interpreting the world around us. LBST 1101-1105 are introductory theory
courses designed to teach students how the arts reflect our past, provide
heightened awareness of the present and foretell the future. Students also learn to make distinctions
between form and function allowing them to become part of a liberally educated
audience that enjoys, supports and possibly participates in the arts or other
related fields.
One Liberal Studies course in the western
tradition. Since the heritage of the
overwhelming majority of UNC Charlotte students is grounded in western culture,
and since this university and its approaches to knowledge are also a part of
the heritage of western culture, it is appropriate to make sure that all
students have a course that examines a major aspect of western culture in an
historical context. It is also
important that they understand the constructed nature of the present through a
close examination of the past. For most UNC Charlotte students this will be an
exercise in the self-examined life, which since Socrates has been one of the
hallmarks of an educated person.
One Liberal Studies course in global understanding. The importance of this course lies in the fact that it would be the only general education course in which students would be guaranteed to be exposed to two or more world cultures. Aiming to help the students reach a level of understanding that goes beyond the apprehension of these cultures as curious, strange, or merely “interesting,” the goal of this course is to present the inner structure, coherence and logic of these cultures so that they become compelling and convincing in their own right. The other aim of the course is to familiarize students with the nature of globalization, considering both its positive and negative aspects. It would study the mutual influences and relationships of power that cross national boundaries, and how local economic, social, environmental, religious, and political patterns have global impact beyond their region of origin. In a word, the purpose is to examine the factors of interconnectedness that creates the “one world” or “global village” we inhabit today.
One Liberal Studies course dealing with ethical issues and
cultural critique. Students need to develop their own moral and cultural beliefs
about right and wrong action, good and bad character, just and unjust laws,
humane and inhumane institutions, and enlightened and unenlightened social
practices. Just as importantly,
students need to be able to understand the moral views and cultural values
of diverse people in other societies as
well as their own society. Finally,
students need to test their own moral rules and ideals against those of other
people in their family networks, friendship circles, local community, nation,
and world. Whether from the
point of view of
technology and culture, literature and culture, health issues, or
responsibilities of citizenship, students gain insight into the ways that moral
reflection and thought is necessary for moral action. Educated persons take seriously their responsibility to do as
much good and as less harm as possible.
IV.
Communication Skills
Writing in the discipline. Students graduating into the world of work must
be able to write for a variety of purposes and audiences, and particularly
using the writing conventions of their chosen profession. Therefore, undergraduates are required to
take at least six hours of writing in the discipline coursework to ensure that
they have multiple opportunities to develop their writing skills at the college
level.
Oral communication. Oral
communication is fundamental to human interaction. Students use oral communication on a daily basis and need
effective oral communication skills to foster and maintain relationships,
interact in professional endeavors, and contribute to society. Developing the skills necessary to
accomplish these goals is central to a well-conceived general education program.
Rhetoric was one of the seven traditional liberal arts because of the
importance the Greeks and Romans attached to being able to speak persuasively
to influence the course of public action.
Foreign languages. Formal study of a second language at the intermediate level in college provides students with insight into another culture and increased understanding of their own culture and language. The increased intellectual maturity of college students allows them to move beyond the exposure to basic conversational skills they had in high school, many when they were in ninth and tenth grades. The intermediate level focuses on the process of learning language, understanding the interrelatedness between world view and language, and targeting specific linguistic skills. Including the requirement for language in the Bachelor of Arts degree distinguishes this degree from the Bachelor of Science and reflects the philosophy of the general education program at UNC Charlotte, which states that we prepare liberally educated students for the twenty-first century.
The Task Force thinks that every undergraduate should take a foreign language at the college level, but there are two practical difficulties that limit this ideal. First, there is lack of faculty resources. The Department of Languages and Culture Studies could not absorb the increased enrollments. Second, several of the professional schools have programs that do not have any more room in their curricula because of the 128 semester maximum limit. The Task Force had to make a decision when we realized that we could not meet our ideal. Do we do nothing, or do we come as close as we possibly can to the ideal? We chose the latter by requiring the study of foreign languages of all B.A. students in the College of Arts and Sciences, which though limited, does have a logic behind it.
But beyond the problems of trying to attain ideals, there is a practical benefit to what the Task Force is recommending. Students in the professional colleges and non-B.A. students who meet the admission requirement of two years of one foreign language in high school will no longer have to take a foreign language proficiency test. For too long the University has taken an admission requirement and twisted it into an exit requirement.
The Task Force affirms that study of foreign languages must have a place in the General Education Program.
NOTE: The Appendix is not included in this
file. The outlines of the Liberal
Studies courses can be found at www.uncc.edu/gened.