2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]
General Education
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SUNY Cortland General Education
The purpose of General Education is to provide students with an intellectual and cultural basis for their development as informed individuals in our society. This requires that they understand the ideas that have formed our own civilization, that they appreciate other cultures and that they have knowledge of the fundamental principles that govern the physical universe. All students must complete the Cortland General Education Program requirements by taking one course in each of the categories listed below, with the exception of the natural sciences category in which they must take two courses.
Identifying courses that meet requirements
Students should refer to the General Education section of the registrar’s Web site for a current and full listing of SUNY Cortland’s courses that fulfill General Education categories. Students should refer to the search-by-attribute feature of the online Course Schedule for a listing of General Education courses offered within a particular semester.
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Cortland General Education
The Cortland General Education Program fulfills all SUNY General Education requirements and includes additional elements specific to the Cortland degree. Students will take one course in each of the categories listed below with the exception of:
a.) natural sciences in which they must take two courses,
b.) foreign language where the requirement depends on the degree program, and
c.) basic communication in which they must complete both academic writing and presentation skills areas.
Double counting, or the use of a single course to satisfy more than one category, is allowed but is subject to the following limitations:
a.) no course used by an individual student to satisfy the humanities category may be used to satisfy another subject category, and
b.) no single course may in any case be used to satisfy more than two General Education categories. Students may not take more than two courses in any one discipline to satisfy the requirements of the Cortland General Education Program. Students should refer to the registrar’s Web site under All-College Requirements for detailed information regarding Cortland General Education Program. A full list of General Education requirements across SUNY is available at www.suny.edu/provost/generaleducation/courselist/mastercampuslist.cfm.
Cortland General Education Learning Outcome Categories:
- Quantitative Skills
- Natural Sciences (two courses, see Category 13)
- Social Science
- United States History and Society
- Western Civilization
- Contrasting Cultures
- Humanities
- The Arts
- Foreign Language (refer to degree program)
- Basic Communication
- Writing Studies (CPN)
and
- Presentation Skills (PRES)
- Prejudice and Discrimination
- Science, Technology, Values and Society
- Natural Sciences (second of two courses)
Transfer courses
Any approved SUNY General Education course taken at another institution will be accepted into the related Cortland General Education category. Courses from non-SUNY institutions and courses for Cortland Category 11, Prejudice and Discrimination, and Category 12, Science, Technology, Values and Society, may also be transferred, providing they meet the learning outcomes of these categories. Natural sciences courses that provide a survey of a traditional discipline with a laboratory will be accepted into category 2A; all others will be accepted into category 2B.
At the time of initial entry to SUNY Cortland, transfer students will be granted up to three waivers that can be applied toward meeting the requirements in Category 11, Category 12, and one of the Natural Science course requirements reflected in Category 13. Waivers will be granted based only on transfer credit posted. Transfer students criteria:
1. Students entering Cortland with 20-34.5 credit hours will be eligible for one waiver.
2. Students entering Cortland with 35-49.5 credit hours will be eligible for two waivers.
3. Students entering Cortland with 50 or more credit hours will be eligible for three waivers.
Course Approval Process
The General Education Committee oversees the course approval process for General Education. A faculty member may submit a course for inclusion in a category by reviewing the General Education Course Submittal Guidelines and completing the General Education Course Submission Form. These forms are available at the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Office. Category 1: Quantitative Skills
The goal of this category is to develop mathematical and quantitative reasoning skills.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate the ability
- to interpret and draw inferences from mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables and schematics;
- to represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically and verbally;
- to employ quantitative methods, such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry or statistics, to solve problems;
- to estimate and check mathematical results for reasonableness;
- to recognize the limits of mathematical and statistical methods.
Category 2: Natural Science
The goal of this category is to provide students with an understanding of the process of scientific inquiry, some of the major scientific theories and their application to modern life. Students will practice the methods of science in a laboratory experience. Two courses are required.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate
- an understanding of the methods scientists use to explore natural phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical analysis;
- knowledge of the principles of one or more of the natural sciences;
- the ability to apply scientific data, concepts and models in one or more of the natural sciences, and relate the relevant technology and principles they have studied to modern life.
Requirement: Two courses
Students will complete either two Group A courses or one Group A and one Group B course to fulfill the Natural Science requirement.
Note: One Natural Science course fulfills Category 2; the second Natural Science course fulfills Category 13. Group A Courses
Group A courses provide a survey of one or more of the traditional natural science disciplines and include a laboratory experience. Group B Courses
Group B courses provide breadth or depth in the natural sciences and must fulfill at least learning outcome number 3 of this category. Category 3: Social Sciences
The goal of this category is to familiarize students with the methodology of social scientists and provide a substantial introduction to a social science discipline.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate
- an understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena, including observation, hypothesis development, measurement and data collection, experimentation, evaluation of evidence, and employment of mathematical and interpretive analysis;
- knowledge of major concepts, models and issues of at least one discipline in the social sciences.
Category 4: United States History and Society
The goal of this category is to familiarize students with the history and nature of the American state and society by examining relationships within and among the elements of that state and society, including governing structures or policies, formal and informal institutions, and the public.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate
- knowledge of a basic narrative of American history, such as political, economic, social and cultural, including knowledge of unity and diversity in American society;
- an understanding of common institutions in American society and how they have affected different groups, including ethnic minorities and women;
- an understanding of America’s evolving relationship with the rest of the world;
- an understanding of the American Republic by examining relationships among the state, intermediary institutions and civil society.
Regents Exam score of 85 or better
Students scoring an 85 or higher on the American History Regents Exam may choose from the following courses: Regents Exam score below 85
Students scoring an 84 or below on the American History Regents Exam must take: Category 5: Western Civilization
The goal of this category is to provide students with an understanding of the history and development of the distinctive features of Western civilization and relate the development of Western civilization to that of other regions of the world. Courses in this category will address the ways in which social, political, economic, geopolitical and/or intellectual movements have affected how members of the contemporary world think, act, and organize their lives.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to
- describe within an historical context major Western political, geopolitical, economic, social, and/or intellectual developments;
- analyze the relationship between the development of ideas and historical change in Western and other regions of the world;
- discuss distinctive features of contemporary Western civilization in terms of such areas as history, institutions, economy, society and culture.
Category 6: Contrasting Cultures
The goal of this category is to provide students with an understanding of non-Western cultures and societies. It is intended to provide a counterpoint to the European focus of the Western Civilization category and explore the distinctive features of one non-western civilization. Courses in this category would be non-European and non-U.S. in focus.
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to
- demonstrate an understanding of the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, culture, etc. of one non-western civilization;
- compare and/or contrast another contemporary culture or other contemporary cultures with the dominant themes of U.S. culture;
- demonstrate an understanding of cultural differences in world views, traditions, cultural institutions, values, social systems, languages and means of communication.
Category 7: The Humanities
The goal of this category is to help students appreciate and understand the humanities. Courses in this category will address a humanities discipline through a variety of resources and critical approaches.
Learning Outcomes
Students will
- be able to critically respond to works in the humanities;
- be able to discuss major human concerns as they are treated in the humanities;
- demonstrate an understanding of the conventions and methods of at least one area in the humanities.
Category 8: The Arts
The goal of this category is to help students develop an awareness of the arts as a system of inquiry in which aesthetic elements are involved. Courses in this category will help students understand the creative process, be broadly based within or among the areas of the arts and provide this breadth through an historical approach or participation in the creative process. Students will explore the idea that important learning experiences can take place through the use of senses and imagination.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate an understanding of
- at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein;
- the significance of artistic expression in past and/or present civilizations.
Category 9: Foreign Language Requirement
The goal of this category is to develop familiarity with a foreign language.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate
- basic proficiency in the understanding and use of a foreign language;
- an understanding of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the language they are studying.
Students scoring an 85 or higher on the Foreign Language H.S. Regents Exam fulfill the GE Category Nine language requirement. Category 10: Basic Communication
The goal of this category is to develop written and oral communication skills. This category consists of Writing Studies (CPN) and Presentation Skills (PRES).
Learning Outcomes
Students will
- be able to produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms;
- demonstrate the ability to revise and improve their written texts;
- demonstrate the ability to research a topic, develop an argument and organize supporting details;
- develop proficiency in oral discourse;
- demonstrate the ability to evaluate an oral presentation according to established criteria.
And one course fulfilling Presentation Skills (PRES) from the following:
Category 11: Prejudice and Discrimination
The goal of this category is for students to reflect critically about the nature and impact of prejudice and discrimination. Courses could address the individual and institutional nature of prejudice and discrimination in the American and/or global context; examine various aspects of prejudice and discrimination from multiple intellectual perspectives; examine the factors upon which prejudice and discrimination may be based, for example, race, gender as well as class, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation and disability.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate an understanding of
- issues such as power and bias as they relate to prejudice and discrimination and how these issues have determined attitudes, institutions, dominance and subdominance;
- how various beliefs can lead to conflicting conclusions about a society and its norms, values and institutions.
Category 12: Science, Technology, Values and Society
The goal of this category is for students to reflect critically on problems that involve ethical or values-based judgments of technical information and/or issues that arise at the interface of science and society.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate an understanding of
- the manner in which value judgments are justified and how interpretation of technical information can lead to different conclusions, and/or
- issues at the interface of science and society that impact the modern world.
Foreign Language Requirement: Bachelor of Arts Candidates
Students enrolled in a B.A. program must
- successfully complete the fourth semester (202) of a college-level foreign language sequence or
- confirm proficiency equivalent to successful completion of the fourth semester (202) of a college-level foreign language sequence through a testing program approved by the Modern Languages Department.
Foreign Language Requirement: Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Education and Bachelor of Fine Arts Candidates
Students enrolled in a B.S., B.S.Ed. or B.F.A. program in the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Professional Studies need only one semester of a foreign language with the exception of speech and language disabilities majors (SLD/SLDW), who must successfully complete the fourth semester (202) of a college-level foreign language sequence. Students scoring an 85 or higher on the Foreign Language H.S. Regents Exam fulfill the GE Category Nine language requirement.
Students enrolled in the B.S. program in early childhood, childhood, early childhood and childhood, adolescence education, inclusive special education, and, the B.S. in Speech and Hearing Science must:
- successfully complete the second semester (102) of a college-level foreign language sequence or
- confirm proficiency equivalent to successful completion of the second semester (102) of a college-level foreign language sequence through a testing program approved by the Modern Languages Department.
Note: Some departments require specified courses in foreign language in support of their major program requirements in addition to those described above. Writing Studies (6-8 cr. hr.)
Students must successfully complete CPN 100 or CPN 102 and CPN 101 or CPN 103 with a grade of C- or better. Writing Intensive (6 cr. hr.)
Writing intensive courses must be taken at SUNY Cortland and must include at least one course in the major; the other course can be in or out of the major. Students must successfully complete CPN 100 or CPN 102 and CPN 101 or CPN 103 with a grade of C- or better before enrolling in a Writing Intensive course. Presentation Skills
In fulfilling the basic communication learning outcomes, students must demonstrate skills and experience in making oral presentations, including self critique and peer critique of oral presentations. If a course is taught both in the traditional classroom and online, the traditional classroom delivery may be submitted for Presentation Skills (PRES) designation. Students cannot take an online course to satisfy the Presentation Skills requirement. |
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