2020-21 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.
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General Education Requirements
General Education Requirements
The Cortland General Education Program fulfills all SUNY General Education requirements and includes elements specific to the Cortland degree. There are 11 required categories that must be met, and students must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of SUNY approved course work (categories 1-10). Most categories require one course, with the exception of:
- Foreign Language, where the requirement varies depending upon degree program
- Basic Communication, which is met through a combination of writing and presentation skills course work as described. CPN 100/102 and CPN 101/103 count towards the SUNY GE credit total, for a maximum of eight credit hours. The use of a single course to satisfy more than one category is allowed but no single course may be used to satisfy more than two General Education categories.
Cortland General Education Categories
- Quantitative Skills
- Natural Sciences
- Social Science
- United States History and Society
- Western Civilization — not required
- Contrasting Cultures
- Humanities
- The Arts
- Foreign Language — refer to degree program
- Basic Communication
- Writing Studies (CPN) - up to eight credit hours of CPN may count towards GE credit hour total
and
- Presentation Skills (PRES)
- Prejudice and Discrimination
- Science, Technology, Values and Society
Transfer and General Education
For information on transfer policies related to General Education, including course work and waivers, see Transfer Credit Policies and Evaluation under Academic Policies .
Academic Planning and General Education
Academic planning is key to fulfilling all degree requirements and ensuring that General Education requirements are integrated with planning for the major and other academic opportunities such as study abroad.
Utilizing the following resources, students are able to ensure that General Education requirements are fulfilled through academic planning:
- Degree Works, our campus degree audit system, will identify requirements and track student progress.
- The online Course Schedule allows students to search by General Education courses offered in an upcoming semester through search-by-attribute feature.
- A list of all approved General Education courses is provided in the following section of this College Catalog.
- Faculty advisors and the Advisement and Transition Office work with students to assist with all academic planning.
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.
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.
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 state and mediating 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.
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 a 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 earning a final grade of 85 or higher in their third year of high school foreign language study or passing any subsequent year of high school foreign language study or scoring an 85 or higher on a Foreign Language Regents Exam or a local exam aligned with a discontinued Regents Exam (Checkpoint B Exam) fulfill the GE Category 9 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 causes and consequences of prejudice and discrimination from individual to institutional levels. Courses in the category examine the challenges of constructing a more diverse and inclusive society.
Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate an understanding of
- how power, bias, prejudice and discrimination can affect society's values, attitudes and institutions;
- approaches that address barriers and foster greater equity and inclusivity.
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 issues that arise at the interface of science, technology 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
- issues at the interface of science, technology and society and how the methods of science and scientific data are understood in the context of social issues.
Please note: As of Spring 2016, POL 307, POL 342 and SOC 335 will no longer be in the Science, Technology, Values and Society category.
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 in the program listed above may meet the foreign language requirements by:
1) successful completion of a one-semester college-level foreign language course (101) or the equivalent;
2) having earned a final grade of 85 or higher in the third year of high school foreign language study or a passing grade in any subsequent year of high school foreign language study; or
3) having earned a score of 85 or higher on a foreign language Regents Exam or a local exam aligned with a discontinued Regents Exam.
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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