General Education Curriculum Standards

Curricular Standards for General Education Courses at Towson University (Effective with the 1996-97 Undergraduate Catalog)

 General Policies for Course Certification  

A.  The subcategory requirements in Advanced Composition (ID.), Science, Technology, and Modem Society (II.A.2), and Cultural Plurality and Diversity (H.C.3) are Towson's unique general education requirements, which in most cases all transfer students will complete in residence at Towson. The Advanced Composition and Science, Technology, and Modem Society courses will be upper-level offerings. The complexities of the MHEC policy and transfer agreements predicate that almost all other courses certified as general education courses will be designed as lower-level courses. Exceptions will be justified as circumstances warrant, such as advanced placement (e.g., a freshman placed in Span.301) or program accreditation requirements.  

2. Courses certified as general education offerings must be placed in a single subcategory. One course, although it may be an advanced writing course focused on the history of music or a course that compares American and European experience, can fill only one requirement and may not be listed in two or more subcategories. 

3. However courses are constructed in order to be certified as meeting general education requirements at TU, they must also conform to the area definitions spelled out in the MHEC policy: 

1.         ARTS AND HUMANITIES  

"The arts examine aesthetics and the development of the aesthetic form. Courses in this area may include, but are not limited to fine, performing and studio art, appreciation of the arts, and history of the arts. All courses, including fine, performing and studio arts, should explore the relationship between theory and practice. The humanities examine the values and cultural heritage that establish the framework for inquiry into the meaning of life. Courses in the humanities may include but are not limited to, the language, history, literature, and philosophy of Western and other culture."

2.             SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

"The social and behavioral sciences examine the psychology of individuals and the ways in which individuals, groups, or segments of society behave, function, and influence one another. They include, but are not limited to, subjects which focus on history and cultural diversity; on the concepts of groups, work, and political systems; on the applications of qualitative and quantitative data to social issues; and on the interdependence of individuals, society, and the physical environment."  

3.             MATHEMATICS  

"Mathematic courses provide students with numerical, analytical, statistical and problem-solving skills."  

4.             BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES  

"The biological and physical sciences examine living systems and the physical universe. They introduce students to the variety of methods used to collect, interpret, and apply scientific data, and to an understanding of the relationship between scientific theory and application."

5.  INTERDISCIPLINARY AND EMERGING ISSUES (OPTIONAL) 

"In addition to the five categories listed above, a General Education Program may include either content or courses in a sixth category that addresses emerging issues which many colleges have identified as essential to a full program of general education for their students. Institutions may include courses which provide an interdisciplinary examination of issues across categories, or may include content or courses which address other categories of knowledge, skills and values which lie outside of the five traditional areas listed above."  

D.        In general, all courses certified as general education offerings will fall within five areas of study: 1) composition, and the traditional disciplines of 2) mathematics, 3) biological and physical sciences, 4) arts and humanities, and 5) social and behavioral sciences. Therefore, the two allowable non-traditional requirements (defined in 3.e above) at TU will fall within the "Using Information Effectively" category and category II.B.3, "Contemporary Issues".  

Interdisciplinary study can be certified under several subcategories, but it will be limited to study among the disciplines represented in the five MHEC groupings.  

NMEC guidelines specify that "instructional technology," "health/wellness/fitness" and "speech communications" fall within the "Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues" grouping; therefore, courses certified at TU in these fields must be placed in the category II.B.3 "Contemporary Issues" subcategory.  

Group 1: Skills for Liberal Learning  

NMEC policy stipulates that skills and applications courses must "include theoretical components if they are to be certified as meeting general education requirements." As a general principle, the Committee recommends that courses meant to develop skills also must be tied to exploring specific contents.  

1. English 102, Writing for a Liberal Education/English 190, Honors College Writing.  

The freshman writing course (ENGL 102 or ENGL 190) will focus on exploring ways of writing and thinking in the branches of knowledge and on developing rhetorical strategies for successful college-level expository writing. Entering students who do not have basic skills in composition needed for college-level writing will be required to gain those skills through course work or other means before being admitted to ENGL 102.  

2. Using Information Effectively  

Courses in this category provide students with basic skills in gathering and using information effectively. At a minimum each must focus on teaching students 1) how to gather information from print, human, and electronic sources; 2) how to process information; 3) how to critically evaluate it; 4) how to use it effectively in writing and speaking; and 5) how information is gathered, evaluated, and applied in different branches of knowledge.  

The Committee recommends that the course be structured to meet standards set forward in "Information Problem Solving Skills," American Association of School Libraries," 1994. To do so,  

a.  The course must be anchored to a specific subject matter or field in which the instructor is expert and the students hold interest;

b.      Different sections of the course should treat different subjects, allowing students planning majors in Science, the Arts, Business, etc., to gain basic research experience related to their major fields of interest. Some sections may be Modeled, for that matter, to demonstrate research strategies for a branch of knowledge, such as "Research Techniques for the Fine Arts;"

c.      The course should explore collaborative ways of leaming, 

d.      The course should emphasize critical thinking in speaking and writing and explore interdisciplinary connections for the specific subject about which the information is gathered; 

e.      The course should explore the ethical dimensions of gathering and applying source materials.  

Model syllabi and guidelines for this category are available from the GenEd Subcommittee.  

3.   Mathematical Sciences  

MHEC policy stipulates that courses meeting this requirement must require skills at the level of college algebra or above. To be certified, courses must treat concepts and skills in the mathematical sciences and emphasize both theoretical foundations and problem-solving applications. The courses need not require dedicated laboratories with computing resources, but must make such resources available to students and give classroom demonstration in the use of such resources. Assignments will include both hand calculations and use of computer resources.  

Approved interpretation of NMEC policy stipulates that "finite mathematics, statistics, discrete mathematics, and mathematical survey courses can make excellent general education courses." Courses under a variety of disciplines fall within this stipulation and may cover such fields as number theory, chance, statistical analysis, patterns and symmetry, computer graphics, geometry as applicable in a variety of disciplines, simulations, artificial intelligence, and others.  

Therefore, in principle, courses offered by departments outside CSM may be certified as meeting the requirement if the courses employ advanced skills in mathematical sciences at the level of college algebra and beyond and include the use of technology in mathematical applications.  

4.  Advanced, discipline-centered writing  

Courses in this category must address I ) the discourse models and practices important to a specific discipline and 2) techniques of formatting, reporting, validation, and documentation required to write with authority and authenticity within the discipline. Detailed guidelines are available from the GenEd Subcommittee.  

5.  Creativity and Creative Development  

Courses approved as meeting this requirement must involve students in a specific creative activity, emphasizing symbolic, affective, and imaginative thinking in the creative activity and understanding the creative process through participating in it. They also must reflect current scholarship in the field, provide reference to theoretical frameworks and methods, and explore the critical standards central to the genre or medium.  

Group II Contexts for Liberal Learning 

A.  The Natural Sciences  

1.  Biological and Physical Sciences. The CSM Council has provided the following standards for courses meeting this requirement:  

"Courses should have as their primary thrust illustration of the quantitative and predictive nature of the natural sciences, and must use mathematics and computers at the level appropriate. In addition, all courses in this category will include as an integral part treatment of the historical development and the structural nature of the subject(s). Students must take two courses in the Biological and/or Physical Sciences, with at least one course including significant components of both lecture and laboratory. Further, the two courses chosen must -be from two different scientific disciplines, or -be two sequenced courses within one discipline."  

2.  Science, Technology, and Modem Society  

The CSM Council has provided the following standards for courses meeting this requirement:  

"Courses may be either discipline-specific or interdisciplinary and will develop one or more issues or topics of current importance to society to place them in broad scientific, technological, and societal contexts. They will help students develop a sense of social responsibility and ethics as they pertain to science, and will emphasize the approach to the problem, not the specific solution. In searching for and proposing possible solutions, students will be engaged in considering, analyzing, and evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of scientific and technological decisions that have been considered by society. These courses may provide a capstone experience within a major.

Courses in the interdisciplinary mode may be team-taught by two or more faculty members coming from different disciplines throughout the university (e.g. Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Planning, Geography, Health Sciences, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, etc.), as well as from CSM. Because the courses would be in specific areas of faculty interest and expertise, the specific subject matter of a specific course might vary from semester to semester."  

B.  American Experience  

I.  Arts and Humanities  

This subcategory should include courses from all arts and humanities disciplines as they explore American culture and traditions or provide methods for such study. Courses must in an overt way engage students in some critical assessment of how their own experience is affected by American traditions in the arts and humanities or how the methodologies of these branches of knowledge help them better understand American culture.  

2.  Social and Behavioral Studies  

This subcategory should include courses from all the social and behavioral sciences as they explore American culture and traditions or provide methods for such study. Courses must in an overt way engage students in some critical assessment of a) how social and behavioral studies of American experience extend their understanding of themselves and others or b) how the methodologies of the social and behavioral sciences help them better understand American culture, behavior, or social and political institutions.  

3.  Contemporary Studies  

Courses approved for this group might focus on a specific issue (POSC: The Conservative Agenda), a more generic issue (PHIL: Post-Modem Thought), or a clustering of issues (COSC: Information Resource Management). The specific standard is that the courses should employ some disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, or interdisciplinary ways of knowing to engage students in critical analysis of significant issues in contemporary American experience. In addition, the courses should give overt attention to how the knowledge or methodology they advance aids students in understanding the dynamics of American society.  

C.  Western Heritage  

1.      Arts and Humanities  

This subcategory includes courses from all disciplines in the arts and humanities that explore the Western Heritage or provide methods for studying its cultures and traditions. Courses approved for this category may be comparative (European/American, European/Non-Western) or of an exclusive Western focus (Women in Western Societies, Renaissance Art). The courses must in some overt way engage students in understanding how their contemporary experience is marked, positively or negatively, by the Western Heritage.  

Any course that introduces a student to a Western language (other than English) would automatically qualify as meeting this requirement.  

2.  Social and Behavioral Studies  

This subcategory includes courses from all the social and behavioral sciences as they explore the Western Heritage or provide methods for studying its cultures and traditions. Courses may compare Western and Non-Western traditions and institutions, or they may focus exclusively on Western experience. Courses must in an overt way engage students in some critical assessment of how social and behavioral studies of the Western Heritage and of the methodologies of these branches of knowledge help them better understand Western culture, behavior, or social and political institutions.  

3.  Plurality and Diversity  

Courses approved for this subcategory must explore race, class, gender, religious or ethnic traditions, or a minority issue. Interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary studies are encouraged. Courses that specifically focus on contemporary or historical issues in America must include significant exploration of how Western prejudgments, system, or traditions contribute to those issues. All courses in the group should engage students in some critical assessment of problems and potential in human diversity and a pluralistic society.  

Any courses that advance a student's understanding of a Western language or culture should qualify meeting this requirement.  

D. Global Connections  

1.  Non-Western Cultures, Languages, and Traditions  

Any course in a non-Western language would automatically qualify as meeting this requirement. Other courses must specifically or comparatively (among non-Western civilizations or between non- Western/Western civilizations) focus on content that helps students understand there are multiple modes of human expression and experience.