The UNCG
General Education Program, approved by the UNCG Faculty Senate in
March 2000, is effective for new undergraduates entering UNCG in Fall
2001 and thereafter. The Speaking Intensive (SI) General Education
Marker Requirement becomes effective Fall 2002. [All-University Liberal
Education Requirements and College Liberal Education Requirements
(AULER/CLER) and courses approved for AULER/CLER area credit in effect
for students enrolled at UNCG prior to Fall 2001 may be found in Appendix
D.]
Philosophy
of UNCG's General Education Program
The faculty and staff of The University of North Carolina
at Greensboro are dedicated to student learning and believe that the
best evidence of this commitment is the caliber of UNCG graduates.
A UNCG graduate should combine specialized education in a major with
the skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary to be a lifelong
learner, an ethical and independent decision-maker, a critical and
creative thinker, a clear and effective communicator, and a responsible
citizen.
The character and abilities of an educated person are the product
not solely of a specific battery of courses but of an entire process
of education. The mandate to foster the knowledge, character, and
sensibility of a university-educated person belongs to the entire
university, not to a single department or unit. To the extent possible,
learning in the General Education Core should provide foundations
and alternative perspectives for the more specialized knowledge gained
in the major, while learning in the major should build upon and extend
the work that is done in general education courses.
Student Learning Goals
Proficiencies
A university education should result in the student's ability to gather, comprehend, and evaluate information and to communicate this knowledge. Because such skills are important to lifelong learning and participation in a modern society, graduates should demonstrate the following proficiencies:
- ability to write and speak clearly, coherently, and effectively as well as to adapt modes of communication to one's audience
- ability to interpret academic writing and discourse in a variety of disciplines
- ability to interpret numerical data and perform basic computation
- ability to locate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information
- ability to utilize appropriate technologies
Knowledge and Understanding
A university education should also result in knowledge and understanding of a wide range of important subject matter and ways of thinking and knowing. Such knowledge and understanding are necessary for a person to be a lifelong learner, an independent decision-maker, a critical and creative thinker, and a responsible and participating citizen. Students should acquire broad knowledge and understanding of the following:
- Scientific principles and their use in scientific inquiry
- Mathematical principles and their use in solving problems
- Historical, cultural, and philosophical traditions that have shaped our diverse society
- Significant elements of the world's diversity of cultural and national experiences, and interconnections among them
- The aims and methods of intellectual, spiritual, literary, and artistic expression
- The importance that abstract ideas and artistic expression have in the process of self-understanding and in the shaping of society
- The individual, society, and interactions between them
Habits of Mind and Attributes of Character
In addition to specified proficiencies and areas of knowledge and understanding, the university-educated person should possess certain habits of mind and attributes of character. These qualities are the consequence of a total educational experience rather than any segment of it.
- Sensitivity to social and cultural differences
- Sensitivity and attentiveness to the ethical dimensions of any problem or experience
- A disposition to weigh opposing viewpoints in the balance of reason and to develop an informed perspective
- A disposition to continue learning and to welcome new knowledge and insight (intellectual curiosity)
- Openness to the value of new social, cultural, or aesthetic forms (flexibility of mind and sensibility)
- An appreciation for the broader social, intellectual, and historical contexts of individual events and situations
- Recognition of social and intellectual responsibility
To ensure that students attain these Student Learning Goals by graduation, UNCG requires that they complete the General Education Core (GEC) requirements listed below. Other requirements and opportunities in the major program, the minor program (if any), and the total undergraduate experience build on the foundation of the GEC and contribute to the attainment of these goals. Students are thus given the opportunity to work toward each goal not just in one course, but in a series of courses and learning experiences encountered from the freshman through the senior year. Alternative ways to demonstrate competencies will be available to students with documented disabilities.
General
Education Core Category/Marker Descriptions
The
following are brief descriptions of the General Education core and
marker categories, their methods and learning goals.
Humanities and Fine Arts
Literature (GLT)
Students read and write about selected works of prose and/or
poetry from diverse cultural traditions, analyzing the context, aims,
and methods of literary expression.
Fine Arts (GFA)
By focusing on painting, sculpture, architecture, drama,
dance, cinema, or music, students gain understanding of the aims and
methods of artistic expression and the role of cultural traditions
and artistic value in human society.
Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Perspectives (GPR)
For two or more significant philosophical, ethical, and/or
religious traditions, students examine and compare assumptions, modes
of thought, and attendant practices, and analyze their effects on
behavior.
Historical Perspectives (GHP)
Students use an historical approach to a specific region
and period to explore the context of events (social structure, economics,
political systems, culture, or beliefs), evaluate evidence and divergent
interpretations, and communicate historical ideas in writing.
Natural Sciences (GNS)
By focusing on the concepts of one physical or biological
science, students gain understanding of scientific inquiry as they
analyze empirical information, distinguish between primary research
and secondary reports, and communicate effectively about scientific
issues.
Mathematics (GMT)
Students gain the skills to perform computations on data,
to use mathematical principles to solve problems, and to reason with
and manipulate concepts within a mathematical system.
Reasoning and Discourse (GRD)
Students gain skills in intellectual discourse, including
constructing cogent arguments, locating, synthesizing and analyzing
documents, and writing and speaking clearly, coherently, and effectively.
Social and Behavioral Science (GSB)
By focusing on a particular discipline which studies the
behavior of individuals, groups, or organizations, students learn
to use its methodology and theoretical framework to interpret, analyze,
and evaluate the broader social contexts of individual events or situations.
Global (GL)
In a course in any subject, students focus on the interconnections
among regions of the world, interpret and evaluate information on
diverse ecologies, human societies, artisic achievements, or political
systems, and gain sensitivity to cultural differences on a global
scale.
Global/Nonwestern (GN)
In a course in any subject, students focus on the interconnections
among regions of the world other than North American, Great Britain,
and continental Europe, interpret and evaluate information on diverse
ecologies, human societies, artisic achievements, or political systems,
and gain sensitivity to cultural differences on a global scale.
Speaking Intensive (SI)
In a course in any subject, students receive instruction
in an appropriate mode of oral communication (interpersonal or small
group communication, or presentational speaking), and enhanced opportunities
to practice improvement of oral communication skills.
Writing Intensive (WI)
In a course in any subject, students demonstrate their understanding
of its concepts and materials through writing, using constructive
criticism from readers to revise drafts and produce one or more clear,
coherent, and effective written assignments appropriate to the field.
General Education Core
Requirements (GEC)
| I.
GEC Category Requirements (36-37 total hours required) |
| Select
courses as indicated from the following categories: |
Category |
Semester
Hours Required |
Humanities
and Fine Arts
- One course from
Literature list (GLT)
- One course from
Fine Arts list (GFA)
- One course from
Philosophical/Religious/
Ethical Perspectives list (GPR)
- One additional
course from any of the above
|
12
hours total
- 3 hours
- 3 hours
- 3 hours
- 3 hours
|
Historical
Perspectives (GHP)
- One course from
Historical Perspectives list
|
3
hours total
|
| Natural
Sciences (GNS) Two
courses from Natural Science list as follows:
- one must be
a laboratory course
- each must have
a different departmental prefix
|
6-7
hours total |
Mathematics
(GMT)
- One course from
Mathematics list
|
3
hours
|
Reasoning
and Discourse (GRD)
- ENG 101 or FMS
103 or RCO 101 3 hours
- One additional
course from Reasoning and
Discourse list |
6
hours
|
Social
and Behavioral Science (GSB)
- Two courses
from Social and Behavioral Science list
|
6
hours
|
| II.
GEC Marker Requirements |
| Fulfill the
following requirements: |
| One
writing intensive course
(indicated in semester Schedule of Courses by marker WI)
|
One
speaking intensive course
(indicated in semester Schedule of Courses by marker SI)
|
| Four
Global Perspectives courses
(indicated in semester Schedule of Courses by markers GL/GN)
- At least one
of the Global Perspectives courses must carry the GN (nonwestern
course) marker
- GL/GN courses
may include a maximum of two courses in a foreign language
(6 hours)
- One GL/GN course
requirement is waived for each semester completed in a credit-bearing
Study Abroad experience, up to a maximum of two course waivers.
A summer program abroad counts
as a semester.
- A foreign language
course completed to meet an admission deficiency does not
meet a GL or GN requirement.
|
Courses used to meet the Core Category Requirements (#1 above) also fulfill the Marker Requirements if the course carries the indicated marker in the semester Schedule of Courses. Other marker courses are also available, including courses in the major. It is therefore possible to meet all GE Marker Requirements while completing the courses under #1 above and/or courses required for the major.
Waivers of Marker Courses for Transfer Students
For students who
transfer to UNCG as juniors or seniors, WI courses outside the major
requirements, and two G courses are waived.
| III.
Work toward Student Learning Goals outside the GEC |
|
The General Education Core provides a foundation for progress toward the UNCG Student Learning Goals. These goals are then reinforced in the major and minor programs which students complete before graduation. In addition to the GEC and marker requirements above, all bachelor's degree programs require:
|
- At least one
writing intensive course (WI) in the major
- At least one
speaking intensive course (SI) in the major
- Proficiency
level in technology as required for the major
- Proficiency
level in information skills/research as required for the major
|
|
