Bulletin

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: INTRODUCTION

What is the purpose of General Education? The purpose of general education is to develop a breadth of knowledge that will sustain the community and enrich the life of its members. By liberating the mind from the bonds of preconception, enhancing the ability to reason critically and communicate effectively, and developing an appreciation and understanding of the richness and diversity of society, general education strives to prepare individuals who can address the fundamental issues of our time.

The program is designed to encourage students to:

Develop essential skills in written and oral communication, critical thinking, and quantitative methods, as a foundation for further study.
Develop understanding of the three broad domains of liberal arts learning—physical and biological sciences, behavioral and social sciences, humanities and creative arts—and relationships among them.
Increase understanding of the importance and interdependence of theory and practice.
Enhance understanding of themselves as integrated biological, psychological, and social individuals.
Develop appreciation and understanding of the richness and diversity of America's racial and ethnic heritage as well as the cultural, ethnic, and social pluralism of this and other countries.

The general education curriculum is divided into three segments with distinctive, but interrelated, objectives. These are Segment I, Basic Subjects; Segment II, Arts and Sciences Core; and Segment III, Relationships of Knowledge.

Segment I: Basic Subjects

The hallmarks of an educated person include the ability to communicate with clarity and force, to read with discrimination and understanding, and to think with precision and creativity. The Basic Subjects curriculum develops a disciplined use of language for effective written and oral communication skills, and builds disciplined thought processes for sharpened analytic abilities. Quantitative reasoning, in turn, helps the student develop greater competence and confidence to reason and make judgments about mathematically-based information.

Segment II: Arts and Sciences Core

The Arts and Sciences Core helps students develop an understanding of the contributions to and influences on our world of the physical and biological sciences, social sciences, humanities, and creative arts. Through study of the arts and sciences, students are introduced to theories and methods of inquiry and assessment particular to these disciplines and to how this knowledge is applicable to an understanding and appreciation of others and oneself. Students are exposed to multiple ways of acquiring knowledge and encouraged to participate actively in creative endeavors. Within Segment II, students gain information that will be useful to their lifelong personal development (LLD—Lifelong Development) and to their development as active and constructive participants in a diverse society (AERM—American and Ethnic Racial Minorities).

Through the physical and biological sciences curriculum, students develop skills in applying the scientific method to the search for understanding of the components and processes that constitute our physical and biological worlds, and an understanding of the connections between scientific developments and contemporary issues that affect our lives.

Through the behavioral and social sciences, students enhance the understanding of themselves and others as psychological and social beings. The curriculum develops skills for analyzing human behavior and for evaluating facts and principles relevant to making social policy. Course work is aimed toward fostering civic and global responsibility and an appreciation for diverse values and cultural traditions, past and present.

In the humanities and arts, students are urged to explore fundamental questions regarding human values, aesthetics, and expression. The curriculum is dedicated to stimulating reflective thinking, imagination and creativity; to increasing civic and global responsibility; to cultivating moral action; and to building the communication skills needed to express the best of what it means to be human.

Segment III: Relationships of Knowledge

In Segment III, Relationships of Knowledge, students choose a focused and coherent theme of study that challenges them to integrate and apply the skills and knowledge developed in undergraduate studies. Students may pursue the identification, investigation, and resolution of significant societal concerns; or students may develop an in-depth understanding of human achievements by focusing on study of a particular cultural perspective. Every cluster requires the demonstration of an appreciation for cultural pluralism and for the diversity of human experience, values, and contributions of various groups such as ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, cultural, age, dominant, non-dominant, sexual, gender, and disabled.

Summary of the 48-unit General Education Requirements

Segment I: Basic Subjects					Units
Written Communications						 3
Oral Communications						 3
Critical Thinking						 3
Quantitative Reasoning						 3
	Total units in Segment I				12

Segment II: Arts and Sciences Core
Physical and Biological Sciences (LLD) (L/F)			 9
Behavioral and Social Sciences (LLD) (AERM)			 9
Humanities and Creative Arts (LLD) (AERM)			 9
	Total units in Segment II				27

Segment III: Relationships of Knowledge
Upper Division Residence Units in a Thematic Cluster (including
 a Cultural Ethnic or Social Diversity component (CESD)		 9
	Total units in Segment III (CESD)			 9

	Total Units in General Education			48

Who must complete the 48-unit General Education requirements?

Students must complete the 48-unit General Education requirements listed above, if they were admitted to SFSU in Fall 1981 or thereafter. Students may be eligible to complete the 40-unit General Studies Program requirements: (1) if they were enrolled in a California community college or a campus of the California State University system prior to Fall 1981 and attended at least one semester or two quarters every calendar year thereafter (excluding summer sessions); or (2) if they were readmitted to SFSU with at least 90 units of college work completed overall, and if they had completed at least 30 units of this total at SFSU, and if they were placed under the 40-unit General Studies Program requirements when they previously attended SFSU. Students should consult an adviser in the Advising Center, ADM 212, for specific information on the 40-unit General Studies Program requirements.

How does a transfer student get credit for General Education courses taken at another university?

If students are California community college or California State University transfers, they will be given credit for specific general education requirements which their former institutions have certified as completed. If they are transfer students from another public or private college, they will be given appropriate GE credit when these courses have been determined by the evaluators to meet SFSU's specific GE requirements.

When students have partially fulfilled a GE requirement at another institution, they must complete the remaining part of the requirement with courses from SFSU's currently approved list of GE courses. If they are newly admitted transfer students, they will receive an SFSU "Advanced Standing Evaluation Form." This document identifies those SFSU GE requirements that students have completed as well as those that they still need to complete. If students have questions about the placement of transfer courses on their "Advanced Standing Evaluation Form" for GE credit, they should inquire in the Admissions Office, ADM 253. To determine the correct way to complete their remaining GE requirements, transfer students are strongly encouraged to complete the "Academic Progress Record," which can be found in the Class Schedule. Attendance at an orientation or Advising Center GE workshop as soon as possible after admission is highly recommended.

How do transfer students know their Bulletin year?

This information is part of each student's admission letter packet.

What is an ASE?

An Advanced Standing Evaluation (ASE) is a form which summarizes a student's transfer course work and tells how the work meets General Education and other university requirements. This form is sent to students before the end of their first semester at SFSU.

Can I use the same course for General Education and for my major?

Yes, a maximum of twelve units used to meet General Education requirements may also be used in the major. Although the courses meet two different requirements, the units count only once. There are specific limitations on double counting in Segment III.

Can I use the same course to satisfy Segment II and Segment III requirements?

No, a course used to safisfy a Segment II requirement may not also be used to satisfy a Segment III cluster requirement. For example, BIOL 330 is listed in both Segments II and III. A student may use this course to satisfy either Segment II or Segment III, but not both. See Segment III General Requirements.

Can I use the same class to meet General Education and U.S. History and Government requirements?

No, students may not double count courses taken at SFSU toward both General Education requirements and the U.S. History and Government requirement. Engineering majors should consult the Engineering GE adviser for exceptions.

Can I earn GE credit for college-level learning that I acquired through prior work or life experience?

Yes. The CEEL (Credit by Evaluation for Experiential Learning) Program provides an alternative method of earning General Education or general elective credit for those students who have acquired prior college-level learning for which no college credit has been awarded. To obtain further information about the CEEL Program and workshops, contact Tony Bithorn at 338-2948.

Bulletin 1994-96 Table of Contents, SFSU Home Page

last modified January 13, 1995