Information on specific offerings (times, rooms, instructors) will be found in the Class Schedule which is printed in advance of fall and spring semesters and may be purchased in the Bookstore. Experimental and variable topic courses which are offered each semester can be found in the Class Schedule.
Departments indicate the semester in which they expect to offer the course by the use of F (fall), S (spring), F,S (each semester), and A (alternate years). This key is indicated following the course title in this Bulletin. While the university will make every effort to follow this announced schedule, the semester of offering is subject to change without prior notice when unusual circumstances require it.
COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM
Because of the differences in the organization and content of the various disciplines and professions, there is no uniform, reasonable way of numbering courses that would be equally useful in all fields of knowledge.
In general it may be assumed that advances in division level (lower, upper, graduate) correlate with more difficult and challenging academic work. Sometimes, however, disciplines organize their course numbering partly in terms of criteria other than degree of difficulty. It should be noted, too, that some students find introductory courses to be more demanding than advanced, specialized courses. In such courses, a more comprehensive approach and the first exposure to new ways of thinking may be harder for some individuals than covering a smaller, more familiar, area in much greater detail. Also, please note that the 9000-9999 series is designated for professional level courses which award Continuing Education Units (CEUs). CEUs are nationally recognized units of measurement for participation in education and training programs for which academic credit is not awarded. The following course numbering system is used at this university:
0- 99 remedial instruction and non-credit courses (units and grades earned will not count towards graduation requirements) 100-299 lower division 300-699 upper division 700-899 graduate courses 900-999 joint doctoral courses 9000-9999 professional level courses offered for Continuing Education units (CEUs); may neither be applied to nor substi- tuted for graduation requirements.
EXPERIMENTAL AND TEMPORARY COURSES
All departments are authorized to offer experimental or temporary courses. These are not specifically described in the Bulletin. Descriptions should be obtained from the department when such courses appear in the printed Class Schedule. The numbers 274, 277, 674, 677, 874, and 877 are used by all departments to designate lower division, upper division, and graduate levels, respectively. The standard Bulletin description for these courses is:
REMEDIAL INSTRUCTION AND NON-CREDIT COURSES
Courses numbered 0-99 are remedial courses. Units and grades earned will not count towards meeting graduation requirements.
INTERNATIONAL STUDY COURSES
San Francisco State University provides the opportunity for students enrolled in the California State University International Programs to receive credit for special study or for subjects taken at universities abroad. For details of the program, consult the Index. The numbers 292, 492, and 792 are used to designate lower division, upper division and graduate levels, respectively. Transcript designation will be IS 292, 492, 792.
SPECIAL STUDY
Under special study courses, upper division and graduate students can pursue topics or problems of special interest beyond the scope of a regular course under the supervision of a faculty adviser. The work is of a research or creative nature, and normally culminates in a paper, project, comprehensive examination, or performance. Before registering, the student must have the topic approved by the instructor who will be supervising the independent study, as well as by the adviser and the department chair. (Forms are available in department offices.) The course numbers for special study are 699 and 899. In most cases, special study courses may be repeated for credit.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
The forms and methods of teaching vary widely in specific classes. The more traditional methods of lecturing, discussion, laboratory work, and individually supervised research or projects are being supplemented by such learning resources as group and individual exercises, television, films and records, videotaping, and the use of the computer. Modern specialized facilities and equipment are used in many courses in different fields. These include: laboratories for teaching the sciences, a planetarium, studios for teaching the fine arts; a variety of facilities for teaching communications; a language laboratory for teaching foreign languages and linguistics courses; a speech and hearing clinic; the Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies; the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories; the Sierra Nevada Field Campus.
San Francisco State University encourages experimentation and innovation in teaching and welcomes a diversity of approaches. Increasingly and with growing help from students, efforts are being made on the campus to examine, evaluate, and improve the learning experiences.
CALIFORNIA ARTICULATION NUMBER (CAN) SYSTEM
The California Articulation Number (CAN) identifies some of the transferable, lower division, introductory (preparatory) courses commonly taught within academic disciplines on California college and university campuses.
The system assures students that CAN courses on one participating campus will be accepted "in lieu of" the comparable CAN participating course for the major on another participating campus. For example, a qualified CAN course prefixed as CAN ECON 2 will be accepted for a course prefixed with the same CAN ECON 2 offered on another CAN participating campus. San Francisco State University participates in the California Articulation Number System. The following SFSU courses have been designated as CAN courses:
CAN Subject SFSU Course Prefix Number Number SFSU Course Title CAN ANTH 2 ANTH 100 Introduction to Biological Anthropology CAN ANTH 4 ANTH 120 Introductory Social and Cultural Anthropology CAN ANTH 6 ANTH 110 Introduction to Archaeology CAN ART 2 ART 201 Western Art History I CAN ART 6 ART 245 Exploration in Ceramics CAN ART 12 ART 240 Exploration in Sculpture CAN ART 18 ART 260 Exploration in Photography CAN ART 20 ART 235 Exploration in Drawing and Printmaking CAN CHEM 2 CHEM 111 General Chemistry I CAN CHEM 4 CHEM 113+ General Chemistry II and CHEM 114 Laboratory CAN CHEM SEQ A CHEM 111+ General Chemisty I CHEM 113+ General Chemisty II and CHEM 114 Laboratory CAN CSCI 20 CSC 210 Introduction to Computer Programming CAN DRAM 6 TH A 223 Voice I: Skills CAN DRAM 8 TH A 130 Acting Workshop I CAN ECON 2 ECON 100 Introduction to Economic Analysis I CAN ECON 4 ECON 101 Introduction to Economic Analysis II CAN ENGL 2 ENG 114 First Year Written Composition CAN ENGL 6 CW 101 Introduction to Creative Writing CAN ENGL 20 ENG 151 The Short Poem in English CAN ENGR 4 ENGR 200 Materials of Engineering CAN ENGR 6 ENGR 205+ Electronic Networks ENGR 206 Electric Circuits and Instrumentation CAN ENGR 8 ENGR 102 Statics CAN ENGR 12 ENGR 205 Electronic Network CAN GEOG 2 GEOG 101 Our Physical Environment CAN GEOG 4 GEOG 102 The Human Environment CAN GEOL 2 GEOL 110 Physical Geology CAN GEOL 4 GEOL 115 Historical Geology CAN GOVT 2 PLSI 200 American Politics CAN H EC 2 CFS 252 Nutrition CAN H EC 4 CFS 240 Color and Design CAN H EC 8 CFS 150 Food Study CAN H EC 10 CFS 160 Clothing Study I CAN H EC 20 CFS 161 Clothing Analysis CAN HIST 2 HIST 110 History of Western Civilization I CAN HIST 4 HIST 111 History of Western Civilization II CAN HIST 8 HIST 120 History of the U.S. to 1865 CAN HIST 10 HIST 121 History of the U.S. Since 1865 CAN JOUR 2 JOUR 221 Newswriting CAN JOUR 4 JOUR 200 Journalism and Mass Media CAN MATH 4 MATH 165 Concepts of the Number Systems CAN MATH 8 MATH 107 Plane Trigonometry CAN MATH 16 MATH 109 Pre-Calculus Mathematics CAN MATH 26 MATH 246 Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra CAN MATH SEQ C MATH 220+ Calc. & Analytic Geometry I MATH 221+ Calc. & Analytic Geometry II MATH 222+ Calc. & Analytic Geometry III MATH 223 Calc. & Analytic Geometry IV CAN PHIL 2 PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy CAN PHIL 4 PHIL 150 Contemporary Moral Issues CAN PHYS 2 PHYS 111+ General Physics I and PHYS 112 Laboratory CAN PHYS 4 PHYS 121+ General Physics II and PHYS 122 Laboratory CAN PHYS 8 PHYS 220+ General Physics w/Calculus I and PHYS 222 Laboratory CAN PHYS 12 PHYS 230+ General Physics w/Calculus II and PHYS 232 Laboratory CAN PHYS SEQ A PHYS 111+ General Physics I and PHYS 112+ Laboratory PHYS 121+ General Physics II and PHYS 122 Laboratory CAN PSY 2 PSY 200 General Psychology CAN REC 2 REC 200 Introduction to Recreation and Leisure Services CAN SPCH 4 SPCH 150 Fundamentals of Oral Communication CAN SOC 2 SOC 105 Sociological Perspectives CAN STAT 2 MATH 124 Elementary StatisticsSFSU CAN courses are listed in brackets in the course description section of the university Bulletin.
What is course articulation? Course articulation is the written agreement between San Francisco State University and another institution; e.g., either a California community college, a University of California, a California State University, or an independent college or university, to accept a specific course(s) completed at a transfer institution to meet a specific major course requirement at SFSU. Faculty in each discipline review courses and approve all agreements. The agreements authorize the acceptance of one course or a sequence of courses "in lieu of" another for transferring students. Articulated courses are not to be construed as "equivalent" but rather as comparable courses; i.e., the content is such that similar outcomes are assured and advancement to the next level of instruction is appropriate.
What is the California Articulation Number (CAN) System? The California Articulation Number (CAN) System is a cross-reference course identification system for many lower division, transferable courses commonly taught on college campuses.
How does the California Articulation Number System work? The basic premise of the California Articulation Number System is that identically CAN pre-fixed and numbered courses are acceptable "in lieu of" each other for the major. Example: SFSU CFS 252 is identified as CAN H Ec 2 CFS 252. A course from a CAN participating transfer institution identifying their course with the same CAN subject prefix and number, CAN H Ec 2, is considered comparable. Campuses using CAN have access to articulated courses reviewed and approved by colleagues from many other campuses in their discipline.
What should I do? Transfer students, wishing "in lieu of" transfer credit for a SFSU CAN designated course listed in the preceding section, should first consult both their transfer campus(es) catalog for the qualified CAN course(s) successfully completed and the list of SFSU qualified CAN courses to determine course to course comparability. Students are advised to consult with the major department for course to course comparability credit, course planning, and general major advisement.
For more details and additional information on the California Articulation Number (CAN) System, contact the SFSU department represented in CAN or the Articulation Officer, Office of Undergraduate Studies, SFSU.
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last modified July 19, 1995