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University General Education
University General Education
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Web: www.gmu.edu/departments/provost/gened/
Phone: 703-993-8770
Marilyn Mobley McKenzie, Associate Provost for Educational Programs Office
of the Provost
University General Education Requirements
All undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree at George Mason University
must complete the University General Education requirements. Additional requirements
for specific degree programs can be found in this catalog in each college or school
chapter.
The General Education Mission At George Mason University
The mission of George Mason University's General Education Program is to educate,
liberate, and broaden the mind, and to instill lifelong love of learning. In conjunction
with each student's major program of study and other electives, minors, or certificates,
this program seeks to produce graduates with intellectual vision, creative abilities,
and moral sensibility, as well as the skills to assure a well-rounded and useable
education.
The General Education Program seeks four specific goals:
1. General education courses should first ensure that all undergraduates develop
skills in information gathering, written and oral communication, and analytical
and quantitative reasoning.
2. General education courses should expose students to the development of knowledge
by emphasizing major domains of thought and methods of inquiry.
3. General education courses should enable students to attain a breadth of
knowledge that supports their specializations and contributes to their education
in both personal and professional ways.
4. General education courses should encourage students to make important connections
across boundaries (for example: among disciplines; between the university and
the external world; between the United States and other countries).
Summary of University-Wide General Education Requirements
Effective fall 2001. Course list reflects approved courses as of press
time. Please consult the George Mason web site www.gmu.edu/departments/provost/gened/index.html
for additional courses approved for University General Education. List will be
updated periodically as needed.
A. Foundation Requirements
Written Communication (6 credits: 3 lower, 3 upper)
ENGL 100 or 101, 302
Oral Communication (3 credits)
COMM 100, 101, 104
Information Technology (IT, all)
ADJ 300; ANTH 395; CHEM 350; GOVT 300; IT 103; MUSI 415
Information Technology (IT, all except Ethics)
AVT 180; CS 112; *PSYC 300, *PSYC 301, *PSYC 372, *PSYC 300, 301, and 372 must
be taken in a sequence; SOCI 410
Information Technology Ethics (IT Ethics)
CS 105 (1 credit), CS 305 (3 credits); ENGR 107 (2 credits); PHIL 112 (1 credit)
Quantitative Reasoning (3 credits)
IT 250; MATH 106, 108, 110, 111, 113, 115, 125; STAT 250
B. Core Requirements
Literature (3 credits)
CHIN 310, 311, 328; CLAS 250, 260, 340, 350, 360, 380; ENGL 201; FREN 325,
329; FRLN 332; GERM 325; PHIL 253; RUSS 325-327; SPAN 325
Fine Arts (3 credits)
ARTH 101, 102, 200, 201, 321, 322, 324, 333, 334, 341, 342, 344, 373, 394;
AVT 103, 104, 215, 222, 232, 243, 262, 272; DANC 101, 125, 131, 145, 161, 390,
391; ENGL 332; MUSI 100, 101, 102, 107, 301, 302, 380, 381-385,387, 389, 485;
THR 101, 150, 151, 195, 210, 230
U.S. History (3 credits)
HIST 120
Western Civilization (3 credits)
HIST 100
Social and Behavioral Science (3 credits)
ADJ 100; ANTH 114, 120, 135, 396; CONF 101: ECON 100, 103, 104, 110 and 111;
GEOG 103; GOVT 101, 103; LING 326; PSYC 100, 211, 231; SOAN 190; SOCI 101; WMST
200
Global Understanding (3 credits)
ADJ 405; ANTH 302, 304, 306, 309, 311-313, 331-333, 385; ARTH 203, 319, 320,
380, 382-385; CEIE 100; COMM 305, 456; DANC 118; ECON 360, 361, 380, 390; ENGL
349, 350; GEOG 101; GLOA 101; GOVT 132, 133, 149; HIST 125, 130, 251, 252, 261,
262, 271, 272, 281, 282, 328, 329, 356, 364, 365, 387, 459, 460, 462; MSOM 305;
MUSI 103, 431; RELI 100, 211, 212, 313, 315, 341, 374, 490; RUSS 353, 354; SOCI
332; SPAN 322; THR 359; TOUR 210; WMST 100
Natural Science (7 credits):
Non-Lab (3 credits):
BIOL 305; CHEM 101, 102, 201, 202; GEOG 102; UNIV 301
Lab (4 credits):
ASTR 111, 112, 113, 114; BIOL 103, 104, 213, 303, 304, 305, 306; CHEM 103,
104, 155, 156, 211, 212, 251; EVPP 110, 111; GEOL 101, 102; PHYS 103, 104, 160,
243, 244, 245, 246, 260, 261, 262, 263
C. Synthesis Requirement
Synthesis
ADJ 303; ANTH 400; ARTH 494; AVT 497; BINF 354; BIOL 301; CEIE 490; COMM 326,
362, 454; CS 306, 491; DANC 490; ECE 447, ECE 492, 493; ECON 309; ENGL 325; GOVT
490, 491; HIST 300, 499; IT 492; MUSI 490; NURS/HSCI 465; PHIL 309, 377; RELI
490; SOM 498; SOCW 323; SYST 495; THR 440, 496; UNIV 342; 442
Interim Synthesis
These courses expire August 14, 2005:
BIS 490; CAS 313; FREN 476; SPAN 461, 466
Category Goals and Requirements are described below.
University-Wide General Education Category Goals and
Requirements
A. Foundation Requirements:
Written Communication
Goal: Courses emphasize written communication as a way of thinking and
discovering ideas and meanings, as well as expressing them. Students must develop
basic writing skills at the freshman level in English 101 (100 for ESL students)
and build on those skills in English 302. In addition, at least one course in
a student's major must be "writing-intensive."
Required: English 101 (or 100), 302, and an approved writing-intensive
course in the major.
Oral Communication
Goal: Students develop the ability to use oral communication as a way
of thinking and learning as well as sharing ideas with others. Courses in oral
communication will provide students with the ability to express themselves in
public or group settings. Students should gain an understanding of the cultural,
psychological, political and practical significance of communication, with special
emphasis on the role of communication in a free society. Through oral presentations,
group discussions, and critical assessment of public messages, students will come
to understand various modes of communication, and will improve their oral communication
skills. They should also learn how to support and defend their positions, how
to respond to different communication situations, and how to clearly organize
and develop ideas. By developing an understanding of the importance of communication
in society, students will also learn to respect the freedom of expression of all
members of the community.
Required: One approved course; increased emphasis on oral communication
in appropriate General Education courses.
Quantitative Reasoning
Goal: Student will develop the ability to use and critically evaluate
numerical information, and to create and critique logical arguments using quantitative
reasoning. Courses in the "Quantitative Reasoning" category are intended to give
students the capability to reason quantitatively through exposure and practice
grounded in important problems and ideas. To ensure skills, a basic proficiency
established through a test is required before attempting courses that satisfy
this requirement. Students who demonstrate a higher proficiency level may choose
among an approved set of courses that develop quantitative reasoning, while those
with basic proficiency are only required to satisfy this requirement with the
particular course Math 106, designed to advance students to the higher proficiency
level.
Required: Math 106; or if the student has achieved an appropriate placement
score on quantitative skills, one of the following: Math 108, 110, 111, 113, 115,
125 or IT/STAT 250. (Students are assumed to have achieved satisfactory completion
of the high school math required for admission.)
Information Technology
Goal: Students will be expected to:
1. possess a command of basic software and hardware concepts, terminology and
functions, and file/data structures, and will be expected to
2. use appropriate electronic tools in order to do the following:
a. Data organization and search, e.g., databases, web browsers, search engines;
b. data analysis, e.g., spreadsheets, GIS, Statistical software;
c. data presentation and communication, e.g., text, electronic slides, web
pages, graphs, presentation software, HTML, word processing, e-mail.
3. In addition, students are required to have classroom experience in, knowledge
of, and appreciation for fundamental ethical issues relating to IT and our changing
world. These issues may include, but are not limited to, computer security, privacy
laws, public policy issues and professional codes of ethics, intellectual property
issues, copyright, security, and financial data.
Required: Passing one approved three-credit course to meet all IT requirements,
or completion of an appropriate combination of courses, proficiency examinations
and/or modules.
B. Core Requirements
Literature
Goal: Courses in the literature category foster understanding and appreciation
of the aesthetic, cultural, historical, and intellectual aspects of major literary
works through critical analysis. Students will identify, analyze, write about,
and discuss aspects of theme, plot, central idea, narrative, audience, perspective,
figurative language, and the relationship between structure and ideas.
Required: One approved course.
Arts
Goal: Students develop an understanding of the aesthetic and intellectual
components of the arts through either critical analysis of major artistic works
or through creative work of their own. Courses in the arts category are intended
to give students knowledge and understanding of the arts through critical and/or
historical analysis, theory, and/or practice. Arts courses provide distinctive
modes of thought, ways of working, and avenues for student achievement, and establish
a foundation for ongoing intellectual and artistic development. Some courses will
emphasize the development of artistic technique, problem solving and the creative/interdisciplinary
process, and others will focus on developing aesthetic sensibility and understanding
historical and cultural contexts.
Required: One approved course.
Natural Science
Goal: Courses in this category are intended to provide students with
an understanding of natural science. The critical approach of the scientific method,
the relation of theory and experiment, the use of quantitative and qualitative
information, and the development and elaboration of major ideas in science are
addressed.
Required: Two approved science courses; a course offering an overview
of the principles of physics, chemistry and life sciences will be one of the two
courses required of some students. At least one course will have laboratory experience.
U.S. History
Goal: Course enables students to develop an understanding of the institutions
and traditions of our society from its founding documents, values, and institutionsonward
to the present. Attention to the processes of historical analysis will be fundamental
to the course.
Required: One required course.
Western Civilization
Goal: Course covers the period of western civilization from the Greek
and Roman civilizations to the contemporary era. Students will develop awareness
and understanding of a major civilization that has influenced thought, culture
and politics in the United States and in the world.
Required: One required course.
Global Understanding
Goal: Courses in the "Global Understanding" category examine some of
the principal global issues and concerns that shape our world today. After completing
a course from this category, students will be able to analyze (that is, identify
the causes and consequences of change in) significant global issues. While some
courses may deal with a specific global problem, institution, or issue, others
may focus on a specific area or region outside the contemporary Western world
by incorporating specific comparisons of several cultures. All courses in this
category help students develop an understanding of global issues as well as an
awareness of how these issues are perceived and dealt with in different cultural
and historical traditions and, where relevant, by different formal and informal
institutions throughout the world. That is, these courses stress the interconnectedness,
difference, and diversity that are central to understanding and operating in a
global society.
Required: One approved course.
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Goal: Courses in this category are intended to provide students with
an understanding of the social and behavioral sciences. Students will be engaged
in reasoning using the methods of the social and behavioral sciences, including
the scientific method, the use of quantitative and qualitative information, and
the analysis of empirical observations in relation to theory. The development
of major ideas in social science is also addressed in this category.
Required: One approved course.
C. Synthesis Requirement
Synthesis
Goal: Students will engage in the connection of meaning and the synthesis
of knowledge. Synthesis courses may link issues in the student's major to wider
intellectual and community concerns. Other courses might be interdisciplinary.
This course may be a capstone course in the major. This component also requires
students to demonstrate advanced skills in oral and written presentation. This
demonstration will build not only on the communication and synthesis experience
of the third year, but also on the recurrent attention to these skills in the
whole General Education program, from the foundation courses onward.
Required: One approved upper-division course.
Interim Synthesis
All courses in this category fulfill the same requirements as the synthesis
requirement aforementioned. Courses in this category will only satisfy the synthesis
requirement through August 14, 2005. Students who enroll in these courses after
this date will not receive synthesis credit.
Note: Interim courses may move to permanent status prior to the August 14,
2005 deadline. Please visit the web site for updates:
http://www.gmu.edu/departments/provost/gened/index.html
English Composition Requirement
The university requires students to complete at least two semesters of English
composition. Please see the catalog section on Academic Policies for specific
details.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirement
In addition to English composition and, as part of the university's commitment
to literacy in all programs, at least one course in each major has been designated
"writing intensive." Please see the catalog section on Academic Policies for specific
details of this university requirement. See the description of each major for
the specific courses that fulfill this requirement in that major. |
