University Catalog > University General Education

University General Education

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Rationale for General Education at George Mason University
Category Goals and Requirements
Approved Courses
- Foundation Requirements
- Core Requirements

Rick Davis, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education
Office of the Provost
Phone: 703-993-8722
Web: www.gmu.edu/departments/provost/gened

All undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree must complete the University General Education Program requirements. Additional requirements for specific degree programs can be found in the college or school chapters of this catalog.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Rationale for General Education at George Mason University

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”—this ringing phrase from the Declaration of Independence makes a fine statement about the ideals of general education (or, as it is more classically called, liberal education) as we strive to articulate it at Mason. Let’s take the three parts of Thomas Jefferson’s affirmation of humanity’s “unalienable rights” and see how they apply to the goals of a general, or liberal, education.

Life. A liberal education prepares us for life’s unpredictable, fascinating journey. One sobering truth about formal learning is that no matter how many courses we take or degrees we earn, we can’t master every skill and possess every piece of knowledge that we need to succeed in a dynamic world. A liberal education proposes that the highest value of the college experience is the development of our ability to continue learning, adapting, creating, and responding to an ever-changing society and career environment. A liberal education is the most practical of all, because it never goes out of date; the habits of mind it fosters help us to stay current with our careers and the life of our times.

Liberty. A liberal education takes its name from this part of Jefferson’s phrase; the root word for both the concept we so cherish and the education we practice is the Latin liber, meaning “free.” So this kind of education is meant to increase our freedom—of thought and action, from prejudice and ignorance. It is the foundation stone of citizenship as Jefferson and his contemporaries envisioned that notion, a liberty built on rights, responsibilities, and respect for differences. A liberally educated person feels free to seek knowledge and wisdom from across the whole spectrum of human experience—free to challenge the assumptions of the past (and also, after critical consideration, to accept them).

The pursuit of happiness. The liberal arts tradition provides tools for the pursuit of a happier, more fulfilled life. The definition of happiness is personal; for some, an appreciation of “the best that has been thought and said”—or composed, constructed, painted, danced, or acted—is a necessary condition for happiness. For others, it might be an understanding of the wonder of the natural universe, the ability of humans to create marvelous new inventions, or the complexities of the social fabric in an increasingly borderless world. For still others, it is a call to serve the community and the world in large and small ways, acting for the betterment of humanity. For most, it is some combination of the above. No matter the specifics; a liberal education offers the joy of discovery and the satisfaction of engagement with the largest questions of our time—and all time.

At George Mason University, we have created several ways to experience the excitement and gain the value of liberal education. The University General Education Program is detailed in the following pages; the New Century College First-Year Experience, pp. 205; the Mason Topics Program, pp. 178; and, for a small group of outstanding students, the Honors Program in General Education, pp. 166. Though their approaches are very different, as befits the creative spirit and diverse nature of our university, they are united in their commitment to the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Category Goals and Requirements

Foundation Requirements

Foundation requirements help ensure that students are equipped with the tools and techniques necessary to succeed in college and throughout their lives and careers. These courses emphasize skills—in writing, speaking, and working with numbers and technology—that can be applied to any major field of study.

Written communication goal: Students develop the ability to use written communication as a means of discovering and expressing ideas and meanings: in short, writing as a way of thinking. Students begin this process at the fundamental level in English 101 (100 for ESL students) and build higher-level skills in English 302. Writing will be emphasized in many courses throughout a student’s career, and at least one course in every student’s major is designated “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. Courses provide opportunities for students to learn to express themselves in public or group settings, apply critical thinking skills to public messages, and gain understanding of the cultural, psychological, political, and practical significance of communication, with a special emphasis on the role of communication in a free society.

Required: One approved course. Students will be expected to continue developing oral communication skills in additional general education courses as appropriate.

Quantitative reasoning goal: Students develop the ability to use and critically evaluate numerical information, and create and critique logical arguments using quantitative reasoning. Courses are intended to give students the capability to reason quantitatively through the examination of important problems and ideas. Students must take a placement exam to determine their proficiency before attempting courses that satisfy this requirement. Those who demonstrate a higher proficiency may choose among an approved set of courses that develop quantitative reasoning, while those with basic proficiency must satisfy this requirement with one course, MATH 106.

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, or 125; or IT/STAT 250. (Students are assumed to have achieved satisfactory completion of the high school math required for admission.)

Information technology (IT) goal: Students develop a command of basic software and hardware concepts, terminology and functions, and file and data structures. They also use appropriate electronic tools for data organization and search, including databases, web browsers, and search engines; data analysis, including spreadsheets, geographic information systems, and statistical software; and data presentation and communication, including text, electronic slides, web pages, graphs, presentation software, HTML, word processing, and e-mail.

Ethics component: 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 include computer security, privacy laws, public policy issues and professional codes of ethics, intellectual property issues, copyright, security, and financial data.

Required: One approved 3-credit course to meet all IT requirements, or completion of an appropriate combination of courses, proficiency exams, and modules.

Core Requirements

Core requirements help ensure that students are introduced to the broad range of intellectual domains that contribute to a liberal education. By gaining exposure to the subject matter and ways of knowing in a variety of fields, students will be better able to synthesize new knowledge, respond to fresh challenges, and meet the demands of a complex world.

Literature goal: Courses 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.