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USF 1995-96 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 39 - 43

Liberal Arts Requirements

Beginning in the Summer, 1994, the General Education Requirements were replaced with the Liberal Arts Requirements. All new students and Former Students Returning are required to take 45 semester hours to satisfy the complete liberal arts requirements. Thirty-six (36) semester hours will satisfy the general education course requirements and 9 semester hours will satisfy the exit requirements. These requirements are distributed as follows:

General Education Requirements* (Semester Hours) English Composition - 6
Quantitative Methods - 6
Natural Sciences - 6
Social Sciences - 6
Historical Perspectives - 6
Fine Arts - 3
African, Latin American, Middle Eastern or Asian Perspectives - 3
Total General Education Requirements - 36

Exit Requirements*
Major Works and Major Issues - 6
Literature and Writing - 3
*Courses may be certifed in more than one area, but students may use each course in only one (1) area.

Courses in the liberal arts requirements should incorporate the following components whenever they are relevant to the specific discipline: the learning skills of conceptual thinking, analytical thinking, creative thinking, written expression, oral expression, and the dimensions of values and ethics, international perspecitves, environmental perspectives, race and ethnicity, and gender. When warranted by the subject matter, each course must incorporate consideration of at least one of the dimensions and one of the thinking skills to meet the liberal arts requirements.

Departments should ensure that courses proposed for the liberal arts have sufficient depth and breadth. These courses will share the substantive rigor and intellectual challenge of courses offered for major credit, with the specific feature of offering an integrative perspective of the discipline and its relationship to academia as a whole. Additionally, such courses will encourage majors to interact with students from other disciplinary backgrounds.

Whenever possible, courses will encourage creativity and discipline in the written and oral uses of language. The writing experience for students will emphasize the qualitative aspects of developing writing skills. Writing requirements will entail substantive feedback for students rather than merely the correction of spelling and punctuation. The goal is to include a writing component in all appropriate liberal arts course requirements, even if this component is not equivalent to the Gordon Rule requirement. Courses will also encourage the development of oral expression skills. Students should be given opportunities to improve the ability to express ideas orally, and to listen and comprehend with the ear and eye attuned to both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Oral skills can be enhanced by employing active learning techniques such as student presentations, instructor-student dialogues, debates, and discussion groups.

It is essential that the information about the dimensions of values and ethics, international perspectives, environmental perspectives, race and ethnicity, and gender be integrated, whenever possible, throughout courses included in the new requirements, rather than provided as a separate set of lectures or activities. While a particular course may emphasize only one or two of these themes, the liberal arts requirement in its entirety will have a significant portion of its course content devoted to these dimensions. This requirement may necessitate a revision of the ways in which many courses are taught. The University is committed to supporting faculty as they prepare to teach these new aspects of the curriculum. Opportunities for faculty workshops will be made available through the Center for Teaching Enhancement.

A student's liberal arts education will continue throughout the college years and not be limited to a relatively small number of required courses in the first two years of college. Exit requirements will provide students with an opportunity during their junior and senior years at USF to integrate their knowledge within the context of liberal arts. Courses that satisfy the exit requirements will, where appropriate, incorporate considerations of values and ethics; international and environmental perspectives; race and ethnicity; and gender. By their junior and senior years, students will have a foundation in liberal arts and be better able to reflect upon ethical issues in a constructive way.

In the major works and major issues courses, students will build upon the principles, concepts, and knowledge acquired in lower-division courses. The major works strengthen their knowledge of disciplines related to their majors or careers or to develop depth and/or breadth in areas of interest that are not necessarily related to their majors.

The literature and writing requirement is intended to provide an opportunity for students to continue their liberal arts education by allowing students to read significant literature of the world and write at least 6,000 words.

All exit requirement courses will be seminar-size courses in which enrollment will be targeted at approximately 20 to 25 students. These courses will be taught by regular faculty.

GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE REQUIREMENTS

(36 Semester Hours)

English Composition: This requirement consists of a minimum of six (6) semester hours of approved course work in English Composition. Students may satisfy this requirement during the second semester freshman level of composition in the following ways: by earning a letter grade of "C" or better at USF or another institution, by obtaining a sufficient score on the CLEP Freshman English test, or by receiving AP English credit. With the exception of the CLEP test, these courses will also allow students to meet a portion of their State of Florida rule 6A-10.30 Gordon Rule requirements. To satisfy the Gordon Rule, students must earn a letter grade of "C" or better in these courses.

Quantitative Methods: Competence in a minimum of six (6) semester hours of approved mathematics coursework at the level of college algebra or higher is required. These courses should include both a practical component, providing students with an appreciation of how course content relates to their everyday experiences; and a historical component, providing students wih an understanding of the application of the material to other disciplines. At least three (3) semester hours must be taken in a mathematics department. The remaining hours may be taken in any approved mathematics, statistics, or logic courses that include both a practical and historical component as previously described.

Natural Sciences: Students should successfully complete a minimum of six (6) semester hours of approved coursework in the natural sciences. Students are encouraged to enroll in courses with a laboratory component. It is a goal that all students have at least one science course with a laboratory; however, facilities and personnel resources prohibit that requirement at this time. Courses may be interdisciplinary. The courses may deal with the content, theories, history, presuppositions, and methods of the discipline. They will include demonstrations and address problems, ambiguities, and different perspectives in the discipline. They will also provide students with an appreciation of how the discipline fits within the natural sciences and relates to their own lives and the broader human experience.

Social Sciences: Students must successfully complete a minimum of six (6) semester hours of approved coursework in the social sciences; the courses may be interdisciplinary and need not be sequential. Courses in the social sciences shall involve those disciplines considered to be social sciences in that they deal theoretically and empirically with individuals and their relationships to each other and to society. Courses must deal with the content, theories, history, presuppositions, and methods of the discipline. They should also address problems, ambiguities, and different perspectives in the discipline. These courses will provide students with an appreciation of how the discipline fits within the social sciences and relates to their own lives and the broader human experience.

Historical Perspectives: A minimum of six (6) semester hours of approved coursework in artistic, cultural, economic, intellectual, religious, social, and/or political history is required. At least three (3) semester hours will be in the history of Western Civilization. Courses are not limited to those in the discipline of history; however, the courses will have a historical perspective in that they provide students with a sense of the evolution of societies and peoples, including analysis of their history. A sense of chronology is necessary in these courses, but not sufficient. A historical perspective also entails analyses of various elements, such as the intellectual, cultural, artistic, economic, social, political, and religious characteristics of societies and peoples.

Fine Arts: Students are required to successfully complete a minimum of three (3) semester hours of approved coursework in the fine arts. Courses in the fine arts shall involve those disciplines considered to be fine arts in that they deal theoretically and experientially with the aesthetic dimensions of individuals and groups. Courses will concern the creative experience that takes into account the perspectives of both the artist and the public. They may be interdisciplinary and must involve the content, theories, history, presuppositions, and methods of the fine arts. They will address problems, ambiguities, and different perspectives in the disciplines of fine arts. These courses will also provide students with an appreciation of how the disciplines fit within fine arts and relate to their everyday experiences.

African, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Asian Perspectives: Students will take a minimum of three (3) semester hours of approved coursework in one of the above listed geographical areas. Course content may include social, political, and economic as well as artistic, cultural, and intellectual subject matter. The material will be presented within a geographical, chronological, and/or humanities background and will necessarily be selective.

All courses listed are certified as meeting the General Education requirement as of April 25, 1995. Additional courses may have been certified since that date. Please consult with an academic advisor for additional information.

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENT

EXIT REQUIREMENTS

(9 Semester Hours)

Major Works and Major Issues: A portion of the exit requirements consists of a minimum of six (6) semester hours of approved coursework concerning major works and major issues. Courses will focus on major issues, documents, or works, and will allow students to read primary texts. These courses may allow students to delve into topics on an interdisciplinary basis. Students will be encouraged to write enough to fulfill Gordon Rule requirements. At least one of the Major Works and Major Issues courses will be taken outside the student's major discipline(s) and may, with the consent of the instructor, be taken for S/U credit. The major works and major issues of the discipline will be decided by the department offering the course. For purposes of this document, the term "discipline" refers to the following fields: business, education, engineering, fine arts, health sciences, letters, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Major Works and Major Issues courses must offer the opportunity for integration of content. These courses will have a liberal arts content and, when appropriate, will contain in-depth discussions of values and ethics, international and environmental perspectives, race and ethnicity, and gender. Courses may be interdisciplinary and may be team taught. This will provide students with an opportunity to explore, in-depth and on an interdisciplinary basis, major topics that are important but outside of the major field of study.

Literature and Writing: In addition, students will take three (3) semester hours of approved exit requirement coursework in literature and writing. These courses will allow students to read significant literature of the world and write at least 6,000 words. Significance of the literature will be determined by the department offering the course. The 6,000-word requirement meets Gordon Rule requirements and is for students who may wish to satisfy some of this requirement with upper-level courses. The writing requirement may be satisfied with assignments that include, for instance, revision and rewriting, and process writing. This requirement may be satisfied through comparitive literature courses. These literature courses need not be limited to the English Department. The course may be taken within the major if appropriate. The courses will focus on the dimensions of values and ethics, international and environmental perspectives, race and ethnicity, and gender.

All students must achieve an overall average of "C" (2.0GPA) in the lower level requirements and a grade of "C" or better in each of the exit requirement courses. Students will take at least one of the Major Works and Major Issues courses outside their discipline(s). This course may be taken for S/U credit, with the consent of the instructor. Only courses numbered 3000 or above may be used to satisfy the exit requirements. Exit requirements must be taken at USF.

Although post-secondary foreign language courses may not be required for all graduates, students are encouraged to become competent in at least one foreign language. Foreign language study enriches the command of English, enlarges cultural perspective, and enhances learning skills.

All courses listed are certified as meeting the Exit requirement as of April 25, 1995. Additional courses may have been certified since that date. Please consult with an academic advisor for additional information.

EXIT REQUIREMENT COURSES

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Margaret R. Martinroe - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Publication Date: June 1, 1995

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