General Education Program

The General Education Program at the University at Albany promotes breadth, coherence, critical inquiry, and public responsibility in the intellectual life of every undergraduate.

It promotes breadth through a distribution of courses in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences.

It promotes coherence by emphasizing historical, social, aesthetic, and philosophical contexts that shape knowledge and culture.

It promotes critical inquiry into the assumptions, goals, and methods of various academic fields of study.

It promotes public responsibility by emphasizing cultural pluralism, human diversity, a respect for difference, and a commitment to civic dialogue.

In addition, general education aims to develop the reasoning abilities, the writing, reading, and computational abilities, the interpretive, analytic, and synthesizing abilities, central to the intellectual life of the University.

The majority of General Education courses are at the 100 and 200 level. Students are encouraged to complete the requirements in their first two years.

The program includes four interrelated kinds of courses:

  1. those intended to introduce the variety of disciplines comprising a university;

  2. those intended to promote understanding of the diversity of social groups and practices in American society;

  3. those intended to promote understanding of the world�s cultural diversity and historical change;

  4. those intended to develop writing abilities as a means of composing, learning, and sharing disciplinary knowledge.

Requirements

A minimum of 24 graduation credits as follows:

Courses in the disciplines (18 credits)�Students must complete two approved courses (6 credits) in each of the following categories: Humanities and the Arts, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences.

An approved course in Cultural and Historical Perspectives (3 credits)

An approved course in Human Diversity (3 credits)

In addition, for students matriculating Fall 1997 and thereafter, a student must complete two approved writing intensive courses, with minimum grades of C or higher or S, at least one of the courses must be at or above the 300 level. For students matriculating before Fall 1997, a student must complete two approved writing intensive courses, with minimum grades of C- or higher or S, at least one of the courses must be at or above the 300 level.

How to Identify a General Education Course

General Education courses can be identified in the course description with the following statement: �Meets General Education.� An abbreviation following the statement indicates which category the course meets.

CHP is the abbreviation for Cultural and Historical Perspectives

HA is the abbreviation for Humanities and the Arts

HD is the abbreviation for Human Diversity

NS is the abbreviation for Natural Sciences

SS is the abbreviation for Social Sciences

WI is the abbreviation for Writing Intensive

If more than one category is listed for a particular course, that course satisfies more than one General Education requirement.

General Education Course Lists by Category:

NOTE: Although for some categories suffix letters were intended to indicate that a course fulfills a General Education requirement, there have been many exceptions. Complete and up to date lists are maintained by the Advisement Services Center. A listed course will satisfy the requirement indicated, without regard to any suffix letters. Therefore, in the lists which follow, any suffix letters have been intentionally omitted.

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES 

A Aas 220	Black and White in America
A Aas 269	Caribbean: Peoples, History, and Culture
A Aas 286	African Civilizations
A Aas 287	Africa in the Modern World
A Ant 131	Ancient Peoples of the World
A Ant 146	Puerto Rico: People, History and Culture
A Ant 233	Aztecs, Incas and Mayas
A Ant 236	American Indian Archaeology
A Ant 240	The North American Indian
A Ant 243	Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East
A Ant 269	Caribbean: People, History and Culture
A Ant 341	Ethnology of Mesoamerica
A Arh 280	Chinese Painting
A Bio 311	World Food Crisis
A Cas 220	Literature of the World I
A Cas 221	Literature of the World II
A Cas 348	America�s Radical Past: 1848-77
A Cla 131	Ancient Peoples of the World
A Cla 207	Egyptian Archaeology
A Cla 208	Greek Archaeology
A Cla 209	Roman Archaeology
*A Cla 210	The Art and Archaeology of Cyprus
A Clc 105	Myths of the Greek World
A Clc 110	Classical Roots: Great Ideas of Greece and Rome
A Clc 125	Latin and Greek Elements in English
A Clc 133	History of Ancient Greece
A Clc 134	History of Ancient Rome
A Clc 300	The Greeks and Their Neighbors
A Clc 301	Rome and the Mediterranean World
A Clc 310	Women in Antiquity
*A Clg 101	Elementary Greek I
*A Clg 102	Elementary Greek II
A Clg 103	Intro to New Testament Greek I
A Clg 104	Intro to New Testament Greek II
*A Clg 203	Intro to Greek Literature I
*A Clg 204	Intro to Greek Literature II
A Cll 101	Elementary Latin I
A Cll 102	Elementary Latin II
*A Cll 200	Intermediate Latin I
A Cll 201	Intro to Latin Literature I
A Cll 202	Intro to Latin Literature II
A Dch 101	Elementary Dutch I
A Dch 102	Elementary Dutch II
A Dch 201	Intermediate Dutch I
A Dch 202	Intermediate Dutch II
A Eac 101	Elementary Chinese I
A Eac 102	Elementary Chinese II
A Eac 150	China Through Western Eyes
A Eac 160	China: People and Places in the Land of One Billion
A Eac 170	China: Its Culture and Heritage
*A Eac 200	Intermediate Chinese
A Eac 201	Intermediate Chinese I
A Eac 202	Intermediate Chinese II
A Eac 210	Survey of Classical Chinese Lit in Translation I
A Eac 211	Survey of Classical Chinese Lit in Translation II
A Eac 212	Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
A Eac 280	Chinese Painting
A Eaj 101	Elementary Japanese I
A Eaj 102	Elementary Japanese II
A Eaj 170	Japan: Its Culture and Heritage
A Eaj 201	Intermediate Japanese II
A Eaj 202	Intermediate Japanese II
A Eaj 210	Survey of Traditional Japanese Literature
A Eaj 212	Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
A Eak 101	Elementary Korean I
A Eak 102	Elementary Korean II
A Eas 103	Sources of East Asian Civilizations I
A Eas 104	Sources of East Asian Civilizations II
A Eas 140L	Introduction to East Asian Cinema
A Eas 180	Asian America
A Eas 270	Women in East Asian Literature
A Eas 321	Exploring the Multicultural City
A Eas 350	Geography and Development in Pacific Asia
A Eng 221	Old Testament Literature
A Fre 101	Beginning French I
A Fre 102	Beginning French II
*A Fre 200	Intermediate French I
*A Fre 210	Intermediate French II
A Fre 218	French Culture in English
A Fre 221	Intermediate French I
A Fre 222	Intermediate French II
A Fre 238	Classics of French Cinema in English
A Fre 315	Intro to French Cinema
*A Ger 101	Elementary German I
*A Ger 102	Elementary German II
*A Ger 200	Intermediate German I
*A Ger 201	Intermediate German I
*A Ger 202	Intermediate German II
*A Ger 207	Intermediate German II
A Gog 102	Intro to Human Geography
A Gog 120	World Cities
A Gog 160	China: People and Places in the Land of One Billion
A Gog 180	Asian America
A Gog 220	Introductory Urban Geography
*A Gog 221	Geographic Explorations in Multicultural City
A Gog 250	Geography of Latin America
A Gog 310	World Food Crisis
A Gog 321	Exploring the Multicultural City
A Gog 350	Geography and Development in Pacific Asia
A Heb 101	Elementary Hebrew I
A Heb 102	Elementary Hebrew II
A Heb 201	Intermediate Hebrew I
A Heb 202	Intermediate Hebrew II
*A Hfa 348	America�s Radical Past: 1848-77
A His 100	American Political and Social History I
A His 101	American Political and Social History II
A His 130	History of European Civilization I
A His 131	History of European Civilization II
A His 170	Intro to Caribbean History
A His 176	Cultures and Societies of Asia I
A His 177	Cultures and Societies of Asia II
A His 235	Early and Medieval Christianity
A His 286	African Civilizations
A His 287	Africa in the Modern World
A His 292	Trials in History
A His 293	History of Women in the Americas
A His 316	Workers and Work in America: 1600-Present
A Ita 100	Elementary Italian I
A Ita 101	Elementary Italian II
A Ita 103	Intermediate Italian I
A Ita 104	Intermediate Italian II
*A Ita 200	Intermediate Italian
*A Ita 201	Intermediate Italian II
A Jst 150	Survey of Jewish Civilization
A Jst 242	Old Testament Literature
A Jst 243	Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East
A Jst 248	Women in Jewish Life and Literature
A Jst 251	Early Israel and Biblical Civilization
A Jst 252	Jews, Hellenism, and Early Christianity
A Jst 253	Medieval Jews Among Muslims and Christians
A Jst 254	The Jews in the Modern World
A Jst 255	The Holocaust: Lessons and Legacies
A Jst 272	Modern Hebrew Literature in Translation
A Jst 291	Messianism in Judaism and Christianity
A Lcs 100	Cultures of Latin America
A Lcs 102	Intro to Caribbean History
A Lcs 150	Puerto Rico: People, History and Culture
A Lcs 216	Music and Society in Latin America
A Lcs 233	Aztecs, Incas and Mayas
A Lcs 250	Geography of Latin America
A Lcs 269	Caribbean: Peoples, History, and Culture
A Lcs 315	Latin America Through Film
A Lcs 317	Latin American Civilization
A Lcs 321	Exploring the Multicultural City
A Mus 216	Music and Society in Latin America
A Phi 116	World Views
A Phi 214	World Religions
A Pln 220	Introductory Urban Planning
A Pol 101	Elementary Polish I
A Pol 102	Elementary Polish II
A Por 100	Elementary Portuguese I
A Por 101	Elementary Portuguese II
A Por 102	Intensive Elementary Portuguese
A Por 201	Intermediate Portuguese
A Rel 100	Intro to the Study of Religion
A Rel 103	Intro to New Testament Greek I
A Rel 104	Intro to New Testament Greek II
A Rel 116	World Views
A Rel 214	World Religions
A Rel 221	Old Testament Literature
A Rel 252	Jews, Hellenism, and Early Christianity
A Rel 253	Medieval Jews Among Muslims and Christians
A Rel 254	The Jews in the Modern World
A Rel 275	Social Morality and Citizenship Education
A Rel 291	Messianism in Judaism and Christianity
A Rus 101	Elementary Russian I
A Rus 102	Elementary Russian II
A Rus 103	Russian for Bilingual Students I
A Rus 104	Russian for Bilingual Students II
A Rus 105	Intensive Introductory Russian
A Rus 161	Russian Civilization
*A Rus 162	The Rise and Fall of Soviet Civilization
A Rus 171	Women in Russian Culture
*A Rus 200	Intermediate Russian I
A Rus 201	Intermediate Russian I
A Rus 202	Intermediate Russian II
*A Rus 203	Intermediate Russian II
A Soc 210	Sociology of Culture
A Spn 100	Elementary Spanish I
A Spn 101	Elementary Spanish II
A Spn 103	Intermediate Spanish I
A Spn 104	Intermediate Spanish II
A Spn 105	Spanish for Bilinguals I
*A Spn 200	Intermediate Spanish I
*A Spn 201	Intermediate Spanish II
A Spn 314	The Rise and Fall of the Spanish Empire
A Spn 315	Conflict and Progress in Modern Spain
A Spn 317	Latin-American Civilization
A Thr 221	Development of Theatre and Drama I
A Thr 222	Development of Theatre and Drama II
A Thr 225	American Theatre History
A Ukr 101	Elementary Ukrainian I
A Ukr 102	Elementary Ukrainian II
A Wss 171	Women in Russian Culture
A Wss 248	Women in Jewish Life and Literature
A Wss 260	History of Women and Social Change
A Wss 270	Women in East Asian Literature
A Wss 308	Global Perspectives on Women
A Wss 311	Women in Antiquity
E Edu 275	Social Morality and Citizenship Education
U Uni 155	Project Renaissance 1: Human Identity
U Uni 310	World Food Crisis
HUMAN DIVERSITY 
A Aas 213	History of the Civil Rights Movement
A Aas 220	Black and White in America
A Aas 240	Classism, Racism and Sexism: Issues
A Ant 100	Culture, Society, and Biology
A Ant 172	Community and Self
A Ant 351	Ethnicity in North America
*A Ant 371	Theories of Intercultural Communication
A Cas 125	Diversity of Voices in Literature and the Arts
A Cas 131	Diversity and Equity in America
A Cas 141	Concepts of Race and Culture in the Modern World
A Cas 150	Cultural Diversity and the Human Condition
A Cas 240	Images and Issues of Diversity in the Visual Arts
A Com 371	Theories of Intercultural Communication
A Eac 272	The Chinese and the Chinese World View
A Eas 180	Asian America
A Eco 130	The Third World Economies: Interdisciplinary Profile
A Eng 240	Growing Up in America
A Fre 208	New World Cultural Diversity
A Fre 281	Francophone Cultures: New World and Third World
A Gog 125	The American City
A Gog 180	Asian America
*A Gog 221	Geographic Explorations in Multicultural City
A Gog 240	Patterns of American Immigration
*A Hfa 125	Diversity of Voices in Literature and the Arts
*A Hfa 150	Cultural Diversity and the Human Condition
*A Hfa 240	Images and Issues of Diversity in the Visual Arts
A His 158	The World in the 20th Century
A Jst 155	Judaism: Traditions and Practices
A Jst 221	The American Jewish Experience
A Jst 260	Jews and Immigrant Experience in America
A Jst 270	Jewish-Christian Relations
A Jst 351	Jewish American Ethnic Groups
A Lcs 201	Hispanic Cultures in the United States
A Lcs 216	Music and Society in Latin America
A Lcs 240	Classism, Racism, and Sexism: Issues
A Lcs 282	Minority Groups
A Lcs 302	Las Culturas Latinas en los Estados Unidos
*A Lcs 383	Social Psychology of Ethnic Relations
A Mus 216	Music and Society in Latin America
A Phi 214	World Religions
A Phi 328	Philosophy and Race
*A Psy 383	Social Psychology of Ethnic Relations
A Rel 100	Intro to the Study of Religion
A Rel 155	Judaism: Traditions and Practices
A Rel 214	World Religions
A Rel 270	Jewish-Christian Relations
A Rel 275	Social Morality and Citizenship Education
*A Sbs 131	Diversity and Equity in America
*A Sbs 141	Concepts of Race and Culture in the Modern World
A Soc 262	Sociology of Gender
A Soc 282	Race and Ethnicity
A Soc 375	U.S. Urban Neighborhood Diversity
A Spn 322	Las Culturas Latinas en los Estados Unidos
A Thr 228	Voices Diversity Contemp Amer Theatre/Drama
A Wss 101	Intro to Feminisms
A Wss 106	U.S. Women Who Changed Our World
A Wss 202	Intro to Lesbian and Gay Studies
*A Wss 210	Intro to Feminism
A Wss 240	Classism, Racism and Sexism: Issues
A Wss 262	Sociology of Gender
E Edu 275	Social Morality and Citizenship Education
E Edu 375	Concepts Schools and Education in Pluralistic Society
R Crj 210	Policies of Crime in Heterogeneous Societies
R Ssw 220	Value Issues in Social Welfare 
U Uni 153	Project Renaissance 2: Human Identity
HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS 
A Ant 175	Anthropology and Folklore
A Ant 268	Ethnology of Pre-Columbian Art
A Arh 170	Survey of Art in the Western World I
A Arh 171	Survey of Art in the Western World II
A Arh 280	Chinese Painting
A Cas 202	Understanding the Arts
A Cas 220	Literature of the World I
A Cas 221	Literature of the World II
A Cas 360	Passion and Choice
A Cla 207	Egyptian Archaeology
A Cla 208	Greek Archaeology
A Cla 209	Roman Archaeology
*A Cla 210	The Art and Archaeology of Cyprus
A Clc 105	Myths of the Greek World
A Clc 110	Classical Roots: Great Ideas of Greece and Rome
A Clc 223	Masterpieces of Greek Tragedy and Comedy
*A Clg 101	Elementary Greek I
*A Clg 102	Elementary Greek II
A Clg 103	Intro to New Testament Greek I
A Clg 104	Intro to New Testament Greek II
*A Clg 203	Intro to Greek Literature I
*A Clg 204	Intro to Greek Literature II
A Cll 101	Elementary Latin I
A Cll 102	Elementary Latin II
*A Cll 200	Intermediate Latin I
A Cll 201	Intro to Latin Literature I
A Cll 202	Intro to Latin Literature II
A Dch 101	Elementary Dutch I
A Dch 102	Elementary Dutch II
A Dch 201	Intermediate Dutch I
A Dch 202	Intermediate Dutch II
A Eac 101	Elementary Chinese I
A Eac 102	Elementary Chinese II
A Eac 150	China Through Western Eyes
A Eac 170	China: Its Culture and Heritage
*A Eac 200	Intermediate Chinese
A Eac 201	Intermediate Chinese I
A Eac 202	Intermediate Chinese II
A Eac 210	Survey of Classical Chinese Lit in Translation I
A Eac 211	Survey of Classical Chinese Lit in Translation II
A Eac 212	Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
A Eac 280	Chinese Painting
A Eaj 101	Elementary Japanese I
A Eaj 102	Elementary Japanese II
A Eaj 170	Japan: Its Culture and Heritage
A Eaj 201	Intermediate Japanese II
A Eaj 202	Intermediate Japanese II
A Eaj 210	Survey of Traditional Japanese Literature
A Eaj 212	Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
A Eak 101	Elementary Korean I
A Eak 102	Elementary Korean II
A Eas 103	Sources of East Asian Civilizations I
A Eas 104	Sources of East Asian Civilizations II
A Eas 140L	Introduction to East Asian Cinema
A Eng 121	Reading Literature
A Eng 122	Reading Prose Fiction
A Eng 123	Reading Drama
A Eng 124	Reading Poetry
A Eng 144	Reading Shakespeare
A Eng 215	Methods of Literary Criticism
A Eng 222	Masterpieces of Literature
A Eng 223	Short Story
A Eng 226	Studies of a Literary Theme, Form or Mode
A Eng 232	Modern Novel
A Eng 233	Modern Drama
A Eng 234	Modern Poetry
A Eng 241	Popular Literature
A Eng 242	Science Fiction
A Eng 260	Forms of Poetry
A Eng 261	American Poetic Tradition
A Eng 291	The English Literary Tradition I
A Eng 292	The English Literary Tradition II
A Eng 295	Classics of Western Lit I: Epic to Modern Drama
A Eng 296	Classics of Western Lit II: Epic to Modern Novel
A Eng 311	History of the English Language
A Eng 325	American Drama
A Eng 362	Critical Approaches to Women in Literature
A Eng 368	Women Writers
A Fre 101	Beginning French I
A Fre 102	Beginning French II
*A Fre 200	Intermediate French I
*A Fre 210	Intermediate French II
A Fre 221	Intermediate French I
A Fre 222	Intermediate French II
A Fre 241	Intro to French Studies
*A Ger 101	Elementary German I
*A Ger 102	Elementary German II
*A Ger 200	Intermediate German I
*A Ger 201	Intermediate German I
*A Ger 202	Intermediate German II
*A Ger 207	Intermediate German II
*A Ger 225	From Goethe to Thomas Mann
*A Ger 240	Hermann Hesse: Life and Work
*A Ger 247	Goethe�s Faust in Translation
A Heb 101	Elementary Hebrew I
A Heb 102	Elementary Hebrew II
A Heb 201	Intermediate Hebrew I
A Heb 202	Intermediate Hebrew II
*A Hfa 202	Understanding the Arts
*A Hfa 250	Creative Minds
*A Hfa 360	Passion and Choice
A His 263	Art, Music, and History: A Multimedia Approach I
A His 264	Art, Music, and History: A Multimedia Approach II
A His 297	Religion and Society in History
A Ita 100	Elementary Italian I
A Ita 101	Elementary Italian II
A Ita 103	Intermediate Italian I
A Ita 104	Intermediate Italian II
*A Ita 200	Intermediate Italian I
*A Ita 201	Intermediate Italian II
A Ita 223	Intro to Literary Methods
A Lcs 216	Music and Society in Latin America
A Lcs 268	Ethnology of Pre-Columbian Art
A Lcs 275	Four Caribbean Writers
A Lcs 315	Latin America through Film
A Mus 100	Intro to Music
A Mus 102	The �Golden Age� of Piano Music
A Mus 115	Jazz: America�s Music
A Mus 125	Russia: Its Music and Its People
A Mus 208	Intro to Opera
A Mus 211	The Concerto
A Mus 212	Chamber Music
A Mus 213	Survey of Symphonic Music
A Mus 214	American Music
A Mus 216	Music and Society in Latin America
A Mus 217	Women and Music
A Mus 230	Music History I
A Mus 231	Music History II
A Mus 334	Survey of American Music
A Mus 338	Survey of Opera
A Phi 110	Intro to Philosophical Problems
A Phi 112	Intro to Reasoning and Analysis
A Phi 114	Morals and Society
A Phi 115	Moral Choices
A Phi 116	World Views
A Phi 210	Intro to Logic
A Phi 212	Intro to Ethical Theory
A Phi 218	Understanding Science
A Phy 201	Physics and Buddhism
A Pol 101	Elementary Polish I
A Pol 102	Elementary Polish II
A Por 100	Elementary Portuguese I
A Por 101	Elementary Portuguese II
A Por 102	Intensive Elementary Portuguese
A Por 201	Intermediate Portuguese
A Rel 100	Intro to the Study of Religion
A Rel 103	Intro to New Testament Greek I
A Rel 104	Intro to New Testament Greek II
A Rel 116	World Views
A Rel 175	Anthropology and Folklore
A Rel 200	Intro to the Bible
A Rel 201	Physics and Buddhism
A Rel 297	Religion and Society in History
A Rus 101	Elementary Russian I
A Rus 102	Elementary Russian II
A Rus 103	Russian for Bilingual Students I
A Rus 104	Russian for Bilingual Students II
A Rus 105	Intensive Introductory Russian
A Rus 125	Russia: Its Music and Its People
A Rus 171	Women in Russian Culture
*A Rus 200	Intermediate Russian I
A Rus 201	Intermediate Russian I
A Rus 202	Intermediate Russian II
*A Rus 203	Intermediate Russian II
A Rus 251	Masterpieces of 19th-Century Russian Literature
A Rus 252	Masterpieces of 20th-Century Russian Literature
A Rus 253	Contemporary Russian Literature
A Rus 261	Dostoevsky and Tolstoy in English Translation
A Rus 354	The Russian Novel in Its Western Context
A Spn 100	Elementary Spanish I
A Spn 101	Elementary Spanish II
A Spn 103	Intermediate Spanish I
A Spn 104	Intermediate Spanish II
A Spn 105	Spanish for Bilinguals I
*A Spn 200	Intermediate Spanish I
*A Spn 201	Intermediate Spanish II
A Spn 223	Intro to Literary Methods
A Spn 312	Representative Spanish Authors II
A Thr 107	Intro to Dramatic Art
A Thr 221	Development of Theatre and Drama I
A Thr 222	Development of Theatre and Drama II
A Thr 225	American Theatre History
*A Thr 227	Comparative Genres in Drama and Theatre
A Thr 230	Great Drama on Film and Video
A Thr 235	Fundamentals of Theatrical Design
*A Thr 241	Performance: Physicality of Communication
A Thr 380	History of Costume
A Ukr 101	Elementary Ukrainian I
A Ukr 102	Elementary Ukrainian II
A Wss 171	Women in Russian Culture
A Wss 217	Women and Music
A Wss 362	Critical Approaches to Women in Literature
A Wss 368	Women Writers
E Tap 233	Landmarks in Literacy
U Uni 151	Project Renaissance 1: Human Identity
U Uni 156	Project Renaissance 1: Technology
NATURAL SCIENCES 
A Ant 110	Intro to Human Evolution
A Ant 111	Intro to the Primates
A Ant 119	The City and Human Health
A Atm 100	The Atmosphere
A Atm 101	The Upper Atmosphere
A Atm 102	Science and Major Environmental Issues
A Atm 105	Oceanus and Gaia
A Atm 107	The Oceans
A Bio 102	General Biological Sciences
A Bio 110	General Biology I
A Bio 111	General Biology II
A Bio 117	Nutrition
A Bio 207	Cells: Overview of Modern Cell Biology
A Bio 208	Marine Biology
A Bio 209	The Human Organism
A Bio 230	People and Resources in Ecological Perspective
A Bio 241N	The Biology of Sex
A Bio 311	World Food Crisis
A Chm 100	Chemical ABCs: Atoms, Bonds, Citizen Consumers
A Chm 110	The DNA Double Helix and the Chemistry of Cancer
A Chm 120	General Chemistry I
A Chm 121	General Chemistry II
A Csi 101	Elements of Computing
A Csi 120	Computational Principles and Issues
A Csi 201	Intro to Computer Science
A Geo 100	Planet Earth
A Geo 105	Environmental Geology if taken Fall 1997 or thereafter
A Geo 190	Earth Resources: Problems and Choices
A Gog 101	Intro to the Physical Environment
A Gog 310	World Food Crisis
A Mat 102	Mathematics by Visualization
A Phy 100	Contemporary Astronomy: Cosmic Connection
A Phy 103	Exploration of Space
A Phy 104	Physical Science for Humanists
A Phy 105	General Physics I
A Phy 108	General Physics II
A Phy 120	Introductory Physics I
A Phy 124	Introductory Physics II
A Phy 202	Environmental Physics
A Wss 109	Women, Biology and Health
U Uni 154	Project Renaissance 2: Technology
U Uni 158	Project Renaissance 2: Technology
U Uni 160	Math, Art, and the Creative Process
U Uni 310	World Food Crisis
SOCIAL SCIENCES 
A Ant 106	Linguistic Anthropology
A Ant 108	Cultural Anthropology
A Ant 131	Ancient Peoples of the World
A Ant 160	Symbol and Human Nature
*A Ant 200	Cultural Anthropology
A Ant 220	Intro to Linguistics
*A Ant 221	Linguistic Anthropology
A Ant 240	The North American Indian
A Ant 341	Ethnology of Mesoamerica
A Cla 131	Ancient Peoples of the World
A Com 100	Human Communication: Language and Social Action
A Eac 160	China: People and Places in the Land of One Billion
A Eas 321	Exploring the Multicultural City
*A Eco 102	The American Economy: Its Structure and Institutions
A Eco 202	The American Economy: Its Structure and Institutions
A Eco 110	Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics
A Eco 111	Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics
A Eng 217	Intro to Linguistics
A Gog 102	Intro to Human Geography
A Gog 125	The American City
A Gog 155	Geography and Contemporary Affairs
A Gog 160	China: People and Places in the Land of One Billion
A Gog 220	Introductory Urban Geography
*A Gog 221	Geographic Explorations in Multicultural City
A Gog 321	Exploring the Multicultural City
A His 220	Public Policy in Modern America
A Lcs 282	Race and Ethnicity
A Lcs 321	Exploring the Multicultural City
A Lcs 341	Ethnology of Mesoamerica
A Lin 100	Understanding Language
A Lin 220	Intro to Linguistics
A Pln 220	Introductory Urban Planning
A Psy 101	Intro to Psychology
A Psy 102	Advanced Introduction to Psychology
A Soc 115	Intro to Sociology
A Soc 180	Social Problems
A Soc 210	Sociology of Culture
A Soc 262	Sociology of Gender
A Soc 282	Race and Ethnicity
A Soc 283	Juvenile Delinquency
A Soc 359	Medical Sociology
A Wss 220	Perspectives on Women
A Wss 262	Sociology of Gender
R Pos 101	American Politics
R Pos 102	Comparative and International olitics
R Pos 103	Political Theory
R Ssw 299	Families in Middle Age and Late Life
U Uni 152	Project Renaissance 1: Technology
U Uni 157	Project Renaissance 2: Human Identity
* Italicized courses = former courses or former course numbers.

Approved courses for the General Education requirements have these features:

  1. They offer general, nonspecialized introduction to central topics in a discipline or interdisciplinary field; while they may satisfy major or minor requirements, their purpose is to serve students who do not intend to pursue more advanced work;

  2. They encourage reflectiveness about disciplinary knowledge; they explain what it means to be a practitioner of a discipline; they convey explicit rather than tacit understanding of the nature and importance of a discipline;

  3. They encourage active rather than passive learning; they attend, as appropriate, to reasoning and/or aesthetic aptitudes, and to reading, writing, and computational abilities;

  4. They are sensitive to the multiple perspectives of a pluralistic culture both within and beyond the university.

Cultural and Historical Perspectives: Approved courses in this category share the features described above while also involving students in the study of cultures, civilizations, or geographic regions as they change through time, providing students with knowledge of various critical approaches to interpreting history and with an understanding of diverse cultural vantage points and world views.

Human Diversity Requirement: All students entering the University in Fall 1990 semester and thereafter are required, as part of their undergraduate degree requirements, to complete a course from an approved list of �Human Diversity� courses.

Courses approved for this requirement may, but need not, also be applicable to other General Education requirements. Ideally, students should satisfy the requirement with a course that deals with a culture other than their own. Students who are waived from the General Education requirements, by virtue of having completed an Associates of Arts (A.A.) or Associates of Science (A.S.) at an accredited institution are also waived from Human Diversity. Students may still wish, however, to take a human diversity course to enhance and broaden their education.

A course shall be considered for designation as �Human Diversity Requirement� by the Curriculum Committee, subject to Undergraduate Academic Council approval, under the following criteria:

  1. They should relate directly to contemporary United States experiences of students or contain components that compare, on a fairly regular basis, aspects of other cultures to those experiences.

  2. They should compare and relate aspects of racial and/or ethnic diversity, including gender-related concerns, to the topic of the course. In this context, the terms �racial� and �ethnic� may include groups of self- and/or societally defined on such bases as nationality, religion, etc.

  3. They should provide substantial knowledge of diversity as expressed through sociopolitical ideological, aesthetic, or other aspects of human endeavor. This criterion is intentionally defined broadly to accommodate a variety of approaches. It is not a requirement or expectation that the content will focus on controversy or those aspects that result in conflict with other persons, groups, or cultures; see, however, the next criterion.

  4. They should provide sufficient knowledge to permit the student to understand better the sources and manifestations of controversy and conflicts in cultural values arising from human diversity.

  5. Opportunities for student writing and discussion are central to the objectives of the program. Courses should include at least one writing component. For discussions to be effective, classes of sixty or more students should require discussion sections, breakout sessions, in-class groups or comparable mechanisms permitting discussions within groups of twenty students.

  6. Courses should focus on the theories, histories, dynamics, mechanisms, and results of human and social diversity, drawing on the experience of specific groups to illustrate those principles. Thus, whatever specific cultural heritages the students study should be placed in the larger context of cultural diversity.

Exceptions to the General Education Requirements

Transfer students who are recipients of an Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree from a State of New York operated campus, a SUNY or CUNY community college shall be considered to have completed all lower division University at Albany General Education Requirements (this does not include the upper- level writing requirement).

In addition, transfer students who are recipients of an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) or an Associate in Occupational Science (A.O.S.) degree from a State of New York operated campus, a SUNY or CUNY community college shall be considered to have completed all lower division University at Albany General Education Requirements (this does not include the upper- level writing requirement) if all the following conditions are met for the associate degree:

By action of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, all transfer students shall be exempted from all lower division General Education requirements IF they have satisfactorily completed PRIOR TO MATRICULATION at Albany all of the following:

Writing: Transfer students who enter the University at Albany with credit for an English Composition course or a two-semester sequence combined literature and writing course will be considered to have completed the lower level writing intensive requirement at this University.

In exceptional circumstances, individual exceptions to the general education requirements may be granted by the Curriculum and Honors Committee of the Undergraduate Academic Council. Students seeking additional information regarding or requesting an exception to the general education requirements, for example, by virtue of having completed an associates� degree at a non- state operated institution should contact the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

Effective Date

The General Education requirements must be satisfied by all students matriculating in Fall 1993 and thereafter.

Writing Across the Curriculum

All students matriculating Fall 1997 and thereafter must satisfactorily complete with grades of C or higher, or S, two writing intensive courses, including at least one at or above the 300 level. (All students matriculating before Fall 1997 must satisfactorily complete with grades of C- or higher, or S, two writing intensive courses, including at least one at or above the 300 level.)

A writing intensive course uses writing as an important tool in the discipline studied, and is not designed primarily to teach the technical aspects of writing. The emphasis is on using writing as a means of sharpening thinking in and understanding of the subject.

Writing intensive courses are identified in the course description by the notation: Meets General Education: WI.

Criteria

  1. A Substantial Body of Finished Work

    This is generally expected to be a total of 20+ double spaced pages in at least two, preferably more submissions. It may be in a variety of forms�journal, reports, essays, research papers, etc.�not all of which need to be graded.

  2. Opportunity for Students to Receive Assistance in Progress

    Such assistance may take several forms, from visits to the Writing Center (HU-140) to conferences with the instructor.

  3. Opportunity to Revise Some Pieces

    As revision is an essential characteristic of good writing, students should be able to revise some portion of their work.

  4. Response to Student Writing

    Such response may take several forms� from extended comments from the instructor to peer evaluation in student groups. It is expected, however, that the instructor will respond in detail to some extended work of the student.

Transfer students who enter the University with credit for an �English Composition� course or a two-semester combined literature and writing course will be considered to have completed the lower-level writing intensive requirement at this University.

Undergraduate Bulletin — Table of Contents
University at Albany
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