Learn about General Education

Statement of Purpose and Goals

Northern Kentucky University is a metropolitan university which embraces the challenge to produce intellectually mature individuals, ones who will become leaders in a diverse society. Why are we so confident? Because we provide quality career preparation.

At the base of the General Education program is a Common Core of foundation skills in critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and written and oral communication, which are fundamental to success in further intellectual endeavor. The Liberal Arts Core of the General Education program aims to broaden intellectual horizons, deepen understanding of artistic, humanistic and scientific methods, develop the mental flexibility and openness to change that allow adults to cope with complexity and meet unforeseen challenges in their careers and lives. The Diversity Core aims to broaden a student's knowledge and understanding of society's diverse social and cultural perspectives that are fundamental for living in a modern society. General Education courses seek to further students' understanding of the contemporary world, of the ideals and aspirations which have motivated human thought and action throughout history, and of their society's place in a larger human context.

At the same time, the General Education program encourages students to take personal responsibility for their lives by developing their own sense of values, pursuing their own goals, and developing the habit of lifelong learning, so that they may make valuable individual contributions to the political, social, and cultural enrichment of their society.

General Education Areas of Emphasis

Writing and Reading Skills: Students will use writing and reading effectively as a means of learning, critical thinking, and communication.

Oral Communication: Students will demonstrate effective skills and techniques of public oral communication.

Quantitative Skills and Scientific Understanding: Students will apply quantitative skills and scientific understanding toward a range of issues and problems commonly encountered across the curriculum and throughout their lives.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills : Students will develop a broad range of critical thinking and problem solving skills in the scientific, mathematical, social, artistic, and personal domains.

Collaboration with Others: Students will work effectively and responsibly in collaboration with others.

Computer and Information Literacy: Students will employ computer skills that are relevant to their success in college and beyond. Students will gain access to critically evaluate, formulate, and use information effectively and ethically.

Diversity: Students will recognize and respect similarities and differences between their own and other people's cultures, races, genders, abilities, religions, and ethnicities. Historical and Cultural Perspectives: Students will comprehend the variety and interdependence of the world's cultural, economic, political, social, and ecological systems, and their change over time.

Values Appreciation: Students will comprehend the variety of situations of ethical import of both a personal and public nature in the contemporary world. Aesthetic Appreciation: Students will demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the creative process and artistic works.

General Education Framework Common Core

(12 hours total ) Oral Communication: Speech (3 hours) Written Communication I (3 hours) Written Communication II (3 hours)

Students must complete the Speech and Written I components within the first 30 hours of college level work at Northern Kentucky University. The third component, Written Communication II (3 hours), must complete the second level of Written Communication before the first 60 hours of college level work at Northern Kentucky University.

Mathematics (3 hours)

Students must complete the mathematics portion of the Common Core within the first 45 hours of college level work at Northern Kentucky University.

Liberal Arts Core  (31-34 hours)

Natural Science (7-8 hours)

Fine Arts (3 hours)

Behavioral and Social Sciences (9 hours)

Literature (3 hours)

History (3 hours)

Humanities (6-8 hours)

Diversity Core (6 hours)

Students must complete 6 hours within the Diversity Core. One course must be a designated Race and Gender course and one must be a non-Western course.

MINIMUM HOURS FOR GENERAL ED PROGRAM (49- 51 hours)

General Education Program Requirements

I. Common Core (12 hours)

Oral Communication  3 credit hours - A general education course that provides students the basic skills and knowledge in oral communication needed for success in college and thereafter as effective citizens and lifelong learners. Designed as an introductory course to enhance students critical reading, thinking, interpretation, and speaking skills. Emphasis on techniques, principles, and the practice of oral communication in a variety of formats, including public speaking. Students will:

• Demonstrate knowledge, skills and techniques of effective public discourse.
• Demonstrate an ability to select and research an appropriate topic for a specific audience, occasion, and purpose.
• Demonstrate an ability to organize the research, thoughts, and concepts into effective oral presentations.
• Utilize critical thinking and reasoning skills in support of oral presentations.
• Understand presentational software and other computer-based technology that will support oral public communication.

Mathematics  3 credit hours - In the mathematics course, students will engage in mathematical problem solving. Students will:

• Model real-world situations.
• Develop their mathematical reasoning skills.
• Acquire an ability to communicate mathematics.
• Encounter mathematics as a growing discipline with connections to other disciplines.
• Develop their mathematical abilities and have the opportunity to pursue the study of mathematics in related disciplines.

Written Communication I - The first year writing course helps students make the transition to college by guiding them from writing that is based in personal experience and presented to familiar audiences, toward writing that is informed by other texts and targeted to wider public audiences. The course instructs students in reading for style as well as content, to identify and assess the effectiveness of a writer's choices. Students will:

• Identify and respond to the social context of writing: audience, purpose, self presentation.
• Approach writing as a recursive process that requires collaboration with others and multiple revised drafts.
• Explore strategies for generating and organizing ideas, reviewing and revising drafts, and editing and proofreading for a polished product.
• Locate, evaluate, use, and document basic secondary sources.
• Practice the basic conventions of Standard American English.

Written Communication II -The advanced writing course teaches students to become more independent as writers. This course guides students toward research strategies that are more broad and sophisticated, and stylistic choices that are more varied and creative. Disciplines may require a specific general education course within this category to satisfy major requirements. Students will:

• Write for multiple audiences and purposes making appropriate decisions about content, rhetoric, structure, vocabulary, style, and presentation.
• Create individualized strategies for generating topics, developing and organizing ideas, reviewing and revising drafts, and editing and proofreading for a polished product.
• Locate, evaluate, use, and document a variety of print and electronic sources.
• Experiment with more sophisticated rhetorical strategies and stylistic techniques.
• Write within the conventions of Standard American English.

II. Liberal Arts Core  31-34 hours

The emphasis for the Liberal Arts Core is on experiences within the framework of many disciplines. Students will use the following foundational skills: critical thinking, problem solving, and research.

Overall objectives for this core are:

• Exposure to the variety and interdependence of the world's cultural, economic, political, social, and ecological systems.
• Development of the capacity for critical self-examination, adaptation to new situations, and lifelong learning.
• Learning about civic responsibility and what is required as educated members of our local, national, and global community.
• Beginning to understand the different academic disciplines in the areas of the Natural Sciences, the Fine Arts, the Behavioral and Social Sciences, Literature, History, and the Humanities.

No more than 2 courses with the same prefix may be used to fulfill the Liberal Arts or the Diversity Core.

Natural science  7-8 hours. Students will complete two courses in natural science. At least one course must have a laboratory component. The two courses, together, will introduce the methods of inquiry associated with science, the basic principles used to explain natural phenomena and the connection between science and real world problems. Students in a lecture course will:

• Describe, identify, explain, and apply established scientific theories or principles to phenomena of the natural world in a practical manner.
• Evaluate the credibility of certain scientific arguments or results within discipline standards.
• Discuss one or more specific examples of how science affects our everyday life, such as in the advancement of technology and health, shaping social policy, and/or influencing history.

In addition, students in a course with a laboratory component will:

• Execute appropriate scientific methods and use appropriate technologies in activities or experiments to test hypotheses or theories.
• Advance their scientific literacy and writing abilities, by focusing on preparing documents that analyze and present scientific results produced in laboratory experiments or activities.
• Describe how measurement uncertainty and error can influence experimental outcomes.

Fine Arts  3 credit hours Students will be required to take a minimum of 3 semester hours in the Fine Arts. Fine Arts courses include oral, visual, written musical, spatial or kinesthetic forms of expression and include components that emphasize student creativity, expression and production. Students will be required to identify and analyze the impact of cultural and historical factors on the creation and reception of artistic works. Students will:

• Identify and analyze basic formal elements, principles and compositional structures in literature, cinema, dance, music, theatre, or the visual arts.
• Explore the contributions of artists of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Evaluate the significance of artistic works both in terms of individual artists and in larger cultural contexts.
• Acquire an appropriate vocabulary in writing and speaking to describe and analyze artistic works

Behavioral and Social Sciences  9 hours (Student must take at least 3 hours in Behavioral Science courses and at least 3 hours in Social Science courses) Behavioral and Social Science courses address understanding of human behavior, interactions, and environments within established social structures and forums. Behavioral Sciences Students will:

• Learn important disciplinary concepts and apply them to current problems.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how these disciplines apply scientific principles and standards of evidence to the study of individuals and/or groups.
• Examine the ethical issues relevant to research and applications in these disciplines.
• Examine diversity issues within the discipline.

Communicate an understanding of the behavioral sciences using formats appropriate to the discipline. Social Sciences Students will:

• Learn important disciplinary concepts and apply them to current problems.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how these disciplines apply principles and standards to the study of individuals and/or groups.
• Examine the ethical issues relevant to research and applications in these disciplines.
• Examine the impact of diversity issues within the discipline.
• Communicate an understanding of the social sciences using formats appropriate to the discipline.

Literature  3 hours Literature courses are concerned with understanding texts of all forms of written expression. Students will:

• Communicate an understanding of vocabulary, concepts, materials, techniques, and methods of intellectual inquiry within forms of written expression.
• Describe and evaluate texts using primary and secondary materials.
• Analyze and synthesize texts, recognizing the diversity of cultures and historical contexts.

History  3 hours History is concerned with understanding change and development over space and time. Students in history courses should obtain a fundamental grasp of the major eras, driving forces, formative movements and ideas in the shaping of nations or regions in a global historical context. Students will:

• Identify historical causation, how historical forces influence current events and how contemporary problems have a historical antecedent.
• Develop critical thinking skills by learning to distinguish between various kinds of documentary evidence and understand the difference between reliable and unreliable, valid and invalid sources.
• Use the perspective of history to analyze and discourage all forms of discrimination, including ethnic, racial, and/or gender.  Understand the individual life, and the immediate milieu, in an historical context to gain perspective on contemporary life and times.
• Practice written and oral communication skills by presenting rational arguments and conclusions based on the study of historical evidence.

Humanities  6-8 hours Humanities courses are concerned with seeing how we as human beings are connected, one to the other, and hence the power of literature, arts, history, philosophy, religion, languages, and culture in transcending boundaries and overcoming divisions. Courses taken to fulfill this requirement will be selected from the following content areas: History, Literature, Fine Arts, Philosophy/Religious Studies or Foreign Languages. History History is concerned with understanding change and development over space and time. Students in history courses should obtain a fundamental grasp of the major eras, driving forces, formative movements and ideas in the shaping of nations or regions in a global historical context. Students will:

• Identify historical causation, how historical forces influence current events and how contemporary problems have a historical antecedent.
• Develop critical thinking skills by learning to distinguish between various kinds of documentary evidence and understand the difference between reliable and unreliable, valid and invalid sources.
• Use the perspective of history to analyze and discourage all forms of discrimination, including ethnic, racial, and gender. Understand the individual life, and the immediate milieu, in an historical context to gain perspective on contemporary life and times.
• Practice written and oral communication skills by presenting rational arguments and conclusions based on the study of historical evidence. 
  
  Literature - Literature courses are concerned with understanding texts of all forms of written expression. Students will:
  
• Communicate an understanding of vocabulary, concepts, materials, techniques, and methods of intellectual inquiry within forms of written expression.
• Describe and evaluate texts using primary and secondary materials.
• Analyze and synthesize texts, recognizing the diversity of cultures and historical contexts.

Fine Arts - Fine Arts courses include oral, visual, written musical, spatial or kinesthetic forms of expression and include components that emphasize student creativity, expression and production. Students will be required to identify and analyze the impact of cultural and historical factors on the creation and reception of artistic works. Students will:

• Identify and analyze basic formal elements, principles and compositional structures in literature, cinema, dance, music, theatre, or the visual arts.
• Explore the contributions of artists of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Evaluate the significance of artistic works both in terms of individual artists and in larger cultural contexts.
• Acquire an appropriate vocabulary in writing and speaking to describe and analyze artistic works.

Philosophy/Religious Studies - Philosophy/Religious Studies courses are designed so that students will encounter some of civilizations great works, figures, religions, and ideas. This will aid in their ability to formulate and defend reasoned positions on issues of civic and/or personal importance. Students will:

• Improve critical reasoning skills by analyzing, evaluating, and presenting sound arguments.
• Discover, refine, reflect on, and critically examine beliefs on personal, philosophical, religious, ethical, or public policy issues.
• Practice writing skills.
• Foreign Language - Students who choose Foreign Language to fulfill their Humanities category are required to take a two -course sequence. Students will: 
  • Learn basic elements and mechanics of a non-native language.
  • Explore cultural aspects related to the target language
  • Learn to communicate both verbally and in written forms of communications.

III. Diversity Core (6 hours) Race and Gender

The Race and Gender portion of the Diversity Core explores race, gender, and cultural issues within the framework of a disciplinary perspective. Courses will advance a student's understanding of effective citizenship by addressing issues on a personal, local, national, or global level.

Race and Gender courses make race and gender the central focus of the course. The courses concentrate on interrelationships between racial/ethnic groups, on the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender, and on the overlap of race/gender and cultural, political, economic, and social institutions. They incorporate historical understandings and contemporary issues such as the legacy of slavery and the evolution of gender roles, and their impact on current human experiences.

The primary focus of the course is how these issues manifest themselves in the United States. Students will:

• Recognize the diverse race and gender issues within the United States.
• Understand the social, cultural, political, and economic contexts in which these issues develop and evolve.
• Develop an awareness of the increasing interdependence of cultures and diversity issues in the contemporary world.
• Evaluate and communicate ways in which diversity impacts our daily experiences.

Non-Western The Non-Western portion of the Diversity Core explores economic, social/cultural, political, linguistic, ecological, race, gender, or religious issues within the framework of a disciplinary perspective. The major criterion is the type of culture, not the geographic location. Cultures that are significantly different from European and North American cultures fulfill the definition. Courses will advance a student's understanding of effective world citizenship by addressing issues on a personal, local, national, or global level. Students will

• Recognize the diverse social and cultural issues and belief systems.
• Understand the geographical and historical context in which these issues develop and evolve.
• Develop an awareness of the increasing interdependence of cultures and diversity issues in the contemporary world.  Evaluate and communicate ways in which diversity impacts our daily experiences.
• Disciplines may require specific general education courses within the category to satisfy major requirements.

No more than 2 courses with the same prefix may be used to fulfill the Liberal Arts or Diversity Core.

Honors courses and Study Abroad courses may fulfill specific general education requirements in the Common, Liberal Arts, or Diversity Cores.

GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE PROPOSALS

General Education courses must provide a broad-based introduction or a broad-based application of the basic concepts and principles of a discipline

General Education courses must be offered at least once a year.

General Education courses must be open to all students regardless of major.

General Education courses must address all stated outcomes for their specific content area.

All current courses proposed for General Education credit must be reviewed and approved by the UCC General Studies Subcommittee prior to submission to the UCC.

All new courses proposed for General Education credit must be reviewed and approved by the College Curriculum Committee before they are submitted to the UCC General Studies subcommittee.

Student outcomes for the specific content area(s) must be directly cited on the General Education Course Proposal form and assessment for outcomes must be explained.

Syllabus must be included for each course proposal.

This syllabus must indicate how the course (and all sections) conforms to outcomes and their assessment.

Courses from any discipline, if consistent with the stated student outcomes and content of an area, may be considered for inclusion in the general education program of studies.

Each course submitted to fulfill a Liberal Arts core requirement must indicate to which content area that course should be assigned. A Liberal Arts Core course may fulfill only one content area. All general education prerequisites are limited to other general education courses within the Common Core, Liberal Arts Core, Diversity Core, or the specified test score and/or minimum grade requirements in developmental courses.

300 and 400 level courses in the Diversity Core may be submitted providing prerequisites are limited to the Liberal Arts Core and the Common Core.

Honors courses may fulfill requirements for the Common Cores, Liberal Arts Core, or Diversity Core.

Study Abroad courses may fulfill requirements for the Liberal Arts Core or the Diversity Core.

Syllabus Guidelines for University-Wide General Education Courses Course Syllabi submitted for university-wide general education approval should include, but are not limited to, the following information. Additional departmental or college requirements should be included.

• Department, course title, course number, and number of credits
• Course objectives
• Course requirements
• Criteria for determination of grade
• Statement of how each general education learning outcome, or competency area, is addressed and assessed
• Date syllabus was prepared.