GENERAL EDUCATION

An undergraduate student whose enrollment in a curriculum occurs after May 15, 1996, must fulfill the general education requirements in the catalog in effect at the time. A student who withdraws from the University and subsequently returns after May 15, 1996, will be required to satisfy the general education requirements. Any variation in curricular or general education requirements shall be considered under the substitution procedure.

MISSION STATEMENT

Academic institutions exist for the transmission of knowledge, the pursuit of truth, the intellectual and ethical development of students, and the general well-being of society. Undergraduate students must be broadly educated and technically skilled to be informed and productive citizens. As citizens, they need to be able to think critically about significant issues. Students also need to be prepared to complete undergraduate work and a major course of study. The mission requires a high level of knowledge about and competence in the following areas: communication, computer use, mathematics, problem solving, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts. Thus the mission of general education is to provide Clemson undergraduate students with a structured base through which these needs can be met.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

General education requirements in some curricula are more restrictive than those shown below.

Courses approved for Oral Communication, Writing Intensive, or Computer Skills credit are indicated in the Courses of Instruction in brackets (e.g. ENGL 314 3(3,0) [W.3]).

A. Communication and Speaking Skills--12 hours


1. ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 or

ENGL 101 and ENGL 103--6 hours

2. Oral Communication--3 hours
ARCH 151 O.1
ARCH 152 O.1
ARCH 251 O.1
C E 350 O.1
C E 351 O.1
C E 459 O.1
C M E 242 O.1
C M E 341 O.1
C M E 407 O.1
CH E 307 O.1
CH E 407 O.1
CH E 432 O.1
CH E 444 O.1
E C E 320 O.1
E C E 495 O.1
E C E 496 O.1
ENT 305 O.2
ENT 462 O.1
M E 401 O.1
M E 402 O.2
SPCH 150 O.3
SPCH 250 O.3
SPCH 251 O.3

3. Writing Intensive--3 hours
ARCH 351 W.1
ARCH 352 W.1
ARCH 451 W.1
B E 322 W.1
B E 471 W.1
C M E 342 W.1
C M E 407 W.1
C M E 441 W.1
C R P 483 W.2
CH E 307 W.1
CH E 407 W.1
CH E 432 W.1
E C E 311 W.1
E C E 312 W.1
E C E 371 W.1
E C E 417 W.1
ECON 424 W.2
ED 488 W.1
ED F 458 W.1
ED SP 495 W.3
ENGL 304 W.3
ENGL 310 W.2
ENGL 312 W.3
ENGL 314 W.3
ENGL 316 W.3
ENGL 333 W.3
ENGL 334 W.3
ENGL 345 W.3
ENGL 346 W.3
ENGL 348 W.3
ENGL 386 W.1
ENGL 448 W.3
HIST 314 W.1
HIST 318 W.2
HIST 323 W.1
HIST 353 W.2
HIST 361 W.2
HIST 365 W.2
HIST 373 W.2
HIST 387 W.2
M E 401 W.2
M E 402 W.1
MTHSC 302 W.1
NURS 320 W.1
NURS 330 W.1
NURS 405 W.1
NURS 406 W.1
READ 459 W.1

B. Computer Skills 3 hours

AG ED 200 C.3
ARCH 151 C.1
ARCH 251 C.1
ARCH 252 C.1
B E 450 C.1
C E 251 C.1
C M E 407 C.1
CH E 413 C.1
CP SC 101 C.3
CP SC 110 C.3
CP SC 111 C.3
CP SC 120 C.3
CP SC 210 C.3
CP SC 211 C.1
E G 209 C.1
ED F (AG ED, THRD) 480 C.3
ENGR 120 C.1
I E 320 C.2
M E 205 C.1
MUSIC 180 C.2
NURS 140 C.3
PRTM (FOR) 209 C.3

C. Mathematical Sciences--6 hours

EX ST 301

MTHSC 101, 102, 106, 108, 115*, 116*, 117*, 118*, 203, 207, 301, 309

*May be used by students graduating in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education only.

D. Physical or Biological Science--8 hours

A two semester sequence in the same physical or biological science, each including a laboratory

ASTR 101/103, 102/104

BIOL 101, 102, 103, 104, 110, 111

CH 101, 102, 105, 106

GEOL 101/103, 102, 112/114

PH SC 107, 108

PHYS 122/124 , 207, 208, 221/223, 222/224

E. Humanities--6 hours

1. Three hours selected from sophomore literature courses (200 level only) or foreign language literature (300 level or higher)

ENGL 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, H210

FR 300, 400, 406, 407, 408, 499

GER 301, 302, 401, 402, 403

ITAL 301, 302, 400

JAPN 406

SPAN 301, 303, 311, 401, 403, 404, 405, 406, 422, 499

2. Three hours selected from the following:

A A H 101, 210

C H S H203

CHIN 499

ENGL 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, H210, 350, 351, 353, 355, 356, 357, 380, 385, 386

FR 201, 202

G W (ENGL) 301

GER 201, 202

HUM 301, 302, 306, 309

ITAL 201, 202

JAPN 201, 202

MUSIC 210, 311, 312, 313, 314

PHIL 101, 102, 103, 303, 304, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 330, 343, 344, 345

REL 101, 102, 301, 302, 306, 307

RUSS 201, 202

SPAN 201, 202, 221

SPCH 365, 369

THEA 210, 315, 316, 317

W S 301

F. Social Science--6 hours

A A S 301

AGRIC 105

ANTH 201, 301, 320

AP EC 202, 257, 302, 309, 319, 490

AVS 315

C H S H201, H202

C R D 357, (AP EC, HLTH) 361

ECON 200, 211, 212, 301, 302, (MGT) 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 314, 315, 324, 404

GEOG 101, 103, 301, 302, 303, 305, 306, 330, 340

HIST 101, 102, 122, 172, 173, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 307, 311, 312, 313, 314, 316, 318, 321, 322, 323, 325, 327, 328, 329, 330, 333, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 351, 354, 355, 361, 363, 365, 370, 372, 373, 374, 375, 377, 378, 380, 381, 384, 385, 386, 387, 390, 391, (F&RR) 392, 393, 436

PO SC 101, 102, 302, 361, 381, 480

PRTM 201, 301

PSYCH 201, 306, 308, 320, 324, 330, 333, 340, 344, 345, 352, 355, 364, 368, 370, 375, H385

R S 301, (SOC) 401, (SOC) 459

SOC 201, 202, 235, 310, 311, 330, 331, 350, 351, (E L E, PO SC, PSYCH) 356, (R S) 371, 380, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 396, 397

COMPETENCY GOALS

A. Communication and Speaking Skills

A.1. English 101 and 102 or 103

Students completing English 102 or 103 with a passing grade should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills:

1. An understanding of and ability to use the full range of the writing process including invention, drafting, revising, and editing.

2. The capacity to write a unified, coherent short essay with a suitable introduction and conclusion, well-organized and sufficiently developed paragraphs, and enough detail to support generalizations.

3. The capacity to summarize, analyze, and evaluate college-level fictional and non-fictional texts, including argumentative pieces expressing opinions different from their own.

4. The ability to use and evaluate basic library sources, including available databases.

5. The ability to effectively integrate and appropriately cite existing research in their own writing.

6. The ability to organize and sustain an argumentative essay that marshals sufficient and relevant evidence, avoids major logical fallacies, recognizes and responds to counter-arguments, and shows a rhetorical awareness of audience.

7. Skill at using varied sentence structure and length and appropriate sentence style and diction.

8. Ability to edit for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other mechanics.

A.2. Oral Communication

Students prepared in oral communication classes will demonstrate effectiveness in the following knowledge and skills identified by the National Communication Association (NCA):

Competency OneAbility to choose and narrow a topic appropriately for the audience and occasion.

Competency TwoAbility to develop a clear thesis statement and organizational pattern appropriate for the topic, audience, and occasion.

Competency ThreeAbility to assemble and use effective and sufficient supporting materials, including visual support, appropriate for the audience and occasion.

Competency FourAbility to use nonverbal behaviors, including eye contact, gestures, and posture and movement, as well as verbal behaviors, including vocal variety in rate, pitch, and intensity to support the message.

Competency FiveAbility to choose, pronounce, and articulate grammatically correct language that is appropriate for the topic, audience, and occasion.

1. Course faculty will report at least 70% of students' presentations rated 6 or higher on each competency using a performance rating scale of Unsatisfactory (0?3), Satisfactory (4?7), and Excellent (8?10).

2. Students who have taken "O" courses will report that receiving constructive feedback from teachers based on the oral competency assessment instrument and being given the opportunity to perform orally again after constructive feedback enabled them to improve their oral communication.

3. An anonymous assessment team will report that at least 70% of randomly selected student presentations (viewed on videotape) rated 6 or higher on
each competency using a performance rating scale of Unsatisfactory (0?3), Satisfactory (4?7), and Excellent (8?10).

A.3. Writing Intensive Courses

1. Anonymous evaluators of student portfolios from W courses will report that at least 90% of students' writing samples meet or exceed the criteria for acceptable writing endorsed by teachers of those courses.

Students who have taken W courses will report the following:

2. That the writing assignments improved their learning of course material.

3. That receiving constructive feedback and being given the opportunity to revise their writing enabled them to improve their writing.

4. That they believe effective writing is important to success in their respective fields.

5. Increased confidence in their ability to meet the professional demands of writing in the workplace.

Teachers will report the following:

6. That writing assignments in W courses improved student learning of course material.

7. That student writing in W courses improved in response to constructive feedback.

B. Computer Skills

The Computer Skills requirement is intended to achieve two goals. The first goal is to prepare students for the use of computer technology in their personal and professional lives. The second goal is to assist the students in developing a set of skills in using the computer in the areas of management and organization of data and the communication of ideas.

Following completion of the Computer Skills general education requirement, students will be competent in the operation of a number of standard computer tools, including word processors, spreadsheets, and communication tools (for example, electronic mail and remote file access). Students will be able to utilize these tools to present information in an organized and effective manner. Students will also be able to interpret and accommodate current capabilities and future advances in computer technology to support their decision making.

C. Mathematical Sciences

An education that reflects only the restricted mathematical needs of the distant past is not adequate for students who will live their professional lives in the twenty-first century. Therefore, the mathematical sciences requirement is designed to achieve the following competency goals:

1. To develop in students a high level of mathematical literacy in order that they be able to adequately cope with the demands of an information-based age. This basic literacy may assume different forms, depending upon students' academic curricula. For example, developing skills in applying the methods of modern data analysis and statistical inference, mastering the more classical deterministic methods of calculus, or (for future teachers of elementary school children) to actively engage fundamental mathematical concepts in the ways that we would have them to teach: to explore, investigate, validate, discuss, represent and construct.

2. To enable students to become confident in their ability to do mathematics and to grasp the implications of the many mathematical concepts that permeate our livesconcepts such as chance, rates of change, logic, and graphs.

3. To develop in students the ability to communicate and to reason mathematically because math-ematics today involves much more than calculation. Clarification of the problem, formulating alternatives, developing appropriate tools, and analyzing the consequences are all part of mathematical communication and reasoning.

D. Physical or Biological Science

Science is required of Clemson undergraduates to achieve two goals. The first goal is to expose students to the scientific philosophy that the natural world is mechanistic and largely predictable and can be systematically studied using empirical methods. Mastery of these methods requires particular reasoning skills. Following successful completion of the physical/biological science requirement, students should have an understanding of the relationship among hypotheses, experiments, and theories. They should be able to use the methods of scientific inquiry such as framing a question precisely, developing hypotheses, designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and making a defensible claim.

The second goal is to familiarize the students with the major principles and theories of a particular science, its historical development, and its significance for a broader world. This knowledge will give students the factual basis needed to practice the scientific method successfully in a particular discipline.

E. Humanities

The humanities is a broad category of study concerned with human nature, thought, emotion, values, interrelations, and culture. Unlike the sciences and the social sciences, the field of humanities is designed principally to insure that all students receive a balance of courses which generally are not applied or performance based. Specifically, the courses which fulfill the humanities general education requirement should build the following competencies: a reflective habit of mind, self and social awareness, a knowledge and appreciation of the development of our culture and those foreign to ours, a heightened aesthetic and ethical sensibility, an understanding of the diverse forms of expression, the ability to think critically, and good communication skills. Humanities courses should develop as many of these competencies as possible.

F. Social Science

The general education social science requirement will introduce students to human social and cultural diversity. The courses will provide students with a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of human actions. The social science courses will also reinforce communication skills and challenge students to enhance their critical thinking and intellectual development.