Core Components / General Education

Core Components / General Education Curriculum

Core Components Curriculum

(for the Classes of 2010 and 2011)

The program consists of anywhere between 10 and 13 courses. Students can double-count courses taken in Part B with Part C but are required to take at least 10 courses total to complete general education.

NOTE: Students may satisfy any of the requirements in Parts B and C with appropriate courses taken on Terms Abroad.

Part A: Core (two courses)

First-Year Preceptorial
Sophomore Seminar

Part B: Distribution requirements (eight courses)

One Social Science course including psychology, anthropology, history, sociology, economics, and political science.
Two Humanities courses including studio and performing arts courses; one course must be a literature course.
Two courses in Linguistic and Cultural Competency, including courses in any discipline covering:
- Term Abroad courses that deal with a cultural tradition outside the United States
- cross-cultural comparison and theories about cultural complexity
- one or more cultural traditions outside of the United States
- one or more “minority” cultural tradition within the United States
- a sequence of 2 courses in a foreign language at level 102 (12) or higher.
Three courses in quantitative and mathematical reasoning (QMR), natural and applied science, engineering, and the impact of science and technology on society, including.
- one course in natural sciences, with lab
- one course in quantitative and mathematical reasoning (QMR) - includes courses in math or those offered in a number of departments, listed under QMR GenEd
- one course selected from the following categories:
  - same as in first bullet, but need not have a lab
  - a course from engineering (includes CS), to foster understanding of technology
  - a team-taught interdepartmental course (including at least one faculty from Division III or IV), with significant science or engineering content, about the impact of science and/or technology on the human world: includes Converging Technologies courses listed as “CT GenEd.”

Part C: Clusters : Making connections across disciplines (three courses)

Prompts awareness of interdisciplinary connections by requiring students to take 3 courses in an approved cluster, from at least 2 different departments. Possibilities would include 3 courses in any of the existing ID programs and/or clusters of courses proposed by faculty groups and approved by the General Education Board such as “Ancient studies,” “Globalization,” or “Media Studies.” The committee envisions that the list of approved clusters will change over time, with new clusters being proposed and older ones, possibly disappearing over time.

The General Education Curriculum

(applies to Classes of 2008 and 2009; members of 2009 take Sophomore Research Seminar in lieu of one of the courses in Section I)

The core of Union’s General Education curriculum (GenEd) is the First-Year Preceptorial, a seminar for small groups of students offered by faculty drawn from a variety of departments. The Preceptorial focuses on making students more effective at reading, analyzing, and writing. They are required to read, discuss, and extensively write about substantial works in a range of fields and from culturally diverse sources.

All regular degree candidates must complete Gen Ed Sections I, II, III, and IV. (Students in the Leadership in Medicine/Health Systems program, because of the breadth of their own special curriculum, take FPR 100 but are otherwise not affected by GenEd requirements.) Engineering students are especially encouraged to consult early with their advisors concerning GenEd Section IV requirements because of their heavy major requirements, and because their choices are somewhat different from those available to arts and sciences majors.

The courses should normally be completed by the end of junior year. Students wishing to study a foreign language are urged to get an early start. In many cases, courses fulfilling the GenEd curriculum also count toward majors and minors.

I. History, Literature, Civilization

FP10. First-Year Preceptorial (Fall, Winter). An introduction to general education, with the goals of improving student writing; developing critical reading skills; stimulating class discussion; becoming knowledgeable about cultural differences; and being exposed to varieties of good writing.
Two courses in history, normally completed during the freshman year -- either Classics 121 (21) and 125 (25) (Ancient) or History 103 (35) and 104 (36) (European) or History 101 (13) and 102 (14) (American).
Two courses that associate with the elected history sequence -- either two courses in literature (GenEd: L or LS), or one course in literature and one course in civilization (GenEd: C or CS). These courses are to be taken in timely association with the history courses to which they relate.

II. Social or Behavioral Science

One course from among Anthropology 110 (10); Economics 101 (12); Political Science 111 or 112 or 114 (11 or 12 or 14); Psychology 100 (10); Sociology 100 or 202 (10 or 22).

III. Mathematics and Natural Science

One credit-bearing course in mathematics (excluding Mathematics 100 (11A); and
Two courses in basic or applied science, one of which must include laboratories. Students who take a laboratory course in biology, chemistry, geology, or physics as part of their major in those departments are excused from this second science course requirement.

IV. Other Languages; Other Cultures; Other Disciplines

One of the following tracks in foreign language and culture, with appropriate double-counting for majors and for GenEd:

Foreign Language Track: Any sequence of three courses in a classical or modern foreign language. Students may begin a new language or be placed at the appropriate level in a language of which they have prior knowledge. Students placed at the 12 level or higher earn the waiver of one of the three courses.
Cultural Diversity Studies Track: Any related group of three courses in Africana Studies, East Asian Studies, or Latin American Studies.
Foreign Study Track: Any Union Term Abroad with associated prerequisites, or equivalent foreign study.
Miniterms Abroad: Union offers certain Miniterms Abroad during the summer and the month of December. These carry one course credit, which can be used towards partially fulfilling Section IV credit when combined with other course work at the College. Students will be charged $3000 for the cost of the mini-term. This is in addition to their regular tuition. The course is considered extra credit, and tuition is not deducted from the tuition of their last term at Union College. Students who are behind by a credit may use this credit to get caught up. Students who have enough credits may choose to take two courses, rather than three, in their last term as a senior; however, they must pay full tuition (as must any student registering for two courses). Note that last-term seniors will not be allowed to register for only one course.

Engineering students may use any of the above to fulfill Section IV requirements and may also qualify for a “virtual term abroad,” working on a senior design project with students in a foreign university; an international term in industry; or an international engineering exchange program. Because the availability of these options varies from year to year, and some are highly competitive and may have prerequisites, engineering students should consult early with their advisors on how best to satisfy Section IV requirements.

The Key to GenEd Abbreviations:

Am — American

An — Ancient

Eu — European

L — Literature

C — Civilization

S — Survey

CDAA — Cultural Diversity Africana Studies

CDEA — Cultural Diversity East Asian Studies

CDLA — Cultural Diversity Latin American Studies