TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION top
Globalization,
technological revolution, multicultural
societies--as we enter the 21st
century rapid change has fueled
debate about the role of higher
education. How do we teach fundamentals
from the past and skills for the
future? What is the relevance
of academic learning to work and
family life? How do we integrate
into our curriculum an understanding
of ongoing discrimination, violence
and injustice and the need for
social change? How do we produce
citizens who are informed, productive
and socially responsible?
The
General Education Program at SUNY
Old Westbury was developed in
response to these questions. It
is based on an interdisciplinary
liberal arts curriculum that prepares
students for their career goals,
further studies and participation
in an increasingly complex and
diverse world. To this end, it
is necessary to gain competencies
in writing and communication,
critical thinking, information
management and mathematical scientific
reasoning. Our objective is also
to produce thoughtful, multifaceted
individuals who are capable of
analyzing issues from a variety
of perspectives and who have an
awareness of their own and others'
backgrounds and cultures. Students
will be exposed to the foundations
of modern thought as well as a
critique of traditional frameworks
and beliefs. Courses will present
both the methods and concepts
of disciplinary knowledge and
an understanding of the links
between these disciplines.
General
Education
The
core of academic study at the
College is a general education
program that provides students
with a broad multidisciplinary
liberal arts education that serves
as the intellectual foundation
for further education, career
preparation, and participation
in our increasingly complex society.
Old
Westbury's current general education
program was developed to meet
SUNY-wide requirements while maintaining
the College's commitment to diversity,
interdisciplinary education, and
critical inquiry. It includes
courses in ten domains and knowledge
areas: Basic Communication, Creativity
and the Arts, the Western Tradition,
the American Experience, Major
Cultures, Foreign Languages, Natural
Sciences, Humanities, Social Science,
Diversity plus Mathematics
Proficiency.
THE DOMAINS top
1. Basic Communication
English
Composition I and II are sequential
courses which prepare students
for advanced writing and thinking--tasks
needed both in their academic
studies and careers. These courses
train students to write correct,
concise, clear prose. They teach
students to develop, organize,
and support their ideas with
evidence. These courses also
include instruction in using
the computer to write as well
as oral communication.
2. Creativity and the Arts
The
arts provide us with essential
human experiences of beauty
and pleasure and the quest for
truth. Students will be exposed
to the laws and logic of artistic
endeavor and offered the opportunity
to discover their own humanistic
values and creative energies.
3. The Western Tradition
This
domain offers students an intellectual
and critical foundation in the
history and development of Western
Civilization.
4. The American Experience
This
domain will examine the development
of political and economic institutions
and cultural and intellectual
traditions. It is a story based
on the pasts of many peoples
which chronicles how the interaction
and conflicts between diverse
forces have created a unique
society.
5. Major Cultures
In
a diverse and increasingly interdependent
world, an international perspective
is crucial for citizens who
participate in the global society.
The study of cultures other
than ones' own not only promotes
an understanding of the values
and attitudes of that culture,
but enables students to examine
their own society and belief
systems. This domain offers
courses, which study non-western
civilizations, or courses broadly
covering world history.
6. Foreign Languages
Foreign
language literacy is critical
in the increasingly multi-cultural
and multi-national American
and global society. In this
domain, students will be introduced
to a foreign language.
7. Natural
Sciences
Familiarity
with science is essential in
our highly technological society.
This domain consists of laboratory
science courses. Students will
explore the observations, principles
and models in one or more scientific
disciplines. Course content
will foster a basic understanding
of the observations, principles
and theories of a scientific
discipline and will develop
skills in reasoning and problem
solving. Through laboratory
work students will learn techniques
of measurement, data collection
and representation and will
develop skills in hypothesis
formation and testing and the
interpretation of data.
KNOWLEDGE AREAS top
Within the above domains, particular courses are designated as including content
in the following areas:
8. Humanities
Knowledge
of the conventions and methods
of at least one of the following
humanities: literature, philosophy,
religion, history, linguistics
and the scholarly study of the
arts.
9. Social
Science
The
study of social institutions
and behavior using methodologies
which involve quantitative and
qualitative methods.
10. Diversity
The
study of the impact of race,
cultural/ethnic background,
gender, social class, sexual
orientation, age and disability.
COMPETENCIES top
Critical
Thinking
- identify,
analyze, and evaluate arguments
in their own and other's work
- develop
well-reasoned arguments based
on evidence
Information
Management
- perform
basic operations using a personal
computer
- understand and use basic research techniques
- locate, evaluate and synthesize information from a variety of sources
- understand and use library resources for research
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS top
Students
must take one course (unless otherwise
stated below) in each of the domains
and knowledge areas. Courses that
are jointly listed as either Social
Science / Diversity or Humanities
/ Diversity may be used to satisfy either but
not both knowledge
areas. A second course must be
taken to satisfy the other area.
1. Mathematics
Proficiency - Required
of all students and can be
met in any of the following
ways:
- Pass
MA1020 or higher, with a grade
of "C-" or
better
- Pass
SY2570 Statistics for Social
Science or MA2000 Applied Statistics
with a grade of "C-" or
better
- Transfer
a statistics course with a grade
of "C-" or
better
- Place out on Math proficiency test
- Complete
high school Regents Exam in
Sequential Mathematics III
or Mathematics B with a score
of 75 or higher
- Receive
a score of 3 or higher on
a Mathematics Advanced Placement
Test
2. Basic
Communication - Based
on placement test scores students
will fulfill one of the following
two requirements:
- ECI
and ECII, with a grade
of "C" or
higher, for students who
have placed at the freshman
level of English competency
- ECII,
with a grade of "C" or
higher, for students
whose placement scores
demonstrate mastery
of ECI but not ECII
3. Foreign
Language - Students may place out of this domain by satisfying one of the following options:
In
addition, students fluent
in a foreign language, may
complete Old Westbury's
foreign language requirement
based on the following:
Courses
in American Sign Language may
be used to fulfill the requirements
for this domain by students
pursuing degrees in:
