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General Education Attributes

The General Education curriculum described below applies to all students who matriculate in Spring 2022 or beyond. Students who matriculated in Fall 2021 or prior should consult the Fall 2021 General Education Curriculum policy.

Attribute Requirement in General Education

Exploring Perspectives and Building Connections courses within General Education enhance learning experiences so that faculty and students explore perspectives and build interdisciplinary connections to be prepared for meaningful engagement in a global context. Integral to this goal are topical areas in which all students should be educated. These areas include: Diversity and Equity, Quantitative Reasoning, World Cultures and Societies, and Writing. Each of these areas, briefly defined below, is an attribute attached to Exploring Perspectives and Building Connections courses that fulfill the guidelines of the appropriate area and are defined as such in the general catalog of courses. More detailed guidelines of these attributes will be part of the General Education website and embedded in the course approval process.

Diversity and Equity Attribute

Classes with the Diversity and Equity Attribute will focus on issues such as racism, classism, sexism, ableism, imperialism, colonialism, transphobia, xenophobia, and other structured inequities. It is our responsibility as Wildcats to promote greater social equity.

Quantitative Reasoning

Classes with the Quantitative Reasoning Attribute will focus on generating, analyzing, and/or interpreting quantitative information, developing the ability to construct coherent arguments based on that information, and effectively communicating those arguments. It is our responsibility as Wildcats to promote evidence-based reasoning and data literacy.

World Cultures and Societies

Classes with the World Cultures and Societies Attribute will focus on a broad array of questions that have shaped our global community both past and present. It is our responsibility as Wildcats to promote understanding and respect for societies outside the United States and to think critically about our place in the world.

Writing Attribute

Writing mobilizes thinking and learning. Founded on principles of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC), GE courses with the Writing Attribute promote engaged learning, critical thinking, and greater facility with written communication across rhetorical situations. While all GE courses should aim to incorporate writing in some way, the Writing Attribute designates courses that shift writing practices from implicit rules to explicit discussion of disciplinary writing expectations, sharing these common goals:

  1. teach writing as a process in course activities and assignments,

  2. identify previous writing experiences and transfer writing practices to different genres of writing across academic disciplines, and

  3. define various disciplinary or field-specific writing expectations.

Beginning with Fall 2026 matriculants, students must choose their Exploring Perspectives and Building Connections courses to fulfill the following attribute requirements:

  • Diversity and Equity Attribute - 2 courses, with one focused on a U.S. context

  • Quantitative Reasoning Attribute - 2 courses

  • World Cultures and Societies Attribute - 1 course

  • Writing Attribute - 2 courses

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