An Overview of General Education at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

-Why do we have General Education? -What does General Education at UH Mānoa consist of? -How to make the most of GenEd for G&G undergraduates -A request for more Focus classes -Questions and (hopefully) answers OUTLINE

WHY DO WE HAVE GENERAL EDUCATION (GenEd) AT UH MĀNOA? The Course Catalog says (among many other things): “The General Education requirements foster a deeper appreciation of the complexities and potentialities of the human experience from the perspectives of the arts, humanities, and the natural and social sciences while encouraging an understanding of imagination and creativity through the application of abstract and intuitive thinking.” In plain English, we want to make sure that students: ▪learn more than merely what is covered by the courses in their major ▪are prepared to handle college-level course material ▪gain an understanding of the greater human and natural world around them, particularly from a Pacific perspective General Education in some form (often with a different name), has existed at 99% of all public universities in the U.S. for decades.

WHAT CONSTITUTES GENERAL EDUCATION AT UH MĀNOA? THE OFFICIAL VERSION: 1)GenEd “Core” requirements – same for all students 2)GenEd “Graduation” requirements – some variation between colleges, majors, etc. THE MORE INTUITIVE VERSION (i.e., how students look at it): 1)Foundations 2)Diversification 3)Focus 4)Hawaiian/Second language This is the “new” UH Mānoa GenEd, developed by a task force of the UH Mānoa Faculty Senate in 1999, and implemented in 2000

Foundations: Provide students fundamental skills and perspectives that are necessary for success at UH Mānoa ▪1 FW (Writing – most students take ENG100 or 190) ▪1 FS (Symbolic Reasoning – 15 different courses ranging from MATH100 to MATH241 to PHIL110 and 111) ▪2 FG (Global & Multicultural Perspectives – 18 different courses in 3 categories that differ with respect to the time period of history they deal with – the two FG courses can’t be from the same category) Total = 12 credits, which cannot count toward any other requirements except for the major Note: Foundations courses are supposed to be completed during a student’s first year, however, only ~50% of students achieve this goal.

Diversification: Ensure that students are exposed to a broad spectrum of academic knowledge Seven Types of Diversification Courses (and lots of each): 1. DA (Arts) 2. DH (Humanities) 3. DL (Literature) -A student needs 6 credits of combined DA, DH, and DL, and they can’t all come from the same category 4. DS (Social Science) 5. DB (Biological Science) 6. DP (Physical Science) 7. DY (Science Laboratory) -A student needs 6 credits of DS, 3 credits of both DB and DP, and 1 credit of DY Total = 19 credits, which can also count toward major and Focus requirements

Focus: Give students exposure to a particular set of college-level skills and knowledge. Importantly, the skills and knowledge are presented in the context of other topics. There are four Focus types, and the requirements are based on the number of courses, not the number of credits: ▪W (Writing Intensive) – 5 courses required, at least two of which have to be 300-level or higher ▪O (Oral Communication) – 1 course required, and all O-focus courses are 300-level or higher ▪H (Hawaiian/Asian/Pacific) – 1 course required ▪E (Contemporary Ethical Issues) – 1 course required, and all E-focus courses are 300-level or higher Total = 8 courses at most (it is possible for one course to fulfill >1 Focus requirement). Focus courses may also count toward Major, Diversification, and/or Language requirements

Hawaiian/Second Language: It is key that students of college caliber learn the basics of a language other than English, partly to appreciate another culture, and partly to appreciate the difficulty of having to use a second language. This is the requirement that varies the most at UH Mānoa: ▪Most colleges require 2 years of a second language ▪Some colleges allow replacement of 1 of those years with a year of a computer language or of a culture class ▪Some colleges (e.g., SOEST) require 1 year of a 2 nd language ▪Some colleges waive the 2 nd language requirement entirely Total = variable. Second language courses may fulfill the Focus requirement, but cannot simultaneously fulfill Foundations, Diversification, or Major requirements

So…what extra does GenEd add to a G&G undergraduate’s course load? FW (ENG100 – one 3-credit course) FG (~history – two 3-credit courses) FS (zero – they take MATH241) DA + DL + DH (two 3-credit courses) DS (two 3 credit courses) DB (zero – they take BIO103 or 171, MICRO130 or ZOO101) DP (zero – almost all GG courses are DP) DY (zero – almost all GG labs are DY) Focus courses (potentially zero, depending on GG electives) Second language (one year = two 3 credit courses) TOTAL = nine 3-credit courses

HOW CAN GenEd REQUREMENTS BE MADE USEFUL FOR G&G MAJORS? Most students (and many faculty) see GenEd requirements as hurdles rather than anything useful. Assuming that GenEd will always exist in some form similar to the present, how can it be put to use to help G&G students? ▪Basically, G&G should look through the various Diversification, Focus, and Second-Language course options, and determine which of these might be most useful for a G&G student. ▪For example, in what language is there important literature about geology? Which art class (DA) teaches skills that would be most useful for a geologist? ▪If G&G can produce a list of preferred GenEd courses for our students, these courses can complement their degree.

HOW CAN YOU HELP WITH GenEd? There is always a need for more Focus courses -Reinforce the connections between geological knowledge and important skills (e.g., writing, speaking, ethics) -Keep our students in our classes (helps enrollment and gives students more G&G elective opportunities) -Attract students from other majors (helps enrollment and possibly produces new majors) It can’t hurt to have more 100- and 200-level DPs and DYs -Attract students from other majors (helps enrollment and possibly produces new majors) There is no need for more upper-division DP and DY classes -Nobody takes them only for the DP or DY anyway, especially if they have DP or DY prerequisites mahalo