ETHNIC STUDIES (AREA F)

As described in Article 6 of the CSU Chancellor’s Office’s Executive Order 1100, revised 12/3/2020, “CSU General Education Breadth Requirements,” CSU campuses may certify upper-division ethnic studies courses to satisfy the lower-division Area F requirement so long as adequate numbers of lower-division course options are available to students. As described in Article 2 of EO 1100, rev. 12/3/20, 

For Area F courses offered as lower-division/Explorations courses:

2.3          Although the primary purpose of Explorations is the development of breadth of knowledge, it is expected that all courses will offer opportunities for continued development of foundational skills.

2.3          All courses in Explorations must have at least one pre- or co-requisite from the Foundation.

2.3          In addition, as students progress through their Explorations, they will be expected to develop additional skills and attributes, including ethical reasoning, analytical reading, creativity, respect for difference, awareness of other cultures, questioning of stereotypes, the values of citizenship, negotiating skills, and other attributes of use in a diverse society. Courses at this level will be evaluated for their attention to one or more of these areas and to Foundation skills, as well as content.

For Area F courses offered as upper-division courses:

3.3          All Upper-Division GE Courses must require students to demonstrate advanced college skills and knowledge such as synthesis and application of knowledge, analysis, critique, and research. While Upper-Division GE Courses will only be classified as category B, C, or D, it is understood that at the upper-division level, such courses might involve the integration of these skills in a student’s major.  Project-based, interdisciplinary, and service learning courses are some examples where the emphasis on these skills will contribute to student success. Upper-Division GE Courses are intended to help students integrate knowledge and skills developed earlier in the GE Program, working at a more advanced level than Foundation and Explorations courses. For a list of prerequisites for upper division GE classes, please see section 2.4.

3.3.1      Courses requesting certification at the upper-division level must meet the general criteria for GE Courses articulated in Section 3.1, the content criteria of at least one of the Subareas, and the general upper-division criteria for GE Courses articulated (…). However, these courses will only be categorized as B-UD, C-UD, and D-UD.

3.3.2      Each UD GE category must offer courses intended for students without prior experience in the discipline beyond an introductory course.

3.3.2      Upper-division course may have prerequisites that are not on the General Education Master Course List (i.e., discipline-specific prerequisites).

3.1         When requesting GE certification for a certain Area or Subarea a course may be the only exposure a student gets to that Area or Subarea. The course as a whole—and not the general topic or discipline—must be appropriate to that Area or Subarea and taught at the university level. Rather than GE being an afterthought to make a course fit into that Area or Subarea, with just perfunctory treatment or minimal coverage of the Area or Subarea, a course must be created around the concept of covering GE explicitly, directly, thoroughly, and significantly, integrating the Area or Subarea throughout the course. The course may simultaneously cover discipline-specific material; however, that material must be integrated with the GE content.

3.1          Courses beyond the Foundation stage must continue to enhance the Foundation skills, as well as build additional skills as indicated in the descriptions of the specific levels.

3.1          Wherever appropriate, instruction approved to fulfill the GE requirements should recognize the contributions to knowledge and civilization that have been made by members of various cultural groups and genders. Wherever appropriate, the content of courses should include examples of the relationship of human and cultural diversity to the subject matter.

3.1         In order to be approved for a specific GE Area or Subarea, the course must include:

• for all GE courses: textbooks/readings and bibliography items that clearly address the Area or Subarea being requested;
• for all GE courses: Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) dedicated to the Area or Subarea being requested and taken or adapted from the implementation document defining GE SLOs approved by the Academic Senate and maintained by the GEGC;
• for all GE courses: scheduled class topics that directly address the GE SLOs dedicated to the Area or Subarea being requested;
• for Exploration courses and upper-division courses: at least one third of the SLOs, assignments, assessments, evaluative criteria, and final course grade dedicated to the Area or Subarea being requested.