Specific criteria for the four Content Areas and five Competencies were developed by the General Education Oversight Committee (GEOC) through nine Subcommittees that were formed to oversee these areas. The formation and functions of these Subcommittees were mandated by the General Education Guidelines, which were passed by the University Senate on May 6, 2002. The four Content Area Subcommittees and the Q and W Competency Subcommittees are responsible for reviewing and recommending to the Senate Curricula and Courses Committee courses proposed for inclusion in the General Education roster of courses. They are also responsible for monitoring periodically courses that satisfy General Education Requirements to ensure that they continue to meet the criteria adopted by the University Senate. For the remaining three Competency Areas, the Subcommittees will review the entrance and/or exit expectations in these areas and the means whereby the expectations are to be met.
As stated at the beginning of this document, the purpose of general education is to ensure that all University of Connecticut undergraduate students:
1. Become articulate
2. Acquire intellectual breadth and versatility
3. Acquire critical judgment
4. Acquire moral sensitivity
5. Acquire awareness of their era and society
6. Acquire consciousness of the diversity of human culture and experience
7. Acquire a working understanding of the processes by which they can continue to acquire and use knowledge
In order for any course to be included in Content Areas One, Two, Three or Four, it should be oriented toward these overarching goals.
A General Education course may fulfill more than one Content Area. A course that fulfills the criteria of two or three (if one of the three is CA4) Content Areas constitutes a multiple-content area General Education course and will be listed under each Content Area. A multiple content area general education course must satisfy the criteria of each of its Content Areas. Note: For rules regarding how students meet the General Education requirements in different Content Areas, see “Content Area Operating Principles” in PART A.
Specific criteria for the four Content Areas, four Competency Areas, and one Literacy are given below.
Group One – Arts and Humanities
Group Two – Social Sciences
Group Three – Science and Technology
Group Four – Diversity and Multiculturalism
Information Literacy Competency
Quantitative (Q) Competency
Second Language Competency
Writing (W) Compentency