New General Education Requirements

New General Education Categories

Other Requirements

New General Education Course Lists

Diversity Course List

"Transitional" General Education Requirements

College Academic Services Building,
Room 200
(213) 740-2961
FAX: (213) 740-4839

Coordinator: Karen Segal, Ph.D.

Associate Coordinator: Richard Fliegel, Ph.D.

As of fall 1997, the university has instituted a new general education program, designed to be a simpler, more coherent and more integrated introduction to the breadth of knowledge outside the major discipline which is expected of every undergraduate who receives a degree from USC.

The new program is based on the belief that an excellent undergraduate education is distinguished by its accomplishments in teaching students (1) to locate themselves culturally and intellectually in their moment in history; and (2) to think critically about the texts, events, scientific evidence and arguments they confront, the conclusions that are drawn and the claims that are made on the strength of that data.

To accomplish the first goal, each student must develop an appreciation of fundamental ways of understanding the world; to accomplish the second, each student must be engaged in critical analyses of particular topics in the natural and social sciences and particular texts in the arts and humanities to learn strategies for interpreting difficult works and researching complex questions.

As a consequence, our general education program is divided into two parts. The first, "Foundations," provides background in the cultural and scientific perspectives contributed by the diverse legacies which have informed the contemporary world. The second, "Case Studies," provides opportunities for students to sharpen their critical intelligence by considering in some depth particular texts, contemporary issues and areas of scientific research.

New General Education Requirements

Students in all programs are required to take one course which satisfies each of the following categories.

Foundations:

I.	Cultures and Civilizations I	one course
II.	Cultures and Civilizations II	one course
III.	Scientific Principles	one course

Case Studies:

IV.	Investigations in Science and Technology	one course
V.	Studies in Literature, Thought, and the Arts	one course
VI.	Social Issues	one course

In addition, the freshman-year component of the university writing requirement is co-registered with courses in the Social Issues category. Students are also required to attend an associated lecture series.

New General Education Categories

Part One: Foundations

Courses in these categories help students locate themselves culturally and intellectually. The foundations categories are intended to give students a broad conceptual base for their further studies and their role as informed citizens in a scientifically and culturally complex world. Because their goal is to provide context, these courses emphasize a wide sweep of knowledge and require active intellectual engagement with scientific principles and with primary works of culture and civilization.

I. Cultures and Civilizations I

Courses in this category introduce students to the norms and patterns of civilizations associated with the Greco-Roman and European traditions and the legacy of those traditions in North America. Courses may focus on particular aspects of those traditions, or on particular historical periods, provided that the perspective is construed broadly enough to establish a foundation on which students may build, grounding themselves and their subsequent studies in some understanding of this legacy. Comparative insights may also be offered between cultural traditions studied in Categories I and II.

In this category students learn about an area of academic inquiry traditionally perceived as core to an excellent general education. Courses are distinguished by their sweep, which must be broad enough for students to understand the continuing legacies in contemporary culture of the pattern of civilization these courses present and critique.

II. Cultures and Civilizations II

Courses in this category introduce students to cultural norms and patterns of civilizations associated with Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Native America and elsewhere, alternative to those of the Greco-Roman and European traditions. Each course examines distinctive properties of the cultures and civilizations studied and seeks to engage and explain those properties on their own terms. Comparative insights may also be offered between the cultural traditions studied in Categories I and II.

In this category students prepare to participate in an increasingly internationalized economic and political landscape. Courses teach students to understand the historical development of cultures which interact in the contemporary geopolitical scene. In addition, courses in this category help students to understand the role otherness plays in self-definition and self-delineation. Like courses in Category I, courses in this category are distinguished by their breadth of perspective over a substantial period of time.

III. Scientific Principles

Courses in this category study fundamental principles underlying a body of scientific knowledge, examining how those principles were developed through gradual evolution, the elimination of competing ideas, and scientific revolution or paradigm shift. These courses also focus on the nature of scientific inquiry by educating students as to how scientific knowledge is obtained and evaluated; they give a strong appreciation of how we arrived at our present understanding and a sense of how present ideas might evolve. Field experience or a practical component is required.

In this category students are introduced to the vocabulary and modes of thought of a dominant perspective in contemporary culture. This category includes courses designed for students with majors outside the natural sciences.

Part Two: Case Studies

Courses in these categories help students learn to think critically through a focused inquiry into a particular area of knowledge. Analytic techniques and methodologies are demonstrated as they illuminate specific topics in the natural and social sciences, the arts and humanities.

IV. Investigations in Science and Technology

An examination of the nature of science and technology, based on a closer, more focused study of a single area of research or a small set of related areas. The perspectives of several scientific disciplines are brought to bear on a theme, illustrating the relevant scientific principles, their technological applications and the societal significance and consequences of the topic. Field experience or a practical component is required.

In this category students deepen their understanding of a particular area of scientific research, its applications and social impact.

V. Studies in Literature, Thought, and the Arts

Courses in this category will develop students' abilities for critical analysis through intense engagement with works of literature, philosophy, visual arts, music and/or film. Subject matter for these courses will be significant works associated with one or more geographical areas, time periods, genres or themes. Designed also to develop knowledge of analytical techniques in the humanities and practice in argumentative methods, courses in this category will demand intensive reading and writing and be capped at 30 students.

VI. Social Issues

Courses in this category prepare students for informed citizenship, by teaching them to analyze compelling local, national and/or international issues or problems. Analytical tools are examined systematically, so that students may fruitfully redeploy them in understanding a broad range of social phenomena.

In this category students develop the analytical and critical skills that enable them to make sense of complex questions about human beings and societies.

Limitations

Advanced Placement Credit

As of fall 1997, students may satisfy the requirements for Categories I or III with scores of 4 or 5 on specified Advanced Placement Examinations, but no such credit will satisfy the requirements of Categories II, IV, V, or VI, or the writing requirement.

Transfer Credit

As of fall 1997, students may satisfy the requirements for Categories I, II, III or V with transfer course work completed before the student has enrolled at USC, but no transfer credit will satisfy the requirements for Categories IV or VI. The first semester of the writing requirement may also be satisfied with transfer course work, if it is completed before the student has transferred to USC. However, no transfer course work may be used to satisfy any general education requirements or the writing requirement if those courses are taken after a student has enrolled at USC.

Courses Taken on a Pass/No Pass Basis

As of fall 1997, no more than four units of credit (or one course) counting toward the general education categories may be taken on a pass/no pass basis. The writing courses cannot be taken on a pass/no pass basis.

Exceptions

A very restricted number of exceptions to the rules governing the new general education program has been allowed by the Provost for certain cohorts of students whose programs of study in the major discipline require such exceptions. For more information, see the listings under the individual schools.

Other Requirements

In addition, all students at USC must complete a two-course writing requirement and a diversity requirement. All students in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and some in the professional schools (see listing for each school's requirements) must also satisfy the foreign language requirement.

New Writing Requirement

Writing is a skill that needs to be refined at various stages of development. The university writing requirement is designed to acknowledge and enhance the process of continuing acquisition of skills in writing. The first writing course, to be taken during the freshman year, is intended to get students off to a foundational start in their college writing. The second is required later in a student's college career, when students have a clearer idea of the kinds of writing they are likely to do most often or are most relevant to their professional aspirations.

The first of the two writing courses undergraduates take is WRIT 140 Writing and Critical Reasoning, which is affiliated with a general education course in Category VI, Social Issues. Most students enroll in this writing course either in the fall or spring of their freshman year.

Certain cohorts of students whose schedules do not permit them to register in an affiliated writing class, such as certain groups in the Schools of Architecture and Music, will satisfy their first writing requirement with an alternative course, WRIT 130 Analytical Writing. Students may not enroll in WRIT 130 unless expressly permitted to do so by the academic advisors in specified schools or by the Writing Program Office.

Students requiring training in English as a second language will complete course work in the American Language Institute before registering for WRIT 130 or WRIT 140. Some domestic students, as well as those completing ALI training, may need to strengthen their writing skills through stand-alone courses in the writing program before taking their affiliated writing courses. Clearance to register for these stand-alone courses, WRIT 120 Introduction to College Writing and WRIT 121 Introduction to College Writing in a Second Language, may be obtained from the Writing Program Office.

The second writing course is generally taken during a student's junior or senior year at the university. More information about this requirement will be forthcoming. For more information about the new Writing Program.

Diversity Requirement

The diversity requirement is designed to provide undergraduate students with the background knowledge and analytical skills to enable them to understand and respect differences between groups of people and to understand the potential resources and conflicts arising from human differences on the contemporary American and international scene. Students will increasingly need to grapple with issues arising from different dimensions of human diversity such as age, disability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation and social class. These dimensions and their social and cultural consequences will have important ramifications for students' personal, professional and intellectual lives, both for the time they are students and in later life. Students will gain exposure to analytical frameworks within which these issues are to be understood and addressed, including social, political, cultural, ethical and public policy analyses. It is the university's goal to prepare students through the study of human differences for responsible citizenship in an increasingly pluralistic and diverse society.

Course Requirement

The diversity requirement must be met by all students who began college at USC or elsewhere fall 1993 or later. It can be met by passing any one course from the following list of courses carrying the designation "m" for multiculturalism. In addition to fulfilling the diversity requirement, some of the courses on the list also meet general education requirements in the "Areas of Study"; others also meet major requirements; still others meet only the diversity requirement but count for elective unit credit.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and other schools requiring a foreign language must take a placement examination to determine their level of language proficiency. The foreign language requirement may be satisfied only by (1) earning a passing grade in Course III of a foreign language sequence at USC or its equivalent elsewhere; (2) scoring on the placement examination at a level considered by the department as equivalent to the completion of Course III; or (3) scoring on a national or statewide examination at a level set by the department and approved by the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Students who can supply proof of at least two years of full-time secondary schooling beyond the age of 14 taught in a foreign language may request exemption from the foreign language requirement.

If a student has completed some college-level work in a foreign language but fails through placement testing to qualify for the next level of instruction, the student may be required by the department to repeat for no additional credit the elementary or intermediate course needed to develop sufficient skills to continue the I, II, III sequence.

International students whose native language is not English are exempt from the foreign language requirement. Students with advanced skills in languages other than those taught at USC may request exemption from the foreign language requirement if (1) they can supply proof of at least two years of full-time secondary schooling taught in a foreign language beyond the age of 14, or (2) if they can pass a competency exam testing for advanced language skills and administered at USC subject to the availability of suitable academic examiners; the competency exam will test proficiency in speaking, reading and writing skills. Students with documented learning disabilities or physical impairments inhibiting language acquisition may petition for substitution.

New General Education Course Lists

Category I. Cultures and Civilizations I

Classical Civilizations and Their Legacies

AHIS 120g	Foundations of Western Art
CLAS 150xg	The Greeks and the West
CLAS 151g	Civilization of Rome
CLAS 280g	Classical Mythology
CLAS 320g	Diversity and the Classical Western Tradition
COLT 150xg	Literature and Western Civilization
HIST 101g	The Ancient World
HIST 301g	The Greek World
PHIL 115g	Ancient Greek Culture and Society

Judeo-Christian Traditions and Their Legacies

HIST 102g	Medieval Civilization
JS 100g	Jewish History
REL 111g	The World of the Hebrew Bible
REL 121g	The World of the New Testament
REL 132g	Religions of the West
REL 264g	Judeo-Christian Ethics

The Making of the Modern World

COLT 374g	Women Writers in Europe and America
HIST 103g	The Emergence of Modern Europe
HIST 104g	Europe and Its Influence Since 1750: From the Rise of Democracy to the Age of Extremes
MDA 205g	Cities and Civilization
PHIL 101g	Philosophical Foundations of Modern Western Culture
PHIL 155g	Modern Philosophy and the Meaning of Life
PHIL 220g	Science, Religion and the Making of the Modern Mind
PHIL 262g	Mind and Self: Modern Conceptions

Foundations of American Civilization

AMST 301g	America, the Frontier and the New West
HIST 200g	The American Experience
HIST 260g	The Past, Present, and Future of American Society
MDA 105g	Cultural Forms and Values I

Category II. Cultures and Civilizations II

AHIS 125g	Arts of Asia: Antiquity to 1300
ANTH 100g	Principles of Human Organization: Non-Western Societies
ANTH 140g	Native Peoples of Mexico and Central America
ANTH 235g	The Changing Pacific: Culture, History and Politics in the New South Seas
ANTH 263g	Exploring Culture Through Film
ANTH 273g	Folk Belief Systems: Non-Western Traditions
ANTH 315g	North American Indians
COLT 264g	Asian Aesthetic and Literary Traditions
COLT 382g	Zen and Taoism in Asian Literature
EALC 110g	East Asian Humanities: The Great Tradition
EALC 130g	East Asian Ethical Thought
EALC 340g	Japanese Civilization
EALC 350g	Chinese Civilization
EALC 352g	Chinese Literature and Culture
EASC 150g	East Asian Societies
HIST 106g	Chinese Lives: An Introduction to Chinese History
HIST 107g	Japanese History
MDA 155g	Cultural Forms and Values II
REL 131g	Religions of the East

Category III. Scientific Principles

For Most General Education Students

The following courses are recommended for most students seeking to satisfy general education requirements.

ASTR 100Lg	The Universe
BISC 101Lg	Cellular and Molecular Biology
CHEM 102Lg	The Molecular World
GEOG 160Lg	Geosystems
GEOL 105Lg	Planet Earth
GEOL 107Lg	Oceanography
MDA 125Lg	Scientific Principles
MDA 130Lg	The Nature of Scientific Inquiry
PHYS 100Lg	Conceptual Physics

For Specified Cohorts

The following courses will also satisfy this requirement, but they are intended for specific groups of students and are not usually appropriate for most general education students. Consult an academic advisor before enrolling in any of the following courses unless your major requires you to do so.

BISC 110Lg	Introduction to Biology I
CHEM 105aLg	General Chemistry
CHEM 115aLg	Advanced General Chemistry
PHYS 125aLg	Physics for Architects
PHYS 151Lg	Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics

Category IV. Investigations in Science and Technology

ANTH 200Lg	The Origins of Humanity
ASTR 200Lg	Earth and Space
BISC 102Lg	Humans and Their Environment
BISC 150Lg	The Nature of Human Health and Disease: From Mental Illness to AIDS
BISC 230Lg	Brain, Mind, and Machines: Topics in Neuroscience
CHEM 202Lg	Materials for the 21st Century: Synthetic Polymers
CHEM 203Lg	Chemistry in Life: AIDS Drug Discovery and Development
EXSC 205Lg	The Science of Human Performance
GEOG 165Lg	The Atmospheric Environment
GEOG 260Lg	Natural Hazards
GEOG 265Lg	The Water Planet
GEOG 281Lg	Environmental Geographic Information Systems
GEOL 108Lg	Crises of a Planet
GEOL 125Lg	Earth History: A Planet and Its Evolution
GEOL 150Lg	Climate Change
GEOL 240Lg	Earthquakes
LING 275Lg	Language and Mind
MDA 175Lg	Science and Technology
MDA 180Lg	Evolution
MDA 200Lg	The Cutting Edge: From Basic Science to the Marketplace
PHYS 200Lg	The Physics and Technology of Energy: Keeping the Motor Running

Category V. Studies in Literature, Thought, and the Arts

LTA 100g	Literature, Thought, and the Arts
LTA 101g	Studies in Literature, Thought, and the Arts

Category VI. Social Issues

The following courses require concurrent enrollment in WRIT 140 Writing and Critical Reasoning, unless the first course of the writing requirement has already been satisfied.

ANTH 105g	Culture, Medicine and Politics
ANTH 125g	Social Issues in Human Sexuality and Reproduction
ECON 238xg	Political Economy and Social Issues
ENST 150xg	Environmental Issues in Society
GEOG 100g	Los Angeles and the American Dream
GEOG 120g	Geopolitics
GEOG 257g	Environment and Ethics
HIST 215g	Business and Labor in America
HIST 225g	Film, Power, and American History
HIST 235g	War and the American Experience
HIST 245g	Gender and Sexualities in American History
IR 100xg	The United States and World Affairs
IR 101xg	International Relations
JS 211g	The Holocaust
LING 115g	Language, Society, and Culture
MDA 165g	Social Inquiry
MDA 166g	Poverty and Welfare in America
MDA 167g	Marginal Groups in America
MDA 170g	La Frontera: The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands
MDA 215g	Ethnicity and Place
PHIL 140g	Contemporary Moral and Social Issues
PHIL 141g	The Professions and the Public Interest in American Life
POSC 130g	Law, Politics and Public Policy
POSC 165xg	Modern Times
POSC 233xg	Stigma and Society: Disability in America
REL 110g	Religion and the State: Changing Boundaries
REL 140g	Religion and Ethical Issues
SOCI 142g	Diversity and Racial Conflict
SOCI 150g	Social Problems
SOCI 155g	Immigrant America
SOCI 169g	Changing Family Forms
SWMS 210g	Social Issues in Gender

Diversity Course List

AHIS 250m	Modernity and Difference: Critical Approaches to Modern Art (4)
AHIS 304m	Italian Renaissance Art: Old Masters and Old Mistresses (4)
AHIS 376m	Introduction to African Art (4)
AHIS 377m	Spanish Colonial Art and Architecture (4)
AMST 202m	Interethnic Diversity in the West (4)
AMST 220m	The Making of Asian America (4)
ANTH 215m	Ethnicity and Place (4)
ANTH 316m	North American Indians in American Public Life (4)
ANTH 328m	Culture Change and the Mexican People (4)
ANTH 331m	Asian Americans: Migration and Culture Change (4)
ANTH 371m	Cross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs (4)
ARCH 440m	Literature and the Urban Experience (4)
ARCH 442m	Women's Spaces in History: "Hussies," "Harems," and "Housewives" (4)
CLAS 320gm	Diversity and the Classical Western Tradition (4)
COLT 445m	Eurocentrism (4)
COMM 395m	Gender, Media and Communication (4)
CORE 104m	Change and the Future (4)
CTCS 192m	Race, Class and Gender in American Film (4)
ECON 338m	Political Economy and Social Issues (4)
EDCO 102xm	Human Diversity: People, Power and Politics (4)
ENGL 445m	The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives (4)
ENGL 447m	African-American Narrative (4)
ENGL 448m	Chicano Literature (4)
ENGL 449m	Asian-American Literature (4)
ENGL 474m	Literature, Nationality, and Otherness (4)
ENGL 476m	Images of Women in Contemporary Culture (4)
ENGL 478m	Sexual/Textual Diversities (4)
GEOG 100m	Los Angeles and the American Dream (4)
GEOG 324m	Los Angeles and the Evolution of Urban America (4)
GEOG 340m	Geography of the Chicano Southwest (4)
GEOG 350m	Race and Environmentalism (4)
GERO 380m	Diversity in Aging (4)
GERO 435m	Women and Aging: Psychological, Social and Political Implications (4)
HIST 101gm	The Ancient World
HIST 245gm	Gender and Sexualities in American History (4)
HIST 378m	Introduction to Asian-American History (4)
JOUR 449m	Reporting Los Angeles (4)
MUED 400m	The Broadway Musical: Reflection of American Diversity, Issues and Experiences (4)
OT 305m	Culture, Medicine, and Politics (4)
PLDV 100m	Los Angeles, The Enduring Pueblo (4)
PLDV 250m	Third World Cities
PLDV 260m	Planning, Diversity and Space (4)
PLDV 315m	Urban Sleuths: Exploring People and Places in Cities (4)
POSC 233m	Stigma and Society: Physical Disability in America (4)
POSC 260m	Global Ethnic Politics (4)
POSC 441m	Cultural Diversity and the Law (4)
POSC 442m	The Politics of Human Differences: Diversity and Discrimination (4)
PPMT 406am	Los Angeles Mini Semester (4)
PPMT 408am	Los Angeles Semester (4)
PSYC 462m	Minority Mental Health (4)
SLL 190m	Cultural Diversity in the Russian Context (4)
SOCI 142gm	Diversity and Racial Conflict (4)
SOCI 150gm	Social Problems (4)
SOCI 200m	Introduction to Sociology (4)
SOCI 305m	Sociology of Childhood (4)
SOCI 342m	Race Relations (4)
SOCI 355m	Immigrants in the United States (4)
SOCI 356m	Mexican Immigrants in a Diverse Society (4)
SOCI 360m	Social Inequality: Class, Status, and Power (4)
SOCI 366m	Chicana and Latina Experiences (4)
SOCI 375m	Asian Americans: Ethnic Identity (4)
SOCI 376m	Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities (4)
SOCI 430m	Work and the Workplace (4)
SOCI 435m	Women in Society (4)
SOCI 437m	Sexuality and Society (4)
SOWK 200xm	Institutional Inequality in American Political and Social Policy (4)
SPAN 413m	Social and Geographic Varieties of Spanish (4)
SWMS 210gm	Social Issues in Gender (4)
SWMS 301m	Introduction to Feminist Theory and the Women's and Men's Movements
SWMS 364m	Racial and Ethnic Women in America (4)
SWMS 384m	Overcoming Prejudice (4)
SWMS 385m	Men and Masculinity (4)
SWMS 455m	Gender and Sport (4)
THTR 395m	Drama as Human Relations (4)

NEXT SECTION