2013-2014 University General Education Requirement
Statement of Purpose. General education provides the foundation for successful academic study, for lifelong learning, and for carrying out the duties of local, national, and global citizenship. By building basic skills in communication, analysis, and computation as well as by broadening students’ historical and cultural perspectives, the general education curriculum helps students acquire an understanding of both self and society, and thus contributes to their personal enrichment while enrolled and after graduation.
The University of Tennessee’s general education program has been designed to enable the student to move among colleges within the university or to move to another institution of higher learning. Although it will provide the students with the skills required by college study, those skills are specific neither to UT Knoxville nor to a particular major or career path.
Outcomes. The program is expected to produce the following outcomes for the students.
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Building Basic Skills. Because the hallmark of the educated person is the ability to think independently, students must be trained to acquire, evaluate, and use information.
- Students must be able to acquire information by conducting independent research, both in a conventional library setting and through the use of the rapidly developing electronic technologies, including databases and internet resources.
- Students must then learn to evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and logical soundness of that information. The students will be taught to apply evaluative techniques to statistical and rhetorical presentations in arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
- Students must be trained to use the information that they have acquired. They must write clearly, speak convincingly, and solve problems using creative approaches.
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Developing Broadened Perspectives. General education should help students develop habits of self-examination in the context of the individual’s relationship to family, community, society, and world. To this end, general education should also help foster a commitment to respecting the diversity of personal and cultural values.
- Students should be able to explain their own values and beliefs, as well as to understand the histories and cultures behind those values. Students should also develop a commitment to lifelong learning so that they may continue to examine the relationships between their personal perspectives and the perspectives that arise from other cultures.
- Students should strengthen their sensitivity to cultural diversity by studying the histories and traditions of other cultures, both within and outside the United States; and by understanding the dynamic nature of a multicultural world through interdisciplinary perspectives or by learning other languages.
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These are the General Education requirements (See Notes).
A. For Building Basic Skills
I. Communicating through Writing (3 courses including English 101 and 102 or equivalent plus an approved writing-intensive course)
Good writing skills enable students to create and share ideas, investigate and describe values, and record discoveries – all skills that are necessary not only for professional success but also for personal fulfillment in a world where communication increasingly takes place through electronic media. Students must be able to identify areas for inquiry, locate relevant information, evaluate its usefulness and quality, and incorporate the information logically and ethically. They must be able to write correctly, and they must be aware that different audiences and purposes call for different rhetorical responses.
To satisfy this requirement, students take the first-year composition sequence, which may be met in one of two ways:
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- By completing 6 hours in English writing courses – either ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 ; or ENGL 118 and ENGL 102 ; or ENGL 131 and ENGL 132 . Eligibility for ENGL 118 will be determined by ACT or SAT scores. Students who obtain a grade of A or B in 118 may complete their first-year composition requirement with ENGL 102 , or with a sophomore-level course in the English department, or ENGL 355 . The sophomore course, if designated AH, may also be used toward the Arts and Humanities General Education requirement.
- By earning a score of 4 or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Test in Literature and Composition. Credit in ENGL 101 is earned with a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Language and Composition.
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Upon completion of ENGL 101 and ENGL 102 or their equivalent, students must take one other course designated as “writing-intensive” (WC) in the undergraduate catalog. The writing-intensive courses can be within the student’s major or an elective. In order to gain a (WC) designation, courses shall require formal and informal writing assignments that total 5,000 words.
Approved Communicating Through Writing (WC) Courses
Aerospace Engineering
AE 449 - Aerospace Engineering Laboratory
Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications
ALEC 440 - Communication Techniques in Agriculture
Anthropology
ANTH 210 - Principles of Biological Anthropology
Animal Science
ANSC 280 - Animal Biotechnology and Management
Architecture
ARCH 213 - Modern Architecture: Histories and Theories
ARCH 227 - Honors: Modern Architecture Histories and Theories
Art History
ARTH 402 - Seminar in Art History II
Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology
BCMB 409 - Perspectives in Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology
Biomedical Engineering
BME 430 - Biomedical Engineering Laboratory
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
CBE 415 - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Laboratory
Chemistry
CHEM 479 - Physical Chemistry Laboratory I
Child and Family Studies
CFS 405 - Development of Professional Skills
Civil Engineering
CE 205 - Professional Development I
Computer Science
COSC 401 - Senior Design Theory
COSC 402 - Senior Design Practicum
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
EEB 409 - Perspectives in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ECE 401 - Senior Design Theory
ECE 402 - Senior Design Practicum
English
ENGL 206 - Introduction to Shakespeare
ENGL 207 - Honors: British Literature I
ENGL 208 - Honors: British Literature II
ENGL 237 - Honors: American Literature I: Colonial Era to the Civil War
ENGL 238 - Honors: American Literature II: Civil War to the Present
ENGL 247 - Honors: Introduction to Poetry
ENGL 248 - Honors: Introduction to Drama
ENGL 251 - Introduction to Poetry
ENGL 252 - Introduction to Drama
ENGL 253 - Introduction to Fiction
ENGL 254 - Themes in Literature
ENGL 255 - Public Writing
ENGL 257 - Honors: Public Writing
ENGL 258 - Honors: Introduction to Fiction
ENGL 264 - Introduction to Fiction Writing
ENGL 268 - Honors: Introduction to Fiction Writing
ENGL 295 - Business and Technical Writing
ENGL 355 - Rhetoric and Writing
ENGL 357 - Honors: Rhetoric and Writing
ENGL 360 - Technical and Professional Writing
ENGL 376 - Colloquium in Literature
ENGL 377 - Honors: Colloquium in Literature
ENGL 398 - Junior-Senior Honors Seminar
ENGL 455 - Persuasive Writing
ENGL 497 - Honors: Senior Seminar
ENGL 499 - Senior Seminar
Forestry
FORS 321 - Wildland Recreation
FORS 327 - Honors: Wildland Recreation
Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
FWF 312 - Principles of Silviculture
History
HIST 408 - Honors: Senior Paper
HIST 499 - Senior Research Seminar
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism
HRT 390 - Professional Development
Industrial Engineering
IE 350 - Leadership in Industrial Engineering II: Team Building Skills
IE 422 - Industrial Engineering Design II
Information Sciences
INSC 450 - Writing About Science and Medicine
Journalism and Electronic Media
JREM 200 - Media Writing
JREM 414 - Magazine and Feature Writing
JREM 444 - Journalism as Literature
JREM 450 - Writing about Science and Medicine
JREM 451 - Environmental Writing
JREM 456 - Science Writing as Literature
Judaic Studies
JST 322 - Medieval Philosophy
Materials Science and Engineering
MSE 405 - Structural Characterization of Materials
Mechanical Engineering
ME 449 - Mechanical Engineering Laboratory
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
MRST 322 - Medieval Philosophy
Military Science and Leadership
MLSL 303 - Leadership in Military History
Music Education
MUED 430 - Music Methods for High School
Musicology
MUCO 210 - History of Western Music, Ancient to the Baroque
MUCO 330 - Women in Music
MUCO 380 - Music in World Cultures
Nuclear Engineering
NE 401 - Radiological Engineering Laboratory
NE 402 - Nuclear Engineering Laboratory
NE 427 - Honors: Nuclear Engineering Laboratory
Nursing
NURS 494 - Alternative Preceptorship
Nutrition
NUTR 412 - Food and Nutrition in the Community
Philosophy
PHIL 252 - Contemporary Moral Problems
PHIL 320 - Ancient Western Philosophy
PHIL 322 - Medieval Philosophy
PHIL 324 - 17th- and 18th-Century Philosophy
PHIL 326 - 19th- and 20th-Century Philosophy
PHIL 327 - Honors: Ancient Western Philosophy
PHIL 328 - Honors: 17th- and 18th-Century Philosophy
PHIL 340 - Ethical Theory
PHIL 345 - Bioethics
PHIL 346 - Environmental Ethics
PHIL 347 - Honors: Ethical Theory
PHIL 348 - Honors: Environmental Ethics
PHIL 382 - Philosophy of Feminism
PHIL 390 - Philosophical Foundations of Democracy
PHIL 391 - Social and Political Philosophy
Plant Sciences
PLSC 410 - Nursery Management and Production
PLSC 491 - International Study: History and Culture of International Gardens and Landscapes
Retail and Consumer Sciences
RCS 391 - Professional Development in Retailing
Russian
RUSS 221 - Rebels, Dreamers, and Fools: The Outcast in 19th Century Russian Literature
Social Work
SOWK 314 - Human Behavior and the Social Environment
SOWK 317 - Honors: Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Sociology
SOCI 260 - Introduction to the Study of Environmental Issues
SOCI 495 - Social Justice and Community Service
Theatre
THEA 300 - Play Analysis
University Honors
UNHO 258 - Honors: Special Topics in the Arts and Humanities
UNHO 268 - Honors: Special Topics in the Social Sciences
UNHO 278 - Honors: Special Topics in Cultures and Civilizations
UNHO 288 - Honors: Special Topics in the Natural Sciences
Women’s Studies
WOST 330 - Women in Music
WOST 382 - Philosophy of Feminism
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II. Communicating Orally (1 course)
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The ability to communicate one’s ideas orally is as important as the ability to express them well in writing. Students should be able to speak in an informative and/or convincing manner to other individuals and to groups, both small and large. Being able to express one’s thoughts clearly has always been a critical component of good citizenship. Students should be able to locate relevant information, evaluate its usefulness and quality, and incorporate the information logically and ethically in public address. (See Note 5.) This requirement may be completed by
Approved Communicating Orally (OC) Courses
Aerospace Engineering
AE 410 - Professional Topics
Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications
ALEC 240 - Presentation and Sales Strategies for Agricultural Audiences
Animal Science
ANSC 360 - Equine and Food Animal Evaluation
Art Design/Graphic
ARTD 452 - Graphic Design Seminar
Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology
BCMB 455 - Scientific Communication
Biomedical Engineering
BME 410 - Professional Topics
Biosystems Engineering
BSE 401 - Biosystems Engineering Design I
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
CBE 488 - Honors: Design Internship in Green Engineering
CBE 490 - Process Design and Economic Analysis
Chemistry
CHEM 406 - Senior Seminar
Child and Family Studies
CFS 405 - Development of Professional Skills
Civil Engineering
CE 205 - Professional Development I
Computer Science
COSC 401 - Senior Design Theory
COSC 402 - Senior Design Practicum
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ECE 401 - Senior Design Theory
ECE 402 - Senior Design Practicum
Environmental and Soil Sciences
ESS 301 - Professional Development
Industrial Engineering
IE 422 - Industrial Engineering Design II
Materials Science and Engineering
MSE 489 - Materials Design
Mechanical Engineering
ME 410 - Professional Topics
Nuclear Engineering
NE 400 - Senior Seminar
Nursing
NURS 454 - Professional Leadership Issues
Philosophy
PHIL 244 - Professional Responsibility
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III. Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses)
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In today’s world, arguments and claims often rely for support on scientific studies and statistical evidence. Students should possess the mathematical and quantitative skills to evaluate such evidence. Furthermore, students should possess the skills both to recognize the quantitative dimension of problems and to use mathematical reasoning to formulate and solve the problem. Finally, students need strong quantitative skills because they are indispensable in managing everyday-life situations. This requirement may be completed by either of the following.
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- Taking two mathematics or statistics courses from the list below. (Preferably, these courses would be taken in one of the following pairings: MATH 113 and MATH 115 ; MATH 123 and MATH 125 ; MATH 141 and MATH 142 ; MATH 147 and MATH 148 ; MATH 151 and MATH 152 ; , or and or ; and or or .).
or
- Taking one mathematics course from the list below and one course designated in the undergraduate catalog as having a quantitative component (QR). The course designated as having a quantitative component may be within the student’s major or an elective.
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Mathematics
Statistics
Approved Quantitative Reasoning (QR) Courses
Architecture
Computer Science
Interior Design
Music Technology
B. For Developing Broadened Perspectives
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I. Natural Sciences (2 courses)
As science and technology come to play an increasingly important role in contemporary life, it is essential for all educated persons to have a fundamental understanding of science and its methods. All students should be familiar with one or more scientific disciplines and the role of science in contemporary society. Such familiarity may be gained through acquisition of knowledge of a discipline’s basic vocabulary, chief discoveries, and fundamental principles; exposure to a discipline’s experimental techniques; and the ability to analyze issues with scientific dimensions. This requirement is satisfied by taking two courses from the approved list. At least one of the courses must have a laboratory.
Approved Natural Sciences (NS) Courses († Non-Lab Courses)
Anthropology
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Astronomy
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†
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*NOTE: Students may take ASTR 151-ASTR 153 or ASTR 152-ASTR 154 for natural science with lab credit.
Biology
Chemistry
Engineering Fundamentals
Entomology and Plant Pathology
†
Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
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Geography
Geology
†
†
†
†
†
†
Haslam Scholars Program
†
Microbiology
Nutrition
†
Physics
†
†
†
Plant Sciences
†
University Honors
†
†
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II. Arts and Humanities (2 courses)
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To live well in the present, one must have an acquaintance with the past, especially with the cultural achievements that are the distinctive hallmarks of all human societies. An appreciation of art, music, theater, literature, and philosophy will not only enrich the lives of students, but it will also help them understand their own and other’s aspirations, both in a historical and a contemporary context. This requirement is satisfied by taking two courses from the list below.
Approved Arts and Humanities (AH) Courses
Africana Studies
Architecture
Art History
Cinema Studies
Classics
English
Haslam Scholars Program
Musicology
Philosophy
Russian
Theatre
University Honors
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III. Social Sciences (2 courses)
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The goal of the social sciences is to help us understand the way that we live, especially the relation between the individual and the group, sometimes from an historical but often from a contemporary perspective. Vital to the continued health and success of our society is an understanding of the complex individual, political, and social dynamics that make up the modern world. Students should not only have knowledge of the principal concerns of the social sciences, but they should also understand the methods by which social scientists collect and evaluate knowledge. This requirement is satisfied by taking two courses from the following list.
Approved Social Sciences (SS) Courses
Africana Studies
Agricultural and Resource Economics
Anthropology
Baker Center for Public Policy
Child and Family Studies
Economics
Educational Psychology
Geography
Haslam Scholars Program
Political Science
Psychology
Religious Studies
Social Work
Sociology
University Honors
Women’s Studies
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IV. Cultures and Civilizations (2 courses)
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Developing an appreciation of linguistic, historical, and cultural diversity through the study of multiple languages or cultures improves the ability of students to function effectively in our global community. Studying a second language and its cultural and historical context can also provide a foundation for lifelong learning about other cultures and civilizations. This requirement is satisfied by
1. taking two courses from the following list
or
2. taking a two-course sequence in a foreign language at the intermediate level.
or
3. taking a six-hour intensive foreign language course at the intermediate level.
Approved Cultures and Civilizations (CC) Courses
Africana Studies
Anthropology
Classics
Cultural Studies in Education
Environmental and Soil Sciences
Food Science and Technology
Global Studies
History
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures
Religious Studies
Sociology
University Honors
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INTERMEDIATE FOREIGN LANGUAGE SEQUENCES
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Some Colleges, such as Arts and Sciences and Business Administration, may require specific foreign language courses to fulfill this requirement (see Note 2). Students should consult their academic advisor before selecting language courses.
American Sign Language
Arabic
Asian Languages
Asian Studies
Chinese
Classics
French
German
Hebrew
Italian
Japanese
Persian
Portuguese
Religious Studies
Russian
Spanish
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INTENSIVE INTERMEDIATE FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSES
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French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Spanish
Notes
- Some courses on the various General Education course lists may have prerequisites. Students are responsible for meeting all course prerequisites.
- A student’s college/program may require specific General Education courses.
- General Education courses must be taken for a letter grade (i.e., AF) rather than Satisfactory/No Credit (unless this is the only way the course is offered).
- The Office of Disability Services (ODS) is committed to providing equal opportunities for students with disabilities at the University of Tennessee. Appropriate accommodations will be made to enable persons with disabilities to satisfy the General Education requirements. Students with documented disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services for assistance with appropriate accommodations at (865) 974-6087 or ods@tennessee.edu.
- Subcommittees of the Undergraduate Council General Education Committee are charged with management of the courses to be included on the General Education course lists for the Basic Skills and Broadened Perspectives areas. The most current list of General Education courses is posted at http://web.utk.edu/~ugcouncl.
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