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The General Education Component of Undergraduate Education
The general education of LSU students spans the four years of undergraduate study. In courses designated as general education, students begin a process of developing competencies or essential learning outcomes which continues through their study in upper-level elective courses and courses in the major field of study. LSU's General Eduction Component represents a conviction on the part of the faculty that LSU graduates will be able to communicate effectively through multiple media; will have a basic appreciation of historical, cultural, and philosophical complexity; will be aware of the economic, political, cultural, and linguistic facors which inform global interdependence; will be able to identify and solve important problems through research-based inquiry which employs scientific and mathematical methods, and appropriate technology; and will have the requisite abilities and motivation to participate effectively in the civic life of communities.
Recognizing that the fundamental characteristics for effective participation in the marketplace and the community necessarily involve multidisciplinary study, each student designs a unique curriculum based on a major field of study and including 39 hours of general education courses across six areas of focus: English Composition, Analytical Reasoning, Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. In general education courses students begin the development of the essential learning outcomes, which are refined and focused in disciplinary courses taken during the junior and senior years, with the intention that all graduates, regardless of major, will develop a set intellectual abilities, a degree of sophistication, and a civic-minded perspective that correspond to the high level of functionality represented in the outcomes taken as a whole.
General Categories of Learning
- Knowledge of the Sciences, Mathematics, Histories, Social Sciences, Humanities, Languages, and Arts
- Communication through Written, Spoken, Visual, and Technological Media
- Critical and Creative Thinking
- Performance of Research-Based Inquiry, Analysis, and Problem Resolution
- Personal Responsibility, Intercultural Competence, and Civic Engagement
Learning Outcomes
- An LSU graduate will demonstrate effective communication of complex knowledge and ideas through written, oral, visual, and technological media.
- An LSU graduate will demonstrate an understanding of historical, cultural, and philosophical complexity which supports sophisticated discourse.
- An LSU graduate will be able to conduct research-based inquiry, including articulation of complex disciplinary and interdisciplinary problems, effective evaluation and analysis of primary and secondary sources, and integration of relevant information into original discourse.
- An LSU graduate will be able to employ scientific and mathematical methods and technology in the resolution of laboratory and real-world problems.
- An LSU graduate will demonstrate and understanding of the informing factors of global interdependence, including economic forces, political dynamics, and cultural and linguistic difference.
An LSU graduate will have the knowledge, skills, and disposition which attest to a commitment and ability to recognize and to participate in processes which improve the civic life of communities.
Students must complete 39 hours of course work in six major areas:
- English composition (six hours)
- Analytical reasoning (six hours)
- Arts (three hours)
- Humanities (nine hours)
- Natural sciences (nine hours)
- Social sciences (six hours)
REGULATIONS
- Students must complete the 39-hour general education requirement prior to graduating from LSU. It is recommended that students complete the requirement during their first four semesters at the University.
- Only those courses on the approved list below, and their honors equivalents, may be used to satisfy the general education requirement.
- No more than six hours of credit taken through distance program courses may be applied to a student's general education re-quirement.
- An entering student may receive three or six hours of credit in English composition on the basis of ACT scores and/or perfor-mance on approved placement tests.
- An entering student may receive credit for one or more of the required mathematics courses on the basis of placement test scores.
- Advanced placement and advanced standing credit may be used to satisfy the general education requirement.
- General education courses will be graded on the "A," "B," "C," "D," "F" system. No courses taken on a pass/fail basis will count toward the general education requirement.
- In addition, each student must demonstrate computer literacy in ways deemed appropriate by the faculty of the senior college in which the student is enrolled.
- Appeals for an exception to the general education requirements: A 'request for an exception to the general education requirement' must be submitted to the dean of the student's college using the appropriate form. Scheduling difficulties or allegations of poor advising typically do not constitute a reasonable basis for an appeal. The dean=s evaluation as well as the student's request must then be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs. A final decision will be made after consideration by the Faculty Senate Committee on General Education. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain a decision prior to registering for a LSU course intended to substitute for an approved general education course.
TRANSFER COURSE APPROVAL
Deans are to determine the applicability of transfer courses to a component of LSU's general education requirements.
If the course is deemed to be applicable, and there is no equivalent LSU course, deans are asked to enter a course substitution on the Student Records and Registration database, indicating that the course is accepted for general education credit. Documentation concerning this decision should be kept on file in the college.
If it is determined that a course is equivalent to an LSU course, colleges should notify the Office of Undergraduate Admis-sions so the Admissions Transfer Table can be updated.
If the college does not approve a transfer course for general education credit, the stu-dent may petition the Office of Academic Affairs for a decision.
REGENTS' STATEWIDE ARTICULATION
LSU participates in the Board of Regents' Statewide Articulation Consortium. Students who plan to transfer to another Louisiana public institution should consult the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for information about the course transfer agreement.
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
In the list of courses in the "Courses of Instruction" section of this catalog, general education courses are designated by a star (
)
placed before the course number.
All students must complete 6 credits in English composition, one course from each group listed below.
Group one:
| English |
| 1001 |
or 1004 (for international students only) English Composition |
3 |
Group two:
| English |
| 1005 |
(for international students only) English Composition |
3 |
| 2000 |
English Composition |
3 |
| Honors |
| 2000 |
Critical Analysis |
3 |
| 2002 |
Seminar in Roman & Medieval Civilizations |
3 |
| 2012 |
The 19th Century |
3 |
| 2013 |
The 20th Century |
3 |
| 2021 |
Colloquium in the Arts |
3 |
| II. |
ANALYTICAL REASONING |
6 |
General education analytical reasoning courses must come from the following list. All students must have credit in at least one Mathematics course.
| Computer Science |
| 1240 |
Statistics and Graphics with MATLAB |
3 |
| Experimental Statistics |
| 2201 |
Introduction to Statistical Analysis |
4 |
| Mathematics |
| 1021 |
College Algebra |
3 |
| 1022 |
Plane Trigonometry |
3 |
| 1023 |
College Algebra and Trigonometry |
5 |
| 1029 |
Introduction to Contemporary Mathematics |
3 |
| 1100 |
The Nature of Mathematics |
3 |
| 1431 |
Calculus with Business and Economic Applications |
3 |
| 1441 |
Calculus with Application to Technology |
3 |
| 1550 |
(1551) Analytic Geometry and Calculus I |
5 |
| 1552 |
(1553) Analytic Geometry and Calculus II |
4 |
| 1554 |
Calculus II for Life Sciences |
4 |
| Philosophy |
| 1021 |
Introduction to Logic |
3 |
| 2010 |
Symbolic Logic I |
3 |
| Architecture |
| 2401 |
Appreciation of Architecture |
3 |
| 3005 |
History of Architecture I |
3 |
| 3006 |
History of Architecture II |
3 |
| Art |
| 1001 |
Introduction to Fine Arts |
3 |
| Art History |
| 1440 |
Historical Survey of the Arts |
3 |
| 1441 |
Historical Survey of the Arts |
3 |
| 2401 |
Art of the Ancient Near East and Egypt |
3 |
| 2402 |
Classical Art and Archaeology |
3 |
| 2411 |
Survey of Asian Art |
3 |
| 2470 |
Survey of 20th Century Art |
3 |
| Honors |
| 2021 |
Colloquium in the Arts |
3 |
| Interior Design |
| 1051 |
Introduction to Interior Design |
3 |
| 3741 |
History of Interior Design and
Decoration I |
3 |
| 3742 |
History of Interior Design and
Decoration II |
3 |
| Landscape Architecture |
| 1201 |
Introduction to Landscape
Architecture |
3 |
| Music |
| 1751 |
(1755) Music Appreciation |
3 |
| 1799 |
Rudiments of Music |
3 |
| 2000 |
History of Jazz |
3 |
| 2053 |
Survey of Music History I |
3 |
| 2054 |
Survey of Music History II |
3 |
| Theatre |
| 1020 |
(1021) Introduction to Theatre |
3 |
| 1800 |
Introduction to Dance |
3 |
| 2022 |
Introduction to Theatrical Design |
3 |
| 2024 |
Introduction to Theatre Technology |
3 |
| 2028 |
(2128) Introduction to
Dramatic Literature |
3 |
Students must take three humanities
courses to fulfill this requirement.
| African and African American Studies |
| 1002 |
Elementary Swahili Language and Culture II (see also SWAH 1002) |
4 |
| 2003 |
Intermediate Swahili Language and Culture III (see also SWAH 2003) |
4 |
| 2004 |
Intermediate Swahili Language and Culture IV (see also SWAH 2004) |
4 |
| Arabic |
| 1102 |
Beginning Arabic |
4 |
| 2101 |
Intermediate Arabic |
4 |
| 2102 |
Intermediate Arabic |
4 |
| Chinese |
| 1102 |
Beginning Mandarin Chinese |
4 |
| 2001 |
Intermediate Mandarin Chinese |
4 |
| 2002 |
Intermediate Mandarin Chinese |
4 |
| 2070 |
Chinese Cinema |
3 |
| 3801 |
Traditional East Asian Literature |
3 |
| 3802 |
Modern East Asian Literature |
3 |
| Classical Studies |
| 3020 |
Classical Epic in Translation |
3 |
| 3032 |
Greek and Roman Tragedy in
English Translation |
3 |
| 3040 |
Greek and Roman Comedy in
English Translation |
3 |
| 3090 |
Comparative Mythology
(See also REL 3090) |
|
| Communication Studies |
| 1061 |
Fundamentals of Communication |
3 |
| 2040 |
Introduction to Performing
Literature |
3 |
| 2060 |
Public Speaking |
3 |
| Comparative Literature |
| 2201 |
Introduction to World Literary Traditions (see also ENGL 2201) |
3 |
| 2202 |
Introduction to Modern World
Literature
(see also ENGL 2202) |
3 |
| English |
| 2024 |
(2824) Critical Strategies |
3 |
| 2025 |
Fiction |
3 |
| 2027 |
Poetry |
3 |
| 2029 |
Drama |
3 |
| 2123 |
(2823) Studies in Literary
Traditions and Themes |
3 |
| 2148 |
Shakespeare |
3 |
| 2201 |
Introduction to World Literary
Traditions
(see also CPLT 2201) |
3 |
| 2202 |
Introduction to Modern World
Literature
(see also CPLT 2202) |
3 |
| 2220 |
Major British Authors |
3 |
| 2270 |
Major American Authors |
3 |
| 2300 |
Interpreting Discourse |
3 |
| 2593 |
Images of Women: An
Introduction |
3 |
| 2673 |
Literature and Ethnicity |
3 |
| 2674 |
Introduction to African-American
Literature |
3 |
| French |
| 1002 |
Elementary French |
4 |
| 1202 |
Elementary Cajun French |
4 |
| 2101 |
(2103) Intermediate French |
3 |
| 2102 |
(2104) Intermediate French |
3 |
| 2155 |
Readings in French Literature |
3 |
| 2201 |
Intermediate Cajun French I |
3 |
| 2202 |
Intermediate Cajun French II |
3 |
| 2801 |
French Classics in Translation |
3 |
| 3071 |
Survey of French Literature |
3 |
| 3072 |
Survey of French Literature |
3 |
| 3080 |
French Culture and
Civilization |
3 |
| German |
| 1102 |
Elementary German |
4 |
| 2075 |
German Civilization (see also HIST 2075) |
3 |
| 2101 |
Intermediate German |
3 |
| 2102 |
Intermediate German |
3 |
| 2155 |
Readings in German
Literature |
3 |
| 3081 |
Survey of German Literature and Culture: Beginning to 1700 |
3 |
| 3082 |
Survey of German Literature and Culture: 1700-1830 |
3 |
| 3083 |
Survey of German Literature,
1830-1890 |
3 |
| 3084 |
Survey of German Literature,
1890-Present |
3 |
| Greek |
| 2051 |
Intermediate Greek |
4 |
| 2053 |
Homer |
3 |
| 2055 |
Greek Drama |
3 |
| 2056 |
New Testament |
3 |
| 2065 |
Plato’s Dialogues |
3 |
| 2066 |
Attic Oratory |
3 |
| Hebrew |
| 1002 |
Beginning Hebrew (see also
REL 1002) |
4 |
| 2003 |
Intermediate Hebrew
(see
also REL 2003) |
4 |
| 2004 |
Intermediate Hebrew (see
also REL 2004) |
4 |
| History |
| 1001 |
(1002) Western
Civilization to 1500 |
3 |
| 1003 |
(1004) Western Civilization
Since 1500 |
3 |
| 1005 |
World History to 1500 |
3 |
| 1007 |
World History Since 1500 |
3 |
| 2001 |
The Ancient Near East
and Greece |
3 |
| 2002 |
Rome: Republic and Empire |
3 |
| 2012 |
Britain from 1689
to the Present |
3 |
| 2020 |
Medieval Europe |
3 |
| 2021 |
Modern Europe |
3 |
| 2022 |
Modern Europe |
3 |
| 2055 |
(2056) The United States
to 1865 |
3 |
| 2057 |
(2058) The United States
from 1865 to the Present |
3 |
| 2061 |
African-American History |
3 |
| 2075 |
German Civilization (see also GERM 2075) |
3 |
| 2085 |
Colonial Latin America |
3 |
| 2086 |
Latin America Since
Independence |
3 |
| 2096 |
East Asian Civilization
Since 1800 |
3 |
| 2135 |
Introduction to Russian Culture and Civilization (see also RUSS 2075) |
3 |
| Honors |
| 1001 |
Seminar in Ancient Western
Civilization |
3 |
| 1003 |
Lectures in Ancient Western
Civilization |
3 |
| 2000 |
Critical Analysis |
3 |
| 2002 |
Seminar in Roman and
Medieval Civilization |
3 |
| 2004 |
Lectures in Roman and Medieval
Civilization |
3 |
| 2012 |
The 19th Century |
3 |
| 2013 |
The 20th Century |
3 |
| 3001 |
European Civilization from 1500
to 1789: The Old Regime |
4 |
| 3003 |
Western Civilization from
1789: Modern World |
4 |
| 3030 |
Humanities Colloquium |
3 |
| 3031 |
American Studies |
3 |
| Italian |
| 1002 |
Elementary Italian |
4 |
| 2101 |
Intermediate Italian |
3 |
| 2102 |
Intermediate Italian |
3 |
| 2155 |
Readings in Italian
Literature |
3 |
| 3001 |
Italian Culture and
Civilization |
3 |
| 3071 |
Survey of Italian Literature |
3 |
| 3072 |
Survey of Italian Literature |
3 |
| Japanese |
| 1002 |
Beginning Japanese |
5 |
| 2001 |
Intermediate Japanese |
3 |
| 2002 |
Intermediate Japanese |
3 |
| Landscape Architecture |
| 1203 |
Views of the American
Landscape |
3 |
| Latin |
| 2051 |
Intermediate Latin |
4 |
| 2053 |
Intermediate Latin |
3 |
| 2065 |
Golden Age Narrative Poetry |
3 |
| 2066 |
Golden Age Prose |
3 |
| 2073 |
Roman Historians |
3 |
| 2074 |
Golden Age Lyric Poetry |
3 |
| 4010 |
Survey of Latin Literature |
3 |
| Philosophy |
| 1000 |
(1001) Introduction to Philosophy |
3 |
| 2020 |
Ethics |
3 |
| 2023 |
Philosophy of Art |
3 |
| 2024 |
Philosophy in Literature |
3 |
| 2028 |
Philosophy of Religion
( see also REL 2028) |
3 |
| 2033 |
(2053) History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy |
3 |
| 2035 |
History of Modern
Philosophy |
3 |
| Portuguese |
| 1102 |
Beginning Portuguese |
4 |
| 2101 |
Intermediate Portuguese |
4 |
| 2102 |
Intermediate Portuguese |
4 |
| Religious Studies |
| 1000 |
(1015) Religions of the World |
3 |
| 1002 |
Beginning Hebrew (see also
HEBR 1002) |
4 |
| 1004 |
(1007) Old Testament |
3 |
| 1005 |
(1006) New Testament |
3 |
| 2000 |
Introduction to the Study of
Religion |
3 |
| 2001 |
Faith and Doubt |
3 |
| 2003 |
Intermediate Hebrew (see
also HEBR 2003) |
4 |
| 2004 |
Intermediate Hebrew (see
also HEBR 2004) |
4 |
| 2027 |
(2031) Asian Religions |
3 |
| 2028 |
Philosophy of Religion
( see also PHIL 2028) |
3 |
| 2029 |
(2030) Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |
3 |
| 3090 |
Comparative Mythology (see also CLST 3090) |
3 |
| Russian |
| 1002 |
Elementary Russian II |
5 |
| 2001 |
Intermediate Russian I |
3 |
| 2002 |
Intermediate Russian II |
3 |
| 2075 |
Introduction to Russian Culture
and Civilization (see also HIST 2135) |
3 |
| 3401 |
The Fairy Tale |
3 |
| 4081 |
Russian Literature in
Translation: 19th Century |
3 |
| 4082 |
Russian Literature in Translation:
20th Century |
3 |
| Spanish |
| 1102 |
Elementary Spanish |
4 |
| 1152 |
Intensive Beginning Spanish |
4 |
| 2101 |
Intermediate Spanish |
3 |
| 2102 |
Intermediate Spanish |
3 |
| 2155 |
Spanish Textual Commentary |
3 |
| 3043 |
Introduction to Latin
American Literature I |
3 |
| 3044 |
Introduction to Latin
American Literature II |
3 |
| 3071 |
Survey of Spanish Literature |
3 |
| 3072 |
Survey of Spanish Literature |
3 |
| Swahili |
| 1002 |
Elementary Swahili Language and
Culture II
(see also
AAAS 1002) |
4 |
| 2003 |
Intermediate Swahili Language and
Culture III
(see also
AAAS 2003) |
4 |
| 2004 |
Intermediate Swahili Language and
Culture IV
(see also
AAAS 2004) |
4 |
| Women's & Gender Studies |
| *2500 |
(2501) Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies |
3 |
To complete the natural science requirement a
student must take at least nine semester hours from
the following list. A minimum of six hours must be in
a physical or a life science course sequence and the
remaining hours must be in an area other than that
previously selected (i.e., both physical and life
sciences must be taken). Life science courses are
identified in the list below with an asterisk (*).
Sequence Courses
| Astronomy |
| 1101 |
The Solar System |
3 |
| 1102 |
Stellar Astronomy |
3 |
| Biological Sciences |
| *1001 |
General Biology |
3 |
| *1002 |
General Biology |
3 |
| *1201 |
Biology for Science Majors I |
3 |
| *1202 |
(1503) Biology for
Science Majors II |
3,4 |
| Chemistry |
| 1001 |
Chemical Fundamentals |
3 |
| 1002 |
Chemistry of Life and
the Environment |
3 |
| 1201 |
(1421) General Chemistry |
3 |
| 1202 |
(1422) General Chemistry |
3 |
| Geography |
| 2050 |
Physical Geography:
The Atmosphere |
3 |
| 2051 |
Physical Geography:
Land and Water Surfaces, Plant
and Animal Realms |
3 |
| Geology |
| 1001 |
(1002) General Geology: Physical |
3 |
| 1003 |
(1004) General Geology: Historical |
3 |
| Honors |
| *1007 |
Introduction to
Life Sciences |
4 |
| *1008 |
Introduction to
Life Sciences |
4 |
| Physical Science |
| 1001 |
Physical Science |
3 |
| 1002 |
Physical Science |
3 |
| Physics |
| 1201 |
General Physics for
Physics Majors |
4 |
| 1202 |
General Physics for
Physics Majors |
4 |
| 2001 |
General Physics |
3 |
| 2002 |
General Physics |
3 |
| 2101 |
General Physics for
Technical Students |
3 |
| 2102 |
General Physics for
Technical Students |
3 |
Laboratories and Other Individual
Science Courses
| Agriculture |
| *1005 |
Science and Society |
3 |
| Agronomy |
| *1001 |
Introduction to Managed Plant Systems
in the Modern World |
3 |
| Biological Sciences |
| *1011 |
Microorganisms and Man |
3 |
| Environmental Sciences |
| *1126 |
Introduction to Environmental Sciences |
3 |
| Geology |
| 1066 |
Dinosaurs, Catastrophes, and
Extinctions |
3 |
| 1601 |
Physical Geology
Laboratory |
1 |
| 1602 |
Historical Geology
Laboratory |
1 |
| Honors |
| *1035 |
1035 Life Science Seminar |
3 |
| 1036 |
Physical Science Seminar |
3 |
| Human Ecology |
| *2010 |
Nutrition in Health |
3 |
| Medical Physics |
| 2051 |
Radiation Science for
Medical Applications |
3 |
| Oceanography and Coastal Sciences |
| 1005 |
(1006) Introduction
to Oceanography |
3 |
| Physics |
| 2401 |
Introduction to Concepts
in Physics |
3 |
| Renewable Natural Resources |
| *1001 |
Natural Resource Conservation |
3 |
| Women's & Gender Studies |
| *1001 |
Evolution of Sex and Gender |
3 |
All students must take at least three hours of social
sciences at the 2000-level or above.
| African and African American Studies |
| 2000 |
Introduction to African and African
American Studies |
3 |
| Agricultural Economics |
| 2003 |
Introduction to Agricultural
Economics |
3 |
| Anthropology |
| 1001 |
Introduction to Physical
Anthropology and Prehistory |
3 |
| 1003 |
Introduction to Cultural
and Social Anthropology |
3 |
| 2015 |
Introduction to Archaeology |
3 |
| 2050 |
World Archaeology |
3 |
| 2051 |
Introduction to World Ethnography |
3 |
| 2423 |
Introduction to Folklore
( see also ENGL 2423) |
3 |
| Communication Disorders |
| 2050 |
Introduction to Language |
3 |
| Communication Studies |
| 2010 |
Interpersonal Communication |
3 |
| Curriculum and Instruction |
| 2001 |
Education, Schooling, and Society |
3 |
| 2500 |
Knowing & Learning in Mathematics and Science |
3 |
| Economics |
| 2000 |
(2001) Principles of Microeconomics |
3 |
| 2010 |
(2011) Principles of Macroeconomics |
3 |
| 2030 |
(2031) Economic Principles |
3 |
| English |
| 2423 |
Introduction to Folklore
(see also ANTH 2423) |
3 |
| Geography |
| 1001 |
Human Geography: Americas
and Europe |
3 |
| 1003 |
Human Geography: Africa
and Asia |
3 |
| Honors |
| 1003 |
Lectures in Ancient
Western Civilization |
3 |
| 2000 |
Critical Analysis |
3 |
| 2004 |
Lectures in Roman and Medieval
Civilization |
3 |
| 2012 |
The 19th Century |
3 |
| 2013 |
The 20th Century |
3 |
| 3001 |
European Civilization from
1400-1789: The Old Regime |
4 |
| 3003 |
Western Civilization from
1789: The Modern World |
4 |
| 3031 |
American Studies |
3 |
| 3033 |
Social Science Colloquium |
3 |
| International Studies |
| 2000 |
Contemporary Global Issues |
3 |
| Mass Communication |
| 2000 |
(2001) Introduction to Mass Media |
3 |
| 2025 |
The Business of Entertainment
Media |
3 |
| 2030 |
Civic Engagement, Youth, and Media (see also POLI 2030) |
3 |
| Political Science |
| 1001 |
Fundamental Issues of Politics |
3 |
| 2030 |
Civic Engagement, Youth, and Media (see also MC 2030) |
3 |
| 2051 |
(2052) American Government |
3 |
| 2053 |
Introduction to Comparative
Politics |
3 |
| 2057 |
Introduction to International
Politics |
3 |
| 2060 |
Introduction to Political Theory |
3 |
| Psychology |
| 2000 |
(2001) Introduction to Psychology |
3 |
| Sociology |
| 2001 |
(2002) Introductory Sociology |
3 |
| Women’s and Gender Studies |
| 2900 |
Gender, Race, & Nation |
3 |
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