Recent Initiatives in Gen Ed
On April 8, 2008, the University's General Education Committee in the Faculty Senate approved a resolution to transform the GER “Intercultural Studies” requirement into a “Global Awareness” requirement without adding to or subtracting from the current number of hours required for General Education.
This aligns with recommendations made by consultant
Robert E. Shoenberg in his "Report on Undergraduate
Education at Washington State University" (2005). He
recommends there that the intercultural studies
requirement of WSU's GERs should be recast as a global
awareness requirement.
The intercultural studies requirement was approved in
1985 had as its goal the exposure of WSU students to a
minimum of 3 credits of academic study of a non-Western
culture. Since that time, the purpose of the requirement
has been broadened somewhat and perhaps blurred as well.
The term "intercultural" has been appropriated for other
uses in academic parlance, and the WSU curriculum in
general has become much more international and global in
scope. In Shoenberg's view, these changes would suggest
that the University now redefine the GER requirement and
give it a sharper focus in keeping with current
University initiatives and circumstances.
[link to full text of
resolution]
World Civilizations
Grant supports World Civ collaboration with WSU Libraries