To:
Senate executive committee
Re:
Motion to Amend Senate Bill 1112-15
Introduced by:
Jennifer Greiman
Date:
20 April 2012
Whereas, the study of U.S. Diversity and Pluralism has long been one
of the separate and discrete “knowledge areas, perspectives, and
competencies considered by the University to be central to the
intellectual development of every undergraduate,” as stated in the
General Education Rationale;
Whereas the University at Albany’s existing General Education
Curriculum contains a requirement in U.S. Diversity and Pluralism,
which carefully and explicitly defines both terms, establishing clear
and effective learning objectives for teaching these courses across
multiple disciplines;
Whereas Senate Bill 1112-15, “Revision to the General Education
Program,” removes this requirement, reducing what was a separate
and essential knowledge area to an example of one approach among
many within another category;
Whereas the Board of Trustees Amendments to the General Education
Requirement (January 19, 2010) states that candidates for a
baccalaureate degree must complete “an academically rigorous and
comprehensive core General Education curriculum of no fewer than
30 credit hours, including but not limited to at least three credit hours
of each course” in mathematics and basic communication, and three
credits each in at least five of eight academic areas;
Whereas Board of Trustees Amendments to the General Education
Requirement (January 19, 2010) recognizes that the faculty of each
institution will retain the responsibility for “establishing the specific
course requirements and content of a General Education curriculum
of the best practices in American higher education,” and encourages
individual campuses “to allow faculty to develop more than one than
one curriculum which meets the General Education Requirement;”
Whereas the University Faculty Senate has approved Senate Bill
1112-15 which stipulates the minimum number of credits for the
General Education Requirement Program, but does not indicate a
maximum number of credits;
Whereas the Universities at Stony Brook, Binghamton, and Buffalo
either require separate courses in U.S. diversity and / or pluralism, or
require that the requirement in U.S. History enable students to
develop knowledge of U.S. diversity;
I move to amend the previously adopted bill, Senate Bill 1112-15, by
adding a three-credit requirement in U.S. Diversity and Pluralism as
one of the SUNY Flex Categories – Required at UAlbany, using the
language of the existing requirement including its learning objectives:
U.S. Diversity and Pluralism courses enable students to
demonstrate: knowledge and understanding of the diversity and
pluralism of U.S. society with respect to race, ethnicity, and
gender, as well as class, sexual orientation, and/or religion;
knowledge and understanding of the social and cultural
influences that shape the perspectives of various social groups
as well as students’ own points of view; knowledge and
understanding of the contributions of various social groups to
U.S. society; knowledge and understanding of the sources and
manifestations of controversy or conflict arising from U.S.
diversity and pluralism.
