General Education

Go to general information on GE
Go to lower division GE courses
Go to area E courses
Go to upper division GE courses
Go to Planning Your Degree: Bachelor's

The general education (GE) program meets CSU breadth requirements and helps students meet the goals of the baccalaureate degree program. The general education program educates students in three ways:

by developing the ability to think and communicate clearly and effectively;
by acquiring knowledge about the arts, humanities, science, and society; and
by understanding the methods, principles, and processes of human inquiry.

Within various disciplines, general education courses enable the student to explore fundamental knowledge, perspectives, methods of inquiry, assumptions, and values. Such exploration helps the student perceive relationships between the disciplines in preparation for lifelong commitment to scholarship and learning.

Important Provisions

Students may elect to take approved GE courses offered by their major department.
Do not substitute other Humboldt courses for the approved GE courses on the following pages.
Liberal Studies, Liberal Studies/Elementary Education, and Liberal Studies/Child Development (Elementary Education) majors have their GE requirements already incorporated into the major requirements.
Environmental Resources Engineering majors should consult their advisors regarding special provisions for fulfilling GE.
Students must complete GE Basic Subjects and Mathematical Concepts/Quantitative Reasoning courses with grades of C- or higher.
Students must complete GE Basic Subjects (Area A) and Mathematical Concepts/Quantitative Reasoning courses (a portion of Area B) by the time they earn 60 units. Transfer students who come to HSU with more than 30 units, must complete these courses by the time they earn 30 units at Humboldt.
Information and advice regarding GE requirements are available at the Advising Center, SBS 295.

Lower Division Component

Students must complete a minimum of 36 lower division units in approved GE courses. These break down to a minimum of nine units in each of four areas, designated A, B, C, and D. Each area has specific requirements and goals, described below.

Upper Division Component

Upper division GE courses build upon knowledge and abilities developed in lower division GE courses. Students must complete nine upper division units: three units each from areas B, C, and D.

In addition, all students need three units in an area E course (human integration). Humboldt State offers area E courses at an upper division level, but transfer students can sometimes meet the requirement with transferable lower division units.

Transfer Students

Students who transfer to Humboldt from a California Community College, and who have followed the approved CSU or IGETC general education pattern, may satisfy up to 39 semester units of GE with transfer course work. Transfer students from accredited private or non-California colleges will have their transfer courses applied to GE through individual review of transcripts.

Send transcripts of all previous work to the Office of Admissions. A Degree Audit Report for Students (DARS) will be made available at the time of orientation or initial enrollment that indicates how courses taken elsewhere apply to Humboldt’s all-university requirements (general education, American institutions, diversity and common ground, unit minimums and limits, etc.) and in many cases, the major program. The DARS report also reflects HSU courses completed and in-progress, and is available to enrolled students whose first term of enrollment was fall 2003 and later.

A minimum of nine units of GE course work must be completed in residence (i.e., at Humboldt) to satisfy the residency requirement.

You should expect to have to study at least two hours per week per unit of coursework in order to succeed. A student taking a full load of 15 units should study 30 hours per week.

Go to general information on GE
Go to area E courses
Go to upper division GE courses

*One asterisk denote courses which also meet Diversity & Common Ground requirements.

**Counts as both GE and Diversity & Common Ground (Non-Domestic).

Lower Division GE

Lower Division Area A — Basic Subjects

Communication in the English language to include both oral and written communication and critical thinking

Goals. Courses in area A sharpen a student's ability to think clearly and logically, to find and critically examine information, and to communicate orally and in writing. They help students write better papers, ask critical questions, and improve overall understanding of material.

Requirements. Students need a minimum of nine lower division units in area A, including a 3-unit course in each of three categories: oral communication, written com-munication, and critical thinking. It is strongly recommended that students take these classes in the first year. It is required they be completed before earning 60 units. (Students who transfer in with more than 30 units must complete these before they complete 30 units at HSU.) A minimum grade of C- is required in each course.

Everyone takes the following:
COMM 100 Fundamentals of Speech Communication (Students with extensive background in communication may petition the Communication Department to substitute COMM 213, 214, or 312.)

One of the following:
ENGL 100 or ENGL100A First Year Reading & Composition
ENGL 100R First Year Reading & Composition (Must be taken concurrently with GNED 109R. See “Humboldt Connections.”)

One of the following:
CIS 100 Critical Thinking with Computers
COMM 101 Critical Thinking in Small Groups
COMM 102 Introduction to Argumentation
COMM 103 Critical Listening & Thinking
ENGL 101 Critical Writing
FOR 100 Critical Thinking and Social and Environmental Responsibility
FOR 100R Critical Thinking (Must be taken concurrently with GNED 109S. See “Humboldt Connections.”)
PHIL 100 Logic
PSYC 100 Psychology of Critical Thinking

Lower Division Area B

Inquiry into the physical universe and its life forms with some immediate participation in laboratory activity and into mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning and their applications.

Goals. General education in the natural sciences and mathematics focuses on the physical universe and its life forms. This requirement helps students cope with, and participate in, the changing world. Recognizing the importance of scientific methods as investigative tools, the courses present science as a unified discipline with a major impact on the human condition.

GE science courses:

provide an understanding of the nature, scope, and limits of science and its relation to other branches of human inquiry;
teach the language of science to facilitate cognition, interpretation, and communication;
develop scientific reasoning for use in the critical examination of information;
identify sources of information for the pursuit of scientific inquiry;
impart the facts and principles which form our understanding of the living and nonliving systems of our universe;
provide direct participation in a laboratory experience;
develop mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning and demonstrate their widespread applications in problem solving;
promote an understanding of the impact of scientific knowledge and technology on our civilization both past and present and recognize the contributions made by men and women; and
consider the moral and ethical implications of science so as to nurture a respect for human values.

Complete a minimum of nine lower division units: at least three units in each of the three categories. One must be a laboratory course (L). Sometimes area B requirements may be met by course sequences (bearing the suffixes Y and Z) in which the total number of units taken is more than the minimum nine. Where courses or sequences exceed three units, only three units count toward GE requirements. Courses below are three units unless indicated.

Life Forms

BIOL 104 General Biology (L) (not for science or NR majors)
BIOL 105 Principles of Biology (L)(4)
BIOL 109/109L General Microbiology (L)(3/1) (not for science majors)
BOT 105 General Botany (L)(4)

Mathematical Concepts & Quantitative Reasoning

Minimum grade of C- required. Must be complete by 60 units. (Students with 30 or more transfer units must complete within first 30 HSU units.)

BIOM 109 Introductory Biometrics

MATH 103 Contemporary Mathematics (not for science or NR majors)
MATH 103i Mathematics as a Liberal Art (5) (not for science or NR majors)
MATH 104 Finite Mathematics
MATH 105 Calculus for the Biological Sciences & Natural Resources
MATH 106 Calculus for Business & Economics
MATH 108 Critical Thinking in Mathematics (for prospective elementary teachers)
MATH 109 Calculus I (4)

STAT 106 Introduction to Statistics for the Health Sciences
STAT 108 Elementary Statistics (4)

Physical Universe

CHEM 104 Chemistry & Society
CHEM 107 Fundamentals of Chemistry (L)(4)
CHEM 109 General Chemistry (L)(5)

GEOG 106 Physical Geography

GEOL 106 Earthquake Country (not for geology majors)
GEOL 108 The Dynamic Earth (L) (not for geology majors)
GEOL 109 General Geology (L)

OCN 109 General Oceanography (L)(4)

PHYX 103 Introduction to Meteorology (L)(3)
PHYX 104 Descriptive Astronomy (L)(4)
PHYX 105 Conceptual Physics (L)(4)
PHYX 106 College Physics: Mechanics & Heat (L)(4) (not calculus-based)
PHYX 107 College Physics: Electromagnetism & Modern Physics (L)(4) (not calculus-based)
PHYX 109 General Physics I: Mechanics (L)(4)

Lower Division Area C

Arts, literature, philosophy, modern languages

Goals. Arts and humanities courses cultivate imagination, sensibility, and sensitivity in the cognitive, physical, and emotional aspects of human experience. Students are encouraged to respond to experience subjectively and to discriminate emotional responses of integrity.

Some courses involve students in individual aesthetic and creative experiences in art, drama, and music. Others examine great works of the human imagination, thereby increasing appreciation of the subjective response to human experience as presented in literature, philosophy, and religion. All courses promote understanding of the relationships between the arts and humanities disciplines and other general education areas.

Humanities courses:

develop understanding of the importance of arts and humanities to the overall understanding of human experience;
heighten students' perceptions of their own artistic and humanistic abilities;
make students more aware of and sensitive to their artistic environment and their own reaction to that environment; and
encourage active participation in developing critical standards for evaluating students' own and others' artistic works.

Nine units from at least three different disciplines. For example, a student with nine units in art still has to take courses offered by two other disciplines. A student with courses in three disciplines, but only seven total units, still needs two more units. Please note that Spanish, French, German and American Sign Language courses listed below all fall within the single discipline of Modern Languages.

* One asterisk denote courses which also meet Diversity & Common Ground requirements.

** Counts as both GE and Diversity & Common Ground (Non-Domestic).
# Counts in Area C or D, but not both.

ART 103 Introduction to Art History
ART 104 (B-N) Art History (ART 104K, M, and N count as both GE and diversity & common ground as non-domestic, Art 104J as domestic.)
ART 105 (B-C) Studio Art
ART 106 Beginning Painting
ART 107 Beginning Printmaking
ART 108 Beginning Graphic Design
ART 109 Beginning Sculpture

CD 109YZ American Sign Language (Complete both Y & Z for 3 units of GE credit)

COMM 108 Oral Interpretation

ENGL 105 Introduction to Literature

FREN 106 French Level II (4)
FREN 107 French Level III (4)**

GERM 106 German Level II (4)
GERM 107 German Level III (4)

GNED 109R Off the Beaten Path / Literature and Landscapes (Must be taken concurrently with ENGL 100R. See “Humboldt Connections.”)

IT 104 Beginning Wood

MUS 102 Jazz and America (3)
MUS 103 Listening to the Movies
MUS 104 Introduction to Music
MUS 105 The American Musical
MUS 106 (any) Musical Ensembles(1-3)
MUS 107 (any) Chamber Ensembles(1-2)
MUS 108 (any) Beginning Music(1)
MUS 109 (any) Intermediate Music(1)

PHIL 104 Asian Philosophy**
PHIL 106 Moral Controversies
PHIL 107 Introduction to Philosophy

RS 105 World Religions**

SPAN 106 Spanish Level II(4)
SPAN 107 Spanish Level III (4)**
SPAN 108 Level III, Spanish Speakers (4)

TFD 103 (any) Dance Techniques
TFD 104 Storytelling
TFD 105 Acting
TFD 106 Behind the Scenes in Theatre (2-3)
TFD 107 Dramatic Writing
TFD 108 Action: Movement & Mime
TFD 109B Introduction to Radio, TV, & Film
TFD 109C Film Comedy Around the World**

WS 107 Women Voicing Social Change*

Lower Division Area D

Human social, political, and economic institutions and behavior and their historical background

Goals. These courses introduce the scholarly study of human experience: culture; ethnicity; place; time; the economy; the political community; behavioral, emotional, and cognitive processes; and human interaction and organization.

Three courses from the following, but not more than one course from any one discipline. One course from The American Institutions course list can count unless a transfer American Institutions course has already been used in this area. The American Institutions course will be regarded as a distinct discipline. (For example, a student can satisfy Area D with COMM 105, HIST 104, and HIST 110 from the American Institutions list; or with ANTH 104, PSCI 104, and PSCI 110 from the American Institutions list; or with PSYC 104, ECON 104, and ECON 323 from the American Institutions list.)

* One asterisk denote courses which also meet Diversity & Common Ground requirements.

** Counts as both GE and Diversity & Common Ground (Non-Domestic).
# Counts in Area C or D, but not both.

ANTH 104 Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 105 Archaeology and World Prehistory

CHIN 109 / ES 109 Intro to Chinese Studies**

COMM 105 Introduction to Human Communication

ECON 104 Contemporary Topics in Economics

ES 105 Introduction to US Ethnic Studies*
ES 108 Power/Privilege: Gender & Race, Sex, Class*
ES 109 / CHIN 109 Intro to Chinese Studies**

GEOG 105 Cultural Geography**

GNED 109R Off the Beaten Path / Literature and Landscapes (Must be taken concurrently with ENGL 100R. See “Humboldt Connections.”)
GNED 109S Shake, Rattle & Roll: (Must be taken concurrently with FOR 100R. See “Humboldt Connections.”)

HIST 104 Western Civilization to 1650
HIST 105 Western Civilization, 1650 to Present
HIST 107 East Asian History to 1644
HIST 108 East Asian Civilization since 1644
HIST 109 Colonial Latin American History
HIST 109B Modern Latin America

NAS 104 Introduction to Native American Studies*
NAS 105 Introduction to US Ethnic Studies*

NRPI 105 Natural Resource Conservation

PSCI 104 People & Politics

PSYC 104 Introduction to Psychology

SOC 104 Introductory Sociology

SW 104 Introduction to Social Work and Social Work Institutions*

WS 106 Introduction to Women's Studies*
WS 108 Power/Privilege: Gender & Race, Sex, Class*
American Institutions course

Go to general information on GE
Go to lower division GE courses
Go to upper division GE courses

Lower Division Area E

Lifelong understanding and integration of self

Area E courses focus on disciplined inquiry leading to self-discovery and self-knowledge.

Because successful completion of these courses requires a degree of knowledge and maturity usually attained by upper division students, area E courses can be taken only by students who have junior or senior status and who have completed area A general education requirements.

Requirements. Choose one course from the following list:

ANTH 400 Self, Health, & Culture
ENVS 400 / NRPI 400 Inscape and Landscape
FOR 400 Forestry in Modern Society
HED 400 A Sound Mind in a Sound Body: Human Integration
NRPI 400 / ENVS 400 Inscape and Landscape
NURS 400 Stress Management Wellness & Illness
NURS 400B Complementary & Alternative Health Care: A Research-Based Approach
PSYC 400 Health Psychology
RS 400 Paths to the Center
SOC 400 Human Integration
WS 400 Integration: Femininity & Masculinity

Go to general information on GE
Go to lower division GE courses
Go to area E courses

Upper Division GE

Upper Division Area B

Select one course from the list below.

Students can also satisfy three units of upper division general education in area B by completing an approved minor in one of the disciplines in the College of Natural Resources and Sciences, excluding minors in psychology and computer information systems. Please note: a minor cannot be awarded to a student receiving a related major of the same name.

ANTH 303 Human Biology/Evolution

BIOL 301 History of Biology
BIOL 302 Human Biology**
BIOL 304 Human Genetics**
BIOL 305 Social Behavior & Biology
BIOL 306 California Natural History
BIOL 307 Evolution
BIOL 308 Environment & Culture: How People Transformed a Continent

BOT 300 Plants & Civilization

CHEM 305 Environmental Chemistry
CHEM 308 Alchemy

ENGR 305 Appropriate Technology
ENGR 308 Technology & Environment

ENVS 308 Ecotopia

FISH 300 Introduction to Fishery Biology

FOR 302 Forest Ecosystems & People
FOR 307 California's Forests & Woodlands

GEOL 300 / GEOL 300L Geology of California
GEOL 303 Earth Resources & Global Environmental Change
GEOL 305 Fossils, Life, & Evolution
GEOL 308 Natural Disasters

IT 308 Socio-Technological Thinking Processes

MATH 301 Mathematics & Culture, an Historical Perspective**
MATH 308B or MATH 308C Mathematics for Elementary Education (for prospective elementary teachers)

NURS 306 Pathophysiology & Pharmacotherapeutics in Health Care

OCN 301 Marine Ecosystems--Human Impact
OCN 304 Resources of the Sea
OCN 306 Global Environmental Issues

PHYX 300 Frontiers of Modern Physical Science
PHYX 301 Science of Sound
PHYX 302 Light & Color
PHYX 304 Cosmos

RRS 306 Rangeland Resource Principles

WLDF 300 / WLDF 300B Wildlife Ecology & Management
WLDF 301 Principles of Wildlife Mgmt.
WLDF 306 Birds & Human Society

Any of the following Communication and Ways of Thinking courses may be used to meet the upper division area B requirement. Students are limited to one CWT course within the upper division GE component.

AHSS 309 Darwin & Darwinism
CIS 309 Computers & Social Change
COMM 309B Gender & Communication*
ENVS 309 / NRPI 309 Communication in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution
NRPI 309 / ENVS 309 Communication in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution
NRPI 309B Environmental Communication
PHIL 309 Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
PHIL 309B Perspectives: Humanities/Science/Social Science
WLDF 309 Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
WS 309B Gender & Communication*

Upper Division Area C

Select one course from the list below.

ART 300 Major Monuments of Art
ART 301 The Artist

COMM 300 American Public Discourse*

ENGL 305 Postcolonial Perspectives: Literature of the Developing World**
ENGL 306 The Modern Tradition
ENGL 308B Women in Literature*
ENGL 308C Women in Literature**

FREN 300 African Storytelling**
FREN 306 Sex, Class & Culture: Gender & Ethnic Issues in International Short Stories**

GERM 305 Marx, Nietzsche, Freud & German Literature
GERM 306 Sex, Class, & Culture: Gender & Ethnic Issues in International Short Stories**

JMC 302 Mass Media/Popular Arts

MUS 301 Rock: An American Music
MUS 302 Music in World Culture**
MUS 305 Jazz: An American Art Form

PHIL 301 Reflections on the Arts
PHIL 302 Environmental Ethics
PHIL 303 Theories of Ethics
PHIL 304 Philosophy of Sex & Love
PHIL 306 Race, Racism and Philosophy*

RS 300 Living Myths

SPAN 306 Sex, Class & Culture: Gender & Ethnic Issues in International Short Stories**

TFD 300 Image & Imagination
TFD 303 World Dance Expressions**
TFD 305 Art of Film: Beginning to 1950s
TFD 306 Art of Film: 1950s to Present
TFD 307 Theatre of the Oppressed*

WLDF 302 Environmental Ethics

WS 301 Women Artists
WS 302 Living Myths
WS 305 Feminist Science Fiction
WS 306 Sex, Class & Culture: Gender & Ethnic Issues in International Short Stories**
WS 308B Women in Literature*
WS308C Women in Literature**

Any of the following Communication and Ways of Thinking courses may be used to meet the upper division area C requirement. Students are limited to one CWT course within the upper division GE component.

AHSS 309 Darwin & Darwinism
CIS 309 Computers & Social Change
COMM 309B Gender & Communication*
ENVS 309 / NRPI 309 Communication in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution
JMC 309 Analyzing Mass Media Messages
NRPI 309 / ENVS 309 Communication in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution
NRPI 309B Environmental Communication
PHIL 309 Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
PHIL 309B Perspectives: Humanities/Science/Social Science
WLDF 309 Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
WS 309B Gender & Communication*

Revolution, Reform, & Response: 20th Century Latin America HIST 309, SPAN 309, WS 309. Taken as a group, these courses fulfill area C and D upper division GE. Students then need a non-CWT area B course to complete the upper division GE requirement.

Upper Division Area D

Select one course from the list below.

ANTH 302 Anthropology of Religion**
ANTH 306 World Regions Cultural Studies**

ECON 305 Int'l Economics & Globalization
ECON 306 Economics of the Developing World**
ECON 308 History of Economic Thought

ENVS 301 International Environmental Issues & Globalization

ES 304 Migrations & Mosaics*
ES 308 Multicultural Perspectives in American Society*

GEOG 300 Global Awareness**
GEOG 301 International Environmental Issues & Globalization
GEOG 304 Migrations & Mosaics*

HIST 300 The Era of World War I
HIST 301 The Era of World War II
HIST 305 The American West, 1763-1900

NAS 306 Native Peoples of North America*

PSCI 303 Third World Politics**
PSCI 306 Environmental Politics

PSYC 300 Psychology of Women*
PSYC 301 Psychology of Creativity
PSYC 302 Psychology of Prejudice*
PSYC 303 Family Relations in Contemporary Society

SOC 302 Forests & Culture
SOC 303 Race & Inequality*
SOC 305 Sociology of the Modern World-System
SOC 306 The Changing Family*
SOC 308 Sociology of Altruism & Compassion

WS 300 Psychology of Women*
WS 303 Third World Women's Movements**

Any of the following Communication and Ways of Thinking courses may be used to meet the upper division area D requirement. Students are limited to one CWT course within the upper division GE component.

AHSS 309 Darwin & Darwinism
CIS 309 Computers & Social Change
COMM 309B Gender & Communication*
ECON 309 Economics of a Sustainable Society
ENVS 309 Environmental Conflict Resolution
GEOG 309i The Silk Road
JMC 309 Analyzing Mass Media Messages
NRPI 309 Communication in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution
NRPI 309B Environmental Communication
PHIL 309 Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
PHIL 309B Perspectives: Humanities/Science/Social Science
PSYC 309 The Thinking Consumer in a Materialistic Society
WLDF 309 Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
WS 309B Gender & Communication*

Go to general information on GE
Go to lower division GE courses
Go to area E courses
Go to upper division GE courses

To select another HSU academic program, choose from the list in the frame to the left. To return to the university's home page, press the button below.