CSU Executive Order #405

THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY Office of the Chancellor 400 Golden Shore Long Beach, California 90802

Executive Order No.:405

Title:              Graduation Requirements in the United States
                    History,Constitution and American Ideals

Effective Date:     November 15, 1982

Supersedes:         No prior Executive Order

This Executive Order is issued pursuant to Section 40404 of Title 5 of the
California Administrative Code.  Its purpose is to establish guidelines
for the administration of Section 40404 by prescribing the minimum subject
matter elements to be included in courses or examinations designated as
meeting the requirement of Section 40404.  This Executive Order also
describes requirements and procedures whereby other accredited
institutions may certify that the requirements of Section 40404 have been
satisfied.

I.  Content of Course and Examination Designated as Meeting      
    Requirements of Section 40404

    A.  Any course or examination which addresses the historical
        development of American institutions and ideals must include all
        of the subject matter elements identified in the following
        subparagraph of this paragraph I.A.  Nothing contained herein is
        intended to prescribe the total content or structure of any
        course.

        1.  Significant events covering a minimum time span of
            approximately one hundred years occurring in the entire area
            now included in the United State of America, including the
            relationships of regions within that area and with external
            regions and powers as appropriate to the understanding of
            those events within the United States during the period under
            study.

        2.  The role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and
            the contexts in which the events have occurred.

        3.  The events presented within a framework which illustrates the
            continuity of the American experience and its derivation from
            other cultures including consideration of three or more of the
            following: politics, economics, social movements, and
            geography.

    B.  Any course or examination which addresses the Constitution of the
        United States, the operation of representative democratic
        government under that Constitution, and the process of California
        State and local government must address all of the subject matter
        elements identified in the following subparagraph of this
        paragraph I.B.  Nothing contained herein is intended to prescribe
        the total content or structure of any course.

        1.  The political philosophies of the framers of the Constitution
            and the nature and operation of the United States political
            institutions and processes under that Constitution as amended
            and interpreted.

        2.  The rights and obligations of citizens in the political system
            established under the Constitution.

        3.  The Constitution of the State of California within the
            framework of evolution of Federal-State relations and the
            nature and processes of State and local government under the
            Constitution.

        4.  Contemporary relationships of State and local government with
            the Federal government, the resolution of conflicts and the
            establishment of cooperative processes under the constitutions
            of both the State and nation, and that political processes
            involved.

II. Certification

    Students transferring from other accredited institutions of collegiate
    grade will be deemed to have met the requirements of Part I if the
    president of a regionally accredited institution or designee certifies
    that all requirements of Title 5, Section 40404 and the guidelines of
    this Executive Order have been met by satisfactory completion of
    course(s) or examination(s) at the baccalaureate level.  Such
    certification shall be recognized by any campus of The California
    State University.

III.    Procedures for Certification

    The procedures for certification shall be those established for
    certification of General Education-Breadth Requirements (see Executive
    Order No. 342) modified as follows:

    1.  Certification means that the entire requirement has been met. 
        Partial certification is not authorized.

    2.  Certification addresses satisfaction of the requirement only.  It
        does not address credit for the units completed.  When
        baccalaureate course credit or general education-breadth credit is
        involved, certification for those purposes shall be according to
        establish procedures for those purposes (see Executive Orders 167
        and 342).

    3.  A list of courses and examinations to be used for certification
        shall be appended to preliminary and final general education
        course lists provided for in Executive Order 342 together with a
        statement that such courses and examinations cover all subject
        matter elements set forth in Part I of this Executive Order.

IV. Disputes

    When disagreements arise, the procedures in the Chancellor's Executive
    Order concerning certification of General Education-Breadth
    Requirements (see Executive Order 342, Part V) shall be utilized to
    achieve resolution.

V.  Effective Date

    This Executive Order is effective immediately.  Students presently
    enrolled, however, who enrolled in courses or completed examinations
    prior to this date, which would have met the requirements of Section
    40404 at that time, shall be deemed to have satisfied these
    requirements.