General education classes seek to expand student minds beyond major
General education requirements may not be as useless as students think.
The breadth and depth courses required for students to graduate align with state regulations that students be educated in writing, quantitative literacy, physical sciences, life sciences, social sciences, fine arts, humanities, and American institutions according to the Utah State Board of Regents’ Web site.
“The purpose is to create a broadly educated person beyond a specified discipline,” said Norm Jones, chair of the General Education Subcommittee of the Educational Policies Committee at Utah State University and chair of the Utah Regents’ Task Force on General Education. “We’re trying to create citizen scholars who can pick up a newspaper and have some understanding while asking critical questions.”
This type of student is just what employers are looking for, Jones said. Many employers have commented to Jones that they are looking for employees to have a broader education than just a specific field. Jones also said that the unstable condition of the job force today students can’t be sure that they will always work in their chosen field and thus a broad education may come in handy.
However, despite the purpose behind the requirements many students still disagree with having so many.
“I think they’re a waste of time that could be spent on your major,” Kara Hargreaves a sophomore biology major said. “It’s just more time at school and more money.”
Most schools, however, are starting to see the importance of reinforcing general education until graduation, Jones said. Weber State and the University of Utah have similar graduation requirements within each major.
One of the key differences between a university and a trade school is general education, Jones said, because instead of just being trained to get a job students, are being educated to be broader thinkers and people.
Breadth and depth classes are determined by committees. Departments submit courses as possible breadth or depth options. The suggestions then pass through a sub-committee, the overall general education committee, and then to the faculty senate before being completely approved.
Penny Byrne, assistant department head of the journalism and communications department, sits on the committee which decides which courses can be offered as depth social sciences. Byrne said that each course must help the student with research, writing, communication, problem solving, or group work. Jones said it’s also important that the course shows how the field gains knowledge.
“We don’t just do this blindly,” Jones said.
Depth requirements are determined by the university, Byrne said. Majors require depth courses that are different than the major itself. For example, since journalism falls under communication, a depth communication intensive is already included in the major itself. Other depths such as quantitative intensive, life and physical science, social science, and humanities and creative arts are thus required.
Byrne teaches Mass Media Law, which is a depth course and said that many students who take the course who aren’t journalism majors still enjoy it. Byrne said although some students don’t like general education requirements, 40 upper division credits are required for graduation and depth courses count toward that.
“If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?” Byrne said.
-hilaryi@cc.usu.edu