George Washington’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is revamping its general curriculum requirements (GCRs), the core coursework that all students must complete to graduate.
The new standards, which were overwhelmingly approved in a faculty vote on April 16, reduce GCRs to 24 credits (from 42) and incorporate new requirements that focus on diverse perspectives, analytical skills and communication. They will take effect for the 2011 incoming class.
“The revised curriculum will significantly enhance academic engagement and academic challenge for our students as they learn at GW,” says Donald R. Lehman, executive vice president for academic affairs. “Our goal for GW baccalaureate graduates is that they be prepared for entry into the 21st-century global society through an education with foundations in substantial writing and associated communication skills, critical thinking, analytical problem solving, computational literacy and depth of study in their chosen academic major. The revised curriculum leads us to these outcomes.”
G-PAC, as the new curriculum is known, stands for General Education: Perspective, Analysis and Communication. Under G-PAC, students must take a class with a global or cross-cultural perspective, one that includes local or civic engagement, and one that incorporates oral communication.
The required 24 credits include six each in natural or physical sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as three in mathematics and statistics and in the arts. University Writing and Writing in the Disciplines courses will continue to be mandatory.
“What distinguishes G-PAC from the old GCRs is its emphasis on analytical skills,” says Teresa Murphy, associate professor of American studies and chair of the Committee for CCAS Curriculum Reform. “Under the old requirements, all courses offered in Columbian College could be counted toward the general education requirements, as long as students spread them out across different disciplines.”
Far fewer courses will be included in G-PAC. Departments have yet to determine exactly which courses will be included, but faculty members have agreed that G-PAC courses must meet rigorous analytical standards either in critical or creative thinking or in scientific or quantitative reasoning.
While many of the G-PAC courses will be at the introductory level, more advanced courses will provide students who enter with different degrees of preparation a wide selection in meeting their requirements, says Dr. Murphy. Almost all of the language courses in G-PAC are likely to be at a more advanced level.
While Columbian College students are not required to take a foreign language course under G-PAC, the school’s administrators expect language courses to remain popular and will continue to support language instruction.
“There’s a high demand from students for foreign language classes at all different levels,” says Dr. Murphy. The other eight schools at GW will not be affected by G-PAC, and the Elliott School of International Affairs, for example, requires foreign language coursework.
The new curriculum requirements were developed by a 12-member committee led by Dr. Murphy and composed of faculty across Columbian College with input from a range of stakeholders.
Paul Duff, Columbian College associate dean for undergraduate studies, praises the committee’s dedication. “In my 19 years at GW, I have never worked with such a thoughtful and engaged committee,” he says. “They deserve a lot of credit.”
According to Dr. Murphy, Columbian College faculty members are very enthusiastic about the new curriculum, which marks the first revision to general requirements in more than a decade. “There was a feeling among the faculty that there were too many requirements, and we wanted to promote a more integrated, coherent curriculum,” she says.
Peg Barratt, dean of the Columbian College, says the new general education curriculum requirements “provide a strong foundation for rigorous coursework and the ability to analyze complex problems from different disciplinary perspectives.
“The hallmark of a successful liberal arts education is to provide a broad base of learning and to train students to engage in active intellectual inquiry,” she says.