General Education at CSI
The Curriculum
Students at the College of Staten Island are required to take ENG 111, ENG 151, and PED 190 and virtually all students must take an additional four-credit General Education course, COR 100. Additional General Education credits are required from the following categories: Scientific Analysis; Social Scientific Analysis; the Contemporary World; Textual, Aesthetic, and Linguistic Analysis; Pluralism and Diversity; and Foreign Language.
Required General Education Courses:
ENG 111 Communications Workshop
4 hours; 3 credits
An introductory course in communication. Focus on writing and reading with attention to speaking and listening. Critical, analytic, and narrative approaches to a broad range of experience, information, and literature. Emphasis on the complete composition process—inventing, drafting, revising, and polishing—to develop greater confidence, expressiveness, coherence, and correctness in a variety of modes. Introduction to information search and retrieval skills.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of the CUNY/ACT
ENG 151 College Writing
4 hours; 4 credits
ENG 151 builds on the work of ENG 111. It emphasizes expository and analytic writing and longer papers. Attention to reading, library skills, and research methods.
Prerequisites: ENG 111 and passing the CUNY/ACT Reading Skills Test
PED 190 Fitness for Life
2 hours; 1 credit
This course is designed to inform students about current issues and practices in fitness and wellness. It combines theory and practice in lectures and physical activities to enable students to plan for a healthy, independent future.
Prerequisite: Current medical examination on file with the College Health Center.
COR 100 United States: Issues, Ideas, and Institutions
4 hours; 4 credits
Contemporary American society, culture, politics, and the economic and historical forces that shaped them with particular attention to factors that have had a critical impact on: the nation’s political ideas and institutions, its social structure and the relationships between its diverse cultures, and its economy. The course will focus on both the contemporary American scene and on several formative historical periods: the creation of the Republic 1776-1789; the Civil War and the two Reconstructions, 1860-1877 and 1954-1965; and the New Deal/Great Society, 1930s/1960s.
Pre- or corequisite: ENG 111
Additional General Education Categories:
Scientific Analysis: Courses fulfilling the Scientific Analysis requirement belong to the disciplines of Natural and Applied Science, Technology, and Mathematics. These courses are designed to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts, methods, practices, and applications, seeking to develop a basic understanding and appreciation of science in general, as well as of a particular science field. The courses are intended to give students the opportunity to develop their ability to reason and their capacity for rigorous critical analysis.
Social Scientific Analysis: These courses provide an introduction to the social sciences: the role of institutions, groups, and individuals in society. They examine human behavior and thought in its political, economic, social, cultural, and/or geographic context. Students are introduced to the fundamental methodologies of the social sciences, such as, hypothesis development, data collection and analysis, and the critical evaluation of evidence.
The Contemporary World: Courses fulfilling this requirement are designed to provide an understanding of global and regional contexts. As COR 100 explores issues, ideas, and institutions in the United States, so this requirement will cover contemporary global issues, ideas, and institutions. The courses will emphasize the interactions of societies along political, economic, and cultural dimensions. Courses will cover the development, formation, and impact of the global context and ways in which different nations, societies, and cultures influence and are influenced by global forces. Students will use comparative and historical analytic frameworks for understanding the contemporary world.
Textual, Aesthetic, and Linguistic Analysis: These courses introduce students to the literary, visual, and performing arts. Students will examine the historical and cultural aspects of various works, as well as methods for their analysis and/or creation. This requirement aims to encourage active inquiry into the complexity of language, art, and communication.
Pluralism and Diversity: These courses focus on questions of difference. More specifically, they examine issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, ethnicity, and ability. These courses deploy historical, theoretical, and critical scholarship to study the issues listed above. Courses may be 200-, 300-, or 400-level.
Foreign Language: Students are expected to demonstrate intermediate-level proficiency by achieving a passing grade on the CSI proficiency examination or by taking one to three courses; depending on their grades on the proficiency examination, they will be placed in 113 (the first course), 114 (the second course), or 213 (the third course). Intermediate proficiency is required for all AA, BA, and BS degrees in Art, Communications, Dramatic Arts, and Music. (Note: not required for Information Systems) Students enrolled in other degree programs do not have a foreign language requirement but are encouraged to study a foreign language.
For a complete listing of the General Education Courses by category please consult the CSI Undergraduate Catalog. Several degree programs require, as part of General Education, specific courses that also satisfy pre-major requirements. Students in these programs will find these General Education courses listed under their major and will be informed about them by the Office of Academic Advisement and/or their faculty advisers.