Expand GEP list to give students opportunities

The Council of Undergraduate Education reviewed a German language class to determine whether it met the criteria to fulfill a General Education Requirement. They also discussed if two other courses would be added to the GEP list of requirements. While this council met to determine the faith of these three classes, perhaps they should consider expanding the list of GEP courses to those actually beneficial to students.

Currently, the GEP requirements are general courses meant to give students a shallow understanding of a certain topic. Along these requirements are a U.S. Diversity and Global Knowledge component for graduation. The list of requirements was updated in 2009; however, the council should create classes allowing students from all majors and colleges to create their own requirements.

Under the current policy, students are to complete seven hours of natural sciences; six hours of math, humanities, social sciences; five hours of interdisciplinary courses; four hours of English; three hours of additional breadth and two hours of physical education. While the majority of these requirements create more well-rounded, diverse thinking students, the method in which this outcome is achieved could be altered to better benefit the student.

Under the interdisciplinary and humanities requirement, students must complete a class with the USD and GK component so they may better understand diversity in our society and be more globally aware. Both of which are skills to create a more marketable applicant in the job market; however, the way classes are currently classified on the GEP list makes this requirement a burden rather than opportunities for enrichment—its intended purpose.

Students should be able to take classes within their major, which is of interest to them, and allow it to count for one of their requirements, so long as they can demonstrate it achieves the same outcomes as the already-designed classes on the GEP list.

This example can be applied to every major at N.C. State. Engineering majors question their advisers when they must take intro to Shakespeare, while CHASS majors scowl when they are placed into Calculus I for Engineers. These types of requirements might act as a method to diversify one's thinking, however, the anxiety and frustration they create only closes the learners' minds from absorbing the new information.

These requirements do not need to be a burden for students, but rather an opportunity for new experiences.