Pre 2013 General Education Program (Required Courses)
Lehman College provides undergraduates with not only a major specialization but also training in a range of basic skills and general subjects on beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. In this way, a bachelor's degree represents both training in a special field and the skills and knowledge to meet life's varied challenges responsibly, intelligently, and creatively.
General Education includes subjects comprising the shared intellectual heritage of our diverse culture. It teaches critical thinking and encourages accurate and effective communication. General Education supports the integration, synthesis, and application of knowledge, and includes proficiency in information literacy. Undergraduate education offers not only specialized knowledge and professional skills but also the multiple views and general intellectual abilities developed by the study of liberal arts and sciences that provide a foundation for independent, responsible living.
Students who entered Lehman College before the fall 2013 semester must meet the Pre-2013 General Education Requirements. There are four categories of required courses: Foundation, Distribution, Integration, and Writing Intensive. For a list of the Pre-2013 General Education courses in each category, select the links in the navigation panel.
Foundation Courses
The Foundation Courses comprise requirements in English Composition (6 credits), Mathematics (3-4 credits), Natural Science (8-10 credits), and Foreign Language (3-9 credits).
English Composition Requirement (6 Credits)
All students must successfully complete a six-credit sequence in English composition (course-course). Every student should enroll in an English composition course each semester until course is passed. Students who are placed in English as a Second Language courses must complete these courses before taking English Composition. Entering students who have completed equivalent English composition coursework will be placed in the appropriate course by the English Department.
Mathematics Requirement (3-4 Credits)
Unless exempted, all students are required to successfully complete one three- or four-credit college-level mathematics course numbered 125 or higher, or three one-credit mathematics courses numbered between 180 and 199.
Natural Science Requirement (8-10 Credits)
All students are required to successfully complete two courses in laboratory science from a specified list. The list of approved courses is available from the Academic Information and Advisement Center (Shuster Hall, Room 280) and in the Schedule of Classes distributed prior to registration each semester. The following list is approved for the Fall 2013 semester, and may change for subsequent semesters:
Credits | ||
Introduction to Human Evolution | 4 | |
Introduction to Human Variation | 4 | |
Astronomy of Stellar Systems | 4 | |
Astronomy of the Solar System | 4 | |
Principles of Biology: Cells and Genes | 4 | |
Principles of Biology: Organisms | 4 | |
Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 | |
Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 | |
Human Biology | 4 | |
Plants and People | 4 | |
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Essentials of General Chemistry Lecture | 3 | |
And | ||
Essentials of General Chemistry Laboratory | 1.5 | |
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Essentials of Organic Chemistry Lecture I | 3 | |
And | ||
Essentials of Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 1.5 | |
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Elements of Chemistry | 4 | |
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General Chemistry I | 4 | |
And | ||
General Chemistry Laboratory I | 1.5 | |
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Dynamic Earth | 3 | |
Processes of Global Change | 4 | |
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Earth Evolution | 3 | |
And | ||
Earth Evolution Laboratory | 1 | |
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Weather and Climate | 3 | |
And | ||
Weather and Climate Laboratory | 1 | |
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Fundamental Concepts and Methods of Physics | 4 | |
The Physics of Sound | 3.5 |
NOTE: Students entering the Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology/Biology/Chemistry, and Physics majors as well as premedical, and other pre-health program students, may use,course course, course, and course to fulfill this requirement. |
Foreign Language Requirement (3-9 Credits)
Students with no more than one year of high school credit in a foreign language are required to take a sequence of two language courses for nine credits at the 100 level or the equivalent three-course sequence for nine credits.
Students with more than one year of high school credit in a foreign language may fulfill the requirement with one of the following options:
According to placement by the Languages and Literatures Department, either:
successfully complete one 200- or 300-level foreign language course;
successfully complete the final course of a 100-level sequence; or
successfully complete a sequence of two courses for a total of nine credits at the 100 level in a new language, or the equivalent three-course sequence.
Students for whom English is a second language may fulfill the requirement by:
successfully completing two courses in ESL at the course level or above;
after placement by the Languages and Literatures Department, successfully completing one course at the 200 or 300 level in the native language; or
successfully completing two courses for a total of 9 credits in a new language at the 100 level, or the equivalent three-course sequence.
Transfer students who have completed a year of foreign language study at the college level have satisfied the language requirement.
Distribution Courses (7 Courses, 21 Credits)
Every student must complete successfully one course from a specified list in each of the seven areas listed below. The list of approved courses is available at the Academic Information and Advisement Center (Shuster Hall, Room 280) and in the Schedule of Classes, distributed prior to registration each semester. (The list of Distribution Courses is approved each year. The following list is approved for the Fall 2013 semester and may change for subsequent semesters.) No more than two courses from the same department may be used to satisfy the Distribution Requirement.
Area I: Individuals and Society (3 credits)
Credits | ||
Black Women in American Society | 3 | |
Anthropological Perspectives on Women and Men | 3 | |
Latinos in the United States | 3 | |
Family and Gender Relations Among Latinos | 3 | |
The Phenomena of Language | 3 | |
Criminal Justice | 3 | |
Immigration and Citizenship | 3 | |
General Psychology | 3 | |
Fundamentals of Sociology | 3 |
Area II: Socio-Political Structures (3 credits)
Credits | ||
Introduction to African and African American Studies | 3 | |
The Contemporary Urban Community | 3 | |
African History | 3 | |
Cultural Anthropology | 3 | |
Introduction to Macroeconomics | 3 | |
An Introduction to Geography | 3 | |
Conservation of the Environment | 3 | |
Basic Mapping: Applications and Analysis | 3 | |
Contemporary Political Issues | 3 | |
The American Political System | 3 | |
Public Policy | 3 |
Area III: Literature (3 credits)
Credits | ||
Literature of the English & Francophone Caribbean | 3 | |
African Literature | 3 | |
African-American Literature | 3 | |
Literary Genres | 3 | |
English Literature | 3 | |
Shakespeare Now | 3 | |
American Literature | 3 | |
Contemporary Urban Writers | 3 | |
Women in Literature | 3 | |
Diverse Voices in American Literature | 3 | |
The Francophone World (In Translation) | 3 | |
Classics of the Western World: Ancient and Medieval | 3 | |
Classics of the Western World II: Renaissance and Modern | 3 | |
Classics of the Asian World | 3 | |
Literature of the Caribbean and the Caribbean Diaspora | 3 | |
Latin American Literature in Translation | 3 |
course: English Literature I: fulfills Area III requirement for English majors in the ECCE certification sequence
Area IV: The Arts (3 credits)
Credits | ||
Contemporary Black Music | 3 | |
Introduction to the History of Asian Art-Islamic, Buddhist, and Hindu Cultures | 3 | |
Introduction to the History of the Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the South Pacific | 3 | |
Introduction to the History of Modern Art of the 19th & 20th Centuries in Europe & the US | 3 | |
Tradition and Innovation in the Art of the West | 3 | |
Observation and the Visual Experience | 3 | |
Elements of Visual Communication | 3 | |
Dance Perspectives | 3 | |
The City and the Theatre | 3 | |
Introduction to Music | 3 | |
The Art of the Theatre | 3 | |
Queer Theatre | 3 |
Area V: Comparative Culture (3 credits)
Credits | ||
African Civilizations | 3 | |
Caribbean Societies | 3 | |
Women in African Society | 3 | |
Women in Latin America | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (Africa) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures: Middle East | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (Europe) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (India) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (Oceania) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (Native North America) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (Southeast Asia) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (East Asia) | 3 | |
Selected Studies in Societies and Cultures (Latin America) | 3 | |
Urban Geography | 3 | |
East Asian Civilization | 3 | |
Islamic Civilization | 3 | |
The Italian-American Community | 3 | |
Introduction to Middle Eastern Studies | 3 | |
Politics and Culture | 3 | |
Russia Today | 3 | |
Introduction to Women's Studies | 3 |
Area VI: Historical Studies (3 credits)
Credits | ||
History of African Americans | 3 | |
Ancient Peoples and Cultures | 3 | |
Early Modern Europe, 1400-1815 | 3 | |
Contemporary European History | 3 | |
Foundations of the United States | 3 | |
Modern United States History | 3 | |
Civilizations of the Ancient World | 3 | |
Medieval Civilization | 3 | |
Introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean I | 3 | |
Introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean II | 3 | |
Globalization | 3 | |
History of New York: City and State | 3 |
HIU 348: Fulfills Area VI requirement for History majors in the ECCE certification sequence
Area VII: Knowledge, Self, and Values (3 credits)
Credits | ||
Introduction to African Philosophy | 3 | |
Classical Myth and the Human Condition | 3 | |
American Culture-Value and Traditions | 3 | |
Introduction to African Philosophy | 3 | |
Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
Introduction to Logic | 3 | |
Problems of Philosophy | 3 | |
Contemporary Moral Issues | 3 | |
Justice and Society | 3 | |
Theories of Human Nature | 3 | |
Philosophy of Religion | 3 | |
Philosophy of Contemporary Music | 3 | |
Great Political Thinkers | 3 |
Integration Courses (2 Courses, 6 Credits)
This requirement applies only to students in the upper division, i.e. juniors and seniors. After earning a minimum of 60 credits or earning an Associate's Degree, and officially selecting a major, all upper-division students must complete two different LEH courses in topics outside their major from four of the following five courses. The restrictions for each course are provided in Note 2 for each course. (Students who completed course, course, or course prior to Fall 2008 may substitute this course for one of the course-course requirements.) Each semester, a series of topics for these courses will be announced in the Schedule of Classes.
course. Studies in Scientific and Applied Perspectives. 3 hours, 3 credits (may be repeated for credit with a different topic). Selected topics in the social sciences, life and physical sciences and applied perspectives. PREREQ: official selection of a major and either completion of 60 General Education credits or an Associate's Degree.
NOTE 1: In general, students should expect writing assignments and computer –based work along with research involving the library and the Internet.
NOTE 2: This course grants general education credit towards graduation for students in all major concentrations except Accounting, Anthropology, Anthropology (interdisciplinary concentration), Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Graphics and Imaging, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science, Dietetics, Food, and Nutrition, Economics, Exercise Science, Geography, Health Education and Promotion, Health Education N-12, Health Services Administration, Italian American Studies, Mathematics, Nursing, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Recreation Education, Social Work, Sociology, Speech Pathology and Audiology.
course .Studies in Literature. 3 hours, 3 credits (may be repeated for credit with a different topic). Selected topics in literature. PREREQ: official selection of a major and either completion of 60 General Education credits or an Associate's Degree.
NOTE 1: In general, students should expect writing assignments and computer –based work along with research involving the library and the Internet.
NOTE 2: This course grants general education credit towards graduation for students in all major concentrations except Comparative Literature, English, French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish.
course Studies in the Arts. 3 hours, 3 credits (may be repeated for credit with a different topic). Selected topics in the arts. PREREQ: official selection of a major and either completion of 60 General Education credits or an Associate's Degree.
NOTE 1: In general, students should expect writing assignments and computer –based work along with research involving the library and the Internet.
NOTE 2: This course grants general education credit towards graduation for students in all major concentrations except Art, Dance, and Music.
course Studies in Historical Studies. 3 hours, 3 credits (may be repeated for credit with a different topic). Selected topics in historical studies. PREREQ: official selection of a major and either completion of 60 General Education credits or an Associate's Degree.
NOTE 1: In general, students should expect writing assignments and computer –based work along with research involving the library and the Internet.
NOTE 2: This course grants general education credit towards graduation for students in all major concentrations except Africana Studies, History, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Latino Studies.
course. Studies in Philosophy, Theory and Abstract Thinking. 3 hours, 3 credits (may be repeated for credit with a different topic). Selected topics in philosophy, theory and abstract thinking. PREREQ: official selection of a major and either completion of 60 General Education credits or an Associate's Degree.
NOTE 1: In general, students should expect writing assignments and computer –based work along with research involving the library and the Internet.
NOTE 2: This course grants general education credit towards graduation for students in all major concentrations except Philosophy.
College Writing Requirement (4 Course Sections)
Students must complete four courses designated as writing-intensive, three prior to earning the 60th credit and one following. Individual sections of courses will be designated as writing-intensive, and students may take writing-intensive sections of courses in General Education, major, minor, and elective courses.