General Education Requirements

General Education Paradigm/Philosophy

General Education course selections prepare students to become thoughtful, generative learners. Through exploring broad areas of knowledge - the human condition; the global and historical; the cultural and aesthetic; and the communicative, mathematical, scientific, and technological - students will develop the knowledge bases, and intellectual competencies, and be exposed to the values requisite for participating responsibly in, and adapting to, a complex and diverse world.

Knowledge Bases

A generally educated person possesses knowledge in the following areas:

Human Awareness and Understanding

• Comprehends the dynamics of human behavior, development, and relationships
• Comprehends the dynamic relationship between culture and human awareness
• Comprehends the factors that promote physical, mental, and social well-being

Global and Historical Knowledge and Understanding

• Comprehends a general knowledge of the nature, origins, and contributions of civilizations
• Comprehends the workings and interrelations of personal, business, and government economies
• Comprehends political, social, and economic systems and their effects upon society

Cultural and Aesthetic Knowledge and Understanding

• Comprehends the contributions of the arts, humanities, and sciences of the human experience upon the individual and their world
• Comprehends the development of the arts and sciences and their impact upon the individual and their world
• Comprehends cultural systems and their effects

Communication

• Comprehends the importance of human communication and understands a variety of effective communication methods
• Comprehends the importance of effective communication
• Comprehends methods for gathering, synthesizing, and integrating information in written and oral communication
• Comprehends the connection between critical thinking and effective communication

Mathematics, Science and Technology

• Comprehends the basic concepts and investigative processes of the natural sciences
• Understands various mathematical skills and techniques, and is able to apply them appropriately to solve real world problems
• Comprehends the way science and technology shape our world

Intellectual Competencies

A generally educated person:

• Reads, writes, speaks, and listens effectively
• Acquires, evaluates, analyzes, presents, and communicates information
• Employs quantitative and qualitative analyses to solve problems
• Uses information technology in communication, research, and problem solving
• Organizes concepts into orderly systems
• Works collaboratively within complex systems and diverse groups
• Applies ethical judgment to everyday life
• Applies the scientific method of inquiry

Values

A generally educated person values:

• Intellectual honesty
• Curiosity and openness to new ideas
• Recognition of one’s own creative and intellectual potential
• Acceptance of differences among people, and cultural diversity
• Civic engagement
• Lifelong learning
• Social justice and equality 

Need More Information? Contact:

Advisor, (904) 646-2300
or visit Florida State College at Jacksonville Academic Advising at fscj.edu/advising