The social and behavioral sciences study, from various perspectives, the past and present activities and behavior of humans as individuals, in groups, and within cultures. Therefore, courses meeting the General Education Social and Behavioral Science must, at a minimum, achieve the following goals:
- Emphasize and compare group and individual identity and behavior; social factors, e.g. race, gender, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion; economic systems; human development; or historical, political, cultural, global, and geographic contexts; and the theories and concepts used to explain them
- Demonstrate central analytical approaches, whether quantitative or qualitative, used in the social and behavioral sciences, especially the scientific method
- Identify contributions of historically important individuals and ideas to the ideology and current practices of social and behavioral sciences disciplines
To meet these goals, courses in the social and behavioral sciences will require students to complete, at a minimum, the following:
- Read a substantial and sufficient amount of disciplinary work to provide exposure to the main theories and concepts of the field
- Participate in lectures, discussions, and other in-class learning activities designed to provide exposure to, and a basic understanding of, the core content of the discipline
- Take exams that measure retention and understanding of course material
- Engage in activities that focus on a particular theme, event, theory, concept, or idea that encourages thoughtful reading, careful analysis, and significant understanding in the application of disciplinary knowledge