98-99 University Bulletin Entry for:


General University Requirements

(file last updated: [8/10/1998 - 15:28:48])


Objectives

The general requirements forstudents entering Brandeis in the fall of 1994 and thereafterincorporate a variety of interconnected elements to build a strong,general education foundation. The fundamental goals of the programare to improve students' abilities to integrate knowledge fromdifferent fields; to provide more extensive opportunities forthe acquisition and development of writing, linguistic, and quantitativeskills; to introduce greater flexibility in the scheduling ofdegree requirements throughout the undergraduate career; and toexpand students' opportunities to interact with faculty in smallclass settings in the first year of instruction.


General University Requirements

The basic outline of the requirementsfor students who entered Brandeis in the fall of 1994 and thereafteris as follows:

A.The Cluster Program

All students will completethree interrelated semester courses from an approved "cluster,"including selections from at least two different schools of theUniversity: Creative Arts, Humanities, Science, and Social Science.

B.University Seminar in Humanistic Inquiries

All students in their firstyear will complete one semester course from the USEM program.

C.University Writing

All students will completetwo components of the writing requirement: WL 1a (University WritingSeminar) and a writing intensive course. All first-year studentsare required to take WL 1a, the University Writing Seminar thatis offered in conjunction with each University Seminar in HumanisticInquiries. When students select their seminars, they will simultaneouslyenroll for the associated writing seminar. Normally, in theirsecond or third years, students will take a course that is designatedas writing intensive. Courses numbered in the 90s shall not beeligible for a writing intensive designation.

D.Quantitative Reasoning

All students will take onecourse that is designated as meeting the quantitative reasoningrequirement.

E.Foreign Language

The foreign language requirementis met by successful completion of a third semester course (normallynumbered in the 30s) in the introductory language sequence. Nomore than one course (and never the final one) in the sequencemay be taken on the pass-fail grading option.

F.Non-Western and Comparative Studies

Students will complete onesemester course designated as meeting the requirement in non-Westernand comparative studies.

G.School Distribution

Students will complete onesemester course in each of the four schools of the University:Creative Arts, Humanities, Science, and Social Science. In general,"double counting" is encouraged; most students willsatisfy the school distribution requirement in the context ofothers, e.g., in satisfying the requirements of a cluster, a major,a minor, or a program. Between and among general University requirements,the only limitations on double counting are as follows: UniversitySeminars in Humanistic Inquiries are interdisciplinary in characterand have membership in no specific school of the University. Thethree course foreign language sequence may not be applied towardthe humanities component of this requirement. No single coursein a student's program may satisfy both the quantitative reasoningrequirement and the science component of this requirement. Nocourses numbered in the 90s may apply toward this component. Finally,a single course may be used toward school distribution in onlyone school.

The pages that follow containadditional information (including course lists) for the cluster,non-Western and comparative studies, quantitative reasoning, Universityseminar, and writing requirements.