Transcript 3 - UIC

General Education
at the United International College
Presented by
GEO Staff
General Education Office
1
I. Introduction

Welcome to the United International
College!

I wish you the absolutely best of luck in
your studies at UIC!
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II. UIC and Liberal Arts Education

UIC’s Motto: “A New Liberal Arts
College to Serve China and the World ”

UIC defines itself as a “Liberal Arts
College.”

What Is Liberal Arts Education?
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II. UIC and Liberal Arts Education

The Association of American Colleges
and Universities (AACU) provides the
following definition:
◦ Liberal Arts Education “is an approach to learning that
empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with
complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students
with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g.
science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study
in a specific area of interest.”
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II. UIC and Liberal Arts Education

As a Liberal Arts College, UIC equips each of
its students with two kinds of knowledge:
◦ A specialized knowledge in the academic discipline of
the student’s major; and
◦ A “broad knowledge” of a range of academic
disciplines in the sciences, the social sciences and the
humanities.

As UIC students, you will receive a Liberal Arts
Education!
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III. General Education

What Is General Education (GE)?
◦ Many people, including academics, often confuse the
term “Liberal Arts Education” with another one—
“General Education.” But, the two terms do not mean
the same thing! “General Education” is a part of a
Liberal Arts Education. It is the part of a Liberal Arts
Education that provides students with the “broad
knowledge” of a range of academic disciplines in the
sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. Thus,
it consists of courses in a variety of disciplines in the
sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities.
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III. General Education

As UIC students, you will have to take mainly
two kinds of courses:
◦ Courses in your major; and
◦ General Education courses.

At UIC, all GE courses are organized into a
General Education (GE) Program. The GE
Program is an autonomous curriculum within
the four-year undergraduate curriculum at UIC.
It has its own special pedagogical objectives.
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IV. The Goals of UIC’s GE Program

In general, the goal of UIC’s General Education
Program is to promote Whole Person Education through
a range of courses focusing on transferable skills,
guiding principles and attitudes that all students will
need in their future professional and personal lives.

It is hoped that, as a result of enrolling in GE courses,
students will construct a deeper understanding of the
world around them at a personal, societal, and historical
level, thus becoming able to determine where they can
best contribute their unique talents in the complex and
ever-changing globalized world.
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IV. The Goals of UIC’s GE Program

General Education courses develop in students
the abilities to:
◦ Communicate effectively in English and Chinese;
◦ Access and manage complex information and
problems using technologically appropriate means;
◦ Use mathematical reasoning to address problems in
everyday life;
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IV. The Goals of UIC’s GE Program
◦ Pursue an active and healthy lifestyle;
◦ Use historical and cultural perspectives to gain insight
into contemporary issues;
◦ Apply various value systems to decision-making in
personal, professional, and social situations;
◦ Make connections among a variety of disciplines to
gain insight into contemporary personal, professional,
and community situations.
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program

To earn a Bachelor’s degree at UIC, students need to
complete a total of 132 credit units of course work. Out
of these credits, they are required to take a total of 48
units of General Education courses, including 4 Whole
Person Education Experiential (WPEX) Modules.

Students are advised to consult their teachers, Program
Coordinator or the Undergraduate Handbook of their
study program for detailed credit requirements in GE
subjects.
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program
Course Categories
Credit Units
Major Courses
60
General Education Core (GEC) Requirements
32
General Education Distribution (GED) Requirements
12
Free Electives
24
Whole Person Education Experiential (WPEX) Modules
4
Total
132
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program

The GE Core Requirements:
◦ The aim of the GEC courses is to provide students
with transferable skills, guiding principles on
attitudes, and values that will help them lead balanced
and successful lives both during and after their college
education.
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program
GEC Requirements
English Courses
(English I, English II, English III, Academic Reading and Writing)
Chinese Courses
(University Chinese, Chinese Thought through the Ages, Selected
Themes in Chinese History and Civilization)
Information Management Technology
(IT for Success in Everyday Life and Work)
Units
12
9
3
Numeracy
(Speaking of Mathematics, Mathematics Around Us, and Speaking
of Statistics)
3
Values and the Meaning of Life
(Applied Ethics in Humanities and Social Sciences, Applied Ethics
in Science and Technology, Business Ethics)
3
Physical Education
Total
2
32
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program

The GE Distribution Requirements:
◦ The aim of the GED requirements is to broaden the
scope of students’ learning by having them study areas
of knowledge outside of their major discipline.
◦ The GED courses provide students with the learning
experience to make connections among a variety of
disciplines–in order to gain insight into contemporary
personal, professional, and community situations.
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program
◦ More particularly, students are asked to take
Foundation Courses, to be offered by UIC’s
three academic divisions, the Centre for
Foreign Languages and Cultures, and the
General Education Office.
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program
GED Requirements
Units
Foundation Course in Business and Management
3*
Foundation Course in Humanities and Social Sciences
3*
Foundation Course in Science and Technology
3*
Foundation Course in World History and Civilization
3
Foundation Course in a Foreign Language
3
WPEX Modules
4
Total
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* Students are required to take 2 Foundation Courses offered by the Divisions other than the one
they are being admitted to.
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V. The Structure of UIC’s GE Program

The GE Distribution
Requirements:

Students admitted in 2014-2015 and
thereafter
should
only
take
Foundation Courses offered by
Divisions other than the one they are
admitted to, for 6 credit units.
Students will then take 3 units of the
Foundation Courses in a Foreign
Language, offered by the Centre for
Foreign Languages and Cultures,
and 3 units of the Foundation
Courses in World History and
Civilization, offered by GEO.
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VI. Year-One Study Plans in 2014-2015: DBM
Semester 1
Unit(s)
GEC: English I
大學英文 I
3
GEC: University Chinese
大學國文
3
GEC: Numeracy
數理思維
3
Semester 2
GEC: Academic Reading and
Writing
學術閱讀與寫作
GEC: Chinese Thought through the
Ages
中國社會思潮
GED: Foundation Course in Science
and Technology
理工科技基礎課
Unit(s)
3
3
3
3
GEC: Information Management
Technology
資訊管理技術
3
BBA Core Course
工商管理必修課
3
BBA Core Course
工商管理必修課
3
GEC: Physical Education
體育
1
GEC: Physical Education
體育
1
WPEX Module II
全人教育體驗學習模組II
1
WPEX Module I
全人教育體驗學習模組I
1
Free Elective
自選課
Total
17
Total
17
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VI. Year-One Study Plans in 2014-2015: DHSS and DST
Semester 1
Unit(
s)
GEC: English I
大學英文 I
3
GEC: University Chinese
大學國文
3
GED: Foundation Course in
Science and
Technology*/Foundation Course
in a Foreign Language#
理工科技基礎課*/外語基礎課#
Major Course/Free Elective※
專業課/自選課※
GEC: Information Management
Technology 資訊管理技術
GEC: Physical Education
體育
WPEX Module I
全人教育體驗學習模組I
Total
3
3
3
1
1
17
Semester 2
GEC: Academic Reading and
Writing
學術閱讀與寫作
GEC: Chinese Thought through the
Ages
中國社會思潮
GED: Foundation Course in
Business and Management
工商管理基礎課
Major Course/Free Elective※
專業課/自選課※
GEC: Numeracy
數理思維
GEC: Physical Education
體育
WPEX Module II
全人教育體驗學習模組II
Total
Unit(s)
3
3
3
3
3
1
1
17
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VII. General Education Office and Staff
The academic unit that runs UIC’s General
Education Program is the General Education
Office.
 General Education Office Staff:

◦ Mildred YANG, Professor, Director of GEO, Specialty: Food Science
and Technology
◦ Milen JISSOV, Assistant Professor and Associate Director, Specialty:
Modern European Intellectual History
◦ Chris LAM, Professor, Specialty: Law
◦ James CHEN, Professor, Specialty: British and American Literature
◦ Siu Han CHAN, Assistant Professor, Specialty: Sociology
◦ Kris HO, Assistant Professor, Specialty: Contemporary Music
◦ Nazrul ISLAM, Assistant Professor, Specialty: Sociology and Public
Health
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VII. General Education Office and Staff

General Education Office Staff:
◦ Xiang WANG, Assistant Professor, Specialty: East Asian Buddhism
◦ Kelly INGLIS, Assistant Professor, Specialty: Philosophy
◦ Mr. Andrew WEBB-MITCHELL , Lecturer, Specialty: Music
◦ Ms. Sandra LAU, Instructor
◦ Mark Llyod PERRY, Assistant Professor, Specialty: History
◦ Barbara DALLE-PEZZE, Assistant Professor, Specialty:
Philosophy
◦ David John WALTERS, Assistant Professor, Specialty: Music
◦ Stacey SU, Administrative Officer
◦ Carol HUANG, Administrative Assistant
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Thank You!
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