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SJSU Studies courses help students integrate knowledge between and among disciplines. An educated person is able to apply concepts and methods learned in one area to other areas as part of a lifelong learning process. SJSU Studies courses develop abilities that enable students to live and work intelligently, responsibly, and cooperatively in multicultural societies and to develop abilities to address complex issues and problems using disciplined analytical skills and creative techniques.
Learning Goals
Science (R): Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
In Area R courses, students apply knowledge of scientific theories and concepts as well as quantitative reasoning to explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Students achieve an understanding of the role that science plays in addressing complex issues, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with scientific inquiry.
Upon successful completion of an Area R course, students should be able to:
- Apply scientific principles and the scientific method to answer questions about earth, the environment, and sustainability while recognizing the limits of both the method and principles;
- Apply mathematical or quantitative reasoning concepts to the analysis and generation of solutions to issues of earth, the environment, and sustainability;
- Communicate a scientific finding, assertion, or theory to a general audience with the integrity and rigor of the underlying science; and
- Explain ethical, social, and civic dimensions of scientific inquiry.
Social Sciences (S): Self, Society and Equality in the United States
In Area S courses, students study the interrelationships of individuals, racial groups, and cultural groups to understand and appreciate issues of equality, structured inequality and justice in the United States. By exploring different perspectives and helping students articulate and discuss their own values, Area S courses prepare students to live and work responsibly and cooperatively in a multicultural society.
Upon successful completion of an Area S course, students should be able to:
- Describe how identities are shaped by cultural and societal influences within contexts of equality and inequality. Examples include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, age, generation, regional origin, national identity, language, intersectionalities;
- Analyze historical, economic, political, or social processes that shape diversity, equality, and structured inequalities in the U.S. and reflect on one’s own identities and positions within these structures;
- Evaluate social actions which have or have not led to greater equality and social justice in the U.S.; and
- Engage in constructive interactions about social issues in the U.S. within the framework of equality and inequalities.
Humanities (V): Cultures and Global Understanding
Courses in Cultures and Global Understanding examine multiple aspects of human expression in cultures and societies outside the United States, including how such cultures develop and influence one another as well as U.S. cultures and societies.
After successfully completing the course, students shall be able to:
- Analyze historical, social, and/or cultural significance of creative works of human expression (examples include, but are not limited to, written works, images, media, music, dance, technologies, designs), from at least one cultural tradition outside the United States;
- Examine how creative works of human expression [as defined in #1] outside the United States have influenced the United States’ cultures;
- Explain how a culture outside the U.S. has changed in response to internal and external influences; and
- Appraise how the study of creative works of human expression from outside the United States shapes one’s own understanding of cultural experiences and practices.
Writing in the Disciplines (WID)
Writing in the Disciplines (WID) courses develop students’ abilities to communicate effectively in their major course of study and in their careers. With an emphasis on critical thinking, these upper-division core courses advance students’ understanding of the genres, audiences, and purposes of college writing while preparing them for successful communication in their chosen professions.
Upon successful completion of a Writing in the Disciplines course, students should be able to:
- Explain, analyze, develop, and criticique ideas effectively, including ideas encountered in multiple readings and expressed in different forms of discourse;
- Organize and develop complete discipline-specific texts and other documents for both professional and general audiences, using appropriate editorial and citation standards;
- Locate, organize, and synthesize information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, and to communicate that purpose in writing; and
- Produce discipline-specific written work that demonstrates upper-division proficiency in language use, grammar, and clarity of expression.
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