Resolution in Support of Continuing to Evaluate First-Term Foreign Language Courses
ACADEMIC SENATE
SAN FRANCISCO STATE
UNIVERSITY
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF CONTINUING TO EVALUATE FIRST-TERM FOREIGN LANGUAGE
COURSES TRANSFERRED FROM COMMUNITY COLLEGES ON A COURSE-BY-COURSE BASIS
TO DETERMINE IF SUCH COURSES SATISFY
GENERAL EDUCATION-BREADTH REQUIREMENTS
#RS02-190
WHEREAS Executive Order 595, General
Education-Breadth Requirements (November 20, 1992), states, in part:
C. A minimum of
twelve semester units among the arts, literature, philosophy and foreign
languages.
Instruction approved for the fulfillment of this requirement should cultivate
intellect, imagination, sensibility and sensitivity. It is meant in part to
encourage students to respond subjectively as well as objectively to experience
and to develop a sense of the integrity of emotional and intellectual response.
Students should be motivated to cultivate and refine their affective as well as
cognitive and physical faculties through studying great works of the human
imagination, which could include active participation in individual esthetic,
creative experience. Equally important is the intellectual examination of the
subjective response, thereby increasing awareness and appreciation in the
traditional humanistic disciplines such as art, dance, drama, literature and music.
The requirement should result in the student's better understanding of the
interrelationship between the creative arts, the humanities and self.
Studies in these areas should include exposure to both Western cultures and
non-Western cultures.
Foreign language courses may be included in this requirement because of their
implications for cultures both in their linguistic structures and in their use
in literature; but foreign language courses which are approved to meet a
portion of this requirement are to contain a cultural component and not be
solely skills acquisition courses.
and
WHEREAS First-term
foreign language courses have been recognized as having a cultural component
and have met the standards for General Education-Breadth at San Francisco State
University since 1982; and
WHEREAS Many students come to San Francisco State University as transfer students, after studying foreign languages at
community colleges; therefore be it
RESOLVED That the
Academic Senate, San Francisco State University, strongly recommend that (a)
CSU foreign language departments work with community college foreign language
departments to ensure that first-term foreign language courses contain a
cultural component; and (b) that first-term foreign language courses taken in
community colleges continue to be evaluated on a course-by-course basis to
determine if such courses contain a cultural component and are therefore
acceptable as satisfying part of a student's General Education-Breadth
requirements; and be it further
RESOLVED That
this resolution be sent to the ASCSU Senate Chair, the ASCSU Academic
Affairs Committee Chair, all CSU Academic Senate/Council Chairs, the CSU
Foreign Language Council Chair, the California Community Colleges Foreign
Language Council Executive Director and President, the CSU campus Department of
Foreign Language and Literatures Chairs, and the CSU campus chairs of
departments teaching languages other than English.
***APPROVED
UNANIMOUSLY MARCH 5, 2002***