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***