I'm sure periodic pruning and adjustment is needed, but removing 432 of 571 general education courses is one hell of a pruning. I haven't seen anything this definitive about UF, but I know there's talk throughout the system. Are we going to revamp the whole education system to fit current politics? CORRECTION - i misunderstood and misrepresented this story when I posted it. As USMC points out further down, they're not being dropped from the university. But students can't use them to fulfill the general education requirement. FSU trustees vote to remove over 400 courses from general education Florida universities are culling hundreds of general education courses
It's happening at UF too. They're still navigating the chaotic process. It's also happening at other public universities in the state. It's a disaster. All because our inept legislature and clown of a governor continue to wage war on higher education.
From my reading of the article, the courses were not permanently removed, they were moved out of general education courses into electives. "While a significant number of courses related to humanities and social sciences were taken out, several chemistry and mathematics classes were also removed and deemed more appropriate for juniors and seniors once they enter their given majors, according to the university. Ron DeSantis – could remove hundreds of courses from options students have to fulfill general education requirements, they will not get rid of the courses altogether. They will continue to be offered as electives."
Most of those more specific subject matter courses would be considered “upper level” anyway, students generally weren’t allowed to take “women in literature” without taking English Lit 1 and 2 first. Same would apply to sociology courses, there’s almost always the pre-requisite to take the “intro to” course first. So it’s hard to know what this change means if the courses still exist. As I recall UF had a writing requirement where you needed about 6 or so courses with intensive writing aspects (basically where you had to write a certain # of written essays or a final term paper). Taking 2 English courses wasn’t enough. These type of elective courses often had writing components, fulfilling those additional general ed writing requirements. So are they saying those writing requirements no longer exist? Or that these courses no longer count? It makes little sense because those requirements were already above and beyond the standard English 1 and 2 anyway, and it’s not like kids will want to take all 6 writing requirement courses within the English department.
The significance of this is that many of these courses will go away because students aren't going to take electives they don't need to take.
If no one signs up for American Multi-Ethnic Literature or Feminism and Globalization, is that going to hurt the university?
Is it a bad thing that the state government is seeking to censor what ideas students can access at public universities and colleges? Yes, it is. These classes allow students to pursue their interests while satisfying their general education requirements. Taking that away from them because some chodes in the government dislike the ideas they might choose to examine and discuss should repulse any freedom-loving American. If nobody was signing up for these courses, they wouldn't need to pass these laws and do this shit. They're upset because when students are given the freedom to take the courses they want, they choose those sorts of courses. So instead, they pass laws censoring what ideas students can access in their general education courses. It's pathetic and reprehensible.
My reading of the article is that the classes are not being canceled and can be taken as electives. They just don't qualify for a core credit. If a student wants to take the class, they are still able to do so for one of their electives.
The gen ed designation drives enrollment. Strip that and the courses will have little or none. Make it an elective and enrollment will still drop like a hot bucket of rocks. This is just some of the unfortunate fallout from a horribly flawed and derisive policy. No way should the politically-driven bureaucrats be determining what classes count. This is from the Yahoo piece: we define what is general education. We define that based upon what the state statutes have laid out and we're being compliant with that. This is horse crap.
You are referring to the Gordon Rule. @slayerxing can probably speak to this, but total elimination of the rule/requirement would likely cause an accreditation issue.
The first is a reasonable question and a certain amount of purging is likely necessary. Aimlessly referring to "superfluous classes" is a swing/miss in lieu of specifics.
Not in the big picture, but it likely contributes to the dumification that continues to plague the U.S.
I heard someone say one time "elections have consequences." Is that what you're referring to here, sir?
Not sure it “reprehensible”, a student can access that info anywhere (heard of the internet?). Maybe they shouldn’t count as college course toward a degree. My first degree was an AS, mainly classes that taught material that pertained to my job. When I went for an AA there seemed to be more than a few “filler” classes just to increase the credit count (and my bill). Should a college have all these classes just to satisfy the whims of the students? I don’t know.
