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Approved Courses

The list of courses below are approved, as of August 2024. Courses are added on an ongoing basis.

Important notes:  

  • A course approved in multiple general education categories may only be used in a single category.  Be sure to consult your academic advisor to determine where it is best for the course to fit in your overall general education program.
  • General Education courses may not be taken pass/fail.
  • Courses that satisfy requirements for the major or minor can also be used to satisfy General Education requirements.
  • General Education courses can be taken off-campus as long as approval is secured in advance.
  • Passing scores on college-level competency exams (e.g., Advanced Placements or CLEP) may be used to earn credits and, where appropriate, satisfy General Education requirements.
  • Waiver exams are given at least twice each year for computer and information literacy (passing the exam satisfies a requirement but earns no credits for the student). Open to new students only.
  • Math proficiency must be demonstrated by the student before she or he enrolls in any Math 106/206 course.
  • Foreign language requirements can be satisfied by high school study of another language through Level 4; high school study of two other languages (through Level 2 in each); or completion of a 102-level college language course or equivalent.
American history

AMS 100 - Introduction to American Studies
BRC 200 - Social History of American Radio and Television
ECO 326 - American Economic History Before 1900
ECO 327 - Issues in American Economic History Since 1900
EDU 210 - History of Education in the United States Since 1865
ENG 235 - American Literature/Nationality: to the Civil War
HIS 202 - The United States to 1865*
HIS 203 - The United States since 1865
HIS 248 - Women in American History to 1865*
HIS 249 - Women in American History to the Present*
JLM 101 - History of American Journalism
MUS 316 - American Music
POL 205 - American Government and Politics (effective Fall 2023)*
THT 268 - History of American Theatre (effective Spring 2007)

*This course is approved in multiple general education categories but can only be used in one category.

Computer and Information Literacy

Note: this requirement is infused in the major. Some departments and programs will ask that you meet the requirement by taking one of the courses listed below; please be sure to consult your advisor to determine how you should meet this requirement. 

CSC 101 - Tools for Computing
CSC 102 - Business Information Systems and Computing Tools
CSC 103 - Computing Tools and Information Literacy for Educations
ISC 105 - Introduction to Digital Humanities
ISC 110 - Introduction to Information Science

Critical thinking

Infused in the major; consult your advisor.

Diversity, Identity, and Social Justice in the United States

ANT 375 - North American Indians*
ART 358 - Native North American Art and Culture
CHE 304 - Diversity, Equity, and STEM in the Workplace
CSS 368 -  Little Theatres, Little Cinema
CSS 390 -  Images of Native Americans in Film*
EDU 301 - Schooling, Pedagogy, and Social Justice
ENG 238 - Introduction to Latina/o/x Cultural Expressions
ENG 347 - Contemporary Native American Literatures*
GST 109 - Who do you think you are? Identity Development in College
GWS 200 - Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies
HIS 202 -  History of the United States to 1865*
HIS 203 -  History of the United States, 1865 to the present*
HIS 248 - Women in American History to 1865*
HIS 249 - Women in American History, 1865 to the Present*
HSC 387 - Refugee Wellness
NAS 100 - Introduction to Native American Studies*
NAS 340 - Native American Women*
NAS 350 - Contemporary Native America*
PHL 225 - Philosophy of Race
POL 155 - Making Sense of the US
POL 306 - African American Political Thought
SOC 260 - Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender

*This course is approved in multiple general education categories but can only be used in one category.

Fine and Performing Arts

ART 100 - Introduction to the Visual Arts
ART 102 - Introduction to Art Studio
ART 103 - Topics in Emerging Media and Methods
ART 105 - Design Concepts I-2D
ART 110 - Gender and Contemporary Visual Culture
ART 210 - Drawing I
ART 240 - Photography I
CMA 100 - Arts and Ideas
CMA 300 - Experiencing Arts and Ideas
CRW 205 - Poetry Writing: Introductory
CRW 206 - Fiction Writing: Introductory
CRW 207 - Playwriting: Introductory
CRW 208 - Creative Nonfiction Writing: Introductory
DNC 350 - History of Dance
GWS 110 - Gender and Contemporary Visual Culture (formally WST 110 Gender and Contempory Visual Culture)
INT 111 - Oral Interpretation of Literature
MUS 100 - Introduction to Music Theory (delisted beginning spring 2025)
MUS 101 - Introduction to the Worlds of Music (Creating a Musical Personality)
MUS 110 - Introduction to Music Listening Through Folk and Classical
MUS 112 - Introduction to Music Literature*
MUS 117 - Introduction to Music Listening Through Jazz, Rock, and Pop
MUS 290** - Concert Band
MUS 291** - College/Community Orchestra
MUS 292** - College Choir
MUS 297** - Festival Chorus
MUS 490** - Wind Ensemble
MUS 491** - College/Community Orchestra
MUS 492** - College Choir
MUS 497** - Oswego Festival Chorus
THT 110 - Introduction to the Theatre
THT 119 - Introduction to Technical Theatre
THT 222 - Introduction to Theatre Design

*This course is approved in multiple general education categories but can only be used in one category.
**Students must complete a total of three (3) credit hours in any combination of MUS 290, 291, 292, 297, 490, 591, 492 & 497 in order to meet the fine and performing arts requirement.

Foreign language

ARA 102 - Continuing Elementary Arabic
ASL 102 - American Sign Language II
CHI 102 - Continuing Elementary Chinese
FRE 102 - Continuing Elementary French
GER 102 - Continuing Elementary German
GER 126 - German for Research
ITA 102 - Continuing Elementary Italian
JPN 102 - Continuing Elementary Japanese
POR 102 - Continuing Elementary Portuguese
SPA 102 - Continuing Elementary Spanish

Humanities

ARH 260 - Art in an Historical Context
ART 350 - Italian Renaissance Art
ART 351 - Northern Renaissance Art
ART 352 - Nineteenth Century Art
ART 354 - Art in America I
ART 364 - Medieval Art
ART 378 - Women, Patronage, and Art in the Middle Ages
ART 380 - Introduction to Museum Studies (De-listed fall 2006)
ART 381 - Contemporary Museum Issues
ART 391 - Special Topics in Art History (Effective spring 2014)
ASL 301 - Introduction to American Deaf Culture
CHI 201 - Intermediate Chinese
CHI 202 - Continuing Intermediate Chinese
CSS 210 - Introduction to Cinema and Screen Studies
ENG 150 - Principles of Literacy Representation
ENG 204 - Writing About Literature
ENG 220 - Modern Culture and Media
FRE 201 - Intermediate French
FRE 202 - Continuing Intermediate French
GER 201 - Intermediate German
GER 202 - Continuing Intermediate German
GLS 100 - Global Cities
HIS 201 - The American Experience
ITA 201 - Intermediate Italian
ITA 202 - Continuing Intermediate Italian
JPN 201 - Intermediate Japanese
JPN 202 - Continuing Intermediate Italian
MUS 112 - Introduction to Music Literature*
MUS 113 - Introduction to Music Literature and History
MUS 313 - Music in the Classical Period: Principles of Enlightenment
MUS 314 - Music of the Romantic Period: Conflicts in Music
MUS 315 - Music in the 20th - Century
MUS 320 - Music in the Renaissance
MUS 323 - Women in Music
MUS 413 - Beethoven:  Child of the Revolution
PHL 100 - Introduction to Problems of Philosophy
PHL 111 - Valid Reasoning I
PHL 205 - Ethics I: Great Traditions in Ethics
PHL 210 - Philosophy of Games, Sport, and Play
PHL 220 - Theory of Knowledge
PHL 225 - Philosophy of Race*
PHL 300/ISC 300 - Ethics and Social Policy in the Digital Age
SPA 201 - Intermediate Spanish
SPA 202 - Continuing Intermediate Spanish

*This course is approved in multiple general education categories but can only be used in one category.

Mathematics

MAT 102 - Foundations of Mathematics in the Real World
MAT 103 - Symmetries
MAT 106 - Mathematics for the Elementary School Teacher
MAT 158 - Introduction to Statistics
MAT 179 - Measuring Life
MAT 208 - Calculus for Business
MAT 210 - Calculus I

Natural sciences

Biological Sciences Department

BIO 101 - General Biology
BIO 112 - College Biology I (Formerly BIO 111)
BIO 200 - Environmental and Population Biology (title changed to Human Impacts on the Environment—spring 2016)
BIO 203 - Human Biology
BIO 207 - Understanding Evolution
BIO 211 - Human Genetics
BIO 213 - College Biology II

Chemistry Department

CHE 101 - Survey of Chemistry
CHE 111 - General Chemistry
CHE 209 - Chemistry and Public Concern
CHE 300 -  Environmental Science

Atmospheric and Geological Sciences Department

ESC 100 - Earth Science
GEO 100 - Introductory Geology (Earth Science)
GEO 105 - Dinosaurs! (Effective Fall 2015)
GEO 115 - Environmental Sustainability
MET 100 - Meteorology (Earth Science)
MET 215 - Global Weather and Climate Catastrophes
MET 315 - Weather Disasters
OCE 100 - Oceanography (Earth Science)

Physics Department

AST 100 - Introductory Astronomy (Earth Science)
PHY 101 - Introductory Physics
PHY 103 - The Realm of Physics
PHY 107 - World of Modern Physics
PHY 111 - College Physics
PHY 112 - General University Physics I 
PHY 202 - Physics of Light and Color
PHY 204 - Physics of Sound and Music
PHY 206 - Physics for Elementary Education Majors

Social and behavioral sciences

ANT 111 - Archaeology and Human Evolution
ANT 112 - Cultural Anthropology
BRC 108 - Introduction to Mass Media
COM 100 -  Foundations of Communication
CRJ 101 - Survey of American Criminal Justice (Previously PBJ 101)
ECO 101 - Principles of Microeconomics
ECO 115 - Economics and Politics of Sustainability
ECO 120 - Survey of Economic Issues
ECO 200 - Principles of Macroeconomics
HDV 120 - Fundamentals of Gerontology
HDV 322 - Child Development
HDV 323 - Adolescent Development
HDV 324 - Adult Development
LIN 100 - Introduction to Linguistics
POL 100 - Introduction to Political Science
POL 115 - Economics and Politics of Sustainability
POL 205  - American Government and Politics*
PSY 100 - Principles of Human Behavior (note: PSY 100 renamed Introduction to Psychology in spring 2013)
SOC 100 - Introductory Sociology
SUS 115 - Economics and Political Foundations of Sustainability

*This course is approved in multiple general education categories but can only be used in one category.

Western civilization

ART 250 - Survey of Art I
ART 251 - Survey of Art II
ECO 322 - History of Economic Thought
ENG 210 -  Literature I
ENG 211 - Literature II
GER 140 - German Castles, Customs, and Culture
GER 141 - Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
HIS 100 - The West and the World to 1500
HIS 101 - The West and the World, 1500 - 1900
HIS 230 - Western Heritage I
HIS 231 - Western Heritage II
HIS 308 - Jews, Christians, and Muslims to 1500
HIS 312 - The Early Middle Ages
HIS 313 - The High and Late Middle Ages
HIS 314 - Ancient Greece
HIS 315  - Ancient Rome
HIS 328 - History of Women in Modern Europe
MUS 210 - Survey of Music I
MUS 211 - Survey of Music II
MUS 307 - Opera:  The Rise of Western Musical Drama (Effective spring 2016)
PHL 235 - History of Ancient Philosophy
PHL 236 - History of Modern Philosophy
PHL 295 - History of Western Science & Technology I
PHL 296 - History of Western Science & Technology II
POL 213 - History of Political Thought
POL 303 -  Ancient and Medieval Political Thought
POL 313 -  Modern Political Thought
THT 251 - Costume History
THT 364 - Western Theatre I (Effective fall 2013)
THT 367 - Western Theatre II (Effective fall 2013)
THT 473 - The Theatre of Comedy

World awareness

ACC 315 - International Accounting Concepts delisted effective August 1st 2023
ANT 303/BIO 303 - Conservation and Ethical Treatment of Nonhuman Primates
ANT 331 - Digging Up the Past: Humans and the Environment Through the Ages
ANT 338 - Prehispanic Civilizations of Mesoamerica
ANT 339 - Archaeology of the American Southwest
ANT 341 - Archaeology of the Old World
ANT 356 - Cultural History of the Iroquois
ANT 366 - Crime and Culture
ANT 368 - Death and Dying: A Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANT 372 - Peoples and Cultures of China
ANT 375 - North American Indians
ARH 261 - Art History Topics in Non-Western Art
ART 358 - Native North American Indian Art and Architecture
ART 368 - Chinese Art
ART 369 - Japanese Art
ART 371 - Art and Architecture of Islamic Cultures
ART 374 - Asian Art Through the Silk Road
ART 389 - Art in the Ottoman Empire
BIO 341 - Plants and Society
CHE 300 - Environmental Science delisted effective August 1st 2023
CHI 140 - Chinese Cities, Customs, and Culture
CRW 250 - Writing into Culture delisted effective August 1st 2023
CSS 390 - Images of Native Americans in Film* (effective spring 2016)
CSS 392 - Indigenous Cinema
CSS 410 - World Cinema
ECO 330 - Economic Development
EDU 114 - Comparative and International Education: Non-Western Perspectives
ENG 347 - Contemporary Native American Literature*
ENG 360 - Literature in a Global Context
GEO 305 - Earth Resources delisted effective August 1st 2023
GEO 315 - Earth's Fury (Effective Fall 2010) delisted effective August 1st 2023
GWS 200 - Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies [delisted effective 1 August 2024] (formerly WST 200 Introduction to Gender and Women's Studies)
GWS 300 - International Perspectives on Women (formerly WST 300 International Perspectives on Women)
GWS 396 - Gender and the Workplace (formerly WST 396 Gender and the Workplace)
HIS 102 - World History in the 20th Century
HIS 206 - Africa to 1800
HIS 207 - Africa from 1800
HIS 209 - Traditional Asia and its Legacy
HIS 212 - Women in History
HIS 215 - Introduction to Latin American Civilizations
HIS 310 - Religion in African History
HIS 367 - Global Disease
HIS 381 - History of Human Trafficking (one-time provisional approval Fall 2013)
HIS 383 - Modern China
HIS 385 - Modern Japan
MET 215 - Global Weather and Climate Catastrophes delisted effective August 1st 2023
MET 320 - Humans and Atmospheric Change delisted effective August 1st 2023
MGT 469 - Cultural Environment of International Business
MUS 115 - Global Tones - Introduction to World Music
MUS 329 - World Music and Politics (effective Fall 2013)
MUS 390 - African Music in the Americas
NAS 100 - Introduction to Native American Studies
NAS 340 - Native American Women
NAS 350 - Contemporary Native America
NAS 360 - American Indian Sovereignty
PBJ 463 - American Indian Law and Federal Indian Policy (effective Fall 2010)
PHL 235 - History of Ancient Philosophy (effective Fall 2023)
PHL 236 - History of Modern Philosophy (effective Fall 2023)
PHL 237 - Eastern Philosophy
PHY 205 - Energy and the Environment:  A Global View
PHY 303 - The Beginnings of Science:  A World View
POL 337 - Middle East Politics
POL 349  - Politics of Development
POL 357 - Latin American Politics
POL 347 - Politics of Development
POL 367 - Third World Politics
POL 409 - Comparative Energy Policy
TED 310 - Technology and Civilization
THT 308 - Women in Theatre
THT 359 - Costume and Culture
THT 365 - Theatre of India, China, and Japan

*This course is approved in multiple general education categories but can only be used in one category.

Writing

ENG 102 - Composition II

Advanced expository writing and oral proficiency

See your department office or advisor for details on the specific writing plan and oral communication courses for your major.

Contact

Christopher LaLonde
[email protected]
If you prefer to meet via Zoom, send me an email during office hours and I'll set up a session.

Office Hours:
M&W  0900 - 1130 & 1330 - 1445
T&TH  1300 - 1600