New TESC Credit Distribution

Is it me or has TESC recently changed their credit distribution? There are now things such as "Intellectual and Practical Skills", "Personal and Social Responsibility" sections.

"Personal and Social Responsibility" requires a "Responsible Ethical Leadership" course and "Diversity/Global Literacy" course.

I also see a Capstone requirement in the BA's.

Thomas Edison State College: History

 

The capstones for the BA programs have been around for a year. The new general education requirements have been discussed for several months at the other forum. They went into effect on July 1st. You can still test out of the general education requirements; the categories just have funny names.

 

Those courses sound like a waste of time, money, and effort.

 

That's nice to know that the Gen Ed requirements can be tested out of. I searched throughout the course catalog and didn't see much about them or what they translated as. Do you have a link that shows what courses will fulfill those. It's been a while since I had looked over the site. I'm trying to build a degree plan for my wife and was pretty surprised.

 

My thoughts exactly. Somewhere there's a guy/girl sitting in their office feeling good...good ole job justification.

 

These are courses at TESC that can be used to fulfill those requirements. It kind of gives you an idea of which tests you can take.

Ethics
Contemporary Ethics Humanities (PHI-286)
Ethics and the Business Professional (PHI-384)

Diversity/Global Literacy

Elements of Intercultural Communication (COM-335)
African Encounters (LIT-331)
Non-Western Literature (LIT-460)
Women in Religion (REL-201)
An Introduction to Islam (REL-275)
Introduction to World Religions (REL-405)
Eastern Religions (REL-406)
Western Religions (REL-407)
Introduction to Anthropology (ANT-101)
International Economics (ECO-490)
World Geography (GOG-230)
Global Issues in Society (GLB-301)
American Civil Rights Movement (HIS-210)
Introduction to Chinese History and Culture (HIS-261)
African History and Culture (HIS-301)
African American History (HIS-306)
The Middle East (HIS-310)
International Relations I (POS-315)
Conflict in International Relations (POS-420)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC-101)
Marriage and the Family (SOC-210)
Cultural Diversity in the United States (SOC-322)

I don't really think the requirements are a big deal. IIRC, COSC has an ethics requirement. TESC has long recommended taking a business ethics course in their BSBA programs. Some degree programs already require a course in cultural diversity. I had to take a cultural diversity, continuing education course for a law enforcement certification. In many professional settings, you're going to have to work with people from other cultures. Globalization has made it so that many employees of international corporations have to deal with counterparts in other countries. I think professionals should know the basics of ethics too. Professional organizations usually have a code of ethics. I doubt they would have been created if ethics weren't important. If you plan on applying to a graduate healthcare program, you'll most likely have to take psychology or sociology anyway. You might as well take sociology, and kill two birds with one stone. Many of these courses are ones people would have taken or tested out of anyway to complete general education requirements/electives.

 

*nods,* and a Non-U.S. History and Culture requirement, and a Global Understanding requirement.

(Though, a distinctive thing about COSC among the big three is that one course or exam can fulfill multiple gen ed requirements simultaneously. I think most courses or exams that fulfill Global Understanding will also fulfill Non-U.S. History and Culture. One course in Ethics in International Relations would simultaneously fulfill both of these, ethics, and the requirement in Behavioral/Social Sciences.)

People seem to be reading TESC's new gen ed requirements very quickly, and focusing on the tone in the subject headings – "Social Responsibility," "Diversity," "Global." In fact, TESC is just using a few politically-correct-speak titles to label gen ed requirements entirely similar to the gen ed requirements I believe are found at most U.S. colleges.

 

If they are the same gen ed requirements then why remain them? Honestly, you may be right. However, of all the colleges I know none of them refer to their gen ed requirements in that nature.

 

I think learning about those things are very beneficial. However, from my experiences reading those things in class and actually learning those particular subjects rarely correlate. Personally, I think those are things that have to be learned "in life" in order to be understood. Arguably, these are things that should be learned in high school (if not earlier) instead of college.

 

TESC is following LEAP. They are trying to make liberal arts education more relevant to the 21st century. Well...according to them, there is a difference between liberal education, liberal arts education, and general education. They are advocating for liberal education. The only thing I don't like about TESC's new requirements is that they don't require as many natural science/math courses. However, you can elect to take more for the general education electives.
Liberal Education and America's Promise

LEAP | What is Liberal Education?

 

The reality is that people are often confused by ethical dilemmas. That is why more and more employers are providing/requiring ethics training. The people who you went to school with aren't always going to be the same kinds of people you'll work with or have as clients/customers. People also aren't very educated about cultures and religions different from their own. I hear stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations all the time when it comes to different races, ethnic groups, cultures, nationalities, and religions. High school focuses on teaching the basics of the core subjects. Students can take whatever for their electives. Things like gestures that might be considered rude in other cultures are generally not taught in high school or even learned in life. When you don't understand why someone was offended by something you did, the reason will often remain a mystery. When you think someone is rude for not looking you in the eye, you will probably never find out that the person considers looking people in the eye to be rude.

In the cultural diversity, continuing education course I took, I learned things that law enforcement officers regularly do things that offend certain groups of people and/or cause them to distrust police officers making investigations and community policing more difficult. I've witnessed police officers doing and saying stupid and insensitive things.