Long Beach State general education is facing an overhaul within the next year.
The LBSU Academic Senate proposed to add concentrations to the general education pathway. The concentrations are designed to make the general education program more cohesive, according to Norbert Schurer, the LBSU Academic Senate chair.
The change would allow students to pick from a list of concentrations while enrolling in general education courses.
“This is to help students learn things that are related to each other and are getting more exposure to different disciplines while they do it,” Schurer said.
The Academic Senate is still figuring out the details of the proposed change.
“Most likely, there will be a menu of classes, like 20 or 30, that are all related to each other through some sort of topic,” Schurer said. “The topic could either be something concrete like social justice or it can be an idea like ‘how we think about the past.’”
The proposal for concentrations currently states that it is optional for all students.
“It would be something like you have to take courses from at least three different colleges or at least try different departments,” Schurer said.
General education reform was brought forth by Executive Order 1100 from the California State University Chancellor’s Office in 2017. The intent of the order was to “establish a common understanding of the requirements for CSU General Education Breadth.”
According to the Academic Senate, the purpose behind the proposal is that universities have a need for a general education program, but many students don’t understand why they have to take the course requirements.
“I know that we need GE classes, but it’s frustrating to have to take a bunch of random classes just to fulfill the requirements,” said Sam Medina, a second year liberal arts major.
According to Schurer, the academic senate is constructing the reform to expose students to knowledge they would not encounter in their major.
There has been confusion regarding how these concentrations would differ from minors.
“If you were to think of a minor or major as getting deeper into a topic, then you should see these [concentrations] as getting a wider scope of a topic,” said LBSU Provost Brian Jersky.
Some students have expressed interest. “It sounds like it would be interesting but I don’t want it to be a waste of time,” said Mireya Campos, a first year sociology major. “I want to have something to show for it and that I went out of my way to take classes like this.”
According to the Academic Senate, the change poses a challenge that many students at LBSU work and usually tailor their class schedule around their work schedule. The Academic Senate has to formulate a menu of classes in sufficient numbers and at different times that work with student’s personal schedules.
“I would only choose to do this if classes are offered in the evenings, because I don’t know if I would be willing to change my whole work schedule for GE classes,” said Michelle Lopez, a first year who is undeclared.
The policy is projected to pass by the end of the spring 2019 semester, but implementation will take about a full year.
“Once the official parameters are established, then you have to start getting faculty together,” Schurer said.