The CLAS Core, CLAS’s general education curriculum, helps students develop the habits of lifelong learning, fosters the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the careers of the 21st century, and provides exciting and memorable learning experiences for students in a wide variety of disciplines. The CLAS Core only succeeds, however, with the support of the faculty.
CLAS is therefore encouraging departments and programs to consider proposing new courses for the General Education (GE) CLAS Core. Proposals are due twice a year (see below) and are considered for any area of the GE CLAS Core. Proposals must show a thorough understanding of the outcomes for the individual GE CLAS Core area being proposed and the GE course attributes and instructor expectations.
All disciplines and departments are invited to apply, and other UI colleges are also encouraged to participate.
- Proposals are due Wednesday, January 29, 2025, with any approved GE status applied for Summer 2025 and onward.
- The next due date for proposals will be September 2025, with the date yet to be determined.
- Late proposals are accepted, but the General Education Curriculum Committee cannot guarantee their review during the spring semester.
- Proposal requirements are outlined here.
- Proposals consist of the following components:
- Cover Letter (1 page)
- GE CLAS Core Area Learning Outcomes (2 pages)
- GE Course Attributes and Instructor Expectations (2 pages)
- Appendix, including Syllabus and Example Course Materials
CLAS Core GE Sustainability Requirement
CLAS undergraduate students who entered UI Summer 2022 and after are held to the new GE CLAS Core requirement of Sustainability. Students taking a Sustainability GE CLAS Core course will complete both the GE requirement in Sustainability AND in a selected GE companion area. When writing a proposal for Sustainability, please choose one of the following approved GE companion areas: (1) Natural Sciences with or without Lab (NS, NSL), (2) Quantitative or Formal Reasoning (QFR), (3) Social Sciences (SS), (4) Historical Perspectives (HP), (5) International and Global Issues (IGI), (6) Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts (LVPA), or (7) Values and Society (VS).
Please submit your proposals to the CLAS curriculum team (clas-curriculum@uiowa.edu) or get in touch with Matthew Shadle, the CLAS Academic Assessment Coordinator (matthew-shadle@uiowa.edu) or Andrew Forbes, the Faculty Chair of the General Education Curriculum Committee (andrew-forbes@uiowa.edu) to discuss possible ideas for new GE courses and with any questions about the approval process and related standards. Many thanks for your help and for your interest in developing and teaching courses for the GE CLAS Core.