To: Departmental Executive Officers: please share with all instructors and staff
From: Cornelia Lang, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
RE: 2025-2026 CLAS Undergraduate Curricular Changes Summary Part 2: General Education CLAS Core
This memo contains updates to the General Education CLAS Core approved during the 2025-2026 academic year and included in the 2026-2027 General Catalog. These changes are effective as of the fall 2026 session unless otherwise indicated.
This memo is number two of two: updates pertaining to CLAS programs of study can be found in a separate memo.
The following General Education area was renamed:
During the 2025-2026 academic year, one CLAS Core area was renamed. “The Interpretation of Literature” became “Interpreting Literature” (for both the area name and the name of the course ENGL:1200). Student requirements regarding this area did not change.
The following courses were approved in GE CLAS Core areas:
ANTH:2115 Cultural Worlds of Science
Values and Society, fall 2026
CINE:1300 Foundations of Screenwriting
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, summer 2026
CW:2110 Writing from Life
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, fall 2026
CW:2120 Writing Fantasy
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, fall 2026
CW:2130 Writing About Sports
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, fall 2026
GRMN:1300 The Tree as Cultural Signifier and Global Storyteller
Values and Society & Sustainability, fall 2026
GRMN:2949 Accountability, War Crimes, and Justice
International and Global Issues, spring 2026
HIST:2133 Science, Technology, and Society in the Modern World
Historical Perspectives, fall 2026
*renumbered from HIST:3133
HONR:2994 Poetics (Taylor’s Version)
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, fall 2026
JMC:1700 Introduction to Global Media
International and Global Issues, spring 2027
KORE:1135 Cultural Fusion: Korean Pop Culture in a Globalized World
World Language and Cultural Exploration, fall 2026
MUS:2800 Introduction to Coding for Interactive Arts
Quantitative or Formal Reasoning, fall 2026
* renamed from Digital Arts: An Introduction
PSQF:1750 Introduction to Positive Psychology
Social Sciences, fall 2026
RUSS:1200 Growing Up Russian: A Cultural History of Russian Childhood
World Language and Cultural Exploration, spring 2026
SCIM:2710 Introduction to Intermedia
Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, fall 2026
*renumbered/changed admin home from INTM:2710
SPAN:1810 Writing and Writers From Spain
World Language and Cultural Exploration, fall 2026
SPAN:2905 Ecotourism and Culture in Costa Rica
World Language and Cultural Exploration, winter 2025
* study abroad course
The following changes were made to courses already in the GE CLAS Core:
HIST:1016 The History That Made Our World
keeping International and Global Issues
dropping Historical Perspectives, fall 2026
MUS:1310 World Music
adding International and Global Issues, fall 2026
dropping Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts, fall 2026
PSY:2401 Introduction to Developmental Science
dropping Social Sciences, fall 2026