Pathways: Global and Thematic

Courses eligible for inclusion must adhere to the Pathway course policy.  

Pathway courses must be taught on a frequent and predictable schedule.  Students must have the ability to complete Pathways selections as planned according to the typically offered schedule available in HUB.

•  All Pathway courses must be offered at least once per year (either fall or spring) and on a set rotation.
•  “Typically offered” information in the course catalog must be accurate and adhered to.
  
  

 Courses eligible for inclusion in the Pathways are ones that the department may confidently offer annually.  Therefore, multiple instructors should be available to teach the course to prevent any lapse in the established “typically offered” schedule.

Only courses centrally global in nature are eligible for inclusion in a Global Reflections Topic.

• A course shall be recognized as “global” in perspective if it devotes at least 50% of its time to issues situated in international or foreign perspectives, or to issues involving different cultural identities and movements.   This may include American courses when at least 50% of the material relates to issues situated in an international or foreign perspective (e.g. courses on immigrant movements and communities; on American policies and national movements and their impact in other parts of the world; etc.)[1].

[1] This definition is borrowed from the course criteria document for the Global Scholars Program. Courses approved for the Global Scholars Program are eligible for inclusion in the Global Pathways.

Courses within the Pathways must be appropriate for beginning-level students across all majors. Courses should be an introduction to a broad field or to a sub-discipline or may explore a broad area of a discipline with some depth. All proposed Pathway courses must satisfy a UB Area/SUNY GE.

 The following are not permitted in the Pathways:

1.       Courses at the 400-level, as they are appropriate for the typical junior or senior in the major

2.       Courses requiring pre-requisites

3.       Courses whose seats are primarily reserved for a particular major

[2] To ensure a universal program of general education, the only exception to course-level, UB Area/SUNY GE, and open enrollment applies to courses in “list 3” for high-credit/restricted majors. High-credit majors, by definition, have no open elective credit and double-dipping is required to complete the degree in 120 credits (or 126 for those majors with SUNY waivers).

When submitting your course for consideration by the Diversity and Integrative Learning Sub-Committee, you will identify the topic(s) that you feel the course clearly relates to. Please keep in mind that only courses centrally global in nature are eligible for inclusion in a Global Pathway topic. It should be clear on the syllabus that the course devotes at least 50% of its time to issues situated in international or foreign perspectives or to issues involving different cultural identities and movements. Please refer back to step one for more detail.

Starting Spring 2024 all Pathway proposals and revisions will be submitted via the curriculum management system. You will login with your UBIT name and password.

For a new proposal, click the "New Proposal" button and navigate to form "B. Course: New Course Proposal (Undergraduate)."

For an existing course, click the "New Proposal" button and navigate to form "D. Course: Revision (Undergraduate)".

For questions contact uge-dean@buffalo.edu.