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UB Curriculum Policy

View UB Curriculum policies in the Undergraduate Catalog by going to the home page of the Degree & Course Catalog and then clicking the Undergraduate Catalog button and then clicking the UB Curriculum (General Education) link in the left sidebar navigation.

Pathways: Global and Thematic

The Pathways connect classes by theme or concept, allowing students to pursue ideas across a broad range of disciplines, methodologies and modes of experience

Course Proposal Process

Pathway proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis during the fall and spring semesters. Once a course is approved, the proposer will be notified and the course will be added to the Pathways.

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

Pathway Course Frequency

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.

  •  “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 regularly.  Therefore, multiple instructors should be available to teach the course to prevent any lapse in the established “typically offered” schedule.

Global Pathway Content

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.

Course-level, UB Area/SUNY GE, and open enrollment[2]

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.

Visit the Path Finder to view topics and descriptions
UB Area/SUNY GE Learning Outcomes
SUNY GE: Humanities

Students will

  • demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of at least one of the humanities; and
  • recognize and analyze nuance and complexity of meaning through critical reflections on text, visual images, or artifacts.
SUNY GE: Social Sciences

Students will

  • describe major concepts and theories of at least one discipline in the social sciences; and
  • demonstrate an understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena.
SUNY GE: The Arts

Students will

  • demonstrate an understanding of at least one principal form of artistic expression and the creative process inherent therein.
SUNY GE: US History and Civic Engagement

Students will

  • demonstrate understanding of United States’ society and/or history, including the diversity of individuals and communities that make up the nation;
  • understand the role of individual participation in US communities and government; and
  • apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support, or verify conclusions.
SUNY GE: World History and Global Awareness

Students will

  • demonstrate knowledge of a broad outline of world history and/or the development of the distinctive features of at least one civilization or culture in relation to other regions of the world; and
  • demonstrate an understanding of the structures, systems, and interrelationships among civilizations and cultures within historical and/or contemporary contexts, and their impact on wellbeing and sustainability.
SUNY GE: World Languages

Students will

  • exhibit basic proficiency in the understanding and use of a world language; and
  • demonstrate knowledge of the distinctive features of culture(s) associated with the language they are studying.
SUNY GE: Diversity: Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice/UB Area: Diversity in the United States

Having completed the Diversity in the United States Requirement you will be able to:

  • Think critically, and with an open mind, about controversial topics stemming from issues such as gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion, and disabilities in American society and the larger world.
  • Develop an understanding of antiracism and social justice and learn to apply these concepts to specific situations.
  • Explain how historical and global contexts (such as Western colonial expansion, enslavement, capitalism, gender inequality, immigration, and/or social movements) cause categories of diversity to change over time, and how these contexts have contributed to systems of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity.
  • Describe how categories of diversity intersect or connect with each other, creating complex identities and perspectives. Recognize the distinct role of race as a category of diversity in the US and the intersecting effects of race on other categories of diversity.

Pathway proposals and revisions will be submitted via the curriculum management system. You will log in with your UBIT name and password.

For an existing course, click the "New Proposal" button and navigate to the form "UBC Course Proposal for Pathway (Undergraduate)".

For a new course, you must submit the course using the form "New Course Proposal" and you will need to wait until the course is approved and processed in HUB. Once that process is completed, you will then submit the form "UBC Course Proposal for Pathway (Undergraduate)".

For questions, contact vpue@buffalo.edu.

Submit: Pathway Proposal

External Course Development Resources

Ithaca College: Integrative Core Curriculum
Michigan State University: Academic Advancement Network
AAC&U Integrative and Applied Learning Rubric
University of Rochester: Clusters
Have a question about Pathways?

Contact the UB Curriculum Office at ubcurriculum@buffalo.edu.