Pathways Evening/Weekend Program

The Pathways General Education Program fosters the development of skills, knowledge, and moral character essential to lifelong learning and a rich and satisfying life. It does this by:

1. Opening students to the main areas of knowledge;
2. Engaging them in the persistent practice of logical and critical thinking, expository writing and effective speaking; and
3. Encouraging them to deepen their awareness of the aesthetic, moral, and spiritual dimensions of existence.

The curriculum seeks to engender an awareness of tradition, a love of truth, a deep respect for the dignity and worth of the individual, an appreciation of human interdependence and cultural differences, a sensitivity to ecological issues, the knowledge and skills to seek the solution of human and global problems through integrating the wisdom and perspective of many disciplines, and the disposition and ability to work cooperatively with others.

The curriculum assists students to acquire a basic body of knowledge and the skills for continuing independent study. It seeks to kindle a desire for lifelong learning that supports both intellectual and personal growth and the need to compete in a challenging job market in a complex and rapidly changing world.

Pathways General Education Overview

The Pathways General Education Program is identical to the Day General Education Program in all areas except those shown in bold type. The unique program components are described below. Please see Day GE Program for all other program descriptions. Placement tests may be required for Computer Applications Competency, Expository Writing and Research Writing and Critical Thinking, and Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning. For placement testing policies see Proficiency/Placement Examinations section of this Catalog.

Pathways students may also satisfy their General Education requirements through IGETC certification and by completing the Dominican University Religion, Moral Philosophy, Advanced Writing and Research, and Creative or Performing Arts Thematic Areas.

Note: All Pathways General Education courses must be taken in the Pathways Program. Day classes may not be applied to satisfy Pathways GE requirements.

Pathways Program General Education Overview

*see special conditions below for units required.

1. Foundations (3 units)

An interdisciplinary examination of contemporary issues of U.S. culture within the context of a group of adult learners who are beginning and resuming their academic education. Through this examination students practice and refine foundation skills in critical thinking, reading, speaking, listening, and writing, and they integrate their personal and professional experience with their academic studies and goals.

Course that fulfills this requirement:

SCS 3160: Foundations in Adult Learning (3 units)

Student Learning Outcomes:
The student will demonstrate:

1. An interdisciplinary understanding of specific contemporary issues of U.S. culture.
2. An understanding of the relationship between their life experience and their academic goals.
   
   

2. Advanced Writing and Research (3 units)

Practice of research writing and critical thinking, building on basic skill in expository writing, with emphasis on research writing and critical thinking.

Courses that Fulfill the Requirement:

     ENGL 3200: Advanced Writing and Research (3 units) with a grade of 'C' (2.0) or better.
     ENGL 3442: Critical Inquiry and Reflective Writing (3 units) with a grade of 'C' (2.0) or better.

GE Prerequisites:
ENGL 1004: Expository Writing or its equivalent. Passing the Computer Competency Assessment test or passing
COMM 1641: Computer Skills and Applications I, with a 'C' (2.0) or better.

Recommended Corequisite Course:
ENGL 3200: Advanced Writing and Research or ENGL 3442: Critical Inquiry and Reflective Writing is recommended to be taken concurrently with RES 2000: Information and Research I - Concepts and Techniques (1 unit). It is recommended that this requirement be taken no later than the sophomore year or, for transfer students, during the first semester at Dominican.

Student Learning Outcomes:
The student will demonstrate the ability to construct expository essays that:

1. Show continuing competency in the SLO's of ENGL 1004: Expository Writing.
2. Utilize appropriate research methods and information sources.
3. Are based on the elements of critical thinking, e.g., purpose, question at issue, point of view, concepts, information.
4. Include standard documentation, such as APA, MLA, or Turabian.
   
   

3. Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning (6 units)

The primary goal of the Mathematical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning Requirement is to help students develop certain general intellectual mathematical abilities as well as see mathematics as an enriching and empowering discipline. Students will undertake practices that encourage independent, nontrivial exploration in mathematics, and that develop tenacity and confidence in their abilities to use mathematics.

Students must take a placement examination and satisfy the prerequisites for the quantitative reasoning classes. See Proficiency/Placement Examinations in this Catalog.

Courses that fulfill this requirement:

• MATH 2000: Finite Mathematics and Mathematical Logic (6 units) Prerequisite: MATH 1100: Understanding College Mathematics or appropriate placement score with grade of 'C' (2.0) or better
• or PSY 3187: Statistics for the Health and Behavioral Sciences (4 units) (Psychology majors and Nursing majors only)
• or BUS 4110: Statistics and Research for Decision Making (3 units) (Strategic Management majors only)

Prerequisite for PSY 3187 and BUS 4110: Grade 'C' (2.0) or better in MATH 2000: Finite Mathematics and Mathematical Logic, or MATH 1300: Intermediate Algebra (or comparable transfer course), or MATH 1210: Elementary and Intermediate Algebra for University Students, or appropriate placement score.

Student Learning Outcomes:
MATH 2000: Finite Mathematics and Mathematical Logic (6 units)
The student will demonstrate:

1. An ability to apply algebra in problem solving.
2. An ability to understand and use truth tables, logical operators, and the laws of logic.
3. An ability to understand frequency distributions and to compute and interpret descriptive statistics.
4. An ability to understand and apply the concepts of correlation and regression.

PSY 3187: Statistics for Health and Behavioral Sciences (4 units) (Psychology and Nursing majors only)

The student will demonstrate:

1. An ability to summarize, organize, and display quantitative information.
2. An ability to interpret the results of various statistical procedures and to distinguish between valid and invalid conclusions that might be drawn from such data.
3. An understanding of topics in probability such as random sampling, sampling distributions, sample variability, and random error, which underlie the use of inferential statistics.
4. An understanding of the logic underlying the testing of statistical hypotheses and to deduce appropriate data analyses for evaluating such hypotheses.
5. An ability to apply the course subject matter to a variety of real-world issues and problems related both to their chosen disciplines and their everyday lives.

BUS 4110: Statistics and Research for Decision Making (3 units) (Strategic Management majors only)
The student will demonstrate:

1. An ability to assemble, edit, and analyze economic and business data.
2. An ability to interpret the results of various statistical procedures. An ability to formulate and test hypotheses in a work environment.
3. An ability to both understand and apply topics in probability such as random sampling, sampling distributions, sample variability, and random error, which underlie the use of inferential statistics.
4. An ability, with the study of correlation and regression analyses, to establish relationships among variables.
   
   

4. Religion (6 units)

Sustained engagement with the questions of God, social betterment, and individual human fulfillment through the study of Biblical literature, Christian theology and social justice ideals, and/or the world's major religious traditions.

Special conditions:

• Students transferring up to 44 units of applicable and transferable coursework prior to matriculation require 6 units to complete the religion requirement, three units of which must be Religion 3178: The World's Religions.
• Students transferring 45 or more units of applicable and transferable coursework prior to matriculation require three units to complete the religion requirement and those 3 units must be Religion 3178: The World's Religions.

Courses that fulfill this requirement:

• RLGN 3178: The World's Religions (3 units) (does not meet Day GE Religion requirement).
  
• Other upper division religion courses as listed in the Course Schedule.

Student Learning Outcomes:
RLGN 3178: The World's Religions (3 units)
The student will demonstrate:

1. A basic knowledge of the major religious traditions of the world and an understanding of their similarities and differences.

Other Religion courses (3 units)
The student will demonstrate:

1. An awareness of the fundamental spiritual questions of life and of their own theological and ethical assumptions by showing comprehension of major features of the Judeo-Christian tradition (e.g., historical origins, concepts of God, central assumptions about human life and fulfillment, key themes) or similar features in the other major religious traditions of the world.
   
   

5. Interdisciplinary Studies (9 units)

Investigation of a particular era, theme, or geographical area from the perspectives of two or more academic disciplines.

GE Prerequisites:

Satisfactory completion of ENGL 1004: Expository Writing is required prior to enrollment in the Interdisciplinary study program. Satisfactory completion of ENGL 3200: Advanced Writing and Research and RES 2000: Information and Research is highly recommended.

Special conditions:

1. Students transferring 0-44 units of applicable and transferable coursework prior to matriculation require 9 units to satisfy the Interdisciplinary Study requirement.
2. Students transferring 45-69 units of applicable and transferable coursework prior to matriculation require 6 units to satisfy the Interdisciplinary Study requirement.
3. Students transferring 70 or more units of applicable and transferable coursework prior to matriculation require 3 units to satisfy the Interdisciplinary Study requirement.
4. At the time of matriculation the transcript evaluator will allow courses from Art History, History, Humanities, History of Music, History of Art, History of Science, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, and Literature to count toward satisfaction of the requirement. “Introduction to …” courses do not count (example, Introduction to Political Science, Introduction to Sociology, etc.). Social Science classes cannot be used to fulfill this requirement but can be used to satisfy the Social Science area of GE.
5. Students may matriculate with requirements met under all categories above.
   

Courses that fulfill the requirement:
Courses vary each semester. Examples of courses offered are:

• SCS 3010: Women-Asia: Environment/Work/Development
• ARTH 3115: World Cities
  
• ARTH 3191: The History of Gardens and Landscape Design.
  
• PSY 4023: Psychology of Art
  
• SCS 3146: Principles of Archeology
  

The Interdisciplinary Study Program consists of individual upper division courses that integrate the perspectives and knowledge of two or more academic disciplines in a substantial manner.

Student Learning Outcomes:
The student will demonstrate:

1. An integrated, interdisciplinary understanding of the theme, era, or geographic area addressed by the course in a manner that draws upon the perspectives and content of at least two academic disciplines.