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Diversification
The Diversification requirement is intended to assure that
every student has a broad exposure to different domains of academic
knowledge, while at the same time allowing flexibility for students with
different goals and interests.
A strength of the UHM curriculum is that students can
extend their General Education over the full four years of their academic
program. Thus, students may meet the Diversification requirement by taking
any course in the specified area--lower- and upper-division courses, and
among courses that meet Focus or Major requirements. However,
Diversification courses must come from different departments than the courses
students used to satisfy the Foundations Global & Multicultural Perspectives
requirement.
Requirement
| Arts, Humanities, & Literatures |
6 credits, from
2 of these areas |
| Social Sciences |
6 credits, from 2 different
departments |
| Biological
Sciences |
3 credits |
| Physical
Sciences |
3 credits |
| Science
Laboratory |
1 credit |
In the Catalog, approved Diversification courses
are indicated by the appropriate letter code after the course
description. The Diversification designation also appears in the
Schedule of Classes.
Hallmarks
Easy print format (pdf file) -
Diversification Hallmarks
and Explanatory Notes
Diversification designation is possible
for any course that meets basic Course Eligibility Criteria.
Consideration of a course for a particular Diversification area is
guided by Hallmarks and Explanatory Notes.
Course Eligibility Criteria
-
Course content determines a
Diversification designation. (The traditional disciplinary
affiliations of the department, school, or college that offers the
course are not factors. Thus, a course in the College of Social
Sciences may receive a Biological Science designation.)
-
Two thirds
of the content of the course’s governing syllabus and
approximately two thirds of the required class meetings must
demonstrate the Hallmarks of its Diversification category.
Examples:
DS (Social Science) designation: Family Resources course that is 2/3
social sciences and 1/3 humanities.
No designation:
-
A course that studies film theory for half the course (i.e., DL)
and representations of culture in film (i.e., DH) for half of
the course.
-
A course with content that is one half biological science and
one half social science.
-
A “topics” course with content that can vary each semester from
Literatures to Humanities.
-
Two simultaneous designations
may be granted only for a course with an embedded science lab
(DB+DY or DP+DY).
-
Cross-listed courses must have the same Diversification
designation.
-
Ineligible
for Diversification designations are the following types of
courses:
Hallmarks & Explanatory Notes
Arts (DA), Humanities (DH), and Literatures (DL):
6 credits, from 2 of these areas
To satisfy the Arts (DA)
area requirement, at least two thirds of a course
-
uses the definitions, descriptions,
and terminology of the visual arts, performing arts, or other
creative arts;
-
emphasizes the acquisition of
practical and theoretical skills necessary to produce visual,
performing, or other creative arts for primarily aesthetic purposes;
-
develops creative abilities in
which artistic conventions are applied and originality is sought.
Explanatory Notes: DA Hallmarks
It
is the practice of various forms of the arts that distinguishes
the Diversification Arts category from the categories involving
Humanities (DH) and Literatures (DL). Practice implies making,
doing, or inventing; practice implies personal involvement in
the production or replication of traditional and experimental
art forms. It is a student’s practice which is evaluated.
Practice
may be supported by historical and theoretical study and by
analyses relevant to the critical evaluation of the subject and
of students' creative endeavors.
Arts
courses sometimes involve both lecture and practice. For
instance, a course may include a lecture component and a
separate laboratory, studio, workshop, or practicum. Such
courses may earn the DA designation if two-thirds of the
combined lecture + practice components demonstrate the
hallmarks.
To satisfy the
Humanities (DH) area requirement, at least two thirds of a course
$
uses the terminology of
historical, philosophical, language, or religious studies;
$
involves texts, artifacts,
concepts, processes, theories, or issues of concern in these studies;
$
demonstrates inquiry that
involves the methods of study, reflection, evidence‑gathering, and
argumentation
that are employed in these studies.
Explanatory Notes: DH Hallmarks
The Humanities category covers a broad range of disciplines
and styles of inquiry. Courses that study culture, history, or
ethics by examining texts, documents, or film typically qualify for
the DH designation.
Occasionally, overlaps can be problematic. A literature studies
course, for example, may be DH, DL, or neither. Courses that study
film as a representation of culture typically qualify as DH; courses
that study film as text typically qualify as DL; courses in which
film production and creation are goals typically qualify as
DA.
To satisfy the
Literatures (DL) area requirement, at least two thirds of a course
$
uses the terminology of
literary and/or cultural analysis;
$
involves the study of
texts, concepts, forms, figures, styles, tonalities, processes,
theories, or issues relating to literary and/or cultural analysis;
$
demonstrates inquiry that
is guided by qualitative, argumentative, and/or quantitative methods
employed in literary and/or cultural analysis.
DL Hallmarks Explanatory Notes
The focus of the Literatures
(DL) category is the reading, study, and examination of all types
of literary works as text. Often the word “literature” is
included in the course title.
Departments should consider whether
the Arts (DA) category is more appropriate if the course focus
involves creative writing. Departments should consider the
Humanities (DH) category if two thirds of the course content focuses
on cultures, or consider the Social Sciences (DS) category if two
thirds of the course focuses on societal analysis or impact. Courses
that study film as text typically qualify as DL; courses that study
film as a representation of culture typically qualify as DH; courses
in which film production and creation are goals typically qualify as
DA.
Social Sciences: (6 credits,
from 2 different departments)
To satisfy the Social Sciences (DS)
requirement, at
least two thirds of a course
-
uses the terminology of theories,
structures, or processes in the social or psychological sciences;
-
involves concepts, models,
practices, or issues of concern in the scientific study of these
theories, structures, or processes;
-
demonstrates inquiry that is guided
by quantitative and/or qualitative methods employed in the
scientific study of structures or processes of these sciences.
DS Hallmarks Explanatory Notes
Courses in the Social Sciences (DS) category examine the behavior
and interactions of people within societies, and interactions
between societies. Students in DS courses are introduced to social
science concepts and theories that explain such behavior and
interactions at levels that range from the individual to the social
structure. DS courses introduce students to methods such as
interviews, observation, surveys, experiments, and literature
reviews.
Courses that study culture by examining existing texts, documents,
or film may better fit in the Humanities category (DH); a historical
survey of societal development is typically classified as DH;
courses that focus on, e.g., poems, speeches, or songs may better
fit in the Literatures category (DL).
Natural Sciences: 7 credits
(3 credits biological, 3 credits physical, plus 1 lab credit)
To satisfy the Biological Science
(DB) requirement, at least two thirds of a course
-
uses the terminology
of the biological sciences;
-
involves knowledge and theories relating to processes in the
biological sciences;
-
demonstrates
inquiry that is guided by observation/experiment and
reasoning/mathematics.
To satisfy the Physical Science
(DP) requirement, at least two thirds of a course
-
uses the terminology
of the physical sciences;
-
involves knowledge and theories relating to processes in the
physical sciences;
-
demonstrates
inquiry that involves observation/experiment and reasoning and
mathematics.
To satisfy the Laboratory (DY) requirement, at least two thirds
of a course
-
uses the laboratory methods of the biological or physical
sciences;
-
involves processes and issues of design, testing, and
measurement;
-
demonstrates
the strengths and limitations of the scientific method.
DB, DP, DY Hallmark Explanatory Notes
For courses that are multidisciplinary (e.g.,
“Biochemistry”), an instructor must ensure that 2/3 of the course
content covers either DP or DB for the course to merit a
designation.
In order to design laboratory courses
for DY (Science Laboratory) designation, the course must employ
laboratory methods of the biological or physical sciences and ensure
that students are introduced to a variety of quantitative approaches
as well as to processes and issues of design, testing, and
measurement.
Courses offering students the opportunity to learn the use of a
software program or analytical instrument are considered practica
and thus are not eligible for DY designation, even though the
instructor envisions application of the software/instrument to the
solution of a variety of science problems. Such course content is
not sufficient for DY designation.
Proposing a course
To request a Diversification designation, a department completes the UHM-1 form (for
new courses) or the UHM-2 form (to modify an existing course). The forms can be
downloaded from the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs web site:
Academics-Planning
& Approval
When completing form, be sure to fill in the Core or Graduation Requirement
box. State the requested Diversification letter code (ie., DA, DH, DL, DS, DB, DP,
DY). A course
that has an embedded laboratory component may have DB+DY or DP+DY.
Submit the form as required by your College. It will be routed to the
General Education Committee for its decision.
Approved UHM Courses
Courses on the Diversification Course List are approved for a
five-year period. At the end of the approval period, the General Education
Committee will assess whether the course continues to meet the hallmarks.
Courses may be added or removed (deadlines coincide with UHM-1/UHM-2
form, Catalog
publication due dates, and registration dates). Approved courses will appear in the Catalog, Schedule of Classes,
and/or Check Class Availability.
UHM Diversification Course List (updated
January 2007)
updated May 8, 2008; report errors to
gened@hawaii.edu
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