The CSUN-Pierce GE Path Project
Psychology and Statistics Department Meeting
February 3rd, 2014
Presented by Ray Lim
Overview:
The Path program is a collaboration between Pierce College and CSUN, designed to help students see
connections between General Education courses in various disciplines. Starting in the Fall of 2013, there
are five paths a student may take (Aesthetics and Culture, Health and Wellness, Global Studies, Social
Justice and Sustainability). After taking four courses at Pierce along a given path, a student would take
two additional courses at CSUN and qualify for an optional minor in Civic Engagement or Sustainability
at CSUN. The program is open to ALL students regardless of GPA.
Faculty Lead:
Ray Lim
Assessment Coordinators:
Mia Wood
Anna Bruzzese
Administrative Designee:
Barbara Anderson
Health and Wellness Path
The Health and Wellness path provides students with opportunities to explore personal and community
health and wellness during various stages in the family life cycle. Students will be engaged in content
and interdisciplinary coursework that examines the significance of health as physical, mental and social
well-being. They will understand that wellness includes the ability of people and communities to reach
their full potential by removing both personal and societal barriers. Students will develop an awareness
of lifestyle choices and how they create a framework for promoting and actively supporting health, a
healthy lifestyle and a culture where wellness is valued.
Faculty coordinator:
Ray Lim
Psychology Department
Courses:
Communication Studies 122 Communication Across Culture
Health 2 Health and Fitness
Health 8 Women’s Personal Health
Health 11 Principles of Healthful Living
Kinesiology 117 Introduction to Personal Training
Psychology 14 Abnormal Psychology
Psychology 16 Intimacy, Marriage and Family Relationships
Psychology 41 Life Span Psychology: From Infancy to Old Age
Psychology 52 Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality
Psychology 60 Stress Management
Syllabus Statement for the Path Health and Kinesiology classes:
"This course was identified as a PATH course leading to an OPTIONAL minor in Civic Engagement at
CSUN. There are five paths a student may take (Aesthetics and Culture, Health and Wellness, Global
Studies, Social Justice, and Sustainability) and this course fulfills the Health and Wellness Path. Please
inquire with your instructor if you are interested in additional courses offered at Pierce to fulfill this
Path."
CSUN Health and Wellness Path SLOs:
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students will examine the role of personal and public health and wellness in society.
2. Students will objectively analyze health factors, habits and beliefs that positively and negatively
impact health and wellness.
3. Students will identify and apply the individual and family money management practices that
promote financial health and wellbeing throughout various stages of the family life cycle.
4. Students will identify the physical, psychological, and social benefits of regular physical activity
and proper nutrition on health and wellness.
5. Students will understand the barriers involved with behavior modification and will identify the
skills needed to facilitate motivation and behavior change.
Aesthetics and Culture
The goal of the Aesthetics, Culture, and Media path is to empower students to think, read, and write
critically and creatively about the transformative power of aesthetics in a diverse range of visual,
written, and oral forms. This path encourages students to explore the beautiful in the vast history of
human accomplishments; to interrogate the basis of such judgments of taste across time, place, and
media; to formulate their own criteria for responsible aesthetic judgments attuned to the differences of
class, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, and nationalism; and to create and compose
their own literary and artistic works. Through interdisciplinary and comparative studies of a wide range
of artistic, literary and intellectual works, various new media, and a range of social phenomena, students
will rigorously explore, analyze, and evaluate the human quest for ideal expressions of beauty.
Faculty coordinator:
Melanie McQuitty
Philosophy Department
Courses:
Art 101 Survey of Art History I
Art 102 Survey of Art History II
Art 103 Art Appreciation
Art 111 History of Contemporary Art
Art 119 Theories of Art
Philosophy 40 Introduction to the Philosophy of Art
Philosophy 41 Introduction to Philosophy and Literature
Philosophy 42 Philosophy and Cinema
Psychology 69 Psychology in Film
Syllabus Statement for the Aesthetics and Culture Path classes:
"This course was identified as a PATH course leading to an OPTIONAL minor in Civic Engagement at
CSUN. There are five paths a student may take (Aesthetics and Culture, Health and Wellness, Global
Studies, Social Justice, and Sustainability) and this course fulfills the Aesthetics and Culture Path.
Please inquire with your instructor if you are interested in additional courses offered at Pierce to fulfill
this Path."
CSUN Aesthetics and Culture Path SLOs:
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students will be able to define aesthetics, culture, media and their interconnections.
2. Students will explain the rich and varied genres of aesthetic expression across a diverse range of
visual, written, and oral forms of culture.
3. Students will be able to analyze various artistic, literary, intellectual, and other works of culture
with appropriate theoretical concepts.
4. Students will be able to evaluate various cultural forms, new media, and social phenomena.
5. Students will create their own literary and artistic works.
Social Justice Path
The primary goal of the Social Justice Pathway is to encourage students to think critically about social
justice, to recognize it as foundational for peaceful societies, and to look for ways to promote it.
Through interdisciplinary studies students will learn about distinct definitions of social justice and
explore issues related to it. They will analyze the ways that socially determined beliefs and expectations
associated with race, ethnicity, nation, religion, developmental challenges, gender, and/or sexuality
become institutionalized and facilitate and/or limit people’s ability to exercise and enjoy equal social,
political, and economic rights. Finally, students will develop insight into the interrelationship between
cultural recognition and economic justice and the importance of both for ensuring that people are
treated equally.
Faculty coordinator:
Anna Bruzzese
Sociology Department
Courses:
Administration of Justice 1 Introduction to Administration of Justice
Child Development 11 Home, School and Community Relations
Child Development 42 – The Child in Diverse Society
Communication Studies 104 Argumentation
English 239 Women’s Literature
English 215 Shakespeare I
Political Science 19 Women in Politics
Psychology 13 Social Psychology
Psychology 32 Psychology of Women
Sociology 11 Race and Ethnic Relations
Sociology 21 Human Sexuality
Sociology 29 The US and Terrorism
Sociology 35 The Labor Movement
Sociology 31 Sociology of Gender
Syllabus Statement for the Social Justice Path classes:
"This course was identified as a PATH course leading to an OPTIONAL minor in Civic Engagement at
CSUN. There are five paths a student may take (Aesthetics and Culture, Health and Wellness, Global
Studies, Social Justice, and Sustainability) and this course fulfills the Social Justice Path. Please inquire
with your instructor if you are interested in additional courses offered at Pierce to fulfill this Path."
CSUN Social Justice Path SLOs:
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students will be able to compare the distinct definitions of social justice.
2. Students will be able to recognize and critically analyze the inter-relationship between
cultural recognition and economic justice.
3. Students will be able to identify and practice the methods people use to fight for social
justice at local, national, and international levels.
4. Students will be able to identify and analyze the ways injustices are institutionalized in
social, political, and economic structures.
5. Students will be able to recognize and connect the ways individuals and institutions may be
beneficiaries and/or victims of social injustice.
Assessment instructions for Path classes:
At the end of the semester, Path instructors will be asked to submit their assessment results to the Path
faculty coordinator and assessment co-coordinators. Here are the instructions for reporting faculty that
were sent out last semester:
1. Sample assessments from your and your faculty's Path class(es).
2. Go the the Pierce GE Paths Web page (http://faculty.piercecollege.edu/gepaths/)*
◦ Click on the CSUN GE Paths link.
◦ Click on the link for your path.
◦ Consult the CSUN Path SLOs. Determine which one(s) apply to your Path courses. Connect
your course SLO (at least one) to the relevant Path SLO(s)
3. A brief report on your assessment results ("Tell the story") which answers the following questions:
◦ How were students assessed?
◦ How were assessments used? In other words, how does your assessment reflect that your
course maps to one or more CSUN Path SLOs?
◦ How have you emphasized the Path theme in your course?
◦ Based on your experience and professional judgment, how well do think your students know
the purported significance of a thematic GE program? In other words, do they make
thematic connections between your course and other courses (in or outside the Path) in the
GE program?
How were students assessed?
How were assessments used? In other words, how does your assessment reflect that your
course maps to one or more CSUN Path SLOs?
How have you emphasized the Path theme in your course?
Based on your experience and professional judgment, how well do think your students know the
purported significance of a thematic GE program?
Other Paths:
Global Studies Path
The Global Studies pathway provides students an opportunity to explore how global and transnational
processes bring people together across the globe. It prompts students to examine how their lives affect
and are affected by globalization. Through interdisciplinary coursework students will be introduced to
definitions of globalization and key concepts related to globalizing trends. Students will explore political,
economic, and socio-cultural aspects of contemporary globalization, the historical antecedents of
globalization, and the diverse consequences of globalization including how it influences traditional
culture, identity, media, markets, the boundaries and power of nation-states, and the environment.
Faculty coordinator:
Brian Walsh
History Department
Courses:
Art 105 History of Asian Art
Communication Studies 121 The Process of Interpersonal Communication
Education 203 Education in American Society
English 203 World Literature I
Philosophy 30 Asian Philosophy
Sociology 15 Religion and American Society
Sociology 86 Popular Culture
History 1 Introduction to Western Civilization I
History 2 Introduction to Western Civilization II
History 86 Introduction to World Civilizations I
History 87 Introduction to World Civilizations II
Sustainability Path
Sustainability is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Report, 1987). The goal of this pathway is to
broadly educate students about the fundamental concepts of sustainability including economic,
environmental, and social aspects. It is designed to supplement education in other disciplines and to
provide knowledge of the considerations necessary to make decisions in a world where resources are
limited.
Faculty coordinator:
Adrian Youhanna
Anthropological and Geographical Sciences Department
Courses:
Animal Science 511 Anatomy and Physiology of Animals
Anthropology 101 Human Biological Evolution
Geography2 Cultural Geography
GIS 31 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Philosophy 28 Environmental Ethics
Plant Science 103 Introduction to Soils
More information can be found on the Path website: http://faculty.piercecollege.edu/gepaths/