Area Learning Outcomes

• A1. Oral Communication 

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. identify and critically evaluate socially significant topics, then compose and deliver oral extemporaneous presentations on these topics;
    2. engage in critical and analytical listening;
    3. analyze audiences and adapt oral presentations to accomplish the purpose of a speech;
    4. create a clear central message that demonstrates an understanding of socially significant issues; and
    5. demonstrate the ethical responsibilities of a public speaker by addressing the economic, legal, and social aspects of topics; and by locating and evaluating sources and integrating research through appropriate citation.
• A2. Written Communication

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the content, context, effectiveness, and forms of written communication;
    2. perform essential steps in the writing process (prewriting, organizing, composing, revising, and editing);
    3. articulate an awareness of and write according to the rhetorical features of texts, such as purpose, audience, context, and rhetorical appeals;
    4. integrate their ideas and those of others by synthesizing, explaining, analyzing, developing, and criticizing ideas effectively in several genres; and
    5. demonstrate college-level language use, clarity, and grammatical abilities in writing.
• A3. Critical Thinking and Writing

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. locate, interpret, evaluate, and synthesize evidence in a comprehensive way, including through library research; and integrate research findings into oral and written arguments through appropriate citation and quotation;
    2. use a range of rhetorical and logical strategies to articulate and explain their positions on complex issues in dialogue with other points of view;
    3. identify and critically evaluate the assumptions in and the contexts of arguments; and
    4. use inductive and deductive logic to construct valid, evidence-supported arguments and draw valid conclusions. 
• B1, B2, and B3. Physical and Life Science + Laboratory 

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. demonstrate knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data used in the physical and life sciences;
    2. apply scientific principles and communicate in ways appropriate to the discipline about the process and results of scientific discovery;
    3. access, critically evaluate, and represent scientific information in various forms and draw appropriate conclusions; and
    4. use methods derived from current scientific inquiry to form evidence-based opinions about science-related matters of personal, public, and ethical concern. 
• B4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. use mathematical methods to solve quantitative problems, including those presented in verbal form;
    2. interpret and communicate quantitative information using language appropriate to the context and intended audience;
    3. reason, model, draw conclusions, and make decisions based on numerical and graphical data; and 
    4. apply mathematical or quantitative reasoning concepts to solve real life problems.
• C1. Arts

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. identify aesthetic qualities and processes that characterize works of the human intellect and imagination;
    2. explore and articulate their own subjective aesthetic and intellectual responses to such works; 
    3. analyze the role and impact of the creative arts in culture and on the interrelationship of self and community; and
    4. research and apply relevant aesthetic criteria and/or artistic conventions in effective written responses to works of art. 
• C2. Humanities

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. analyze and understand works of philosophical and humanistic importance, including their temporal and cultural dimensions;
    2. explore and articulate their own subjective aesthetic and intellectual responses to such texts;  
    3. analyze and assess ideas of value, meaning, and knowledge, as produced within the humanistic disciplines; and 
    4. research and write effective analyses of works of the human intellect and imagination.
• D. Social Sciences

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. demonstrate understanding of the ways in which social institutions, culture, and environment shape and are shaped by the behavior of individuals, both past and present;
    2. compare and contrast the dynamics of two or more social groups or social systems in a variety of historical and/or cultural contexts;
    3. place contemporary social developments in cultural, environmental, geographical, and/or historical contexts; and
    4. draw on social/behavioral science information from various perspectives to formulate applications appropriate to historical and/or contemporary social issues.
• E. Human Understanding & Development

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. describe and analyze the interrelationships among physiological, social/cultural, and psychological dimensions of human well-being; 
    2. think critically and communicate effectively about ethics and integrity in academic and non-academic settings; 
    3. reflect upon their own experiences along dimensions of well-being and engage in activities that promote human wellness across the lifespan; and
    4. know how to access social and academic resources that enhance learning and facilitate positive interpersonal relationships with diverse groups and individuals. 
• F. Ethnic Studies

  • Students shall be able to (courses meet at least 3 of the 5 outcomes):

    1. Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism.
    2. Apply ethnic studies theory and knowledge to describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements that have and continue to facilitate the building of a more just and equitable society.
    3. Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age.
    4. Critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies.
    5. Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements that have contributed to the building of a more just and equitable society.
• US1. American Institutions - U.S. History

  • As students explore the historical development of the United States, they should be able to evaluate and synthesize different positions, support analysis with relevant evidence, and create evidence-based interpretations of:

    1. major subtopics in United States history, such as Native Americans and their interactions with the U.S. government; slavery and its legacies; the foundational ideals of the American Republic; colonization and territorial expansion; economic development; political reform and reaction; immigration to the United States and the experiences of immigrants; foreign relations; wars and conflicts; movements including religious, labor, civil rights, feminist, and environmental. 
    2. multiple perspectives related to, for example, diverse cultures, communities, and environments; age, gender, and sexuality; the history and experience of racial, ethnic, and religious minorities; the experiences of people with disabilities; and patterns of race and class relations.
• US2. American Institutions - U.S. Constitution and California Government

  • As students explore the meaning and content of the democratic process as it has evolved in the United States, at a minimum they should be able to evaluate: 

    1. the foundations of the political system, including the evolution of the U.S. Constitution, political culture, separation of powers, federalism, and relations among various levels of government. Students will also analyze the evolving institutions of government, including a study of the powers of the President, Congress, and the Judiciary as well as the bureaucracy; 
    2. the links between the people and the political system of the United States, including voting and other forms of participation, as well as other content areas such as tribal governments, political parties, interest/lobbying groups, and public opinion and socialization. Students should also analyze the rights and obligations of citizens, which may include the tension between various freedoms of expression, including issues related to censorship and freedom of speech, due process, and the maintenance of order; and
    3. connections to issues of justice/injustice, including the efforts to end racial, gender, and other forms of discriminatory practices in both the public and private sectors.
• US3. American Institutions - California Government

  • As students explore the operations of government at the state level, they should be able to evaluate:

    1. the foundations of the California political system, the similarities and differences between the California and U.S. Constitutions, and the relationship between state and local government in California; and
    2. the evolving relationships of state and local government with the federal government, such as the relationship with tribal governments; the generation and resolution of conflicts; the establishment of cooperative processes under the constitutions of both the state and nation; and the political processes involved.
• R. Earth, Environment & Sustainability

  • Student shall be able to:

    1. apply scientific principles and the scientific method to answer questions about earth, the environment, and sustainability while recognizing the limits of both the method and principles;
    2. apply mathematical or quantitative reasoning concepts to the analysis and generation of solutions to issues of earth, the environment, and sustainability;
    3. communicate a scientific finding, assertion, or theory to a general audience with the integrity and rigor of the underlying science; and
    4. explain ethical, social, and civic dimensions of scientific inquiry.
• S. Self, Society, & Equality in the U.S.

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. describe how identities are shaped by cultural and societal influences within contexts of equality and inequality. Examples include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, age, generation, regional origin, national identity, language, intersectionalities;
    2. analyze historical, economic, political, or social processes that shape diversity, equality, and structured inequalities in the U.S. and reflect on one’s own identities and positions within these structures;
    3. evaluate social actions which have or have not led to greater equality and social justice in the U.S.; and
    4. engage in constructive interactions about social issues in the U.S. within the framework of equality and inequalities. 
• V. Cultures & Global Understanding

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. analyze historical, social, and/or cultural significance of creative works of human expression (examples include, but are not limited to, written works, images, media, music, dance, technologies, designs), from at least one cultural tradition outside the United States;
    2. examine how creative works of human expression [as defined in #1] outside the United States have influenced the United States’ cultures;
    3. explain how a culture outside the U.S. has changed in response to internal and external influences; and
    4. appraise how the study of creative works of human expression from outside the United States shapes one’s own understanding of cultural experiences and practices.
• Writing in the Disciplines (not GE)

  • Students shall be able to:

    1. explain, analyze, develop, and critique ideas effectively, including ideas encountered in multiple readings and expressed in different forms of discourse;
    2. organize and develop complete discipline-specific texts and other documents for both professional and general audiences, using appropriate editorial and citation standards;
    3. locate, organize, and synthesize information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, and to communicate that purpose in writing; and
    4. produce discipline-specific written work that demonstrates upper-division proficiency in language use, grammar, and clarity of expression.