Updated September 26, 2008

Departments propose courses to satisfy the General Education Perspectives in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (PLAS) courses by submitting a proposal to the General Education Advisory Committee (GEAC). GEAC works with the proposing department to ensure the course meets PLAS criteria, for courses proposed to meet the following requirements:

• Areas of Knowledge and Inquiry
• Contexts of Experience
• Pre-Industrial Society Extended Requirement

GEAC recommendations regarding course proposals are forwarded to the UCC, which in turn forwards approved course proposals to the Academic Senate for adoption.

Processing time for course proposals

A proposal will take at least three months from the time it is submitted to GEAC to the time it is approved by the Academic Senate, and more time if revisions are requested by GEAC (or by the UCC). Departments are urged to take this into consideration when planning their timing of course proposal submissions.

There are no current deadlines for submissions.

Preparing the Supporting Documents

Each PLAS course proposal consists of two electronic documents, the first providing a justification for the course’s suitability for one of the PLAS Areas of Knowledge and Inquiry, and describing course materials, assessment, and administration, the second containing a sample syllabus or syllabi for the proposed course. Both documents are submitted to GEAC electronically, as described below.

The first supporting document ("Justification, Materials, Assessment, Administration") may be created using a template (RTF, PDF). The document must contain sections addressing each of the following:

• Header. The first page must include the proposed course's number and title, the name and email address of the primary contact person, and the date the proposal was approved by the department.
• Justification. How will the course address PLAS criteria? Be sure to include an explanation of the course’s specific learning goals for students to make a connection between these and the PLAS criteria. The justification must indicate how the course meets Criteria 1-3; if any of the optional Criteria 4-8 apply to the course, discuss these in the justification as well.
• Course Materials, Assignments, and Activities. How do course materials, assignments, and activities relate to PLAS criteria? Please provide an annotated list of course readings and descriptions of major assignments or exams for the course, as well as distinctive student activities that will engage students in working toward the course goals discussed in the course description and/or justification. Please include the author and title for each reading or text, along with a short description providing information about how the reading will contribute to course goals.
• Assessment. Perspectives courses must be recertified every five years, and we are seeking ideas for how to best carry out this assessment. What forms of evidence that the course is meeting its goals as a Perspectives course would be appropriate to collect for this course during the next five years? How would you prefer assessment to be conducted? How might evidence of effective teaching and student learning be collected and evaluated?
• Administration. What process will your department develop to oversee this course, suggest and approve changes, and conduct assessment? Who will be in charge of this process? Also indicate whether the course will be primarily taught by full-time or adjunct faculty, or by a combination of the two types of instructor.

The second supporting document ("Syllabus/Syllabi") must contain a sample syllabus for the course. Sample syllabi should incorporate remarks stating how the course meets particular PLAS goals.

• The committee accepts syllabi as PDF files or word processing documents. Syllabi that exist only as web pages must be converted to one of these two formats in order to be submitted. The Center for Teaching and Learning can provide assistance with the conversion process, if needed.
• For courses on variable topics or courses that will be taught in variable formats, provide a representative set of syllabi. When more than one sample syllabus is called for, please incorporate all syllabi into a single document, but be sure that each new syllabus begins on a new page.
• For guidance on syllabus construction, consult any of the following:
  • The Queens College Provost’s page outlining expectations for syllabi
  • Sample syllabi for W courses, from Writing Across the Curriculum
  • Goals for Student Writing at Queens College
  • Harvard’s Bok Center for Teaching and Learning suggestions for syllabus planning
  • Lehman College’s Gen Ed Syllabi Project

Submitting a Course Proposal

Proposal Submission Page (opens a new window/tab)

To submit a course proposal, complete all information on the proposal submission page, attach the two supporting documents described in the previous section (a justification/materials/assessment/administration document and the sample syllabus or syllabi), and press the Submit button at the bottom. Email confirmation will be sent to the primary contact person entered on the submissions page. Complete proposals will be sent out for review immediately. We will get in touch with the primary contact person if any part of a proposal needs attention before it is sent out for review.

• To edit an existing submission, enter the passcode in the left panel of this page.
• If you don’t know the passcode for an existing submission, retrieve it from this page.
• Contact the Center for Teaching and Learning if you have other questions, technical or otherwise.

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Archived announcements about PLAS proposals