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USD GEP Co-Requisite to become USDEI Requirement Fall 2023

Learn about the discussion and implementation of the new US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion GEP category at NC State, which is replacing the USD co-requisite category beginning Fall 2023.

Howling wolf statue head backed by yellow, green, and red fall leaves

The History

As we wrote about in July, the Council on Undergraduate Education (CUE) – which is the body of university-level faculty governance charged by the Provost with the review and recommendations regarding the General Education Program (GEP) at NC State – has been discussing the existing US Diversity co-requisite requirement and its place as a part of the GEP. Throughout the Fall and Spring of the 2020-2021 academic year, despite pivots and the pandemic, members consistently came together to discuss the current requirement as well as what a reshaped requirement could be. With input from OIED as well as their colleges and stakeholders, the committee put forward a recommendation to the Provost in May that was accepted and discussions about implementation began with a Fall 2023 go-live date.

In the Fall of 2021, members further discussed the wording of the outcomes as well as some questions about intention not explicitly stated in the original recommendations. These culminated in an additional recommendation document that was approved by the Committee on October 22nd and accepted by the Provost on November 8, 2021.

The Highlights

The summary points of these two recommendations can be found below:

  • The title for the category replacing USD will be US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (or USDEI)
  • The USDEI category will be a 3-hour requirement
    • The three hours may be met by a single 3-credit course or by a combination of courses totalling 3 hours
  • The USDEI requirement will be a “stand-alone” requirement (not a co-requisite)
    • As with other GEP Category requirements, students will be able to count these courses towards their major requirements.
  • To accomodate these three hours, the Additional Breadth category is being removed for the GEP.
    • Students may count up to three credits on the Visual and Performing Arts list (VPA) towards their Humanities GEP requirement.
  • The objectives have been updated as follows and course alignment all objectives will be required.
    • Objective 1) Analyze how diverse identities shape and/or are shaped by cultural and societal influences. (For the purposes of the USDEI category, diverse identities include but are not limited to religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, socioeconomic status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, disability, and/or age identities.)
    • Objective 2) Analyze and interpret the causes and consequences of historical, social, political, and/or economic processes that produce structured inequalities in the US.
    • Objective 3) Examine and analyze how social actions and interactions between people of diverse identities affect equality and social justice in the US.
  • Students’ option to opt in to a new requirement term reflecting the GEP changes (USD>USDEI, removal of Additional Breadth) would be decided by the program. Most programs do allow their students this option.
  • CUE will continue to review any courses coming forward for the USD requirement until the end of Spring 2023.
  • Any course recommended for approval for USDEI by CUE will also automatically count towards the USD requirement if approved.

Road to Implementation

In order for these updates to be live for students matriculating in Fall 2023, course and program updates will need to be completed Fall 2022.

To get to this deadline, OUCCAS is working with the Associate Deans of Academic Affairs in the different colleges, as well as with Leepfrog (the vendor that brings us the course and curricular approval system used at NC State), to follow a schedule where:

  • All courses currently on the USD list can come forward to be considered for inclusion in the USDEI list.
  • Newly-created courses may also seek to be added to the USDEI list.
  • Majors and subplans can be updated with the Additional Breadth requirement replaced with USDEI, but some programs may choose to put forward additional changes to encompass this changeover.

If you are part of a college, you’ll be hearing more from your Associate Dean of Academic Affairs on specific college rollouts!

Questions? Feel free to contact us at courses-curricula@ncsu.edu and we’ll do our best to assist!

Want to know who your college representatives are on CUE? Check the roster on the standing committee website!

Interested in being a part of future conversations like this? You’re welcome to be a guest at our open meetings (schedule on the website) and if you are faculty, make sure to fill out the interest survey that comes out in the Spring! More information about University Standing Committees is available here.