Guidelines for Submission of Course Proposals for General Education Credit
Do's:
In formulating proposals for a General Education-eligible course, feel free to consult with either the Director of General Education and Core Curriculum, or with any member of the General Education and Core Curriculum Committee.
Highlight the self-reflective aspect of the course proposed: i.e., how it places the discourse in the discipline in the context of other disciplines and other discourses.
Consider the multicultural and intercultural perspectives in course proposals (and not only those intended for Category C). Even discipline paradigms may be culture-bound, and they need to be contextualized in world culture: this goes as much for a course in logic as for cross-cultural offerings with more manifest intercultural dimensions.
Explore the advantages of an eclectic reading list, one that is not restricted to the scholarship within one discipline (including, where relevant and feasible, references in Chinese).
Exploit the bicultural opportunities that Hong Kong (and Lingnan University) provides in offering an audience with dual or contrastive perspectives on a particular discipline.
Map the course to the GE aims and goals, in particular the aims of the Category under which the course is to be offered.
Don'ts:
Don't submit a description of a course that's currently offered, unless it has been modified to meet the specific General Education objectives. Make sure that your new course does not overlap with an existing General Education course.
Don't assume that the introductory survey in a discipline is, ipso facto, an appropriate General Education course. (That includes courses that offer a historical surveys of the discipline)
Don't assume that the level of specialisation is the same for a General Education course as that which is necessary for a major in the discipline.
Don't assume that a General Education course is therefore less intellectually challenging or intellectually substantive than specialised courses in a discipline.
Don't assume that disciplines are free of either culture bias or of discipline bias (i.e., a prejudice in favour of one discipline as being more important than any other).
Don't wait until the last minute to submit the course proposal. Eleventh-hour submissions, even if approved, may suffer from under-enrolment owing to insufficient time for publicity. It is recommended that course proposals be submitted not in the
term immediately preceding the term in which one plans to teach the course, but in the
term before that, i.e., two terms before the course (if approved) is offered.
