Core Education Courses

Area of Inquiry and Cultural Literacy courses count toward partial fulfillment of bachelor’s degree requirements under the groups and categories listed in each section.

Some transfer courses are evaluated to count towards Core Education requirements even if they are not direct equivalents to a University of Oregon course. More information is available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

Arts and Letters 

Arts & Letters (A&L) courses will create meaningful opportunities for students to engage actively in the modes of inquiry that define a discipline. Courses will be broad in scope and demonstrably liberal in nature (that is, courses that promote open inquiry from a variety of perspectives). Though some courses may focus on specialized subjects or approaches, there will be a substantial course content locating that subject in the broader context of the major issues of the discipline. Qualifying courses will not focus on teaching basic skills but will require the application or engagement of those skills through analysis and interpretation.

Courses that count towards either the Arts and Letters Area or fulfill the 2nd language requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree can be found in the list at the bottom of this page.  Click here to see that list.

Arts and Letters: Languages

Students may not use courses that fulfill the second-language requirement for the bachelor of arts degree to fulfill the arts and letters area requirement as well.

Social Science 

Social Science (SSC) courses will be liberal in nature rather than being professionally oriented or limited to the performance of professional skills. They will cover a representative cross-section of key issues, perspectives, and modes of analysis employed by scholars working on the subject matter addressed by the course. The subject matter of the course will be relatively broad, e.g., involving more than one issue, place, or time.

Science

Science (SC) area-satisfying courses will introduce students to the foundations of one or more scientific disciplines, or should provide an introduction to fundamental methods (such as mathematics) that are widely used in scientific disciplines. Courses will introduce students to the process of scientific reasoning.

Courses that count towards either the Science Area or the Bachelor of Science can be found listed at the bottom of this page.  Click here to see that list.

Bachelor of Science Mathematics and Science Area Requirements

Courses that are used to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics or in computer science or in a combination of the two for the bachelor of science degree may not also be used to fulfill the science area requirement.

United States: Difference, Inequality, and Agency

These courses fulfill the United States: Difference, Inequality, and Agency category of the Cultural Literacy Core Education requirement, a requirement informed by UO student activism.  It is meant to develop students' analytical and reflective capacities to help them understand and ethically engage with the ongoing (cultural, economic, political, social, etc.) power imbalances that have shaped and continue to shape the United States.  In addition to considering the scholarship, cultural production, perspectives, and voices from members of historically marginalized communities, students in DIA courses: 

1. Inquire into intersecting aspects of identity such as race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, socioeconomic status, indigeneity, national origin, religion, or ability; 
2. Analyze uses of power to marginalize on the basis of identity, as well as the assertions of agency, resistance, and resilience by marginalized groups; and
3. Examine historical and contemporary structures, forms of knowledge, cultural practices, or ideologies that perpetuate or change the distribution of power in society.

and undertake one or more of the following:

• Reflect on one's own multiple social identifications and on how they are formed and located in relation to power.
• Practice respectful listening and ethical dialogue around deeply felt or controversial issues.

Global Perspectives

These courses fulfill the Global Perspectives category of the Cultural Literacy Core Education requirement.  A Global Perspectives course aims to foster student encounter with and critical reflection upon cultures, identities, and ways of being in global contexts beyond the United States.  Students will consider substantial scholarship, cultural production, perspectives, and voices from members of communities under study, as sources permit.  In Global Perspectives courses, students will do one or more of the following: 

1. Engage texts, literature, art testimonies, practices, or other cultural products that reflect systems of meaning or beliefs beyond the U.S. context; 
2. Analyze power relations involving different nations, peoples, and identity groups or world regions; 
3. Examine hierarchy, marginality, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexuality, nationality, or ability (or some combination of these).

and undertake one or more of the following: 

• Discuss possibly unfamiliar topics using critical vocabulary and concepts.
• Practice respectful listening and civil dialogue around controversial issues.