Human Diversity (HD) 

1. Courses in this category have a sustained focus on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, social class, ability/disability, sexual orientation, nationality, and/or immigration status within a given context.
2. Courses in this category invite students to study texts and resources that were created by these groups or communities, where possible and appropriate.
3. Courses in this category explore the power dynamics within societies that produce inequities, inequalities, and injustice in a given context.
4. Courses in this category explore the impacts of injustice within societies on particular groups or communities.
5. Courses in this category explore the ways in which these groups or communities are formed, the ways they interact with other groups or communities, and the ways in which they advocate for sovereignty, resources, or rights.
6. Courses in this category include an assessment that requires students to demonstrate each of the skills in the Human Diversity Assessment Rubric (below). This assessment assignment should be one of the following: an objective exam, an essay question on an exam, an essay, or a research paper.

1. Students will identify the ways in which race, ethnicity, gender, religion, social class, ability/disability, sexual orientation, nationality, and /or immigration status are socially constructed.
2. Students will explain how social and cultural systems develop out of adaptation to environmental and historical contexts.
3. Students will analyze how discriminatory attitudes, practices, and systems can create barriers for some and opportunities for others.

Students may apply to fulfill the HD requirement through a co-curricular activity. These criteria apply to experiences that meet the HD curricular requirement and describe the characteristics of the experience, the steps a student must follow to petition the experience for approval, and the number and types of assignments students must submit to satisfy the requirement.


1. Student must obtain pre-approval for any activity used to satisfy this component. Approval must be obtained prior to the start of the activity.

2. Students must submit independent, third-party, verification of participation in the approved activity, by a supervisor or other authoritative individual, who is not a blood relation.

3. Activities in fulfillment of this requirement must comprise 15 hours of involvement with a clearly defined community that falls under one of the identities outlined in the supporting skills.

4. Activities in fulfillment of this requirement must include mechanisms for third-party feedback about the quality of the participation in the activity.

5. Students must submit a reflection of at least 1000 words that responds to the following prompt:

Please describe in detail the activity you used to complete the Human Diversity requirement. In your reflection, answer the following questions. What did you come to understand about race, ethnicity, gender, religion, social class, ability/disability, sexual orientation, nationality and/or immigration status through you experience? What did you come to understand about the ways in which social and cultural systems develop out of adaption to environmental and historical contexts? What did you come to understand about the ways in which attitudes, practices, and systems can create opportunities for some and barriers for others?

6. Fulfilling Human Diversity through an activity must submit a written reflection with the petition outlining what the activity is that the student is requesting in fulfillment of the requirement, how he or she anticipates the activity will fulfill the requirement, and what he or she expects to gain and learn from the experience. This reflection must be at least 7 pages or 2100 words.

7. Students fulfilling Human Diversity through an activity must submit a written post-activity reflection detailing how the activity met the learning outcomes for the requirement, and what the student gained and learn from the experience. This reflection must be at least 8 ages or 2400 words.

Students may use pre-matriculation transfer coursework, concurrent enrollment, dual-credit, and test credit (AP or IB) to satisfy Graduation requirements. The coursework must be college-level, credit-bearing work, taken and passed for a letter grade. Students must receive SMU transfer credit for the course.

Courses that transfer in with an SMU equivalent number (for example FREN 2401) will automatically satisfy any Proficiency & Experience requirements fulfilled by the course. The same is true for many courses on the listed on the SMU Transfer Equivalency Guide. 

Courses that transfer in with generic course numbers (for example, ENGL 10XX) will not automatically satisfy Proficiency & Experience requirements and must be petitioned using the Proficiency & Experience (PE) Fulfillment Verification petition.

 

Students must submit one petition for each graduation requirement, even if they are using a single course to petition multiple requirements. Students may use a single course to satisfy up to three Proficiency & Experience requirements (assuming the course meets the criteria for all three).  

 

How to petition generic transfer coursework:

1. Fill out the Petition for Alternative Fulfillment, selecting the requirement they are hoping to fulfill and checking the second option that says “I am a current or transfer student, and I am requesting fulfillment through a dual-credit or transfer course.”
2. Attach a complete syllabus which includes a daily schedule, grade breakdown, assignments, and assigned readings.
3. Attach a copy of the Transfer Evaluation Report (TER), showing that the course being petitioned has transferred to SMU for credit. Visit my.SMU > Academics > Request Transfer Evaluation
4. Attach a brief supporting statement, using the provided template, that explains how the course fulfills the Proficiency & Experience being petitioned.

Petitions are electronic and are usually reviewed within two weeks of receipt. Students should not assume that a petition has been completely processed until they receive a formal notification of approval or denial from the Office of General Education via The Common Curriculum email (theccmail@smu.edu). The formal notification, in cases of approval, follows the formal update to the students Degree Progress Report (DPR), noting that the petitioned requirement is satisfied.

Use the course search options below to find Human Diversity-tagged courses at SMU. Following successful completion of the course, your Degree Progress Report (DPR) will be updated to reflect satisfying this graduation requirement. Learn how to find tagged courses below via one of two means. 

Search courses on the Common Curriculum website:

1. Go to Course Search on the SMU Common Curriculum website
2. Click Filter by Graduation Requirements and select Human Diversity

Search courses in my.SMU:

1. Go to my.smu.edu and select “Students”
2. Login using your username and password
3. Once logged into your Student Dashboard, select Class Information on the left-hand side bar
4. Under Class Information, select Advanced Class Search
5. In the Search Criteria boxes:
   1. select the term you want to take the class
   2. in Course Attribute, select Common Curriculum P & E
   3. in Course Attribute Value, select Human Diversity
6. Select Search and the available courses will be displayed

Students may apply to fulfill the HD requirement through a co-curricular activity. These criteria apply to experiences that meet the HD curricular requirement and describe the characteristics of the experience, the steps a student must follow to petition the experience for approval, and the number and types of assignments students must submit to satisfy the requirement.

Before the Individual Activity:

1. Student must obtain pre-approval for any activity used to satisfy this component. Approval must be obtained prior to the start of the activity.
2. Students must submit independent, third-party, verification of participation in the approved activity, by a supervisor or other authoritative individual

Complete the Individual Activity: 

During the individual activity:

1. Activities in fulfillment of this requirement must comprise 15 hours of involvement with a clearly defined community that falls under one of the identities outlined in the supporting skills.
2. Activities in fulfillment of this requirement must include mechanisms for third-party feedback about the quality of the participation in the activity.

After the Individual Activity:

1. Students must submit a reflection of at least 1000 words that responds to the following prompt: In your reflection, answer the following questions. What did you come to understand about race, ethnicity, gender, religion, social class, ability/disability, sexual orientation, nationality and/or immigration status through you experience? What did you come to understand about the ways in which social and cultural systems develop out of adaption to environmental and historical contexts? What did you come to understand about the ways in which attitudes, practices, and systems can create opportunities for some and barriers for others?

 

Sometimes students complete, or desire to take, an SMU course which was not tagged with the desired Proficiency & Experience, but after reviewing the Student Learning Outcomes, Supporting Skills, Course Content Criteria (outlined above), they believe they may have satisfied the requirement. Use this process below to petition credit for the graduation requirement. 

Current SMU students who wish to take an SMU course that they believe has activities that satisfy this Proficiency & Experience, must submit, prior to beginning the course:

1. The Proficiency & Experience (PE) Pre-Approval petition and request individual activity-based fulfillment.
2. Attach a complete syllabus which includes a daily schedule, grade breakdown, assignments, and assigned readings.
3. A detailed supporting statement, using the provided template, of how the activities in the course meet the requirements for Community Engagement.

Upon completion of the course and a posting of the student's grade, students must submit:

1. Fill out the Proficiency & Experience (PE) Fulfillment Verification petition.
2. A copy of the student's Degree Progress Report (DPR) with the letter grade of the course. 
3. Attach a complete syllabus which includes a daily schedule, grade breakdown, assignments, and assigned readings.
4. A final supporting statement, using the provided template, which explores the service opportunity, the student’s participation in it, and the ways in which the experience has impacted the student in the identified areas.