General Studies (GEN ST) courses support the undergraduate academic experience by offering students a holistic education beyond a particular discipline.
Housed and administered within Undergraduate Academic Affairs, General Studies courses serve as a place for curricular innovation, intellectual curiosity and experimentation. Courses are created and sustained by innovative educators and programs across campus.
General Studies courses facilitate formative and transformative learning experiences and promote critical reflection. These include facilitating positive academic transitions, developing learning communities, providing academic support, offering experiential learning opportunities, and propelling students’ leadership development.
General Studies Courses fall under three basic themes, which influence the goals of the courses being offered. When the General Studies committee reviews a new course proposal, we evaluate how and where the course falls under the themes. Many of our courses that are currently offered touch on all of the themes, but with stronger focus in one particular area.
Academic Transitions and Support
- Demystify the intellectual, professional, and scholarly expectations of the University learning context, perhaps in comparison to students’ earlier experiences.
- Teach practical strategies, habits, and mindsets that support students, from a variety of different backgrounds, to successfully transition to university expectations and that aid them in improving their academic performance.
- Provide opportunities for transitioning students to sample unfamiliar disciplines, topics, or programs, as a part of learning what the university has to offer.
Experiential Learning
- Introduce students to experiential learning opportunities, such as community engagement, research, and internships at the UW, in Seattle, and abroad.
- Offer opportunities for self-reflection and evaluation in the context of experiential learning.
- Introduce scholarship about the challenges and complexities involved in experiential learning.
Leadership Development
- Offer opportunities for undergraduates to assume leadership roles and to cultivate their leadership potential within the UW community and beyond.
- Introduce scholarship and encourage critical thinking about the challenges and complexities of practicing leadership in a modern university setting and beyond.
- Offer ongoing education and guidance to undergraduate students who will serve as mentors, tutors, or teachers.
Thank you for your interest in developing a General Studies course. We look forward to learning more about your proposed class. Below are the steps we need all instructors (whether or not you have taught a GEN ST course previously) to take to facilitate review and confirmation of courses.
Getting Started
First, please read over our course goals and criteria (above) in order to better understand the purpose of the General Studies curriculum.
Questions for you to consider: What theme (Academic Transition and Support, Experiential Learning, Leadership Development) might your class fall under? Why? Is General Studies the best location for your curriculum on campus?
Your proposal will also require you to submit a draft syllabus.
If you feel like your class is a good fit under the General Studies criteria, you can put together a proposal. Details and deadlines are below.
Deadlines
Please note that our deadlines are nearly 3 quarters in advance of the quarter in which you want to teach.
- Course Offered: SPRING and/or SUMMER QUARTER 2026
- Proposal Due: October 10, 2025
- Course Offered: FALL QUARTER 2026
- Proposal Due: January 9, 2026
- Course Offered: WINTER QUARTER 2027
- Proposal Due: April 10, 2026
Note: If you are ever unsure about when to submit your materials, please email genst@uw.edu.
Teaching support and resources
Staff Teaching Community (STC) — The STC is a learning community established to create space for staff members and other instructors to come together, discuss teaching and share resources with one another. This community tries to come together several times a quarter to discuss thoughtful teaching practices. The committee is open to UAA staff instructors and other staff members across campus interested in teaching. If you are interested in joining or would like to be added to our listserv, please contact Ryan Burt (rburt@uw.edu).
Center for Teaching and Learning — For additional information on teaching, you may want to explore the resources available through the Center for Teaching and Learning.
As noted above, general studies courses are generally designed to help you develop in three different areas:
The most common general studies classes you might be familiar with are First-Year Interest Groups, or FIGs (GEN ST 199). Other common courses are related to internships (GEN ST 350) and independent study (GEN ST 391).
As there are a wide range of general studies courses we recommend talking with your adviser to learn more about classes most relevant to your interests. You can also consult the time schedule and contact individual instructors for more detail about their specific course.
The General Studies Committee works to solidify policies and procedures for GEN ST courses. We work closely with partners around course topics and goals, keeping both consistency and innovation in mind. New courses fitting into existing curriculum structures will be reviewed by the General Studies Committee and any proposed curricular changes in course numbers, descriptions, or purpose will be accomplished through the College Arts & Sciences Curriculum Committee.
Members
- Leilani Batac, UAA Advising
- Ryan Burt, Academic Support Programs
- Kathryn Pursch Cornforth, Community Engagement & Leadership Education Center
- Dan Feetham, UAA Advising
- Michaelann Jundt, Undergraduate Academic Affairs (Lead)
- Emily Kolby, First Year Program
- Fran Lo, Community Engagement & Leadership Education Center
- Kyla Mayer, UAA Advising
- Jon Olivera, EOP Advising