SUNY Potdam

The Modes of Inquiry make up a large portion of the overall General Education Requirements.

They are designed to expose students to a complete range of disciplines, thereby contributing the student's academic growth as a well-rounded citizen.

For more information on each mode of inquiry, see links in the right navigation bar.

A. AESTHETIC UNDERSTANDING (2 courses; minimum of 6 credits from two different departments)

• [AC] AESTHETIC-CRITICAL AND DISCRIMINATIVE (minimum of 3 credits) 

• [AE] AESTHETIC-EXPERIENTIAL (minimum of 3 credits) Note: many AE courses are one or two credits and more than one course will need to be taken.

B. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY (2 courses-one from each area; minimum of 6 credits total) 

•   [SB] SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (minimum of 3 credits)  

•   [SP] SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY-PHYSICAL SCIENCES (minimum of 3 credits) 

*Bachelor of Music students need only take one of the above.
Note: At least one of the above courses must include [LB] laboratory experiences.

C. [SA] SOCIAL ANALYSIS (minimum of 3 credits)

D. [PI] PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY (minimum of 3 credits)

E. [AH] AMERICAN HISTORY (minimum of 3 credits)

F. WORLD CIVILIZATIONS (2 courses; minimum of 6 credits) 

•   [WC] WESTERN CIVILIZATION (minimum of 3 credits) 

•   [XC] CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE (minimum of 3 credits)