Courses and Roadmap

Incoming Student Program for Inclusion, Retention, and Excellence

  • Smaller class sizes in key GE required courses
  • Dedicated Faculty and Staff
  • Dedicated Mentorship and Advising
  • No extra cost

The INSPIRE Program is designed to support incoming students during their first year at CSUEB. This support comes in the form of a carefully curated GE pathway experience:

  • INSPIRE Cohort Courses: all incoming students in the program take classes together in order to build a supportive community, connecting them to each other and the university
  • INSPIRE Support Courses: incoming students will be enrolled based on their Major and University Placement (See GE Placement Categories)
Map
roadmap

First Semester

SUPPORT COURSE: ENGL 100 - College Writing: Stretch I (3 units) First semester of a year-long course in writing for academic purposes, critical analysis, and argumentation.

OR

SUPPORT COURSE: ENGL 102 - Accelerated College Writing (Units: 3, GE-A2) An introduction to writing for academic purposes, critical analysis, and argumentation.

SUPPORT COURSE STAT 100 - Elements of Statistics and Probability (Units: 3, GE-B4) Descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency, dispersion, correlation), elementary discrete probability distributions.  Introduction to tests of statistical hypotheses.  Use of computers.

  • Not all majors require this course

COHORT COURSE: GS 101A - Foundations of Success I (1 Unit: 1, GE-E) Develops skills for success in college and beyond.  Activities focus on self agency, growth mindset, working styles, and sense of community; exploration of academic and internship/career opportunities and resources.

COHORT COURSE: LBST 223 - Education For Liberation (Units: 3, GE-F-ES; Social Justice) This interdisciplinary lower-division course focuses on how teachers and students can help create a more fair and just society. The class focuses on institutional challenges, educational policies, social problems, and solutions in and through K-12 education as it relates to the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. The class provides students an opportunity to learn critical theories and practices that lead to liberatory forms of education.

Second Semester

SUPPORT COURSE: ENGL 101 - College Writing: Stretch II (Units: 3, GE-A2) An introduction to writing for academic purposes, critical analysis, and argumentation.
  • If the student was placed in ENGL 102 (Accelerated College Writing) during the first semester, they are done with the GE-A2 requirement and won't be registered for this course

SUPPORT COURSE: MATH 118E - Mathematics for the Arts and Humanities with Extra Support (Units: 4, GE-B4) This course explores mathematics as a human endeavor created in political, cultural, philosophical, and artistic contexts and examines the many commonalities mathematics has with literature, philosophy, art, and music. The course includes a 1 unit activity component

  • If student the student was placed in STAT 100 (Elements of Statistics) during the first semester, they are done with the GE-B4 requirement and won't be registered for this course

COHORT COURSE: GS 101B - Foundations of Success II (Unit: 1, GE-E) Builds on skills from GS 101A with teamwork, effective communication, and preparing for sophomore success. Activities emphasize community engagement, academic success, and career planning.

COHORT COURSE: THEA 101 - Doing The Right Thing: Social Justice Theatre (Units: 3, GE-C1, Social Justice) The legacy of American social change artists and how ethnic, racial, and gender obstacles helped forge creative expression in theatre and spoken word. Artists as outlaws, rebels, and change makers outside the mainstream.