What are General Education courses?
General Education courses are a required part of all Ontario college diploma programs and are designed to complement your program specific learning by helping you explore perspectives and disciplines beyond your main field of study. General Education courses provide you with opportunities to engage with contemporary social, cultural, and civic issues while strengthening transferable skills such as critical thinking, creativity, inclusivity, communication, collaboration, self-awareness, and ethical reasoning. These skills are highly valued by employers and essential for success in both work and everyday life.
General Education courses are organized around broad themes established by the Ministry in the Framework for Programs of Instruction (2009): Arts in Society, Civic Life, Social and Cultural Understanding, Personal Understanding, and Science and Technology. Through these themes, students are encouraged to think critically about issues connected to Truth and Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Environmental Sustainability, and Emerging Technologies. Ultimately, General Education helps you become a more informed, adaptable, and well-rounded individual who is prepared to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.
General Education Themes
Arts in Society
Image: Mural by Philip Cote, Kanaktí:yo Indigenous Gathering Space, Mohawk College Fennell Campus
Arts in Society involves exploring the ways artistic and creative expression reflect, influence, and challenge individuals, cultures, and society. Courses in this theme examine the social-cultural significance of visual art, literature, media, performance, and other forms of creative expression while fostering creativity and cultural awareness. (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).
Civic Life
Civic Life involves an understanding of the systems, institutions, and relationships that shape society and public life at the local, national, and global level. Courses in this theme explore citizenship, rights, freedoms, community participation, and social responsibility within diverse communities (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).
Social & Cultural Understanding
Social and Cultural Understanding involves an examination of the historical and societal forces that shape human experience, relationships, and communities. Courses in this theme examine how history, language, ethnicity, beliefs, traditions, and other social-cultural influences shape society (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).
Personal Understanding
Personal Understanding involves lifelong self-awareness and reflection on the factors that shape who we are and how we think, feel, behave, relate to others, and find meaning in our lives. Courses in this theme explore human nature and the emotional, psychological, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of human experience (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).
Science & Technology
Science and Technology involves exploring the natural world, understanding scientific inquiry, and examining how technological developments shape individuals, society, and the environment. Courses in this theme examine foundational scientific concepts and the broader social, ethical, environmental, and philosophical impacts of emerging technology(Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).
