Comparative cultures requirement?

<p>I recall a fellow student mentioning to me at some point that you can fulfill the NU Core requirement for Comparative Study of Cultures if you have lived abroad after the age of 10. But I can't find anything about this anywhere in the core requirements documentation. Does anyone know anything about this? Perhaps international students have info on this?</p>

<p>found it - but only good in the CCIS school</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/rasala/data/CCIS_ComparativeCultures.pdf”>http://www.northeastern.edu/rasala/data/CCIS_ComparativeCultures.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Comparative Cultures in the College of Computer & Information Science</p>

<p>Every student in the College of Computer & Information Science must satisfy the NU Core Comparative Cultures
requirement. If this requirement is satisfied by taking a course, then the course must be taken from the portion of
the NU Core Master List devoted to Comparative Cultures. To keep this list up-to-date, it is maintained online
rather than in printed form. See:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.neu.edu/registrar/nucorelist.html”>http://www.neu.edu/registrar/nucorelist.html&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>In CCIS, there are also options to satisfy Comparative Cultures by an activity other than taking a course. Here are
some examples.</p>

<p>Option 1: Extended living abroad. A student who has lived in a country other than the United States and Canada
for a period of at least two years and who was at least 10 years old at the time of residence will
automatically satisfy the Comparative Cultures requirement.</p>

<p>Option 2: Extended travel, work, or study abroad. A student may satisfy the Comparative Cultures requirement by
successful participation in an international coop assignment or study abroad program for a period of
six months in a country other than Canada. This activity should have a component that fosters
learning about the culture of the country in which the activity is taking place.</p>

<p>Option 3: Community service. A student may satisfy the Comparative Cultures requirement by completing 100
hours of appropriate community service. The student must file a petition describing the proposed
service and explain why this service will contribute to an understanding of another culture. This
petition must be approved by the Undergraduate Committee before the work begins. Upon
completion of the service, the student must file a report describing the work done together with
independent verification that the work was in fact completed.</p>

<p>These options cover the most common alternatives for satisfying the Comparative Cultures requirement without
taking a course. However, the college is willing to consider for approval other proposals in the same spirit.</p>

<p>In all cases, appropriate documentation must be provided if a student seeks to satisfy the Comparative Cultures
requirement by an alternative mechanism.</p>

<p>Thanks. The guy I was talking to was in CCIS.</p>

<p>But my international co-op would count for the requirement if I were in CCIS but not in COS??? That’s ridiculous! I thought the point of the core requirements is that they were university-wide, not college-specific. There is a class I really want to take next spring, but I can’t because I have to fulfill the comparative cultures requirement.</p>

<p>Do you think I’d stand any chance of trying to get them to let me count this?</p>

<p>I think your international co-op is good in any school - as long as you have a domestic co-op which will satisfy your experiential learning requirement - I would check with your advisor - this is what they say in the Northeastern curriculum guide <a href=“http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/courses/cat1314-acad-intro.pdf”>http://www.northeastern.edu/registrar/courses/cat1314-acad-intro.pdf&lt;/a&gt; (page 44)</p>

<p>NU Core and Major Requirements
An NU-sponsored study-abroad experience (traditional term at a
host institution, short-term global experience, faculty-led program,
or N.U.in term) may fulfill the NU Core requirement for
comparative study of cultures or experiential learning. A student
cannot fulfill both the comparative study of cultures requirement
and any other NU Core requirement by taking a single course (or
completing a single global experience). Thus, each student
successfully completing an approved program could elect to use it
to satisfy either the comparative cultures or experiential learning
NU Core requirement but could not satisfy both requirements with
one experience. Some majors have additional requirements for
global experience, as described in the curriculum guides for
specific majors presented later in this catalog. </p>

<p>also, when you run your degree audit the course is listed only as coop work experience - it has no way of knowing it was an international coop.</p>

<p>I asked my advisor awhile back, and this was the response I got: “Since study abroad is different from co-op, as it doesn’t have as large of an academic component, it will not fulfill that requirement, unfortunately.”</p>

<p>But given the CCIS requirements, that seems like a BS answer.</p>

<p>Here is what I would do - ask a different advisor - either your honors advisor, or coop advisor, or the faculty member who clears graduation requirements for your major (this one would be the critical person) , or the chair of the department for your major… and get it in writing (email writing that is).</p>

<p>I don’t think the major/faculty advisor would be the one to go, since they only deal with major requirements and direct you to the general academic advisor for other requirements. That was who I got that email from. Pretty sure that’s the only one with the power on that front, so I’m not sure who else to ask.</p>

<p>well, try your coop advisor or the honors advisor- it is worth a try</p>