Approved MQR, PBS, and Humanities and Social Sciences Courses

In the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP), in order for a class to count toward a Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning, Physical and Biological Sciences, or Humanities/Social Sciences requirement, the class must be classified as such by a college at Cornell. If so, the classification coding will be included in its course description in Courses of Study with the possible exception of foreign language classes (see key below). Some classes may have more than one classification. Please note that a class cannot be applied toward more than one requirement regardless of whether it has more than one approved classification. In addition, the class must be taken for three or more credits and a letter grade.

Please refer to this classification coding key for course enrollment planning purposes:

AAP Requirement Area	Approved Classification Codes
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning	MQR-AAP, MQR-AS, MQR-HE
Physical and Biological Sciences	BIO-AG, BIOLS-AG, BIONLS-AG, OPHLS-AG, PBS, PBS-AS, PBS-HE, PBSS-AS
Humanities and Social Sciences
Cultural Analysis	CA-AAP, CA-AG, CA-AS, CA-HE
Foreign Language	Foreign language courses are not generally coded, but information about Cornell’s language offerings can be found on the Language Study at Cornell page of this catalog.
Historical Analysis	HA-AAP, HA-AG, HA-AS, HA-HE
Knowledge, Cognition, and Moral Reasoning	KCM-AAP, KCM-AG, KCM-AS, KCM-HE
Literature and the Arts	LA-AAP, LA-AG, LA-AS, LAD-HE
Social and Behavioral Analysis	SBA-AAP, SBA-AG, SBA-AS, SBA-HE

AAP students should refer to the following AAP definitions for the Humanities and Social Sciences categories:

AAP Definition of Humanities and Social Sciences Categories

Cultural Analysis
Courses in this area study human life in particular cultural contexts through interpretive analysis of individual behavior, discourse, and social practice. Topics include belief systems (science, medicine, religion), expressive arts and symbolic behavior (visual arts, performance, poetry, myth, narrative, ritual), identity (nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality), social groups and institutions (family, market, community), power and politics (states, colonialism, inequality).

Foreign Language
Courses in this area are taught in the College of Arts and Sciences by the following departments: Africana Studies and Research Center, Asian Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, German Studies, Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, and Romance Studies.

Historical Analysis
Courses in this group interpret continuities and changes—political, social, economic, diplomatic, religious, intellectual, artistic, scientific—through time. The focus may be on groups of people, dominant or subordinate, a specific country or region, an event, a process, or a time period.

Knowledge, Cognition, and Moral Reasoning
Offerings in this area investigate the bases of human knowledge in its broadest sense, ranging from cognitive faculties shared by humans and animals such as perception, to abstract reasoning, to the ability to form and justify moral judgments. Courses investigating the sources, structure, and limits of cognition may use the methodologies of science, cognitive psychology, linguistics, or philosophy. Courses focusing on moral reasoning explore ways of reflecting on ethical questions that concern the nature of justice, the good life, or human values in general.

Literature and the Arts
Offerings in this area explore literature and the arts in two different but related ways. Some courses focus on the critical study of artworks and on their history, aesthetics, and theory. These courses develop skills of reading, observing, and hearing and encourage reflection on such experiences; many investigate the interplay among individual achievement, artistic tradition, and historical context. Other courses are devoted to the production and performance of artworks (in creative writing, performing arts, and media such as film and video).

Social and Behavioral Analysis
Courses in this area examine human life in its social context through the use of social scientific methods, often including hypothesis testing, scientific sampling techniques, and statistical analysis. Topics studied range from the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of individuals to interpersonal relations between individuals (e.g., in friendship, love, conflict) to larger social organizations (e.g., the family, society, religious or educational or civic institutions, the economy, government) to the relationships and conflicts among groups or individuals (e.g., discrimination, inequality, prejudice, stigmas, conflict resolution). Please note that DEA 1500 can be applied toward the SBA requirement.