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The Cal Poly Pomona (CPP) General Education (GE) requirements have been designed to complement the major program and electives completed by each baccalaureate candidate to ensure that graduates have made noteworthy progress toward becoming broadly educated persons who will function as intelligent, active, and creative members of their community.
GE courses provide students with a broad intellectual foundation to enhance their potential for success. GE courses shall reflect the wide array of disciplines available, and departments are encouraged to submit courses for multiple GE areas. In recognition of the complexity of knowledge, these areas are defined with open and inclusive terms to encourage submission of courses that enrich the student learning experience. Departments are required to offer these courses at least once every five years, otherwise they will lose their GE designation.
As directed by EO 1100 CSU General Education Breadth Requirements, the Academic Assessment Committee develops a set of broad learning outcomes (SLOs) for the GE Program as a whole “to fit within the framework of the four Essential Learning Outcomes drawn from the Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) campaign”. The Office of Academic Programs develops an assessment plan as recommended by EO 1100 article 6.2.5 and in collaboration with the Program Review Committee develops a periodic program review of the GE program, comparable to major programs.
Meaning and Purpose of General Education
The GE experience asks that students and faculty in our inclusive polytechnic community engage a breadth of subjects to encourage intellectual flexibility, empathy, creativity, curiosity, and rigor. The learning that takes place in GE supplements and complements the academic major. GE brings together diverse ways of knowing and doing to strengthen foundational skills, drive innovation, and adapt to new opportunities. Furthermore, it enables us to develop a deep understanding of one’s self and respect for the complex identities of others, and to face the critical and ethical decisions we encounter throughout our lives.
Minimum Grades in General Education
Effective for new and returning students admitted fall 2015 or later, a grade of C- or better is required of each Cal Poly Pomona or transfer student completing courses in written communication in the English language (GE Sub-area A2), oral communication in the English language (GE Sub-area A1), critical thinking (GE Sub-area A3), and mathematics/quantitative reasoning (GE Sub-area B4).
General Education - Approved Coursework
Courses are approved by the Campus Academic Senate by area to meet the university general education program requirements. Coursework in General Education should not be taken without a specific curricular goal. Many degree programs recommend specific GE courses which also meet their degree requirements. Such departments will list these courses in their degree curriculum layouts and in their catalog section. Special Topics courses (those numbered 4990) are not eligible for GE credit. Students should consult with advisors in their major department. Undeclared students should consult with the staff of the Bronco Advising Center, Student Services Building, 1st Floor (Blue Counter).
The framework, guidelines, and coursework approved to meet general education requirements may change subsequent to the publication of this catalog. Students who change majors or otherwise have a break in status may find that they are subject to new degree requirements. Careful academic and career planning is essential.
In the University General Education pattern, which is open to all undergraduates, students select courses in five areas: English Language Communication and Critical Thinking, Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning, Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Lifelong Learning and Self-development. The University General Education pattern gives students an introduction to a wide variety of disciplines and teaching modes.
Students must complete a minimum of nine semester units of upper division general education which may be taken no sooner than the semester in which the student achieves upper division status. Nine semester units of the total general education program must be completed in residence at Cal Poly Pomona.
Courses listed as a sequence should be taken in order. For example, in the sequence MAT 1140 -MAT 1150 , MAT 1140 should be completed before taking MAT 1150 . Each course in the sequence counts as one course toward meeting general education requirements.
Questions related to general education requirements should be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Studies and General Education, Building 121.
General Education Unit Distribution
Beginning fall 2018 all undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona must satisfy the general education requirements with a minimum and a maximum of 48 semester units, including 9 units of upper division synthesis courses.
Lower division courses only shall be approved for the lower division GE Areas (The 9 upper division units shall be taken within the CSU to fulfill the CSU residency requirement.) EO 1100 2.2.2a says that a grade of C- (minus) or better is required in the “golden four’ courses A1, A2, A3 and B4. In 2.2.5a EO 1100 says that a university may waive one or more of the requirements of Title 5 and that the university must have a clearly stated policy regarding such waivers.
Area A. English Language Communication and Critical Thinking (9 units)
At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. Oral Communication
2. Written Communication
3. Critical Thinking
Area B. Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (12 units)
At least 3 units from B1, B2, B4, and B5 including 1 unit of lab from B1 or B2 to fulfill B3
1. Physical Sciences
2. Life Sciences
3. Laboratory Activity
4. Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning
5. Science and Technology Synthesis (upper division)
Area C. Arts and Humanities (12 units)
At least 3 units from each sub-area and 3 additional units from sub-area 1 and/or 2
1. Visual and Performing Arts
2. Literature, Modern Languages, Philosophy and Civilization
3. Arts and Humanities Synthesis (upper division)
Area D. Social Sciences (9 units)
At least 3 units from each sub-area
1. U.S. History American Ideals
2. U.S. Constitution and California Government
4. Social Science Synthesis (upper division)
Area E. Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (3 units)
Area F. Ethnic Studies (3 units)
General Education Student Learning Outcomes
- Oral Communication: Students will express their ideas through acts of speech with an awareness of audience, purpose, and context.
- Written Communication: Students will express their ideas through the written word with an awareness of audience, purpose, and form.
- Critical Thinking: Students will engage in the logical process of inquiry to analyze information from multiple perspectives to develop reasoned arguments.
- Quantitative Literacy: Students will use quantitative information to draw inferences and communicate informed arguments.
- Information Literacy: Students will responsibly identify, locate, and critically evaluate the array of information sources and voices necessary to engage in sound inquiry.
- Civic Literacy: Students will apply civic knowledge, associated with historical structures of power, to self-discovery and responsibility to the community.
- Intercultural Engagement: Students will integrate knowledge and relationships reflective of the diversity of human experience and forms of expression.
Area A English Language Communication and Critical Thinking (9 semester units)
Students are required to take a minimum of nine semester units in communication in the English language, to include both oral communication (subarea A1) and written communication (subarea A2), and in critical thinking (subarea Area A3).
A1: Oral Communication (3 semester units)
Students taking a course in fulfillment of subarea A1 will develop knowledge and understanding of the form, content, context, and effectiveness of oral communication. Students will develop proficiency in oral communication in English, examining communication from the rhetorical perspective and practicing reasoning and advocacy, organization, and accuracy. Students will practice the discovery, critical evaluation, and reporting of information, as well as reading and listening effectively. Coursework must include active participation and practice in oral communication in English including exploration, development, understanding, and use of visual communication media and skills.
A2: Written Communication (3 semester units)
Students taking a course in fulfillment of subarea A2 will develop knowledge and understanding of the form, content, context, and effectiveness of written communication. Students will develop proficiency in written communication in English, examining communication from the rhetorical perspective and practicing reasoning and advocacy, organization, and accuracy. Students will practice the discovery, critical evaluation, and reporting of information, as well as reading and writing effectively. Coursework must include considerable active participation and practice in written communication in English.
A3: Critical Thinking (3 semester units)
In critical thinking courses, students will understand logic and its relation to language; elementary inductive and deductive processes, including an understanding of the formal and informal fallacies of language and thought; and the ability to distinguish matters of fact from issues of judgment or opinion. In A3 courses, students will develop the abilities to analyze, criticize, and advocate ideas; to reason inductively and deductively; and to reach well supported factual or judgmental conclusions.
Area B Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning (12 semester units)
Instruction approved for fulfillment of this requirement is intended to develop knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about living and non-living systems. Students will achieve an understanding and appreciation of scientific principles and the scientific method, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with human inquiry.
Students are required to fulfill each subarea B1, B2, B3, B4, and B5, as defined below. A student can satisfy the B3 requirement by either completing a B1 or B2 course with an integrated laboratory component or an independent laboratory course. Students shall complete the lower division requirements in Area B (1, 2, 3, and 4) before taking their upper division B5 course.
B1: Physical Sciences (3 semester units)
Courses in this area will allow students to develop knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about non-living systems. Students will achieve an understanding and appreciation of scientific principles and the scientific method, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with human inquiry. This area will also require quantitative and critical reasoning skills. Courses in this area will be investigative and not purely descriptive or historical.Where applicable, scientific contributions from various cultures of the world will be included.
B2: Life Sciences (3 semester units)
Courses in this area will allow students to develop knowledge of scientific theories, concepts, and data about living systems. Students will achieve an understanding and appreciation of scientific principles and the scientific method, as well as the potential limits of scientific endeavors and the value systems and ethics associated with human inquiry. This area will also require quantitative and critical reasoning skills. Courses in this area will be investigative and not purely descriptive or historical. Where applicable, scientific contributions from various cultures of the world will be included.
B3: Laboratory Activity (0 semester unit)
Courses in this area will require the student to reinforce principles learned in either physical sciences or life sciences sub areas. A student can satisfy the B3 requirement by either completing a B1 or B2 course with an integrated laboratory component or an independent laboratory course. Courses in this area also include writing as an integral part of the process of learning and discovery.
B4: Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (3 semester units)
Through courses in subarea B4 students shall demonstrate the abilities to reason quantitatively, practice computational skills, and explain and apply mathematical or quantitative reasoning concepts to solve problems. Courses in this subarea shall include a prerequisite reflective only of skills and knowledge required in the course.
Courses in this subarea will require the student to use basic mathematical skills to develop mathematical reasoning, investigative and problem-solving abilities, including applications from/to real life situations. Students will not only practice computational skills, but will also be able to explain and apply basic mathematical concepts and solve problems using quantitative methods. In addition to traditional mathematics, courses in subarea B4 may include computer science, personal finance, statistics or discipline-based mathematics or quantitative reasoning courses, for example.
B5: Science and Technology Synthesis (Upper division, 3 semester units)
Courses in this area shall deal both with the relationship between science, technology, and civilization and with the effect science and technology have on culture and human values. Synthesis courses in this area are essentially integrative in nature, incorporating the application and generalization of basic scientific or quantitative knowledge from the foundational courses to real world or practical problems.
Students must complete the lower division GE requirements in Area A (A1, A2, and A3) and Area B (B1, B2, B3, and B4) before enrolling in the upper division B5 course. Courses satisfying the requirements for B5 may have prerequisites in specific disciplines included in Area B (not specific courses) as long as the total number of units required as prerequisites does not exceed the minimum number of units to satisfy the lower division GE requirement (e.g. only the first semester of a sequence can be required).
Area C Art and Humanities (12 semester units)
Courses in the traditional humanistic disciplines enable students to develop their intellect, imagination, and sensitivity. Instruction in these subareas will demonstrate the continuity between historical and contemporary life as well as the relationships among the arts, the humanistic disciplines, self and society. Courses will reflect the contributions to knowledge and civilization that have been made by both men and women, and by different cultural groups in the world. In this pursuit, students shall cultivate and refine their affective, cognitive, and physical faculties through studying great works of the human imagination. In their intellectual and subjective considerations, students will develop a better understanding of the interrelationship between themselves, the creative arts and the humanities in a variety of cultures. Students will complete at least are required to take one course from each subarea, C1, C2, and C3; and one additional course (3 units) from subarea C1 or C2. Area C pathway for transfer students will follow the standard EO 1100R policy.
C1: Visual and Performing Arts (3 semester units)
Courses will enable students to experience and appreciate visual and performing arts in relation to the realms of creativity, imagination, visualization, and feeling that explore the meaning of what it is to be human. Courses shall include active participation in aesthetic and creative experience. Students will understand how disciplined, individual creativity and visualization could produce objects and models that are obviously useful or practical, and also clarify, intensify, and enlarge the human experience. Courses will provide a sense of the values that inform artistic expression and performance and their interrelationships with human society.
C2: Literature, Modern Languages, Philosophy and Civilization (3 semester units)
Literature and modern languages courses in this area will provide students with an appreciation of languages and literature, underscoring both the relationships between culture and language and the significance of literature in the interpretation of culture. Students in literature and foreign languages will better understand the implication of great creative writings and communicative customs and traditions of particular cultures. Instruction in these courses will deepen students’ appreciation of enduring works of literature and of the contributions of diverse cultures to our literary and linguistic heritage. Courses in languages other than English shall not focus solely on skills acquisition but also contain a substantial cultural component. This may include literature, among other content.
Philosophy and civilization courses in this area will provide students with an understanding of the values that make a civilized and humane society possible. Courses will enable students to critically examine the philosophical ideas and theories around which different civilizations have been organized and explore the complex developments of those civilizations. In the study of philosophy, students will come to understand and appreciate the principles, methodologies, and thought processes employed in human inquiry. Courses should promote the capacity to make informed and responsible moral choices as well as encouraging a broad historical understanding.
C3: Arts and Humanities Synthesis (upper division, 3 semester units)
Courses in this area shall emphasize the humanistic or expressive aspects of culture. Synthesis offerings should provide temporal and cultural context that will illuminate contemporary thought and behavior-global, regional, and local - showing the bonds between the past, present, and future.
Students shall complete the lower division GE requirements in Area A1, A2, A3 and B4 and Area C (C1 and C2), before taking their upper division C3 course. Courses satisfying the requirements for C3 may have prerequisites that are GE approved courses in specific disciplines (not specific courses) as long as the total number of units required as prerequisites does not exceed the minimum number of units to satisfy the lower division GE requirement (e.g. only the first semester of a sequence can be required).
Area D Social Sciences (9 semester units)
Students will learn from courses in multiple disciplines that human social, political, and economic institutions as well as history and human behavior are inextricably interwoven. Through fulfillment of the Area D requirement, students will develop an understanding of problems and issues from the respective disciplinary perspectives and will examine issues in their contemporary as well as historical settings and in a variety of cultural contexts. Students will explore the principles, methodologies, value systems, and ethics employed in social scientific inquiry. Courses that emphasize skills development and professional preparation shall not be included in Area D. Students must complete at least two lower division courses in two different disciplines (i.e. the 3 lower division area D courses cannot be completed in one disciple).
Students are required to take one course from each subarea, D1, D2, and D4. Students who complete the IGE course sequence are exempt from this requirement since the IGE program by its very nature provides the necessary breadth. EO 1100 says in 2.2.6.2 campuses may include the United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40404) in general education. This statute is met at Cal Poly Pomona by courses that satisfy these requirements as outlined in Executive Order 1061 and divided into D1 and D2 as follows:
D1: U.S. History and American Ideals (3 semester units)
The GE Subarea provides partial fulfillment of the United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40404,) outlined in Executive Order 1061,Paragraph I, A as follows:
Any course or examination which addresses the historical development of American institutions and ideals must include all of the subject matter elements identified in the following subparagraphs of this paragraph. Nothing contained herein is intended to prescribe the total content or structure of any course.
1. Significant events covering a minimum time span of approximately one hundred years occurring in the entire area now included in the United States of America, including the relationships of regions within that area and with external regions and powers as appropriate to the understanding of those events within the United States during the period under study.
2. The role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and the contexts in which the events have occurred.
3. The events presented within a framework which illustrates the continuity of the American experience and its derivation from other cultures including consideration of three or more of the following: politics, economics, social movements, and geography.
D2: US Constitution and California Government (3 semester units)
The GE Subarea provides partial fulfillment of the United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40404) as outlined in Executive Order 1061, Paragraph I, B as follows:
Any course or examination which addresses the Constitution of the United States, the operation of representative democratic government under that Constitution, and the process of California State and local government must address all of the subject matter elements identified in the following subparagraph of this paragraph. Nothing contained herein is intended to prescribe the total content or structure of any course.
1. The political philosophies of the framers of the Constitution and the nature and operation of United States political institutions and processes under that Constitution as amended and interpreted.
2. The rights and obligations of citizens in the political system established under the Constitution.
3. The Constitution of the State of California within the framework of evolution of Federal- State relations and the nature and processes of State and local government under that Constitution. Contemporary relationships of State and local government with the Federal government, the resolution of conflicts and the establishment of cooperative processes under the constitutions of both the State and nation, and the political processes involved.
D4: Social Science Synthesis (upper division, 3 semester units):
Courses in this area shall focus on either a deeper or broader understanding of a set of concepts and their application in the solution of a variety of specific social problems. Courses shall take a more integrative approach and examine the historical development and cross-cultural distribution of patterns of social behavior as well as different theories and approaches in the field.
Students shall complete the lower division GE requirements in A1, A2, A3 and B4 and Area D (D1 and D2), before taking their upper division D4 course. Courses satisfying the requirements for D4 may have prerequisites that are GE approved courses in specific disciplines (not specific courses) as long as the total number of units required as prerequisites does not exceed the minimum number of units to satisfy the lower division GE requirement (e.g. only the first semester of a sequence can be required).
Area E Lifelong Learning and Self Development (3 semester units)
The content of courses to fulfill Area E is designed to equip learners for lifelong understanding and development of themselves as integrated physiological, social, and psychological beings. Student learning in this area shall include selective consideration of content such as human behavior, sexuality, nutrition, physical and mental health, stress management, information literacy and student success strategies, social relationships and relationships with the environment, as well as implications of death and dying and avenues for lifelong learning. Physical activity may be included, provided that it is an integral part of the study elements described herein. Courses in this area, according to EO 1100, shall be lower division only.
Area F: Ethnic Studies (3 semester units)
This 3-unit requirement fulfills Education Code Section 89032. The requirement to take a 3-unit course in Area F shall not be waived or substituted. To be approved for this requirement, courses shall have the EWS prefix. Courses without an ethnic studies prefix may meet this requirement if cross-listed with an EWS course. Courses that are approved to meet this requirement shall meet at least 3 of the 5 following core competencies. Campuses may add additional competencies to those listed.
- Analyze and articulate concepts such as race and racism, racialization, ethnicity, equity, ethno-centrism, eurocentrism, white supremacy, self-determination, liberation, decolonization, sovereignty, imperialism, settler colonialism, and anti-racism as analyzed in any one or more of the following: Native American Studies, African American Studies, Asian American Studies, and Latina and Latino American Studies.
- Apply theory and knowledge produced by Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino American communities to describe the critical events, histories, cultures, intellectual traditions, contributions, lived-experiences and social struggles of those groups with a particular emphasis on agency and group-affirmation.
- Critically analyze the intersection of race and racism as they relate to class, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, national origin, immigration status, ability, tribal citizenship, sovereignty, language, and/or age in Native American, African American, Asian American, and/or Latina and Latino American communities.
- Critically review how struggle, resistance, racial and social justice, solidarity, and liberation, as experienced and enacted by Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans and/or Latina and Latino Americans are relevant to current and structural issues such as communal, national, international, and transnational politics as, for example, in immigration, reparations, settler-colonialism, multiculturalism, language policies.
- Describe and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-colonial issues and the practices and movements in Native American, African American, Asian American and/or Latina and Latino communities and a just and equitable society.
General Education Meaningful Writing Component
All General Education requirements must include a meaningful writing component as defined by the Academic Senate in 2006:
Courses with a meaningful writing component must make use of written work to help students reflect upon ideas, analyze concepts, and explore relationships of concepts to one another. The written work must help students deepen their understanding of particular fields, enabling them to create meaning out of raw data and helping them express that meaning intelligibly to others. Written assignments must be structured to help students achieve specific course outcomes, and the students must receive feedback on their written work during - not solely at the end - of the [semester] of instruction.
Interdisciplinary Synthesis Courses
An interdisciplinary synthesis course integrates two or more of the Areas B, C, and D. Prior to taking one of these courses, students must complete all lower-division courses in Area A and at least two sub-areas from the areas being integrated by an interdisciplinary synthesis course.
Each interdisciplinary synthesis course can be used to satisfy the requirement in any one of the areas integrated. For example, a B5/D4 course satisfies either B5 or D4 (not both areas). Students must fulfill all three synthesis areas (science and technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences).
Interdisciplinary General Education (IGE)
IGE is an emphasis within the GE program where students can satisfy up to 18 units of University GE requirements. The Interdisciplinary General Education curriculum provides an integrated, interdisciplinary, discussion-based approach to learning about the humanities, social sciences, and arts and prepares students to lead socially responsible, productive, and satisfying lives in a changing diverse world. Seminar-style, active-learning classes reinforce core skills across a breadth of areas. The more courses students take in the IGE emphasis, the richer their experience. While students are encouraged to take as many courses that they would like, each individual course is designed to welcome all students regardless of whether they’ve taken an IGE course before.
Please consult the Interdisciplinary General Education and website for more information.
Transfer Students and GE Certification
Community college transfer students should be aware that many courses on the Cal Poly Pomona General Education list are also major department entrance or prerequisite requirements and will still have to be taken to meet degree requirements. Therefore, even if they may be certified by their community colleges as having met all (or most) CSU lower division general education requirements, or have met GE requirements prior to change of major, they may need to take additional courses to satisfy prerequisites for the major. For example, students may have met the quantitative reasoning requirement by taking a trigonometry course at the community college, or at Cal Poly Pomona, and be so certified. This will not meet the calculus requirement for engineering, which also meets the Cal Poly Pomona GE quantitative reasoning requirement. Calculus will still have to be taken. Such “excess” coursework will be given as “elective credit.” Some transfer students without a complete GE certification may be partially certified by their community colleges as having met the CSU General Education quantitative reasoning requirement with coursework which does not meet the Cal Poly Pomona Mathematics proficiency requirement. Such students will also have to take coursework to meet this graduation requirement.
Transfer students may satisfy CSU lower division General Education requirements through certification of courses that satisfy the CSU General Education-Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). Contact your community college counselor for more details.
American Institutions Graduation Requirement
The American Institutions graduation requirement, as mandated in Title 5, Section 40404, requires students to satisfy coursework in United States History, U. S. Constitution, and California State and local government.
U.S. History and American Institutions (Part A)
The partial fulfillment of the United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40404,) outlined in Executive Order 1061,Paragraph I, A as follows:
Any course or examination which addresses the historical development of American institutions and ideals must include all of the subject matter elements identified in the following subparagraphs of this paragraph. Nothing contained herein is intended to prescribe the total content or structure of any course.
1. Significant events covering a minimum time span of approximately one hundred years occurring in the entire area now included in the United States of America, including the relationships of regions within that area and with external regions and powers as appropriate to the understanding of those events within the United States during the period under study.
2. The role of major ethnic and social groups in such events and the contexts in which the events have occurred.
3. The events presented within a framework which illustrates the continuity of the American experience and its derivation from other cultures including consideration of three or more of the following: politics, economics, social movements, and geography.
The requirement is satisfied with the completion of HST 2201 (D1), HST 2202 (D1), HST 3340 (C3), IGE 2150 (D1), IGE 2250 (D1) at CPP, or approved transfer/exam credit.
U.S. Constitution and California Government (Part B)
The partial fulfillment of the United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals Requirement (Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 40404) as outlined in Executive Order 1061, Paragraph I, B as follows:
Any course or examination which addresses the Constitution of the United States, the operation of representative democratic government under that Constitution, and the process of California State and local government must address all of the subject matter elements identified in the following subparagraph of this paragraph. Nothing contained herein is intended to prescribe the total content or structure of any course.
1. The political philosophies of the framers of the Constitution and the nature and operation of United States political institutions and processes under that Constitution as amended and interpreted.
2. The rights and obligations of citizens in the political system established under the Constitution.
3. The Constitution of the State of California within the framework of the evolution of Federal-State relations and the nature and processes of State and local government under that Constitution. Contemporary relationships of State and local government with the Federal government, the resolution of conflicts and the establishment of cooperative processes under the constitutions of both the State and nation and the political processes involved.
The requirement is satisfied with the completion of PLS 2010 (D2) or PLS 4205 (D4) at CPP, or approved transfer/exam credit. Students with U.S. Government coursework are required to pass the California Government Exam or complete PLS 4811 (D4) to satisfy the U.S. Constitution and California Government (Part B) requirement.
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