Dec 02, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Basic Knowledge of an Educated Person (B1-3, C1-2, D1-3, E)


Students complete these courses to gain a foundation of knowledge to power their exploration and integration of many fields of study.  At the end, students will have self-knowledge and awareness, and master the fundamentals of science, arts and letters, and the forces that shape the individual and modern society through which they will travel their lives.

Learning Goals for Science (B1, B2, B3) Courses

Science is a continuous and adaptive process through which we discover and communicate how the natural world works, separate fact from inference, and establish testable hypotheses. All students should sufficiently master essential quantitative and qualitative skills that are necessary to understand scientific knowledge and methods. Students should be able to incorporate scientific knowledge into the workplace and everyday life experiences.

Students should be able to:

  1. use the methods of science and knowledge derived from current scientific inquiry in life or physical science to question existing explanations;
  2. demonstrate ways in which science influences and is influenced by complex societies, including political and moral issues; and
  3. recognize methods of science, in which quantitative, analytical reasoning techniques are used.

Learning Goals for Arts  (C1) Courses

The Arts and Letters disciplines provide knowledge and understanding of significant works of the human intellect and imagination. All students will examine the interaction of analytical and creative processes in the production and perception of such works, and the significance of the historical and cultural contexts in which the works are created and interpreted. Courses should enable students to participate in social and cultural communities associated with artistic and literary endeavors, enriching their personal and professional lives.

Students will be able to:

  1. recognize aesthetic qualities and processes that characterize works of the human intellect and imagination;
  2. respond to works of art both analytically (in writing) and effectively (in writing or through other forms of personal and artistic expression); and
  3. write clearly and effectively.

Learning Goals for Letters (C2) Courses

Students will be able to:

  1. recognize how significant works illuminate enduring human concerns;
  2. respond to such works writing both research-based critical analyses and personal responses; and
  3. write clearly and effectively.

Learning Goals for Social Sciences (D1-3) Courses

Social Science courses increase the student’s understanding of human behavior and social interaction in the context of value systems, economic structures, political institutions, social groups, and natural environments.

Students will be able to:

  1. place contemporary developments in cultural, historical, environmental, and spatial contexts;
  2. identify the dynamics of ethnic, cultural, gender/sexual, age-based, class, regional, national, transnational, and global identities and the similarities, differences, linkages, and interactions between them; and
  3. evaluate social science information, draw on different points of view, and formulate applications appropriate to contemporary social issues.

Learning Goals for Human Behavior Courses (D1)

Students will be able to recognize the interaction of social institutions, culture, and environment with the behavior of individuals.

Learning Goals for Comparative Systems, Cultures and Environments Courses (D2)

Students will be able to compare and contrast two or more ethnic groups, cultures, regions, nations, or social systems.

Learning Goals for Social Issues Courses (D3)

Students will be able to apply multidisciplinary material to a topic relevant to policy and social action at the local, national, and/or international levels.

Learning Goals for Human Understanding and Development Courses (E)

Students shall:

  1. recognize the physiological, social/cultural, and psychological influences on their well-being;
  2. recognize the interrelation of the physiological, social/cultural, and psychological factors on their development across the lifespan;
  3. use appropriate social skills to enhance learning and develop positive interpersonal relationships with diverse groups and individuals; and
  4. recognize themselves as individuals undergoing a particular stage of human development, how their well being is affected by the university’s academic and social systems, and how they can facilitate their development within the university environment.