September 2008 UMD General Education Program Draft Outline with Criteria
This new draft outline of the proposed General Education Program reflects input from last April's Public Forum, a LE Task Force retreat this past July, and many responses from various constituencies around the UMD campus. Read it over and blog a reaction.
UMD General Education Program
Draft Outline with Criteria
September 2008
The proposed UMD General Education Program has three parts. The first part expands an emphasis on written and oral communication skills, including information literacy. Part two reorganizes the knowledge domains to offer students experience with various modes of inquiry. Part three expects students to bring together knowledge and skill to study three key contemporary issues.
In this draft, proposed criteria for all components of the plan, with the exception of the Writing & Information Literacy portion of Part 1, are included.
General Recommendations
• The Task Force recommends a focused effort to re-commit our faculty, staff and students to the importance and value of a liberal education, both in terms of pedagogy and advising. Emulation of national trends and current best practices will be encouraged.
• To be considered for inclusion in the new liberal education curriculum, all courses will be resubmitted for approval. Course proposals should clearly show that the course satisfies the new criteria for the General Education Program.
Proposed Criteria for all General Education courses
Courses approved for general education credit will---
o Be suitable for a wide spectrum of students
o Be taught by those familiar with the goals and methods of teaching liberal education courses
o Make use of active learning strategies, including those which require writing, speaking, and accessing information beyond that provided in the course textbook and assigned readings
o Help students to understand the nature and value of a liberal education and to recognize how the course in question contributes to such an education
o Be offered at the 1000-, 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level
o Be offered regularly (at least once a year)
I. Writing, Information Literacy, and Oral Communication Skills
WRITING Writing Studies 1120
Writing Studies XXXX
The Task Force recommends that the existing introductory writing class, WRIT 1120, be followed with a second course preferably within the student’s first two years of study. Programs will identify an additional upper division course or courses within the major that provide additional writing experience.
The process of creating the details of the above portion of the new draft General Education program is not complete. Course criteria will be developed at a later date to suit the agreed-upon writing sequence.
ORAL COMMUNICATION 1 Course selected from a variety
of courses across several disciplines
The oral communication requirement redefines the current Category 3 by recommending that all courses approved for this area provide instruction in formal and/or informal oral communication.
These courses emphasize the theory and practice of oral communication in a variety of settings – one on one, small groups, and/or formal and informal presentations to larger groups. The courses emphasize effective spoken communication of ideas related to a broad range of subjects and/or to a specific area of study. General education courses in oral communication teach the fundamentals of oral communication which can be adapted for use in any field, including listening respectfully and critically, explaining points clearly, asking questions to gain understanding, and adapting messages for different audiences and contexts.
Through a variety of assigned and evaluated oral communication activities, such as those listed below, these courses must provide instruction and feedback for students in order to increase their competence in spoken communication.
Criteria for Oral Communication courses
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses, courses approved for general education credit in Oral Communication will:
o Examine the thought processes necessary to organize speech content
o Analyze components of effective delivery and language
o Analyze ways in which oral communication is amplified or inhibited by non-verbal forms of communication
o Require students to demonstrate, through at least two assignments in formal and/or informal settings, the ability to communicate information and ideas effectively to groups and/or individuals. These assignments should include critical evaluation and feedback and account for at least 20% of the students’ final grade.
Assignments that can satisfy this requirement include, but are not limited to:
o Group presentations-- incorporating individual presentations
o Facilitating/Participating in group discussions and community gatherings
o Chapter/Section presentations to class
o Individual presentations/Speeches-- formal/informal
o Panel discussions
o Engaging in outreach activities that incorporate oral communication skills (e.g., community teaching, coaching, presenting)
o Various forms of interviews/interrogations
o Press conference
o Various persuasion/influence appeals (e.g., sales presentations, solicitations, motivational presentations)
o Individual creative/aesthetic performances (e.g., storytelling, performance of literature, interpretations and readings, stage performance)
o Debates (individual and team)
o Critiques of and responses to others' performance, presentations.
II. Knowledge Domains – Ways of Knowing
All UMD students complete general education courses in the four major knowledge domains. In addition to content intrinsic to each of these areas, these courses will introduce students to the principle modes of inquiry within each domain.
By reducing the number of categories from ten to four, and by requiring that knowledge domain courses discuss the multiple ways in which scholars and researchers acquire knowledge in these broad areas of intellectual inquiry, the new general education curriculum substantively revises the distribution model upon which the current UMD Liberal Education program is based.
Criteria for all Knowledge Domain-Ways of Knowing courses
In addition to meeting the criteria for all general education courses, courses approved for credit for the knowledge domains will—
o Identify the established modes of inquiry within the knowledge domain and explore some of the various ways in which scholars/researchers/practitioners investigate, test, and create knowledge
o Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the particular knowledge domain
o Explain how knowledge in the domain is professionally validated and enters the public realm and with what effect
o Point out connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
o Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of major ideas in the field
o Courses approved for Knowledge Domains may come from a variety of departments and may involve instructors from more than one department or collegiate unit.
THE NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATH (2 courses, different designators)
Natural Sciences
The natural sciences focus on the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theory of natural phenomena. Disciplines that typically are included in this domain are biology, chemistry and biochemistry, the geological sciences, astronomy, the environmental sciences, and physics.
General education courses in the natural sciences teach students how to formulate and test scientific hypotheses, interpret experimentally obtained data, and draw conclusions from the data. They also create a link between scientific ideas and problems that arise in the everyday world.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses and the Criteria for Knowledge Domain-Ways of Knowing Courses, courses approved for general education credit in the natural sciences will:
o Focus on content appropriate for the natural sciences
o Familiarize students with the scientific method by actively engaging them in the process of objectively developing and empirically testing hypotheses
o Address the variety of ways by which scientists arrive at, develop, and test ideas about the natural world, including the distinction between statistical distribution of patterns, testing of hypotheses using experiments, and the development of theory to guide experiments and observations, and the distinction between prediction, statistical analysis, and experimental data in drawing conclusions about cause and effect
o Help students to understand how established scientific methods and accepted theories have developed historically out of a process of discovery, debate, and consensus-building over time within the scientific community
o Increase quantitative literacy skills and engage students in mathematical thinking through the analysis and interpretation of data and by providing direct problem-solving experiences.
Mathematics
As a knowledge domain, mathematics includes uses formal symbolic systems to treat such concepts as quantity, space, change, and structure. It consists of many fields including but not limited to algebra, geometry, calculus, arithmetic, trigonometry, topology, probability, statistics, set theory, group theory, graph theory, and chaos theory.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses and the Criteria for Knowledge Domain-Ways of Knowing Courses, courses approved for general education credit in math will:
o Develop students’ ability to understand, use, and analyze formal symbolic systems by which mathematics operates and expresses itself
o Demonstrate and engage students in the processes of mathematical reasoning and discovery
o Represent mathematics as both a tool applied in other fields of science and as a body of knowledge that is valuable in its own right
o Create a link between mathematical ideas and problems that arise in the everyday world, for example, probabilistic thinking and decision-making.
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES (2 courses, different designators)
The Social Sciences are those branches of knowledge that investigate how cultural, social, and structural factors influence human social behavior. Disciplines typically included in this domain are anthropology, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, and economics; interdisciplinary fields and sub-disciplines that make important contributions to social science inquiry include education, communication, women’s studies, and cultural studies.
General education courses in these fields introduce students to the major theoretical perspectives in the given field, such that students understand the meaning and application of key concepts, learn how to both test and build theory, and articulate policy implications of theory. Students are introduced to the standard methodological approaches utilized by social scientists so that they learn how to formulate hypotheses, collect data, interpret and analyze data, and draw conclusions.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses and the Criteria for Knowledge Domain-Ways of Knowing Courses, courses approved for general education credit in the social sciences will:
o Focus on content appropriate any of the many branches of social science
o Demonstrate some of the ways in which social scientists study human group behavior
o Engage students actively in one or more of methods by which social scientists formulate hypotheses, gather and interpret data, and reach conclusions
o Acknowledge and, where appropriate, demonstrate the relevance of other disciplines—especially those within the domain of the social sciences-- to the material under study.
THE HUMANITIES (2 courses, different designators)
The Humanities are those branches of knowledge concerned with human thought and culture. They typically include language, literature, history, and philosophy, as well as important interdisciplinary fields and sub-disciplines such as English; linguistics; foreign languages, literature, and cultures; cultural studies; and communication.
In humanities courses, students learn to describe, analyze, interpret, and otherwise critically examine the products and processes of human culture, including material artifacts, activities, and systems of meaning and value (such as particular philosophical, linguistic, and intellectual traditions or innovations). Humanities courses typically situate the objects of study historically and within the context of a particular culture or cultures. Humanities courses introduce students to the theories and methods of inquiry relevant to a particular field, or fields, of humanistic study, and they make students aware of the controversies within that discipline. Humanities courses therefore encourage students to examine objects of humanistic study closely, analytically, and critically in order to deepen their appreciation for the diversity and complexity of human culture.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses and the Criteria for Knowledge Domain-Ways of Knowing Courses, courses approved for general education credit in the humanities will:
o Focus on course content appropriate to the wide field of humanistic studies
o Involve students in the active, critical examination of the products and/or processes of human culture
o Situate the objects of study historically and in relation to the culture(s) that produced them
o Familiarize students with the established mode(s) of inquiry in the relevant subfield(s) of humanistic study
o Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the field.
THE FINE ARTS (1 course)
The Fine Arts use imagination, creativity, and discipline-specific skills to reflect the complexity of human life. They typically include art, creative writing, dance, graphic design, music, and theatre.
Fines Arts courses develop the student’s ability to think and act with creativity, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, imagination and flexibility. These courses also develop the student’s ability to appreciate the aesthetic value of static and kinetic fine art.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses and the Criteria for Knowledge Domain-Ways of Knowing Courses, courses approved for general education credit in the fine arts will:
o Provide students opportunities to learn about the techniques of artistic creation.
o Provide students opportunities to experience or observe the creative process.
o Enable students to draw on the intellect, emotions, and knowledge of historical context in order to comprehend, analyze, and interpret works of art.
o Enable students to comprehend the relationship between the creative process and the historical, socio-economic, and cultural forces surrounding it.
o Familiarize students with the established modes of inquiry in the relevant subfield(s) of the fine arts.
o Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the field and/or about the material under study.
o Develop aesthetic values and the ability to appreciate art.
III. Key Contemporary Issues
Engaging appropriately with people of various cultures, functioning effectively in international situations, and recognizing the impact one has on the natural environment have become essential competencies in the 21st century. Being liberally educated today means being knowledgeable and capable in these three critical areas.
The proposed new general education program therefore requires that students take a Key Contemporary Issues course in each of the following three categories: Global Perspectives, Cultural Diversity, and the Natural Environment. Contemporary yet enduring, these three issues may be defined in different terms five to ten years from now; the categories therefore should be reviewed and possibly undated on a regular basis.
Ideally, these courses are taken later in the student’s course of study and build on their developed communication skills and experience with the knowledge domains. Courses approved in this section can also satisfy requirements in a student’s major or minor and must focus on only one of the three designated key issues.
Criteria for all Key Contemporary Issues courses
Courses approved for general education credit in Key Contemporary Issues will---
o Examine one of the three designated key contemporary issues and explore ways in which it may affect the life of the student in the present and in the future
o Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions the issue presents.
o Examine connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate.
o Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of the critical forces contributing to the issue.
o Make the chosen issue the dominant focus of the course, integral to its content and objectives, as evidenced by the syllabus, course assignments, and learning activities described in the proposal.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES (1 course)
Courses approved for the Global Perspective requirement focus on developing an awareness of contemporary global issues and transnational connections. Global issues entail interrelationships among cultures, societies, nations, and other social units worldwide, and they include transnational processes such as migration, urbanization, trade, diplomacy, and information flow. Courses can come from a variety of disciplines, including interdisciplinary approaches involving two or more departments.
Courses will examine global issues facing at least one country other than the United States, with an emphasis on shifts in cultural, economic, political, and social relationships. Students will have the opportunity to consider matters such as the rights and responsibilities of global citizenship and to develop greater cross-cultural competence.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses, courses meeting the requirements of this theme will:
o Critically examine the rights and responsibilities of the globally competent citizen
o Examine at least one non-U.S. country, culture, or region
o Help students to understand current global developments, to consider how they will participate in global change, and to anticipate how they might be impacted by current and future trends in international politics, economics, and social and cultural norms
o Provide students with opportunities to develop cross-cultural competence.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY (1 course)
Courses approved for the Cultural Diversity in the United States requirement focus on creating awareness of diverse cultural values and increasing a commitment to knowledge and competence across various cultures, with an emphasis on those represented in the United States. Courses can come from a variety of disciplines, including interdisciplinary approaches involving two or more departments. These courses provide students with an opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the culturally complex social fabric of the United States and to enhance their abilities to interact with the diverse groups that make up our nation.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses, courses meeting the requirements of this theme will:
o Critically examine issues of human and cultural diversity
o Provide an understanding of differences based on race, class, gender, ethnicity, age, disability, affectional orientation, and/or religious affiliation
o Examine diverse traditions and values, as well as the social, cultural, and political contributions of different groups
o Advance students’ understanding of how different cultures historically have shaped, and been shaped by, social, political, and economic realities in the United States, with an emphasis on past and present aspects of social justice
o Provide students with opportunities to develop cross-cultural competence.
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT (1 course)
Courses approved for the Natural Environment requirement focus on developing an awareness of the interaction of the natural environment with societal needs and desires. Courses can come from a variety of disciplines, including interdisciplinary approaches involving two or more departments. Courses will examine the relationship between the science of the natural environment and its interaction with economic, social, and political forces in a local, national and/or global context. Students will develop the ability to understand and analyze the impact of their lives on the natural environment.
In addition to meeting the Criteria for all General Education Courses, courses meeting the requirements of this theme will:
o Address in detail one or more important environmental issue or topic.
o Consider both the scientific as well as the economic, social and political dimensions of the topic, with some attention to the relationship between scientific inquiry and policy-making.
o Cover fundamental scientific principles applicable to environmental issues, and utilize these principles to evaluate the validity of information pertaining to the topic in question.
o Provide the economic, social and political context necessary to analyze the issue or topic from a public policy perspective, with special consideration to the challenge of reconciling the needs of human society with those of the natural environment essential to sustaining all life.