UMD Liberal Education Forum

The Final Report from the Liberal Education Task Force contains additional recommendations to the Vice Chancellor of Academic Administration. They are excerpted and included here, as well as contained in the text of the complete report.

Recommendation 3: Changing Campus Culture with Respect to Liberal Education

Recommendation: The Liberal Education Task Force recommends that specific steps be taken to change the way liberal education is perceived and represented on the UMD campus.

Context and Rationale:

Adopting a coherent mission statement and curricular requirements that make sense to the UMD community are the first steps we can take toward improving the way liberal education is perceived and represented on our campus. While these changes are essential and provide the groundwork from which other beneficial changes will grow, by themselves they are not enough. All facets of the early encounters a student may have with UMD, from recruitment, to advising, to the early stages of the classroom experience, should be utilizing a common language and spirit emphasizing the important goals of a liberal education. The task force therefore recommends that additional efforts be made to effect a positive change in campus culture with respect to liberal education.

First, we suggest that all interested faculty and staff members be provided with structured opportunities to learn more about the program’s underlying principles and purposes during the process of implementing the new program. Departments will need guidance as they consider how they can best contribute to the new liberal education curriculum—both by offering liberal education courses appropriate to their disciplines and by integrating liberal education goals into the objectives for their majors. Advisors should be given a chance to learn not only what the new program requires but also why so they can explain both the requirements and the rationale for them. Finally, instructors will need opportunities to rethink how they design and deliver courses to meet the criteria included in the Liberal Education Core. Orientation sessions, formal and/or informal meetings, presentations, and possibly even workshops are among the many possible mechanisms by which these needs might be addressed.

Secondly, the task force urges that close attention be paid to how the new liberal education requirements are presented in print and online. We have heard many complaints about how “unfriendly” to users the current descriptions of the liberal education program are, including the online catalog version and the “blue sheet.” Whether a program is sleek and minimalist or enormously complex, how it is presented and accessed can make all the difference in achieving the goals. Students and advisors will be the primary users for the online presentation and some equivalent of the current “blue sheet”; parents tend to use the hard copy bulletin; and finally, faculty and administrators responsible for running the liberal education program need a different kind of presentation for implementing and maintaining the program. Viewing other institutions’ online presentations of their liberal education programs really opened our eyes to how well—and how poorly—this can be done. UMD must do better.

Recommendation 4: Increasing Support for Improved Pedagogy in Liberal Education Classes

Recommendation: The Liberal Education Task Force recommends that specific ways of increasing institutional support for improved pedagogy in liberal education classes be identified and put into effect as part of the process for implementing the proposed mission statement and Liberal Education Core.

Context and Rationale:
The recommendation that UMD increase support for excellent teaching in liberal education classes grows out of the task force’s conviction that effective pedagogy, designed and delivered with the aims of liberal learning in mind, is essential to the success of any liberal education program. We concur with Derek Bok’s judgment that successful reform of liberal education depends on “selecting the best teachers for liberal education courses, and providing sufficient, sustained support for these members of the faculty” (Our Underachieving Colleges, italics added). The task force urges that the many dedicated faculty members who currently teach liberal education classes at UMD be recognized and encouraged to participate in the revitalization of liberal education on our campus. Indeed, with respect to enhancing pedagogy in liberal educations classes, liberal education faculty members should lead the way. We call upon the administration to solicit and foster leadership among this faculty group in order to strengthen teaching in liberal education classes, campus wide. The task force has discussed many possible means to this end—for instance, sending selected faculty to relevant conferences and workshops, conducting faculty-led workshops and/or conferences here at UMD, offering an annual “Lib Ed Camp” based on the successful “Tech Camp” model—but we offer no specific recommendations along these lines. Rather, we recommend that academic administration begin the process of building relationships among interested members of the liberal education faculty, from different departments and across the collegiate units, with the goal of fostering meaningful dialogue regarding pedagogy and liberal learning. We recommend support for efforts by these faculty members to learn more about the current debates surrounding curricular reform in higher education, particularly with respect to liberal education. These informed and committed faculty members should then be encouraged to identify the best “first steps” toward strengthening pedagogy in liberal education classes at UMD. Once these steps have been identified and agreed upon, the appropriate institutional resources should be allocated for their implementation and maintenance over time.

Recommendation 5. Increasing Efforts to Develop Students’ Skills in Writing, Oral Communication, and Logic/Quantitative Reasoning

Recommendation: The Liberal Education Task Force recommends that UMD take specific actions to increase and coordinate its efforts to develop students’ skills in writing, oral communication, and quantitative reasoning.

The proposed Liberal Education Core includes, as Part I, course requirements designed to develop students’ competence in language and reasoning. The recommendations in this section address more fully our suggestions relative to that section of the core.

Specific Recommendations for Developing Skills in Oral Communication/Languages and Logic/Quantitative Reasoning:
The task force recommends that the requirement for Part I B of the proposed Liberal Education Core be reviewed in five years’ time and, if campus learning outcomes in these areas are not being met, that the requirement for this part be increased from 3 credits to 6 credits, .3 credits from Oral Communication/Languages and 3 credits from Logic/Quantitative Reasoning.
Context and rationale:
There is broad support on the UMD campus for strengthening efforts to enhance students’ skills in oral communication and quantitative reasoning; the task force agrees that such skills are very important to the future college graduate. We also recognize that programs desire flexibility in finding ways to achieve these competencies. Moreover, we are keenly aware that requiring liberal education courses in both areas for all students would require increased institutional resources. For these reasons, our current proposal requires only 3 credits for Part I B.

However, because we concur with the judgment that students need the opportunity to develop strong skills in speaking and quantitative thinking, we urge that administration consider whether increasing this requirement might be desirable and perhaps more feasible five years from now. Assessment data relating to campus learning outcomes should be available by that time and would likely provide evidence for making such a decision.

Specific Recommendations for Developing Writing Skills:

With respect to developing writing skills, the task force recommends the following—

o Each program review, in conjunction with the Writing Studies Department, the 3000-level Writing Studies course designed for their majors and consider lowering the prerequisite for that course from 60 credits minimum to 40 credits minimum;
o Each program identify an upper-division course (or courses) within the major, to be offered in the junior and/or senior year, to further develop students’ discipline-specific writing skills;
o Freshmen be placed according to skill level in appropriately designed sections of WRIT 1120 College Writing; and
o UMD establish and adequately fund a professionally staffed Campus Writing Center.

Context and Rational:
The first two recommendations above are intended to ensure that UMD students have sufficient opportunity to develop strong writing skills throughout the entire four years of their undergraduate experience. In gathering input on the current writing requirements, the Task Force repeatedly heard that many students have very limited opportunity to develop these skills. Students take the freshman-level course in the first year and may not enroll in the advanced course until late in the junior or even the senior year. In addition, it appears that many of these same students are not required to write in a majority of their liberal education and major courses, thus creating a one-to-two year hiatus in their academic writing experience. Though they may begin college with a course that lays the foundation for building strong academic writing skills, subsequent courses too often do not give them a chance to practice and build upon what they learned in their first year; indeed, it seems likely that skills acquired in the freshman year may be eroded or entirely lost during this one-to-two year period when little or no writing occurs. While we have no hard data to prove this to be unequivocally true, it certainly is the case that many UMD faculty members are finding their students unprepared to do the writing assignments they encounter in the crucial upper division courses in the major. It is also true that many campuses require more writing instruction in the first two years than UMD does. While recognizing that each program must make its own decision about when their majors take the 3000-level writing course, the task force encourages all programs to seriously consider having the prerequisite for that course reduced to 40 credits so their students may take it in their second year, closer to the time when they take College Writing. All such decisions will, of course, need to be made in consultation with the Writing Studies Department.

The task force also recommends that each program identify a course or courses in which their majors have additional opportunities to develop their writing skills within the coursework required for the major. These courses should be offered in the junior and/or senior year and will help to generate a more consistent, integrated approach to the development of writing skills over the entirety of a college career.

In addition to the above concerns, the task force also heard from many students that WRIT 1120, College Writing, is not tailored to their varying needs and abilities. Basing their opinions on their own experience and that of their peers, these students complained that remedial, average, and advanced students are all placed in the same course. The task force therefore suggests that UMD should implement a placement process that will channel incoming students into specially designed sections of College Writing that will be appropriate to their current level of skill. Placing students will help to increase the positive impact of the first year writing experience and help all students continue the process of developing written communication skills.

Finally, the task force sees a vital need for a professionally staffed writing center on the UMD campus. Currently, students in WRIT 1120, College Writing, have access to a small writing center professionally staffed by instructors for that particular course; the tutoring offered in this center is restricted to work for College Writing only. Students needing help with writing for other courses may seek assistance from a small cadre of undergraduate tutors who work for the Supportive Services Department. We judge these facilities to be inadequate to the needs of our campus and recommend establishing a writing center on a much more ambitious scale, one that would not only provide help for students working on papers but also support for faculty integrating writing instruction into their liberal education courses and courses for the major. The new Liberal Education Core requires that writing be a consistent part of a student’s academic career, and the task force believes that increased instructional support is essential for achieving this goal.

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This version of the Liberal Education Mission Statement and Liberal Education Core with Criteria was endorsed by the Educational Policy Committee on February 25th, 2009. Additional recommendations from the Task Force to the VCAA will be posted prior to Spring Break.

Recommendation: Redefining the Mission of Liberal Education at UMD

Recommendation: The Liberal Education Task Force recommends that the following language be adopted as the UMD liberal education mission statement:

Mission Statement: The Goals of a Liberal Education
A liberal education prepares individuals to lead productive and socially responsible lives in a diverse and rapidly changing world. Liberal education at UMD helps students develop competencies that can be adapted for use in any occupation and by virtually any individual. Liberal education at UMD is not restricted to any particular part of the curriculum but is woven through each student’s course of study, including core requirements and requirements for the major.
Liberally educated students are “Aware, Prepared, and Committed.”
Aware:
• Of the foundations of knowledge and inquiry about nature, culture and society
• Of the past and its relevance to the present and the future
• Of diverse cultural values
• Of the ethical implications of ideas and actions
• Of contemporary global issues
Prepared:
• To identify, analyze and solve problems, demonstrating critical and analytical thinking competency within and across various fields of knowledge
• To think creatively, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, imagination and flexibility
• To communicate effectively through writing and speaking
• To work productively independently and through collaboration
• To access, evaluate, and make use of information gathered through multiple methodologies
Committed:
• To life-long learning
• To civic engagement and social responsibility
• To knowledge and competence across cultures

Context and Rationale:
The task force began its work by gathering input regarding perceptions of liberal education on the UMD campus. The one complaint that we heard most consistently was that the current program lacks clarity and coherence. We learned that students have difficulty understanding what is required and why; that advisors are often unable to explain the requirements clearly and persuasively to their advisees or even to themselves; and that many faculty see the current liberal education curriculum as a “smorgasbord” of course offerings rather than the unified program it purports to be.

In reviewing the relevant sections of the UMD Catalog, the task force also discovered that the language which currently appears to function as a mission statement for liberal education on our campus is, in fact, merely descriptive of the curricular structure it introduces; the statement does not identify a mission for liberal education, nor does it provide a foundation upon which to develop a set of clear, coherent, and justifiable outcomes for liberal learning.

The task force also read widely in current literature on best practice and contemporary reform of liberal education in the United States. These readings reinforced our determination that it is time to redefine the mission of liberal education at UMD. Recognizing the need for revisions that reflect the realities of the 21st century, the task force crafted the mission statement above.

The proposed mission statement establishes foundational guidelines for the generation of the new Liberal Education Core, which is presented in a later section of this document. The new mission statement also organizes the various learning outcomes a liberal education strives to achieve by categorizing them as three broad competency sets: liberally educated students at UMD are “Aware, Prepared, and Committed”—a succinct and deliberately catchy phrase that we believe summarizes the goals of liberal learning in a coherent and appealing manner.

The proposed mission statement also helps create a foundation for a renewed commitment to liberal education on the UMD campus. It promotes an integrated approach to achieving learning outcomes by explicitly stating that liberal education is “woven through each student’s course of study.” We believe the above set of goals can be easily understood by students and advisors, and that it can guide faculty as they generate learning outcomes for courses to be included in the core.

Recommendation: Restructuring Liberal Education Requirements at UMD

Recommendation: The Liberal Education Task Force recommends restructuring liberal education requirements at UMD as follows:

Liberal Education Core

Part I. Language and Reasoning Skills (9 credits)

a. Writing and Information Literacy
(6 credits, including WRIT 1120, WRIT 31XX [can be offered at 40 credits], plus additional experience provided in writing-intensive course(s) identified by the programs)

b. Speaking and Logic (3 credits)
• Oral Communication
• Languages
• Logic and Quantitative Reasoning

Part II. Knowledge Domains (21 credits)
a. Natural Science and Math (6 credits, 2 designators, 1 lab)
b. Social Sciences (6 credits, 2 designators)
c. Humanities (6 credits, 2 designators)
d. Fine Arts (3 credits)

Part III. Key Topics (9 credits)
a. Global Perspectives (3 credits)
b. Cultural Diversity in the US (3 credits)
c. The Natural Environment (3 credits)

Notes:
1. The above is an outline of the proposed core, which is presented in full, with criteria for approving courses, in the final section of this document.
2. Liberal Education core courses may be offered at the 1000-, 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level. Courses offered at the 3000- and 4000-level within the major satisfying the Key Topics requirement will not be required to serve a wide spectrum of students.
3. With the exception of Key Topics courses, which may also be used to satisfy a Knowledge Domain requirement, a particular course may be listed in only one place in the Liberal Education Core. If approved by the relevant department, a Liberal Education Core course may also be used to satisfy a requirement in a student’s major or minor.

Context and Rationale:
As indicated in the rationale for our first recommendation, a recurring theme among UMD faculty, staff, and students is that the present program lacks coherence and that it is difficult for students and advisors to understand. The creation of the new Liberal Education Mission Statement begins to address this problem by more precisely outlining the larger goals of a liberal education. But questions regarding the current structure of requirements remain: Is the ten-category distribution model really a “smorgasbord,” or is there an underlying structure by which these categories are meaningfully related? Could those same categories be reconfigured and defined so that they don’t seem so fragmented and arbitrary to students and advisors? Could we create categories more clearly connected to the liberal learning outcomes identified in the new mission statement? In addition to grappling with these questions about curricular structure, the task force also sought to address a related problem pervasive not only at UMD but nationwide: the perception that liberal education is more or less irrelevant to the rest of the student’s education—that lib ed is something to “get out of the way” so that “real” learning can take place in the major. In an attempt to respond constructively to these concerns, the task force has developed a new Liberal Education Core which emphasizes three crucial aspects of liberal learning: Language and Reasoning Skills; Knowledge Domains (and the modes of inquiry employed in each), and Key Topics in our contemporary world.

The task force developed the new LE Core by reviewing liberal education programs on other campuses while at the same time seriously considering the various ways our current program achieves the goals of a liberal education. Our aim was to preserve those parts of our program that are successful and to strengthen it by incorporating some of the best practices of other campuses. The resulting new core meets four objectives that we consider important:
ß it promotes greater integration of liberal learning throughout the student’s undergraduate education by encouraging the spread of liberal education into the major and across the four years of study;
ß it is a clear set of requirements that can be easily understood by faculty, advisors, students, and parents;
ß it is a hybrid model that retains the best aspects of our current distribution model while adding intellectual depth and coherence through a uniform emphasis on the various “ways of knowing” employed in different disciplines; and
ß it is flexible, allowing students to use courses for multiple purposes and encouraging departments to find creative ways of contributing to the liberal education curriculum while at the same time incorporating liberal learning into their majors.
We believe the proposed core will make sense to students: its structure reflects and facilitates the intellectual growth that should occur over the four years of the undergraduate experience at UMD. The development of language and reasoning skills (in Part I of the proposed core) coupled with study within the four knowledge domains, with a focus on the modes of inquiry used in each (Part II), should prepare students to apply both knowledge and skills when addressing some of the challenging issues we face today (Part III).

A word about integrating liberal education into the major:

Members of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and other experts note that one of the problems with current debates about reforming the curriculum in higher education is that they tend to be “fixated” on general education, which typically makes up only about one-third of the courses students take for the undergraduate degree. Meaningful reform of liberal education, they argue, almost inevitably involves making changes in other parts of the curriculum, most importantly the major. The task force strongly agrees with this view and our recommendations reflect that opinion.

The new LE Core allows for integration with a student’s major in multiple ways. Since liberal learning courses may also serve as requirements for the major, and upper division liberal education courses may be designed specifically for students within the major (should the department choose to do so), programs will able to create a tightly integrated approach to achieving the goals of a liberal education, as described in the new Liberal Education Mission Statement. This type of integration will, in most cases, be possible in Part II, Knowledge Domains, and Part III, Key Topics. With respect to Part I, Language and Reasoning Skills, programs will be asked to identify one or more upper division courses within their major that build on the fundamental skills developed in the required Writing Studies sequence. Thus, beginning with a basic writing and information literacy course taken in the freshman year (WRIT 1120), students will move on not only to a more discipline-focused Writing Studies course (WRIT 3XX) but also to structured learning of writing skills in one or more of their major courses.

In previous drafts of these recommendations, we attempted to include two “themes” that are not directly addressed in the proposed Liberal Education Core: civic engagement and moral and ethical reasoning. In both cases, we believe that relevant learning outcomes can be achieved without making them explicit requirements within the core. We assume that moral and ethical reasoning skills are currently taught, and will continue to be developed in a variety of courses, especially within the major. The office of civic engagement is currently helping faculty integrate community-based learning strategies into course curriculum, sustaining strong volunteer opportunities and generating other kinds of co-curricular activities to promote citizenship. As campus wide learning outcomes, both of these will be assessed in the near future and need not be included in the current liberal education proposal.

The explicit and implicit coordination between the major course of study and the Liberal Education Core requirements will create a more holistic approach to accomplishing the goal of a liberal education and, more generally, the academic mission of the University of Minnesota Duluth.

UMD Liberal Education Core
Draft Outline with Criteria
January 2009

The proposed UMD Liberal Education Core has three parts. The first part is designed to strengthen students’ language and reasoning skills, including information literacy. Part two provides breadth of knowledge and experience with multiple modes of inquiry through coursework distributed across four broad knowledge domains. In part three, students bring together knowledge and skill to study three key contemporary topics.
While individual parts of the core have minimum credit requirements, as indicated below, there is no minimum credit requirement for the overall core.

Criteria for All Liberal Education Courses

The use of active learning strategies is strongly encouraged in all liberal education courses.
Courses approved for liberal education credit—
o Will be suitable for a wide spectrum of students;
o Will be taught by those familiar with the goals and methods of teaching liberal education courses;
o Will 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 May be offered at the 1000-, 2000-, 3000-, or 4000-level;
o Will be offered regularly (at least every other year).

If approved by the appropriate department, a liberal education course may also be used to satisfy a requirement within the major or minor.

PART I. Language and Reasoning Skills

A. Writing and Information Literacy (6 credits)

All UMD students become skillful writers and users of information resources through a strong focus on writing that spans the four years of their college careers. A strong foundation in written communication and information literacy is provided through two required Liberal Education Core courses:

Writing Studies 1120 College Writing (3 credits)
This course is normally taken in the freshman year.

Writing Studies 31xx Advanced Composition (3 credits)
The prerequisites for each particular WRIT 31xx course will be determined by the relevant programs in conjunction with the Writing Studies Department. Taking WRIT 31xx in the sophomore year, with a prerequisite of 40 credits, may be optimal for students in some majors.

Advanced skills in these areas are then further developed within the student’s major field of study at the 3000- and/or 4000-level during the junior and/or senior years. Each program will be asked to identify a course or courses where this will be achieved.

B. Speaking and Logic (3 credits)

All UMD students develop skills in speaking or logic by selecting at least one course from the following three categories. Disciplines likely to contribute courses to this part of the Liberal Education Core include communication, computer science, language studies, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, and statistics.

ÿ Oral Communication
ÿ Languages
ÿ Logic and Quantitative Reasoning

Oral Communication
Courses approved for liberal education credit in Oral Communication will have as their primary focus the development of the knowledge and skill sets necessary for effective oral communication.

In addition to meeting the criteria for all liberal education courses, oral communication courses will-
o Examine the processes necessary to develop and arrange message content;
o Emphasize the need to craft and adapt messages to particular audiences and situations;
o Present the fundamentals of appropriate language and effective style;
o Analyze ways in which delivery is enhanced or inhibited by both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication;
o Emphasize practical exercises and individual presentations that require students to understand and apply the above skills sets in verbal and non-verbal communication.

Languages
Courses approved for liberal education credit in Languages will develop students’ communicative skills and/or language competence in languages other than English.

In addition to meeting the criteria for all liberal education courses, language courses will—
o Develop students’ receptive and active skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking (or, in the case of ASL courses, signing rather than speaking), and/or
o Develop students’ grammatical, textual, illocutionary, socio-linguistic and cultural competence.

Logic and Quantitative Reasoning
Courses approved for liberal education credit in Logic and Quantitative Reasoning will develop students’ logic and/or quantitative reasoning skills and enable them to apply these skills to a variety of everyday situations.

In addition to meeting the criteria for all liberal education courses, Logic and Quantitative Reasoning courses will-
o Enable students to understand and use symbolic systems;
o Develop students’ ability to recognize and exercise valid reasoning;
o Help students to analyze and evaluate quantitative and/or logical problems.

Knowledge Domains – Ways of Knowing

All UMD students complete liberal 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.

Criteria for all Knowledge Domain Courses

Courses approved for knowledge domains may come from a variety of departments and may involve instructors from more than one department or collegiate unit. Departments may submit courses for more than one knowledge domain. A particular course may be submitted for only one knowledge domain. If suitable, a course may be approved for inclusion in both a knowledge domain and in the key topics section of the Liberal Education Core. Such knowledge domain courses may be used to satisfy one Key Topic requirement.

In addition to meeting the criteria for all liberal education courses, courses approved for credit for the knowledge domains will—

o Identify 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.

THE NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATH
(6 credits, different designators, 1 course must have a lab)

Natural Sciences

The natural sciences focus on the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theory of natural phenomena. Disciplines typically included in this domain are biology, chemistry and biochemistry, the geological sciences, astronomy, the environmental sciences, and physics.

Liberal 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 liberal education courses and the criteria for knowledge domain courses, courses approved for liberal 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, 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.

To be approved for liberal education credit as a natural science course with a lab, the course will include one or more of the following:

o a laboratory or field work component, consisting of, on average, at least two hours per week, which may involve direct experimentation, fieldwork, or computer simulations, and in which students have first-hand experience in producing and handling data, using tools of the discipline (i.e., thinking and working like a scientist in the discipline);
o hands-on discovery-based experiments, measurements, simulations or analyses that test basic concepts or hypotheses;
o quantitative examination and testing of phenomena that may be described in terms of principles recognized within the discipline;
o examination of the relationship between structure and function of biological specimens;
o exploration of biological systems to understand how individual organisms interact with each other and the environment;
o use of mathematical models to describe or predict responses and behaviors in living systems;
o laboratory experiments that allow students to confront interpretation of mistakes and unexpected results.

Mathematics

As a knowledge domain, mathematics 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; some types of linguistics study fall within the mathematics domain as well.

In addition to meeting the criteria for all liberal education courses and the criteria for knowledge domain courses, courses approved for liberal 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
(6 credits, 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.

Liberal 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 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 liberal education courses and the criteria for knowledge domain courses, courses approved for liberal education credit in the social sciences will—

o Focus on content appropriate to any of the many branches of social science;
o Demonstrate some of the ways in which social scientists study human group behavior to familiarize students with established modes of inquiry in the relevant social science subfield(s);
o Engage students actively in one or more 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
(6 credits, 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 liberal education courses and the criteria for knowledge domain courses, courses approved for liberal 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 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
(3 credits)

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 liberal education courses and the criteria for knowledge domain courses, courses approved for liberal 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 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 Topics

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.

Ideally, these courses are taken later in the student’s course of study and build on their developed language and reasoning skills and experience with the knowledge domains.
Courses approved in this section must focus on only one of the three designated key topics. Departments may submit appropriate courses for inclusion both in a knowledge domain and as a key topic. Such knowledge domain courses may be used to satisfy only one Key Topic requirement.

Criteria for All Key Topic Courses

Courses approved for liberal education credit in Key Topics will---

o Examine one of the three designated key contemporary topics 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 topic 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 topic;
o Make the chosen topic 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
(3 credits)

Courses approved for the Global Perspective requirement focus on developing an awareness of contemporary global topics and transnational connections. Global topics 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 topics 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 liberal 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 IN THE UNITED STATES
(3 credits)

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 liberal 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 identity/expression, ethnicity, age, disability, sexual 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
(3 credits)

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 ways in which the science of the natural environment interacts 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 liberal education courses, courses meeting the requirements of this theme will:

o Address in detail one or more important environmental topic;
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 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.

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