2.A. Philosophy of General Education
The seven goals below led to
the development of the Learning in Common Curriculum, and serve as the basis
for that curriculum for all students at
·
GOAL I
Students should have a broad spectrum of learning in the liberal
arts and science; should develop the appreciation of and capacity for
scholarship; and should sustain a lifelong love of learning.
·
GOAL II
Students should develop the basic skills of reading, writing,
speaking, numeracy, and facility with information
technology, including computer applications.
·
GOAL III
Students should develop the complex abilities of critical
thinking, problem solving, creativity, and aesthetic expression.
·
GOAL IV
Students should have an awareness of contemporary information on matters
concerning physical and emotional well being.
·
GOAL V
Students should have an awareness of a wide variety of cultures,
with the dual goal of increasing understanding and revealing the
interconnectedness of the contemporary world.
·
GOAL VI
Students should have a basic understanding of the moral
implications of their actions as
individuals and participants in larger communities.
·
GOAL VII Students should be able
to compare, contrast, and integrate where possible multiple perspectives on a
given subject
2.B. Learning In
Common category descriptions
IMPORTANT! Note to adjunct
instructors: If you
have been hired to teach a course that fulfills one of the Learning in Common
(LinC) categories, please consult with your department chair or the Academic Affairs
Office on the specific student outcomes for that category. Course review sheets, which describe the
required course components, can be found at http://faculty.moravian.edu. This is currently accessible only on campus,
not via the internet. To access this
site, you will need a Moravian e-mail account.
Foundational categories
(F1-F4):
F1 Writing (1 course)
F2 Quantitative Reasoning (1 course)
F3 Foreign Language (0-2
courses)
F4 Science (lab requirement)
(1 course)
Multidisciplinary categories
(M1-M6):
M1 Historical Studies (1
course)
M2 Literature (1 course)
M3 Ultimate Questions (1
course)
M4 Economic, Social, and
Political Systems (1 course)
M5 Cultural
M6 Aesthetic Expression (1
course)
Upper division categories
(U1-U2):
U1 The
Social Impact of Science (1 course)
U2 Moral Life (1 course)
Introduction to College Life
(1/2 course)
Concepts of Fitness and
Wellness (1/2 course)
Other Requirements
Writing across the
curriculum
Speaking across the
curriculum
Computer Literacy
Two additional non-credit
Physical Education courses
Foundational
categories
This course, in multiple sections or
seminars, will provide and involve the following: 1) experience in
writing-to-learn and instruction in writing skills; 2) library and online
research; 3) correct use of citation of sources; 4) appropriate technology
(word-processing programs, etc.); 5) reading assignments in line with the
instructor's chosen topic(s) or theme(s), designed to foster critical thinking
and awareness of rhetorical strategies; and 6) introduction to oral
communication skills to accompany the writing to learn experience.
The components of a writing-to-learn
course include: 1) an introduction to writing as process: invention and
prewriting, drafting, and revising; 2) ungraded
writing (in the form of practice exercises, warm-ups, journal entries etc.)
that allows students to think in writing about what they are reading; 3)
writing experience, graded and ungraded, that affords
engagement with rhetorical skills (working with a variety of audiences, voices
and styles); 4) peer editing and collaboration through in-class group work
and/or online resources and Writing Center tutors; 5) teacher conferences with
each student.
Instruction in writing skills
includes: 1) focus on rhetorical skills and guided practice; 2) providing for
students the experience of writing for varied audiences and in varied styles;
3) the use of a shared writing handbook (to be selected by a committee of
first-year instructors and English Dept. members) for instruction in specific
conventions of standard written English; 4) increased/enhanced role for Writing
Center tutors (dependent upon increased funding); 5) uniform minimum writing
requirement (in terms of number of pages/semester, number of papers/semester,
or number of words/semester.)
As an outcome, students should be
better able to assess writing projects so as to choose appropriate rhetorical
and research strategies and employ them effectively. In addition, students should be adept in
technologies used to conduct research and to write.
F2: Quantitative Reasoning
Each
course in this category will develop the student’s facility in quantitative
reasoning through a wide variety of applications chosen from many fields,
including but not limited to science, history, and the social sciences, and
involve the following:
1. Converting
conceptual information into problems that can be solved quantitatively;
2. Appropriate
techniques for analyzing and solving quantitative problems that lead to the
formation of a conclusion;
3. Pictorial
and graphical representation of data and data analysis, including those showing
relationships among and/or between multiple variables;
4. Significant
use of appropriate technology as a tool for quantitative analysis;
5. Formal,
written interpretation of results and/or solutions of some problems.
F3: Foreign Language
All students should achieve a proficiency in a foreign
language closely equivalent to the Intermediate-Low level as defined by ACTFL,
the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. In order to meet this requirement a student
may:
1. Successfully complete either
FL 100-105 or FL 105-110 or FL 110 in any language offered at Moravian College;
or
2. Successfully
complete an analogous sequence of courses at another college or university; or
3. Successfully
complete a semester of study focused on any subject in an approved program in a
country whose primary language is not English.
In order to be exempted from the
requirement, a student may:
1. Receive a score of 3 or better
on the AP Placement Exam in any foreign language before entering the College;
students receiving a score of 3 or better on the AP Placement Exam will receive
1 unit of course credit; or
2. Receive a score of 600 or
higher on the Foreign Language Achievement Test of the CEEB; no course credit
will be given; or
3. Successfully demonstrate
proficiency in any language at the Intermediate-Low level by taking an exam
administered by the Department; no course credit will be given.
A student whose primary language is
not English is exempt from the Foreign Language requirement; no course credit
will be given.
The Department will suggest an
appropriate level based on performance in and number of high school language
courses. Students may decide, after
consultation with the department, to drop back at most one level from the
Department’s recommended placement level.
F4: Science (lab
requirement)
Both theoretical and experimental aspects of science
have had a major impact on all areas of human intellectual and cultural
development. Liberal education in
natural science emphasizes the fabric and the substance of a science, involves
a study of the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of that science,
demonstrates change and creativity in science, and addresses some of the broad
implications of science. Through
laboratory participation, a student will have an opportunity to understand the
scientific method.
Multidisciplinary categories:
The
six courses in this category will involve multidisciplinary teaching and
learning and include perspectives and approaches from different
disciplines. One element in
multidisciplinary teaching and learning can be the linkage of courses in
different disciplines. Linkage can be a
simple as a lecture given in a colleague’s class or, at a much more integrated
level, can involve two courses that meet at the same time and whose students
have reading assignments in common. A third
example would be two courses whose instructors have put together reading lists
with some overlap and agree to discuss the readings in each other’s
classes. Colleagues are strongly
encouraged to link courses in this category to courses in different disciplines.
M1: Historical
Studies
History
evaluates human experience and change over time. It seeks to provide a
contemporary understanding of the past by assessing an historical period on its
own terms. Historical methods are interdisciplinary in nature. Students will
learn how to integrate political, economic, social, and cultural perspectives
in order to build up a holistic picture of the past.
General
Education courses in Historical Studies should be Western in emphasis and
should deal with a significantly large period and region. In addition, students will be able to
evaluate various approaches to the study of history and learn to scrutinize a
range of primary sources.
M2: Literature
Literature
is humankind's written record of what it's like to be alive. It gives voice to
the imagination as it chronicles the human condition. Courses in this category
should provide perspectives from which students can understand themselves,
their own society, and societies and cultures other than their own. These
perspectives should be gained through
a course which examines an
appropriately large time or place and a variety of authors. Finally, a
literature course should provide opportunities for students to express
themselves thoughtfully, with clarity and accuracy.
M3: Ultimate
Questions
Ultimate Questions courses
consider questions and answers fundamental to religious and philosophical
traditions. They emphasize the relevance
of these questions to contemporary experience and self-understanding, and
include the reading and analysis of original texts. Examples of “ultimate questions” that orient
such courses are: What is really
real? Who are we? How should we live? What is of value? What are our origins and destiny? How is
knowledge possible?
Such
courses provide students with the ability to think and write about “ultimate
questions” in ways that demonstrate both an understanding of the questions’
importance to individuals and to society, and the ability to critically
evaluate their own and others’ answers.
M4: Economic, Social, and
Political Systems
Under this rubric, each course will
deal with a variety of approaches to social systems. This may be accomplished by a course which
incorporates significant material from more than one social science, or a
course which includes a unit devoted to a single topic team-taught from the
perspectives of several disciplines. As
an outcome, students should understand some of the social systems in which they live, as well as the complexity
of those systems. They should be aware
of the social and behavioral forces which act on them, and of their own effect
on these forces. They should be aware of
the various systems or methodologies which can be used to address and ultimately
understand complex social issues, and which will help them to formulate their
own role as citizens in society.
M5: Cultural
The student will come to an understanding of
the interplay between cultural traditions and transcultural
issues through the study of non-Western culture.
Courses
may either 1) begin with the study of the history and traditions of a
particular non-Western culture and then explore how its cultural values shape
its interpretation of and response to two or more global issues (e.g.,
environment, economic development, war and peace, human rights, gender, or 2)
select one or two global issues and show how various cultural differences shape
the global community's discussion of and response to these issues. Each course should include significant study
of the lives of the less powerful as well as the lives of political, economic,
or social elites.
Students
themselves should become more aware of their own cultural values and the common
issues we face, and thus more prepared to contribute positively to our global
future.
M6: Aesthetic Expression
All students of
As a result of taking a course in this category, students
should develop an understanding of the diversity and complexity of one of the
fine arts, the interdependence of form and content, and the richness and importance of
artistic expression for individuals and society. They should have the ability to discuss and
analyze works of art (creative writing, the visual arts, music or theater)
using vocabulary germane to the discipline, and should also understand the
relationship between a work of art and the society in which it was created.
Upper division categories:
U1: The Social Impact of
Science
The purpose of courses in this
category is to examine the impact of selected areas of science and/or
technology on contemporary society.
These courses give both the science
major and the non-science major a chance to understand relevant scientific
principles and/or technological innovations and their impact on contemporary society. Faculty from
a variety of disciplines could offer courses under this rubric. Possible areas of focus include nuclear
power, science and religion, evolution and creationism, the choices and
trade-offs of energy production, the problems of toxic waste disposal, the
economic costs of modern health care, or the impact of the Internet on
journalism.
Through taking courses in this
category, students should acquire an informed perspective of the role of
science and/or technology in their lives and in society.
U2: Moral
Life
Courses which satisfy this rubric will have two
foci. One focus is an introduction to two or more theoretical frameworks for reflection upon a moral life. A second
focus is multiple realms of application for these frameworks--that is, two or more significant contemporary
issues that will be explored in
light of these theoretical considerations. Possible issues or topics include racism in
These courses should advance toward several outcomes: the student
learns that moral issues are typically more complex than they appear to be and
that informed decision-making about them requires interdisciplinary
understanding; the student has occasion to grapple with her or his own values
and moral position-taking; the student’s capacity for moral discernment,
criticism, and argument is enhanced.
Introduction to College Life (LinC100.2)
This is a half unit (.50)
course requirement whose primary goals are to introduce first-year students to
the intellectual life of
Students take Introduction
to College Life in the fall term. The
sections, containing no more than twenty
students, would be led by a faculty or staff member who would attempt to
foster a mentoring relationship with the students throughout their entire four years (in the same way that
Add-Venture students currently have a mentor from the Add-Venture Committee as
well as their major adviser); the instructor will serve as an academic advisor
at least until students choose a major.
There will be a common “Freshman Experience” text for all sections, as well as the initiation of student personal education plans (PEP’s).
Students
successfully completing Introduction to College Life should have a greater
understanding of themselves, their responsibilities as students, and their role
as citizens in the College community and in the larger society. They should possess the necessary skills for
maximizing their academic performance, and they should appreciate the relevance
of a liberal arts education.
Concepts of Fitness and Wellness (Phed 107.2)
The
main learning objectives will be the following:
identify and briefly describe the five components of health-related
fitness and the six components of skill-related fitness; identify the benefits
of being physically fit and active and discuss the latest recommendations for
being physically active; explain the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle
and explore several of the hypokinetic diseases linked
to inactivity; and describe the importance of physical fitness and activity to
wellness; discuss the six major health and wellness components and identify the
six major influences on health and wellness; explain the wellness-illness
continuum; discuss the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and explain the
relationship of prevention to wellness; describe the importance of physical
fitness and activity to wellness and describe several strategies to achieve
well-being. Students will assess their
fitness and leisure patterns and then develop personal strategies to change
health and fitness behavior. Students will do health-style self-tests,
interpret their scores, and develop their personal wellness wheel.
Writing-Across-the-Curriculum
The General Education program requires the
establishment of College-wide standards for writing-intensive courses within
the major that would build upon and complement the instruction provided in the
first-year writing courses. These
standards should be developed by a separate committee consisting of members of
the English Department and representatives of each of the academic divisions.
Speaking-Across-the-Curriculum
Instruction in oral
communication skills will be part of all first year writing courses. As with Writing Across
the Curriculum, oral communication—in
a manner and venue determined by individual departments—should be a requirement
in the major, and the above-mentioned committee should also develop
College-wide standards in this area.
Computer Literacy
A computer-literate student has the ability to:
1) perform basic tasks on a
computer with a graphical user interface
2) navigate within a network environment
3)
create
documents using word processing software
4)
use both on-
and off-campus databases and other information sources for research purposes
5) communicate via electronic
mail
It is a goal that all students attain these five
levels of computer literacy as soon as possible. Computer skills should be developed and
reinforced in the Writing and Quantitative Reasoning courses. In addition, the committee recommends that
departments establish clearly-specified computing requirements within their
major.
Two additional non-credit Physical Education courses
These
courses will build upon the foundations provided in the Concepts of Fitness and
Concepts of Wellness courses. Students
will be required to select two courses from the four Physical Education
Component Areas: Health-Related Fitness;
Individual Sport/Activity; Team Sport/Activity; and Electives. Participation in a varsity sport will count
towards one of these requirements.