Goals for an Effective Curriculum at ManchesterCollege
February 2005
The ManchesterCollege curriculum reflects the college's unique mission and traditions, the strengths of its faculty, and the aspirations and expectations of its several constituencies. Particularly inspiring to faculty and students alike is this excerpt from the Statement of Mission:
Within a long tradition of concern for peace and justice, ManchesterCollege intends to develop an international consciousness, a respect for ethnic and cultural pluralism, and an appreciation for the infinite worth of every person. A central goal of the College community is to create an environment which nurtures a sense of self-identity, a strong personal faith, a dedication to the service of others, and an acceptance of the demands of responsible citizenship.
This statement cogently expresses our devotion to the virtues of a liberal education in the context of a commitment to "faith, learning, and service."
We believe that a college curriculum should direct student learning toward acquiring a body of knowledge, developing skills, and fostering personal qualities that are the hallmark of a liberally educated person. As such, a general education program is at the heart of the curriculum. Though any curriculum with integrity will stress certain fundamental values and experiences, our particular challenge is to furnish the context that makes liberal education at ManchesterCollege distinctive.
An effective curriculum, as our Statement of Purpose notes, will foster "the ability to inquire accurately, reason validly, synthesize carefully, and communicate clearly." This observation covers a range of skills and competencies that represent the very foundation of liberal education. Crucial to living and doing, then, are communicative competence, imaginative and cooperative problem-solving, provisional thinking, and sound judgment. Effective contributions to society will come from people who are able to integrate the artistic, social, political, and scientific realms, and who are adept at interpreting and using language, mathematics, and artistic expressions. Such skills and competencies, though, ought not to be developed in a moral vacuum. Manchester's goal is to assist students in balancing factual knowledge, technical competence, and critical thinking; it is to develop persons with both ability and conviction.
A college education is not to be viewed as an end-product, as a possession acquired and held in the hand. It should, instead, be seen as a beginning, an opening of the way. The goal of any curriculum, then, is to develop among students a lasting intellectual curiosity, and sensitivity to the need for continual learning and re-evaluation as their environment and society change. They must cultivate an acquaintance with, and a sound understanding of, the major fields of human experience and achievement in the arts, the sciences, and the professions. In short, students need to grapple (in an increasingly independent fashion) with ideas at increasing levels of complexity. Students also need to experience the satisfaction of understanding a particular field of study or mode of inquiry and the joy of using imagination and critical intelligence to connect that field with others.
Manchester's curriculum is based on a commitment to the principles of a tolerant faith that provides the values (the core concerns with peace and justice) that root our students in a significant tradition and give them a sense of purpose, place, and self. It is also based on an equally strong commitment to competence in a major field of study that empowers our graduates to lead fulfilling lives of vocational success, cultural contribution, and service to humanity. An effective curriculum challenges one's own secure identities and beliefs, while giving one the intellectual tools necessary for redefining those identities and acquiring reasoned beliefs.
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In a complex and ambiguous world, truly educated persons must learn not only the origins, structures, norms, and mores of their own society and civilization, but those of other societies and civilizations as well. An effective curriculum, then, must provide students with both historical and international consciousness that permits them to understand the wide and various contexts of human experience. A global and multicultural perspective helps students develop both the sensitivity and the intelligence necessary to deal constructively with difference to overcome prejudice, to search for universals, and to develop a compassionate and broad-minded civility.
Because educated men and women are routinely called upon to make significant choices and to assume responsibility for their decisions, an effective curriculum addresses such matters as ethical decision-making and judgment, conflict resolution and management, and social and environmental responsibility. Manchester's goals are to develop in its students a capacity for enduring human relationships premised upon mutual growth and to foster a commitment among them to building authentic communities based on humane values at all social and political levels. These goals can be met in the context of a deep, yet tolerant, religious faith. With a capacity for both commitment and critique, such a faith understands the essential wholeness of intellectual, physical, and spiritual health.
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General Education Plan
2/2005
FOUNDATIONS: The Groundwork for Learning (21 hrs.) / BA / BSFirst Year Colloquium / 3 / 3
Written Communication / 3 / 3
Oral Communication / 3 / 3
Mathematics / 3 / 3
Western Civilization / 4 / 4
Christian Tradition / 3 / 3
Wellness .5
P.E. Activities 3 @ .5 = 1.5 / 2 / 2
THE DISCIPLINES: The Liberal Arts Tradition in the Disciplines (18 hrs.)
Humanities / 6 / 6
Natural Sciences / 6 / 6
Social Sciences / 6 / 6
CONNECTIONS: Issues and Problems (14 hrs.)
Critical Connections / 3 / 3
Cultural Connections / 91 / 92
VIA / 2 / 2
TOTALS / 53 hrs.
1Must include three semester hours in courses based in non-European traditions and six semester hours of language study at the 200 level or higher.
2Must include three semester hours in courses based in non-European traditions and may include up to three semester hours of language study at any level.
In addition, each academic major will designate "W" courses within the major requirements. Each student must successfully complete one "W" course in her/his major in addition to the writing requirement in foundations. The "W" courses will include careful attention to writing.
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CRITERIA FOR COURSES IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
ManchesterCollege
2004-2005
FOUNDATIONS
A First Year Colloquium course should:
1.Nurture students' passion for learning through the serious study of an academic topic or issue
2.Develop skills such as listening, speaking, reading, writing, and computer literacy, as well as the abilities to conduct academic research and think critically
3.Encourage students to develop close relationships -- academic, and perhaps also social -- with one or more faculty members
4.Familiarize students with the principles and values articulated in the College's statements of mission and purpose
Course which meets this requirement:
IDIV 121First Year Colloquium
A Written Communication course should:
1.Improve students' abilities to think and write critically about texts
2.Introduce students to literature from diverse cultures, varied perspectives, and different genres so that students can be creative in their written responses to texts
3.Develop students' abilities to write correctly, appropriately, and persuasively
4.Inspire students with passionate desire to uncover the truth and express it accurately in writing
Course which meets this requirement:
ENG 110Writing Through Literature
An Oral Communication course should:
1.Teach a broad range of skills in oral communication, including communication context analysis, message development and delivery, and message reception and evaluation
2.Foster critical speaking and listening skills in a variety of communication contexts
3.Familiarize students with the broad range of audience variables which influence the communication process
4.Instruct students how to sort, interpret, and respond to mediated and non-mediated messages
5.Introduce students to the power and ethical responsibilities of freedom of expression and participation in the public forum
6.Motivate students to value oral communication as a vital daily activity
Course which meets this requirement:
COMM 110Foundations of Human Communication
A Mathematics course should:
1.Develop students' skills in mathematics beyond their current proficiency. At a minimum, successful completion of the mathematics requirement should imply that the student has learned most of the following: arithmetic, proportions and percents, orders of magnitude (large and small numbers), linear equations and functions, quadratic equations and functions, rates of change, exponential growth compared with linear and quadratic growth, graph interpretation (bar charts, histograms, etc.), basic descriptive statistics, and elementary logic
2.Develop the students' abilities to solve problems, reason quantitatively, and analyze logically
3.Emphasize the interaction between mathematics and other areas of human experience, preparing students to be intelligent consumers of quantitative information, able to understand and use the language of mathematics in analyzing issues and making decisions
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4.Emphasize the importance of precise definitions and clear communication of ideas, through language and mathematical symbolism
Courses which meet this requirement:
MATH 102Math for Elementary Teachers II
MATH 103Survey of Mathematical Thought
MATH 112College Algebra
MATH 120Precalculus
MATH 121Calculus I
MATH 130Discrete Mathematics
MATH 210Introduction to Statistics
(Early Childhood Education majors may substitute MATH 101 for MATH 102)
A Western Civilization course should:
1.Provide students with a chronological structure for organizing the fundamental concepts, institutions, and ideas of western society
2.Emphasize connections between eras to clarify continuity and change over time
3.Introduce students to the basic premise of history as interpretation and to the multicausal nature of historical development through discussion of the nature of historical evidence, change in historical interpretation, and inherent historical biases
4.Develop an international world-view by providing the historical context for multicultural development within western society and discussing the various relationships between the West and other world societies over time
Courses which meet this requirement:
HIST 100World Civilizations
HIST 101Development of Western Civilization
A Christian Tradition course should:
1.Provide conceptual tools and analytic skills for understanding the Christian tradition by examining its historical roots, development over time, and contemporary impact
2.Help students develop their own perspectives and insights by examining varying interpretations and classic statements of faith
3.Examine religious phenomena (beliefs, practices, and religious life) and how they give rise to the values and commitments of individuals and societies
4.Consider how the Christian heritage of faith and reason informs reflection on today's social problems and possibilities, with special attention to the prophetic tradition of cultural criticism
Courses which meet this requirement:
REL 101Introduction to the Old Testament
REL 102Introduction to the New Testament
REL 111The Christian Faith
REL 210Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
REL 228The Brethren Heritage
REL 241Jesus and the Gospels
REL 311Ancient & Medieval Christianity
REL 312Reformation & Early Modern Christianity
Wellness and Physical Education Activities courses should:
1.Introduce students to a combination of the physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of wellness
2.Encourage students to apply their understanding of the dimensions of wellness to making informed choices
3.Nurture in students a desire to improve the quality of life based on responsibility to self and to others
4.Teach students knowledge and techniques of movement and fitness that will be beneficial throughout life
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Course which meets the wellness requirement:
PE 100Introduction to Wellness
Courses which meet the activities requirement:
PE 101Choice of three from a variety of activity courses
THE DISCIPLINES
Humanities
Students will fulfill the Humanities requirement by taking courses which meet the following criteria. Each student must take one course from the Arts group and one course from the Philosophy group.
A Humanities course in the Arts group should:
1.Acquaint students with the formal nonverbal elements of the arts and the structures to which those elements contribute
2.Enable students to see the inter-relatedness of the arts as they have sprung from an historical and geographic context
- Teach students about specific works and creators representative of various periods, genres, and styles
4.Show students how to examine the arts critically
Course which meets this requirement:
HUM 130Experiencing the Arts
A Humanities course in the Philosophy group should:
1.Acquaint students with a representative selection of philosophers, providing a sense of their place in history and of the significance of their ideas
2.Enable students to learn technical concepts as well as to sharpen their analytic skills in critically evaluating arguments and beliefs
3.Introduce students to a sampling of perennial concerns of philosophers (in metaphysics, epistemology, or ethics) through narrative description and actual engagement with the problem such that students can learn about philosophy and learn how to philosophize
4.Provide opportunities for wonder
Courses which meet this requirement:
PHIL 201Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 215Ethical Decision Making
PHIL 330Philosophy of Religion
Natural Science
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Students will fulfill the Natural Science requirement by taking courses which meet the following criteria. Each student must take one course in any two of the following areas: biology, chemistry, earth/space, and physics.
A Natural Science course should:
1.Present a substantial area of one or more disciplines represented in the Natural Science Division of Manchester College, excluding mathematics
2.Contribute significantly to students' understandings of the methodology, power, and limitations of science
3.Give students direct experience with natural phenomena through means appropriate to the subject matter, e.g., laboratory experiences, demonstrations, field trips, systematic collections, and reference to common experience
4.Emphasize the self-correcting nature of science, i.e., that a scientific theory is an explanation of natural phenomenon and must be capable of refutation by properly authenticated facts
5.Teach the importance of accurate quantitative data, correct mathematical analysis of data, and helpful models for interpretation of data
6.Emphasize the need for accurately communicating ideas through careful use of language and other appropriate symbolism
7.Demonstrate the interaction of scientific knowledge with other areas of human experience, helping students to develop abilities to make informed decisions on science-related issues
Courses which meet the biology requirement:
BIOL 101General Biology
BIOL 102Human Biology-Stages of Life
BIOL 107Principles of Biology I
BIOL 109Principles of Biology II
BIOL 204Fundamentals of Human Physiology
BIOL 212Tropical Ecology
Courses which meet the chemistry requirement:
CHEM 101Chemical Science
CHEM 103Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry
CHEM 104Introduction to Organic Chemistry
CHEM 111Fundamentals of Chemistry I
Courses which meet the earth/space requirement:
BIOL 130Introduction to Environmental Studies
NASC 203Descriptive Astronomy
NASC 207Historical Geology
NASC 209Physical Geology
Courses which meet the physics requirement:
NASC 103Physical Science
PHYS 111College Physics I
PHYS 112College Physics II
PHYS 210General Physics I
PHYS 220General Physics II
Social Sciences
Students will fulfill the Social Science requirement by taking courses which meet the following criteria. Each student must take one course in any two of the following areas: economics, political science, psychology, and sociology.
A Social Science course should:
1.Describe and analyze human behavior from individual and social perspectives, and in historical and cultural contexts
2.Introduce major concepts of a particular discipline in the social sciences
3.Instruct students in a basic methodology in the social sciences
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4.Explore the relevance of the discipline for understanding contemporary ethical, social, and policy issues
Courses which meet the economics requirement:
ECON 115Economic Concepts and Ideas
ECON 221Principles of Micro-Economics
Courses which meet the political science requirement:
POSC 121American National Politics
POSC 122State and Local Politics
POSC 140International Politics
POSC 233Comparative Politics
Course which meets the psychology requirement:
PSYC 101Introduction to Psychology
Course which meets the sociology requirement:
SOC 101Introduction to Sociology
CONNECTIONS
A Critical Connections course should:
1.Offer junior and senior students from a variety of majors an opportunity to pursue advanced and integrated study in the liberal arts and, thereby, lay a foundation for lifelong learning
2.Explore a substantive topic or problem from a variety of academic perspectives and modes of inquiry and, thereby, present students with an intriguing set of intellectual challenges
3.Engage students in activities requiring such critical thinking skills as analysis and synthesis of information, assessment and weighing of evidence, logic and argumentation, comparative judgment and evaluation, dealing with complexity and ambiguity, and posing questions of values and ethics
In general, courses which are requirements in a major are not considered well suited for the critical connections list: 1) those required courses are intended for majors rather than for general education purposes, especially when they are imagined for juniors and seniors;
2) such a course would violate the principle of breadth which underlies the general education program, because it would effectively discourage those majors from taking a critical connections course outside the requirements of the major; and 3) non-majors may be at a real or perceived disadvantage in a course which serves the goals of a major.
Courses which meet this requirement:
BIOL 435Biology and Society
COMM 415Rhetoric of War
ECON 320Economics of Race, Gender, and Class
HUM 401 Arts and Ideas
HUM 405Life and Death
IDIV 403Environmental Law
IDIV 420Critical Connections: [Variable topic title]
PHIL 425Environmental Philosophy
PHIL 440Philosophy of Civilization
SOC 350Health, Medical Care, and Society
ACultural Connections course should:
1.Encourage students to develop intercultural understanding, acquire the knowledge and sensitivity required for dealing constructively with difference and otherness, and nurture a compassionate and broad-minded civility
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2.Employ intellectual perspectives and modes of inquiry directed toward transcending the boundaries of nation, race, ethnicity, gender, or language
3.Present the achievements and outlooks of groups as valuable in their own right, marked by complexity and ambiguity
In addition, cultural connections courses meeting the requirement for studies in a non-European area will also:
4.Teach students about societies, cultures, and civilizations that have developed largely outside the European tradition