General Education Program B Mission, Philosophy, Goals, and Objectives

The General Education Program contributes to the St. Ambrose University mission of enabling all students to "develop intellectually, spiritually, ethically, socially, artistically, and physically in order to enrich their own lives and the lives of others," by providing a program of study which strives to develop student skills, knowledge, and values related to the mission goals.

General Education Program Philosophy

The General Education Program serves as a basis for the search for knowledge in all disciplines and serves as the core of each student's education at St. Ambrose University. All students must complete the entire General Education Program as described in the catalog. All curricular changes and new major programs must be designed to accommodate the General Education Program.

General Education Program Goals and Objectives

The General Education Program exposes students to the liberal arts. It is the goal of the General Education Program to build student recognition of the relationships among general education areas as well as the connection and application of this learning to the present and future contexts of their own lives. The General Education Program should provide students the necessary skills, knowledge, and values so that they will be able to:

1) examine topics/issues/problems from more than one disciplinary perspective;

2) use diverse skills and disciplinary content gained in the General Education Program to solve problems;

3) appreciate how values and attitudes help shape knowledge and opinions; and

4) recognize inherent relationships among content areas.

SKILLS ("Do") Evidenced by action, tools, practice, implementing.

The General Education Program provides students opportunities to develop the following skills:

Written communication

• use writing as a tool for learning
• express themselves, explore issues, communicate with others, and persuade others using written communication
• respond to the requirements of a given audience, profession, and/or rhetorical situation
• demonstrate fluency in a writing process that involves drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing; resulting in an appropriate final product
• achieve personal, academic, and professional goals using written communication

Oral communication

• demonstrate the characteristics of effective human communication
• evaluate the effectiveness of messages and presentations
• research, organize, and deliver a message to a specific audience
• express the ethical implications of human communication

Interpersonal and collaborative skills

• describe the influence of perception, listening, language, self-concept, and nonverbal behavior in interpersonal relationships
• work cooperatively with others toward achievement of a common goal
• respect others and what they have to say
• distinguish between ethical and unethical communication and relationships
• evaluate and improve communication in interpersonal contexts
• recognize sources of interpersonal conflict and implement conflict resolution techniques

Mathematical reasoning skills

• analyze quantitative information and solve problems in the areas of personal daily experience and professional endeavors
• use higher-order cognitive skills to make sense of quantitative and spatial information enabling graduates to:
• determine the validity of conclusions based on quantitative and spatial data
• recognize patterns, trends, and relationships
• analyze the logic of arguments
• choose the appropriate technological tools to produce and process quantitative and spatial information

Critical thinking skills

• recognize, analyze, and evaluate another's argued position, and give reasoned accounts of their own positions
• determine when and how problems can be addressed by means of the analytical methods of the arts, sciences, and other fields
• use analytical methods typical of the arts, sciences, and other fields to work toward the solution of problems

Health and recreation skills

• determine ways to assess and improve health-related fitness status
• apply knowledge of wellness concepts and motor skill development to selection of safe, individualized fitness and leisure activities
• demonstrate knowledge of and competence in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns as a means to support and maintain physical activity through the lifespan
• apply knowledge of personal risk for stress-related illness and chronic disease to health-related fitness and behavior choices

Computer literacy

• perform the tasks necessary to begin using a computer for personal use
• write a paper with graphs, tables, and pictures using word-processing skills
• develop and make a presentation using presentation software

Information literacy

• demonstrate a knowledge of the framework of information, including books, journals, and the internet
• decide which sources to use when searching for specific types of information
• use alternative methods of finding information
• successfully evaluate the quality of a source in terms of bias, reliability, timeliness, and authority
• exhibit an understanding of search strategies
• access information remotely

UNDERSTANDING/CONTENT ("Know") Understand alternative ways of knowing, including what the discipline is and does, discipline methods, discipline limits.

The General Education Program provides students opportunities to grow in their understanding of the following content areas, which may be expressed in the following ways:

Philosophy

• demonstrate careful, precise, and logical expression of thought
• explore questions of value and goodness
• explore their intellectual heritage referring to primary texts in the history of philosophy
• examine the methods of philosophy to determine the uses and limitations of the methods in relationship to other disciplines
• express a reflective attitude toward the meaning of human experience
• appreciate and confidently use reason to solve problems of human choice and self-determination

Theology

• recognize the rich tradition of the Judeo-Christian/Catholic community which includes both historical or classical sources and contemporary ecumenical perspectives flowing from Vatican II
• describe and practice the discipline of theology as an interpretive, speculative, and practical science that includes critical reflection on both tradition and one's own faith experience
• recognize the resources provided by human reason, faith, and religious tradition for facing the challenge of human choice and growth
• discuss issues of value and goodness from the perspective of a mature personal system of values
• engage in critical analysis of theological statements and methods and the relationship of these statements and methods to other disciplines

Language

• begin to develop some proficiency in the five language skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and culture in English and a target language
• develop oral communication skills, including self expression (students' accent and pronunciation) in English and a target language
• appreciate cultural awareness and develop sensitivity to the country (or countries) where a target language is spoken
• begin to appreciate and understand the literature (both poetry and prose) written in a target language

Literature

• recognize the reading of literature as an interaction between a literary work and a reader, an interaction which may yield an intellectual, affective, and/or aesthetic experience
• use various forms of writing to facilitate reading and understanding of literary works
• explore the literary, thematic, and social grounds of literature in a specific cultural context
• develop sensitivity to and understanding of the richness and complexity of words in either a native language or a target language

Fine Arts

• recognize the tools of expression used in an artistic medium and the use of those tools in design/structural form
• express a basic creative ability in at least one visual or performing art
• achieve personal expression through an artistic medium
• evaluate the importance of design/structural form in an artistic medium
• relate art to humankind's historical development
• ascertain the role of the arts in contemporary society
• recognize and articulate the relationship between the arts and various forms of human development

Natural and Physical Science

• explain the goals of science and both describe and apply the methodology scientists use in their work
• describe the range of questions that may be addressed by scientific inquiry and identify questions that fall outside the purview of science
• communicate scientific concepts and facts that explain the functioning of the natural world
• apply scientific principles that underlie contemporary issues drawn from distinct disciplines within the natural and physical sciences

Social Science

• recognize that the basis for knowledge in the social sciences is grounded in the application of the scientific method to behavior
• apply moral and ethical standards to human relationships and develop personal standards of behavior
• identify and compare various theories of human behavior and the application of these theories to society
• analyze problems of human behavior and offer potential solutions
• identify current and past ways in which humans deal with social problems and discover and evaluate strengths and weaknesses

History

• identify various patterns of behavior, value systems, and social institutions of a particular time period and/or geographical
• region to form a factual foundation from which to build further analytical and expressive skills
• identify the raw materials of history; which include, among others, official documents, contemporary writings, material culture, and oral interviews
• analyze both primary and secondary sources and develop a personal interpretation of the past
• engage in open discussion and debate understanding that history is not a solitary process

ATTITUDES/VALUES ("Think About") Values significant to enriching one's own and others' lives.

The General Education Program provides students opportunities for exposure to the following values and attitudes, which may be expressed in the following ways:

Respect for differences

• recognize the broad range of differences and develop an understanding and sensitivity for differences
• broaden knowledge, understanding, and personal community by interacting with persons who are different
• encourage maintenance and sharing of differences among persons of different cultures and ethnic backgrounds without expectations for others to assimilate
• recognize a person's weaknesses as well as a person's strengths

Freedom of inquiry and dissent

• recognize that freedom of inquiry must include the possibility of dissent
• test premises rather than take them at face value
• appreciate the right to take an adversarial stance against bodies of information in order to test them
• develop tolerance

Justice and equality

• explain from a Judeo-Christian perspective why all persons are considered to be created in the image of God and thus worthy of respect
• describe at least one way in which one's personal actions may have an adverse effect on the life or living conditions of people elsewhere in the world
• recognize how policies or practices embodied in institutions, intentionally or unintentionally, lead to inequities in the treatment of others, especially the poor, marginalized, or powerless

Self-responsibility and autonomy

• exhibit behaviors that illustrate that they have taken ownership of various dimensions of their lives
• accept the consequences of their own actions and words
• recognize when independent work is necessary and when collaboration is appropriate

Caring, service, community responsibility

• acknowledge and accept themselves as members of both local and world-wide communities whose interests, concerns, and issues are shared
• demonstrate care for one another by offering challenges and support to peers
• fulfill civic duties and become involved in community issues and activities
• volunteer time to both on- and off-campus groups dedicated to helping underprivileged, minorities, the environment, children, the homeless, and any who are in need
• show concern for the global community by gathering for discussion or prayer about current issues

Aesthetic sense

• develop a personal set of values and tastes in order to perceive and respond to the arts and the artistic
• appreciate artistic and other events
• recognize the roles that such events have in a historical context and in current society
• assimilate artistic awareness into various aspects of personal, professional, and public life