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UMD Liberal Education

Liberal Education Category Description and Criteria

Note: Use of “/” between words refers to and/or

ORAL COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGES

Category Description
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. While this requirement can be satisfied by courses offered by the Department of Communication, we also encourage other departments and programs, ideally with the assistance of professionals trained in communication pedagogy, to propose oral communication courses tailored to the needs of their students.

Courses (Oral Communication) will:

  • Examine the processes necessary to develop and arrange message content
  • Emphasize the need to craft and adapt messages to particular audiences and situations
  • Present the fundamentals of appropriate language and effective style
  • Analyze ways in which delivery is enhanced or inhibited by both verbal and non-verbal
    forms of communication
  • Emphasize practical exercises and individual presentations that require students to
    understand and apply the above skills sets in verbal and non-verbal communication*

* These criteria are designed to provide every student with a course in the practice of oral communication. Courses meeting the other criteria but lacking a practice component may receive a temporary waiver of this requirement until additional sections of courses become available or sufficient new courses are developed. Such waivers should be granted for a period not to exceed three years.

Courses (Languages) will:

  • 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
  • Develop students’ grammatical, textual, illocutionary, socio-linguistic and cultural competence

 

LOGIC AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING

Category Description
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.

Category Criteria

  • Enable students to understand and use symbolic systems
  • Develop students’ ability to recognize and exercise valid reasoning
  • Help students to analyze and evaluate quantitative and/or logical problems

NATURAL SCIENCES

Category Description
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.

Criteria for all Knowledge Domain Courses

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the particular knowledge domain
  • Explain how knowledge in the domain is professionally validated and enters the public realm and with what effect
  • Point out connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of major
    ideas in the field

Criteria for Natural Sciences Category:

  • Focus on content appropriate for the natural sciences
  • Familiarize students with the scientific method by actively engaging them in the process
    of objectively developing and empirically testing hypotheses
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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:

  • 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)
  • hands-on discovery-based experiments, measurements, simulations or analysis that test basic concepts or hypotheses
  • quantitative examination and testing of phenomena that may be described in terms of principles recognized within the discipline
  • examination of the relationship between structure and function of biological specimens
  • exploration of biological systems to understand how individual organisms interact with
    each other and the environment
  • use of mathematical models to describe or predict responses and behaviors in living
    systems
  • laboratory experiments that allow students to confront interpretation of mistakes and
    unexpected results

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Category Description
Social Sciences are those branches of knowledge that investigate how cultural, social, and structural factors influence human social behavior. 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.

Criteria for all Knowledge Domain Courses:

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the particular knowledge domain
  • Explain how knowledge in the domain is professionally validated and enters the public realm and with what effect
  • Point out connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of major
    ideas in the field

Criteria for Social Science Courses:

  • Focus on content appropriate to any of the many branches of social science
  • 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)
  • Engage students actively in one or more methods by which social scientists formulate
    hypotheses, gather and interpret data, and reach conclusions
  • Acknowledge and, where appropriate, demonstrate the relevance of other disciplines—
    especially those within the domain of the social sciences-- to the material under study

HUMANITIES

Category Description
The Humanities are those branches of knowledge concerned with human thought and culture. 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.

Criteria for all Knowledge Doman Courses:

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the particular knowledge domain
  • Explain how knowledge in the domain is professionally validated and enters the public realm and with what effect
  • Point out connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of major
    ideas in the field

Criteria for Humanities Courses:

  • Focus on course content appropriate to the wide field of humanistic studies
  • Involve students in the active, critical examination of the products and/or processes of
    human culture
  • Situate the objects of study historically and in relation to the culture(s) that produced
    them
  • Familiarize students with established mode(s) of inquiry in the relevant subfield(s) of
    humanistic study
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the field

FINE ARTS

Category Description
The Fine Arts use imagination, creativity, and discipline-specific skills to reflect the complexity of human life. 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.

Criteria for all Knowledge Doman Courses:

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the particular knowledge domain
  • Explain how knowledge in the domain is professionally validated and enters the public realm and with what effect
  • Point out connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of major
    ideas in the field

Criteria for Fine Arts Courses:

  • Provide students opportunities to learn about the techniques of artistic creation
  • Provide students opportunities to experience or observe the creative process
  • Enable students to draw on the intellect, emotions, and knowledge of historical context in
    order to comprehend, analyze, and interpret works of art
  • Enable students to comprehend the relationship between the creative process and the
    historical, socio-economic, and cultural forces surrounding it
  • Familiarize students with established modes of inquiry in the relevant subfield(s) of the
    fine arts
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions within the field and/or
    about the material under study
  • Develop aesthetic values and the ability to appreciate art

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Category Description
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.

Criteria for all Key Topic Courses:

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions the topic presents
  • Examine connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of the
    critical forces contributing to the topic
  • 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

Criteria for Global Perspectives Courses:

  • Critically examine the rights and responsibilities of the globally competent citizen
  • Examine at least one non-U.S. country, culture, or region
  • 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
  • Provide students with opportunities to develop cross-cultural competence.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE UNITED STATES

Category Description
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.

Criteria for all Key Topic Courses:

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions the topic presents
  • Examine connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of the
    critical forces contributing to the topic
  • 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

Criteria for Cultural Diversity in the United States Courses:

  • Critically examine issues of human and cultural diversity
  • Provide an understanding of differences based on race, class, gender identity/expression,
    ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, and/or religious affiliation
  • Examine diverse traditions and values, as well as the social, cultural, and political
    contributions of different groups
  • 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
  • Provide students with opportunities to develop cross-cultural competence

SUSTAINABILITY

Category Description
Courses approved for the Sustainability category 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 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 sustainability in their lives.

Criteria for all Key Topic Courses:

  • 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
  • Identify some of the controversies and/or unanswered questions the topic presents
  • Examine connections to other fields and disciplines, as appropriate
  • Situate the course content, at least minimally, within the historical development of the
    critical forces contributing to the topic
  • 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

Criteria for Sustainability Courses:

  • Address in detail one or more important topics relating to sustainability
  • Cover fundamental principles applicable to sustainability issues, and utilize these principles to evaluate the validity of information pertaining to the topic in question
  • 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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Last modified on 03/14/12 03:14 PM
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