The diversified core and designated themes portions of our new liberal education requirements became effective for entering high school students in the fall of the 1994‚95 academic year. Several important tasks, however, remain. One is implementation of the writing skills portion of the new requirements. We are currently developing policies and criteria for your comments and suggestions.

Another important task is continuing to build the strength of the diversified core and designated themes. It is about this task that we are writing to you now.

• Course proposals received by February 1, 1996 will be considered for the liberal education curriculum effective spring 1996. If approved, these courses will be effective in the curriculum as of spring 1996, but they will not appear in the Class Schedule list of liberal education courses until fall 1996.
• Course proposals received by April 12, 1996 will be considered for the liberal education curriculum effective fall 1996. If approved, these courses will be effective in the curriculum as of fall 1996, but they will not appear in the Class Schedule list of liberal education courses until winter 1997.

In the rest of this document, we remind you of the liberal education requirements, our policies, how to propose courses, and the criteria that proposed courses must meet. If you have questions, need clarification, or want to make suggestions please contact us by telephone (624‚1320), e‚mail (cle@maroon.tc.umn.edu), or mail at the letterhead address. Thank you for your continued help and cooperation.

Physical and Biological Sciences

A minimum of 3 courses and a minimum of 12 credits including 1 course with a laboratory in physical science and 1 course with a laboratory in biological science

History and Social Sciences

A minimum of 3 courses and a minimum of 12 credits including 1 course with historical perspective

Arts and Humanities

A minimum of 3 courses and a minimum of 12 credits including a course in 2 of the 3 areas of visual and performing arts, philosophical perspective, and literature

Mathematical Thinking

A minimum of 1 course and a minimum of 4 credits

Designated Themes

A minimum of 6 course experiences unless 1 of the courses includes an approved practicum in which case the minimum is 5 courses A minimum of 1 course in each of the following areas:

Cultural Diversity

International Perspectives

Environment

Citizenship and Public Ethics

Instruction by regular faculty members and the availability of small group or individual learning opportunities in large classes contribute to a high quality education. We urge that, in the long term, all courses in the liberal education curriculum have both of these characteristics.

To assist CLE in assessing the adequacy of the opportunities available to students, units are asked on the submission form to specify which quarters each year a course normally will be offered.

The liberal education requirements include a diversified core in which the number of approved courses is much smaller than previously was the case. The Council intends to maintain both the reduced size of the diversified core and participation in it by a wide range of faculty members from across the Twin Cities Campus. In its review of proposals CLE will pay attention to the criteria, the willingness of the unit to offer the course frequently and predictably, and the size and mission of the instructional unit.

Many of the courses admitted to the diversified core will be at the "lower division" (lxxx) level. However, the Task Force urged that about one‚third of the diversified core be taken after a student has reached the `'upper division" stage. Thus, 3xxx level courses with characteristic of diversified core courses should be proposed. In some cases, jointly taught lxxx and 3xxx courses may be appropriate, but these dual‚listed courses should include a clear differentiation in assignments, expectations, and instruction (e.g., separate discussion or laboratory sections) between the two levels. CLE does not expect that many Sxxx courses will be admitted to the diversified core.

Designated theme courses should include opportunities at the lxxx, 3xxx, and 5xxx levels. Students will satisfy this requirement with a combination of courses in the diversified core, the major, and electives.

The diversified core and the designated theme requirements are not mutually exclusive. Several combinations are possible, which instructional faculties should keep in mind when preparing proposals:

1. a diversified core course may also be approved for one of the designated themes, and satisfy both requirements simultaneously, e.g., history and cultural diversity or physical science and environment;

2. a course not in the diversified core may be approved for two designated themes, e. g., international perspectives and cultural diversity or environment and citizenship and public ethics;

3. a practicum can be a part of a designated theme course, including designated theme courses that are also admitted to the diversified core, with the effect of reducing the number of required designated theme courses from 6 to 5; and

4. both diversified core and designated theme courses may be proposed as writing intensive.

Proposals of revised courses or new courses for the diversified core or designated themes portions of the liberal education requirements shall consist of:

1. a completed Liberal Education Course Proposal Form as a cover sheet,

2. responses to the questions at the bottom of the Liberal Education Course Proposal Form, 2

3. a full proposal in the current form required by the college or school in which the course is based. Include a syllabus and other course materials that will assist the Council in its review.

Physical and Biological Science, History and Social Science, and Arts and Humanities Portions of the Diversified Core Curriculum

Courses in the diversified core curriculum promote students' educational breadth across academic disciplines and interdisciplinary fields as well as foster in students a range of capacities characteristic of liberal learning. In addition, all diversified core courses shall have a writing component as appropriate to the discipline (e.g., a final paper, essay examinations, or other graded writing assignments) even though the course is not intended to meet the separate writing skills requirement. All courses shall promote educational breadth by considering all of the following in the discipline or interdisciplinary study at hand:

1. Introduce students to the "ways of knowing" in the discipline or field of knowledge-the kinds of questions asked, kinds of experiences explored, kinds of skills utilized; the types of theories employed; and the ways in which insight, knowledge, and data are acquired and used.

2. Set forth at a basic level the factual information and theoretical and/or artistic constructs that form the foundation of the discipline or field of knowledge, and describe how those facts and constructs were acquired.

3. Describe how the central ideas and/or expressive forms of the discipline or field of knowledge have changed with time and cultural context, demonstrating that "knowing" is an active, ongoing process.

4. Show ways in which this field of knowledge relates and is of value to other fields of knowledge and to the development of ideas and values in human society in general.

Proposals also should discuss how courses incorporate one or more of the following secondary objectives, as appropriate to the field at hand: awareness of how contemporary life has been shaped by Western civilization and that of other cultures; habits of disciplined learning, intellectual curiosity, and independent thinking; critical thinking and expression; aesthetic sensitivity; or essential skills such as writing, speaking, and calculating.

The goals of these breadth requirements are:

Physical and Biological Sciences. Comprehension of physical and biological principles; an understanding of and an ability to use the methods of scientific inquiry-the ways in which scientists investigate physical and biological phenomena; and appreciation of the importance of science and the value of a scientific perspective.

History and Social Sciences. Knowledge of how historians and social scientists describe and analyze human experiences and behavior; study of the interrelationships among individuals, institutions, structures, events, and ideas; understanding the roles individuals play in their historical, cultural, social, economic, and political worlds.

Arts and Humanities. Understanding of approaches to the human condition through works of art, literature, and philosophy; knowledge of how artists and humanistic scholars work; an ability to make aesthetic judgments in accordance with relevant criteria.

Mathematical Thinking Portion of the Diversified Core Curriculum

In addition to the criteria for the other portions of the diversified core, courses that satisfy the mathematical thinking requirement must be:

1. calculus, or

2. other courses from a variety of disciplines that introduce and emphasize mathematical modes of thinking rather than computational skills. Courses are encouraged that pique intellectual curiosity and are rooted in clear applications.

The goals of this requirement are acquisition of mathematical modes of thinking; ability to evaluate arguments, detect fallacious reasoning, and evaluate complex reasoning chains; and appreciation of the breadth of applications of mathematics and its foundations.

The purpose of these courses is to increase students' understanding of the role of gender, ethnicity, and race in structuring the human experience in the United States; the contributions of different groups to the social and cultural fabric of the United States; and the traditions and values that are representative of a diverse American population.

To qualify for designation, a course must:

1. primarily focus on historical and/or contemporary perspectives on issues of social and cultural diversity in the United States, with special attention to issues of race, ethnicity, or gender; and, as appropriate to the field at hand, include examination of social class, age, disability, religious diversity, and affectional orientation; and

2. offer students an opportunity to critically examine issues of social and cultural diversity through instructional options and materials that foster exploration and discussion.

Courses that would meet this requirement include those that examine a dimension of the lives and experiences of women or a particular ethnic group-specific examples, by no means exhaustive of the possibilities, are African American women writers, urban American Indian communities, and Chicano music and art. A second type of course explores issues of race, class, or gender in a comparative framework, e.g., American race relations; issues of cultural pluralism; sociological perspectives on race, class, and gender; and American cities as settings for cultural pluralism. Finally, courses that include issues of race, gender, or ethnicity as a major theme of a broader study of America, e.g., American history, cultures, or geography, may be appropriate.

The broad purpose of these courses is to increase students' understanding of the ways in which they are part of a rapidly changing global environment dominated by the internationalization of science and scholarship, information, culture, business and finance, labor markets, and political events.

To qualify for designation, a course should either:

1. deal explicitly with important cultural, political, economic, diplomatic, or other interdependencies in today's world or the world of the past, or

2. examine significant differences across national or broad cultural boundaries, either historically or contemporaneously.

The first type of course should have as its primary focus transactions or interchanges among nation‚states or other international actors (international agencies, international organizations, multinational corporations). A few examples, by no means exhaustive of the possibilities, include: international migration, diplomatic history, international diffusion of technology, international trade, diffusion of agricultural technology, international communication, cultural diffusion, and international law.

The second type of course should have as its primary focus comparisons of different nations or cultures. Examples include: comparative literature, comparative economic systems, ethnomusicology, study of a world region (if states or peoples of the region are compared), comparative agricultural development, comparative politics, and the history of the development of science across world regions.

The Council strongly urges faculty members to propose courses dealing with the non‚Western world.

Liberal education has, from its inception, gone beyond academic inquiry and professional training to prepare students for responsible citizenship. The requirement in Citizenship and Public Ethics enables students to reflect upon and determine a clearer sense of their present and future civic relationships and their obligations to the community. Responsible citizenship includes among other things the capacity to discuss, deliberate, and participate in public affairs as well as to reflect upon the ethical dimensions of public life and one's involvement in it.

In order to meet the requirement in Citizenship and Public Ethics all courses will have the following components:

1. a consideration of issues and themes of citizenship, public affairs, and public ethics in the abstract, as these relate to the discipline or field of knowledge in question;

2. an application of these abstract issues and themes to concrete instances; and

3. the inclusion of class discussions and writing components that would be designed to help students develop their own civic judgment, skills, and capacities for ethical deliberation.

Course themes might include, for example, the past and present meaning of "citizenship" and/or the various rights and obligations that citizens may be said to have in their communities. On a concrete level, these themes might be discussed with specific reference to the civic and ethical responsibilities of people in specific careers. Courses should not, however, emphasize personal values clarification, present lists of facts as in certain high school civics texts, or advance particular ideologies. Rather, such courses should be structured to present a wide spectrum of views that encourage students to develop their own positions.

In order to meet the criteria listed above, proponents of courses for the Citizenship and Public Ethics requirement should indicate how their course will address some or all of the following topics: the relationship of the citizen to her or his community, the political process, and the public world; the debates in a democracy over rights, duties, obligations, welfare, or international aid to other countries; professional ethics and debates about the public responsibilities in one's chosen field; the current or historical patterns of power, political interaction, and conflict among racial, ethnic, religious, and other groups; and the complexities and possibilities of public collaboration and problem‚solving in a society of immensely diverse interests, perspectives, and values.

The relationship between humans and the natural environment is characterized by the interaction of biophysical and cultural and social systems. The enormous range of knowledge that bears on each environmental issue invites and lends itself well to multidisciplinary courses and intercollegiate cooperation. We encourage a diverse set of courses at both the introductory and advanced preparation levels that raise environmental issues of general importance and are informed by three fundamental ideas: humans and the natural environment interact and are interdependent; humans are at once biophysical, social, and cultural organisms; and the natural environment is both biophysical and culturally defined.

Courses proposed to satisfy the environmental education theme must meet these criteria:

1. Focus on the interaction (or interdependency) of humans and the natural environment and use significant issues of interaction for illustrative and explanatory purposes, and

2. Consider both biophysical principles (i.e., the underlying physical and/or biological sciences) and cultural and social (e.g., economic, artistic, legal, literary, political, philosophical, social, and/or religious) systems and customs.

A wide range of courses might be proposed to demonstrate the interdependence of biophysical principles and sociocultural perspectives. Such courses might study issues such as water quality or water systems and distribution, waste disposal, or the impact of agricultural fertilizers or pesticides; they might also look at broader theoretical or philosophical concerns such as development vs. conservation and preservation, the attitudes expressed toward the environment by various cultures, or the management of environmental resources.

A course proposed for one or more of the designated themes may include a practicum. To be approved, the practicum portion of the course must:

1. reinforce and/or extend the pedagogical goals of the course;

2. be fully integrated into the course, its readings, lectures, and discussions; and

3. take students out of the classroom through means including but not limited to
   • applied field research
   • clinical work
   • internship
   • service learning, or
   • off-campus study including study abroad.

Designated theme courses with a practicum may carry a larger number of credits to account for the increased work over the usual readings, lectures, and papers. An increase in credits should be justified explicitly.

LIBERAL EDUCATION COURSE PROPOSAL FORM

College Department Course Number

Course Title

Cross listed course designators Date Submitted

Indicate the liberal education requirements that this course is proposed to satisfy. A course may be proposed for one of the following: I ) one diversified core requirement; 2) one diversified core requirement and one designated theme requirement; or 3) one or two designated theme requirements.

Diversified Core

Physical and Biological Sciences

Biological science __ with __ without laboratory or field experience

Physical science __ with __ without laboratory or field experience

History and the Social Sciences __ Historical perspective __ Social science

Humanities and the Arts

__ Literature __ Philosophy __ Visual or performing arts __ Other humanities or arts

Mathematical Thinking __

Designated Themes

__ International Perspectives __ Environment

__ Cultural Diversity __ Citizenship and Public Ethics

Does the course include a practicum? Yes / No

Please provide the following information about the course:

Does this course have a college level prerequisite? List prereq's

How many times per year will this course be scheduled?

In which quarters? _ Fall Winter Spring Summer

What is the total enrollment limit per quarter for this course ?

Does this course include small group work? Yes / No

Will the lectures in this course usually be taught by regular faculty members? Yes / No

Please respond to the following three general queries with reference to the liberal education criteria contained in the Council on Liberal Education Policy Guidelines and Criteria for Course Proposals. You may use as much space as you feel is necessary; however, CLE is not expecting more than three pages.

1. How do the general objectives and content of this course meet the intent and goals of the liberal education requirements that it is proposed to satisfy ?

2. With specific reference to the course syllabus, detailed outline, readings, laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or methods, how does this course meet the criteria specified for the liberal education requirements that it is proposed to satisfy ? Please attach the course syllabus, reading assignments or other appropriate documentation.

3. With specific reference to the course materials or methods, how does this course meet any secondary objectives specified for the liberal education requirements that it is proposed to satisfy? (See "Criteria" in the Summary of UMTC Diversified Core and Designated Themes.)