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Professor collaborates with students representing the General Education Program at Curry College

...at the heart of Curry College's undergraduate curriculum

Gen Ed is based on our belief in the power and potential of the liberal arts. Our 44-47 credit Gen Ed curriculum addresses the "Essential Learning Outcomes" and High Impact Practices established by the prestigious Association of American Colleges and Universities. The curriculum develops skills needed to participate in the 21st century economy - skills that employers and professors value: global knowledge, effective written and oral communication, critical thinking, information literacy, quantitative reasoning, intercultural sensitivity, teamwork and ethical judgment.

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Gen Ed Requirements and Information

Active Learning Outcomes:

  • Apply theory and/or classroom learning to practice
  • Communicate effectively and professionally according to the practices and standards of the community relevant to the Active Learning experience
  • Document and reflect on the nature of ethical behavior in a circumstance relevant to the Active Learning experience
  • Analyze information in a manner that reflects engagement with diverse actors and/or ideas
  • Demonstrate acquisition of a skill relevant to the Active Learning experience
  • Demonstrate a level of understanding of the nature, functioning, or significance of the community of practice associated with the Active Learning experience that can only come through substantive exposure to said community  

Courses and activities fulfilling the Active Learning requirement will be expected to meet a majority of the learning outcomes.

Breadth Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Identify the distinct perspective of the discipline, including what it looks at and the descriptive and explanatory power that it offers
  • Present a theoretical and/or historical overview of the discipline
  • Articulate the role of the course within the context of the liberal arts

Diversity Learning Outcomes:

  • Conceptualize and articulate the complexities of difference
  • Describe historical, social, political, and economic processes producing diversity, equality, and structured inequalities
  • Critically examine the intersections of race, ethnicity, religion, ability, class, gender species and/or sexuality-from the local to the global-within the contexts of power relationships that lead to systemic inequities
  • Apply knowledge of difference to analyze struggles of people, and address social issues and political concerns that impact everyday lives

First-Year Inquiry Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Articulate, in written or oral form, their initial ideas and assumptions in relation to the topic/theme of the course
  • Recognize and articulate in written synthesis papers disciplinary perspectives on the course topic/theme
  • Make use of knowledge from multiple disciplines to explain and evaluate, both in written and oral presentations, multiple perspectives on the course theme/topic
  • Integrate informed and multiple perspectives to construct a final written course project
  • Identify, access, and critically evaluate a variety of types and formats of information
  • Develop an understanding of personal responsibility through metacognitive experiences

International / Global Interdependence Learning Outcomes   

Courses fulfilling the International/Global Interdependence requirement must be able to meet at least two of the following learning outcomes:

  • Identify and articulate differing cultural perspectives on course themes/content
  • Analyze actions, attitudes, or behaviors from the perspective of local, regional, national, or global identities
  • Articulate the origins and influences of one's own cultural heritage along with its advantages and limitations relative to other traditions
  • Demonstrate a sensitivity toward and appreciation for learning existent in perspectives and experiences different from one's own
  • Apply knowledge of multiple perspectives to pose well-defined solutions to problems facing the natural and human world
  • Analyze global systems in light of historical origins or contemporary relevance Acknowledge the relationship between language and cultural identity

Gen Ed Capstone Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Articulate, in both spoken and written forms, an awareness and grounded understanding of the many theoretical and practical connections that can be gleaned from the diverse knowledge gained in Gen Ed courses
  • Integrate information and perspectives gained from courses in the liberal arts to demonstrate the ability to analyze thematic material from a variety of disciplinary approaches
  • Present evidence of, and evaluate, their learning process in a well-organized and comprehensive Portfolio
  • Evaluate information and sources critically, and incorporate new information into the knowledge base gained through General Education, and identify the larger interdisciplinary themes linking them
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the connectedness of the liberal arts through an integrated examination and analysis of a real-world issue

Wellness Learning Outcomes

  • Reflect on how to incorporate specific wellness practices into one's life
  • Identify detrimental behaviors/attitudes/actions that suggest a lack of wellness in others
  • Analyze the multi-faceted and interconnected nature of wellness
  • Articulate what wellness looks like for you now and later in life

Courses and activities fulfilling the Wellness requirement will be expected to meet a majority of the learning outcomes.

Life-Changing Opportunities Await

Start with a foundation in the liberal arts. Add attentive faculty and countless opportunities to learn by doing. That’s what you’ll get with a bachelor’s degree from Curry. Learn what’s waiting for you today.