Mar 28, 2024  
2020-21 Catalog 
    
2020-21 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

General Education Core Curriculum


The Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum is a part of a transferable degree.  It is not a workforce certificate nor industry-recognized credential.  Successful completion of these core courses will facilitate transfer to any other participating associate or bachelor’s degree program.  In order to complete the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum, students are required to take at least 12 courses (37 to 41 semester credits).  No more than two courses from any one discipline can be used to fulfill General Education Core Curriculum requirements.  Refer to the general education requirements in your transfer degree (A.A., A.S., A.F.A., A.E.S.) for specific instructions in selecting courses.  Students in Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree programs should follow the courses listed in their program unless otherwise indicated.

The General Education Core Curriculum is divided into five categories:

  1. Communications - Communication is the art of expressing and exchanging ideas in speech or writing. The complexities of modern life demand that individuals have a mastery of both written and oral communication skills. Therefore, L&C and the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum require competency in both skills. To fulfill the requirement, students should satisfactorily complete both ENGL 131 and ENGL 132 and one course in oral communication. Satisfactory completion of the writing courses means a grade of C or better. Because communication skills provide a foundation for success in later academic work, general education communication courses should be completed early in a student’s degree program, and communication skills should continue to be developed and refined across the undergraduate curriculum.
     
  2. Mathematics - The mathematics component of general education focuses on quantitative reasoning to provide a base for developing a quantitatively literate college graduate. Every college graduate should be able to apply simple mathematical methods to the solution of real-world problems. A quantitatively literate college graduate should be able to:
  • interpret mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables and schematics, and draw inferences from them;
  • represent mathematical information symbolically, visually, numerically and verbally;
  • use arithmetic, algebraic, geometric and statistical methods to solve problems;
  • estimate and check answers to mathematical problems in order to determine reasonableness, identify alternatives and select optimal results; and
  • recognize the limitations of mathematical and statistical models.

Courses accepted in fulfilling the general education mathematics requirement emphasize the development of the student’s capability to do mathematical reasoning and problem solving in settings the college graduate may encounter in the future. General education mathematics courses should not lead simply to an appreciation of the place of mathematics in society, nor should they be merely mechanical or computational in character. To accomplish this purpose, students should have at least one course that emphasizes the foundations of quantitative literacy and solidifies and deepens this foundation to enable the student to internalize these habits of thought.

  1. Physical and Life Sciences - The purpose for the study of science is to:
  • develop students’ understanding of the methods of scientific inquiry, including the formulation and
  • familiarize students with selected scientific principles in the physical and life sciences;
  • enable students to make informed decisions about personal and societal issues.

To achieve this purpose, students are expected to satisfactorily complete a minimum of two courses (7 to 8 semester credit hours) to fulfill the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum science requirement.

In order for students to understand the methods of scientific inquiry, including the development of the skills and disposition necessary to become independent inquirers about the natural world, at least one general education science course must include a laboratory component that meets a minimum of two hours per week, in which students will be expected to:

  • formulate or evaluate questions (hypotheses),
  • plan and conduct experiments (test hypotheses),
  • make systematic observations and measurements,
  • interpret and analyze data,
  • draw conclusions,
  • communicate the results (orally and/or in writing).

In order for students to become familiar with selected scientific principles, at least one course must be selected from the life sciences and one course from the physical sciences.

  1. Humanities and Fine Arts - The study in the humanities and fine arts develops an understanding of what it means to be human-the struggles and aspirations, comedies and tragedies, and achievements and failures of human beings; wrestles with the basic questions that confront all human beings in the course of their lives-identity, beauty, courage, love, truth, justice, and morality; and examines the dreams, traditions, and cultural expressions of peoples throughout time who have wrestled with these same questions. To understand what it means to be human, one must understand oneself in relation to the natural world and in relation to others, reflect on ideas and confront presuppositions from one’s own and other cultures, and respond creatively. Thus, study in the humanities and fine arts focuses on intellectual and cultural expression approached through historical, hermeneutic, cultural, and aesthetic investigations.

    Courses designed to fulfill the General Education Core Curriculum humanities and fine arts requirement involve students in the basic questions and substance of the humanities and fine arts, as well as in the methods used to approach these questions. Courses in philosophy, religious studies, literature, history, and the history and appreciation of the visual and performing arts are included. Because critical thinking, investigation, and reflection are necessary to the study of the humanities and fine arts, these processes-as embodied in writing (essays and essay examinations) and speaking (oral presentations and discussion)-are significant components of humanities and fine arts courses. Where appropriate, course readings and activities also reflect an awareness of the United States’ multicultural inheritance: race, ethnicity, gender and class. By contrast, courses that primarily focus on developing a skill, such as performance or production courses in the arts, technique or professional courses in communications, and those foreign language courses that focus on learning to speak and write a different language at an elementary level, generally are not considered part of general education in the humanities and fine arts. To fulfill the humanities and fine arts requirement, students should select a minimum of three courses (9 semester credit hours) from the approved course list, selecting at least one from the humanities and one from the fine arts. Interdisciplinary courses encompassing both the humanities and the fine arts may be used for both categories.
     
  2. Social and Behavioral Sciences - Through study in the social and behavioral sciences, students gain an appreciation of human continuity and change. Students learn to analyze the past, develop insight into contemporary social life, and understand the impact of individual and social actions on the future. Students are encouraged to develop a sense of global responsibility toward humanity and the environment. Study in the social and behavioral sciences will help students to:
  • gain insight into individual behavior;
  • develop an understanding of their own society and the world as part of larger human experience in time and place;
  • analyze social, political, cultural, historical, and economic institutions and relationships that both link and separate societies throughout the world;
  • develop analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills necessary to understand and influence the world in which they live;
  • comprehend methods of inquiry employed by social and behavioral scientists.

Students are expected to complete satisfactorily a minimum of three courses (9 semester credit hours), selected from at least two disciplines, to fulfill the Illinois Transferable General Education Core Curriculum social and behavioral science requirement.

Assessment of General Education Learning Outcomes


Since fall 2000, the Lewis and Clark faculty have embedded general education learning assessment in courses across the curriculum. These general education learning outcomes are identified and defined by the faculty as follows:

Communication - Writing: effective skill in writing by creating a thesis and organizing argument with support, as well as editing and revising for clarity and critical thinking.

Communication - Speaking: effective skill in recognizing and employing criteria in formal speech presentations, including both verbal and nonverbal techniques, to enhance delivery.

Critical Thinking: effective skill in articulating and evaluating arguments using both deductive and inductive reasoning, utilizing rudimentary principles of the scientific method, and applying theses skills to problem solving. Components include: reasoning (inferential discourse and scientific reasoning) and practical problem solving.

Mathematical Reasoning: effective skill in basic mathematical computation and comprehension of quantitative information, including application in a variety of situations. Components include: number sense, statistics, and applied math.

Teamwork Skills: effective skill in self-understanding as evidenced by such traits as self-control, personal integrity and responsibility, and skill in associating with others as evidenced by such traits as tolerance, empathy, and awareness of common goals. Components include: self-knowledge and knowledge of others.

Global Awareness: effective skill in identifying, appreciating, and describing the interdependencies and conflicts of the global community on national, regional, local and/or personal levels. Components include: similarities, connection, and differences

The faculty purposefully include instruction in these skills within their discipline areas. General education learning assessment is a regular and on-going component of teaching and learning at Lewis and Clark.

 

General Education Core Curriculum Credential Requirements


Communications Courses (9 Credit Hours)


Select three courses: a two-course sequence in writing (with grade of “C” or better) and one course in oral communications.

Writing Sequence Courses


Oral Communication Courses


Mathematics Courses (3-5 credit hours)


Select one course appropriate to your major. Check with your advisor to ensure the appropriate course is being selected.

Physical and Life Sciences Courses (7-8 credit hours)


Select two courses: one from the life sciences group and one from the physical sciences group.  In addition, one course must be a lab science course.

Life Sciences Lab Courses


Life Sciences Non-Lab Courses


Physical Sciences Lab Courses


Physical Sciences Non-Lab Courses


Humanities and Fine Arts Courses (9-10 credit hours)


Select three courses. One course must be selected from the humanities group and one course must be selected from the fine arts group.  The additional course is the student’s choice or as directed by your advisor.

Humanities Western Culture Courses


Humanities Non-Western Culture Courses


Fine Arts Western Culture Courses


Fine Arts Non-Western Culture Course


Interdisciplinary Humanities Courses


Courses in this category are considered a western culture humanities course.

Interdisciplinary Humanities/Fine Arts Courses


Courses in this category may be considered either western culture fine arts or western culture humanities.

Social and Behavioral Sciences Courses (9 credit hours)


Select three courses from at least two disciplines (ANTH, ECON, GEOG, HIST, POLS, PSYC, SOCI, SOSC).

Social and Behavioral Sciences Western Culture Courses


Social and Behavioral Sciences Non-Western Culture Courses


Social and Behavioral Sciences Interdisciplinary Courses


Courses in this category are considered a western culture social and behavioral sciences course.

Total credit hours required for the completion of the General Education Core Curriculum: 37