Learning Outcomes in Liberal Arts Studies

To achieve the goals of the LAS program, students will be guided into a balanced program of LAS courses in which assignments and activities will foster intellectual growth and competence. Students will demonstrate academic achievement of the following LAS Learning Outcomes:

Intellectual Growth Outcomes

Knowledge

1. Breadth. The student will articulate and discuss the goals, purposes and methods used to understand the world in scientific, aesthetic, cultural, historical, ethical, and religious ways.

2. Integration. The student will identify the similarities and differences among these ways of knowing/experiencing the world and will explore the relationships among them.

Skills

1. Communication. The student will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in both oral communication and written communication, including research writing.

2. Critical Thinking. The student will analyze complex issues and arguments (e.g., identify assumptions, premises, and conclusions) in various intellectual contexts (scientific, technical, ethical, aesthetic, social, global, etc.) and will evaluate the validity and soundness of such arguments.

3. Problem Solving. The student will gather relevant information and ideas and apply appropriate principles, concepts, and theories to solve significant social and intellectual problems in diverse communities.

Values

1. Ethical Values. The student will recognize ethical dilemmas and identify the values that inform various responses to such dilemmas. The student will also recognize and evaluate the differences in value judgments based on culture, religion, and historical perspective.

2. Aesthetic Values. The student will recognize the nature of aesthetic judgments and the values that inform them, and will evaluate the differences in such responses.

Personal Growth Outcomes

The student will articulate his/her current sense of personal identity in relation to such factors as work, faith, values, community, and ideas, and will reflect on the development of this identity and his/her goals for further growth.