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School of Liberal Arts

Department of English

Departmental Goals

The English program offers concentrations in literature, writing, and theatre; the goals and principles underlying these concentrations are the same:

  1. To increase the student’s appreciation and understanding of the literary, pragmatic, rhetorical, and dramatic uses of language.
  2. To develop the student’s ability to write effectively in a variety of situations.
  3. To help the student become more receptive to the many-sided pleasures of reading, writing, and oral presentation.
  4. To enable the student to see how literary and nonliterary texts illuminate the complexity of human experience.
  5. To heighten the student’s awareness of the moral and ethical implications of literary and nonliterary texts.
  6. To foster the student’s intellectual, aesthetic, and professional creativity.

Individual Concentration Goals

  1. To prepare students for careers utilizing analytical writing skills and/or performance skills in such fields as business, industry, education, government, theatre, and media.
  2. To prepare students for graduate studies in literature and writing and in fields that require analytic, interpretive, and writing skills.
  3. In conjunction with the Teacher Education Program, to prepare students for careers in secondary education.

Student Learning Outcomes and Associated Skill Categories (**Language developed from the AACU VALUEs Rubrics)

  • Analytical
  • Interpretive
  • Writing

1. Rhetorical Task and Audience

a. Students will be able to integrate a thorough understanding of context, audience, and purpose into projects.

2. Disciplinary Conventions and Formal and Informal Rules

a. Students will be able to execute a wide range of disciplinary writing, analytical, and performance tasks according to specific conventions.
b. Students will be able to adapt their authorial voice and rhetorical strategies to the conventions of a particular genre.

3. Control of Syntax and Mechanics

a. Students will be able to create written, spoke, and multi-modal communications with clarity and fluency.
b. Students will be able to create written, spoken, and multi-modal communications free from mechanics errors.

4. Authorial Voice/Rhetorical Positioning

a. Students will be able to analyze the complexities of an issue to inform their authorial voice.
b. Students will be able to synthesize differing points of view into their authorial voice.

5. Analysis/Insightful Patterning

a. Students will be able to organize/synthesize/integrate evidence and content to craft/reveal insightful patterns, differences, or similarities related to their focused topic.

Department of History

Upon completion of 100-level courses, students should:

  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of broad historical events in the specific content area;
  • Understand the process by which historians evaluate historical sources;
  • Use evidence/primary documents to formulate interpretations;
  • Gain experience presenting persuasive analysis.

Upon completion of 200-level courses, students should:

  • Demonstrate a broad knowledge of significant historical events in the specific content area during a well-defined period or within a particular thematic focus;
  • Engage in the process of historical interpretation through analysis of documents;
  • Discern historical argumentation and compare different approaches;
  • Demonstrate the ability to retrieve course materials from electronic databases and learning platforms;
  • Present coherent and persuasive arguments in oral and written form.

Upon completion of 300-level courses, students should:

  • Demonstrate familiarity with a range of historical interpretations in a well-defined subject area;
  • Apply their analytical skills to complex historical questions and debates;
  • Demonstrate the ability to compare and synthesize multiple historical interpretations;
  • Present coherent and persuasive arguments in oral and written form;
  • Demonstrate a familiarity with research methods, including the use of electronic databases.

Upon completion of 400-level courses, students should:

  • Understand ethical issues historians face as interpreters of the past;
  • Design their own research project that exhibits their ability to develop a thesis, collect and interpret data, and correctly cite sources or work closely with the internship coordinator to develop and complete an internship project;
  • Formally present research findings (if applicable) in a persuasive, coherent, and professional manner.

Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies

  • Students will develop & demonstrate critical thinking skills (in written & oral expression) & critical reading skills (by learning to identify, analyze & understand arguments).
     
  • Students will recognize & develop an appreciation for the problems & challenges that arise in the major sub-divisions of philosophy by engaging in scholarly research and writing.
     
  • Students will demonstrate knowledge of the development of philosophical ideas through our intellectual history by engaging in scholarly research and writing.
     
  • Students will develop an understanding of and appreciation for how philosophy can inform & be informed by the concerns in other disciplines & everyday life.

Department of Political Science

  1. Students will gain a basic understanding of international U.S. national politics, political theory, and civic engagement.
     
  2. Students will develop their ability to write clearly, accurately, and persuasively about political issues and ideas.
     
  3. Students will analyze political events and processes using a wide variety of information resources, including quantitative data.
     
  4. Students will develop their critical thinking skills by conceptualizing problems precisely, synthesizing complex information, and constructively engaging with ideas different from their own. 
     
  5. Students will develop a broad understanding of engaged citizenship and of various cultural and ideological perspectives.