The Arts & Sciences undergraduate curriculum will provide students with a set of literacies and competencies that are indispensable for their future careers, their roles as engaged and responsible citizens, and their well-being as individuals.
Our innovative literacy-based approach focuses on the acquisition of multiple knowledge areas and skills as well as diverse perspectives necessary for successfully navigating a complex, ambivalent, and rapidly changing world. The sets of literacies may include:
- Applied problem solving
- Civic and community mindset
- Collaboration and leadership
- Communication dexterity
- Creative practices
- Data analysis and quantitative reasoning
- Digital innovation
- Ethical reasoning
- Historical and contextual understanding
- Integrative thinking
- Intercultural and global competence
- Media, narrative, visual literacies
- Research process
- Social, political, economic literacies
The explicit concentration on literacies leverages the existing Arts & Sciences curriculum in all disciplines and on all levels — including introductory and core courses, major-specific courses, graduate education, and capstone experiences. This approach, in conjunction with innovative career-planning efforts in the College of Arts & Sciences, will better prepare students to understand their value, meet the challenges of the workplace, and engage meaningfully with critical sectors of society.