Liberal Arts Core

Purposes and Goals

Purpose of the Liberal Arts Core (LAC)

The Liberal Arts Core is the part of UNI’s undergraduate curriculum which encompasses knowledge that should be held in common by all UNI graduates. This knowledge, organized into curricular categories each consisting of one or more courses, is foundational for realizing one’s potential within and contributing to modern societies.

The Liberal Arts Core serves three purposes. First, it develops the broad base of knowledge and intellectual proficiencies that is characteristic of well-educated people. Second, the Core expands student awareness of their selves and of the worlds—natural, social, artistic, and others—in which they live, hopefully instilling a life-long desire to learn about these worlds. Finally, without directly teaching values, the Liberal Arts Core fosters those values and dispositions upon which effective inquiry, personal achievement, and societal well-being depend.

The success of the Liberal Arts Core is ultimately reflected in the extent to which UNI graduates go on to lead lives that are thoughtful, productive, personally meaningful, and socially responsible.

Goals of the Liberal Arts Core

Knowledge taught in the Liberal Arts Core pertains to four realms of thought and five intellectual proficiencies. The program’s educational goals can be expressed in terms of these realms and proficiencies. One of LAC’s most important goals is that students develop an integrative understanding so they can relate knowledge and apply proficiencies across different realms of thought. Realms are broad areas of human knowledge, the major topics one can know something about. Learning about a realm may include the development of realm-specific skills and the acquisition of related values. Most LAC categories and courses address particular realms. Proficiencies are interrelated sets of skills, most of which apply within all realms and, indeed, to most human endeavors. Some proficiencies are targeted by particular LAC categories and courses; others are addressed across the LAC curriculum.

The four realms and related educational goals are described below:

The Natural Realm

This realm is studied by the physical and life sciences. Students should understand the principles and processes—natural selection, for instance—that prevail in the natural world. They should know how science is done, the methods it employs, the intellectual products—theories, laws, models—it creates, and the disciplinary practices and values—rigor and fallibilism, among others—that have made it successful.

The Social Realm

This realm encompasses the human beliefs, practices, and institutions that constitute a culture or civilization. Students should understand Western civilization, its historical development, and distinctive characteristics. They should know about non-Western cultures in order to appreciate other worldviews, the holistic nature of culture, and the differences and commonalities to be found among human societies. Students should appreciate how culture influences human behavior and should be able to analyze behavior from various perspectives. Student understanding of the social realm promotes the development of values—notably tolerance—that are foundational for citizenship in democratic societies.

The Personal Realm

Addressed by various disciplines, this realm focuses on individuals, their nature and development. Students should become aware of common human characteristics, “human nature,” and the ways in which individuals, themselves included, diverge from these norms. They should appreciate the internal and external forces, nature and nurture, that shape human development. This knowledge enables students to understand themselves and to relate in positive ways to other people. It also helps them provide for their own physical and emotional well-being. Most importantly, knowledge of the personal realm allows students to direct their maturation towards ends that are personally meaningful and fulfilling.

The Realm of Human Creations

This realm, more than any other, is multi-faceted owing to the wide-ranging products of human thought that have appeared in all cultures. Three broad families of human creations will be differentiated.

Arts and Literature

These are human creations that serve expressive or aesthetic purposes. Students should become aware of their range and variety, across cultures, artistic forms, and genres. They should develop an appreciation for and understanding of artistic products and the processes by which they are created. They should be able to analyze and evaluate these creations.

Philosophy and Religion

These creations reflect our deeply felt need to understand and find meaning in human existence. Students should become aware of enduring philosophical questions—the mind-body problem, for instance—and the methods and mental practices philosophers use to address them. They should also be cognizant of the variety of religious beliefs and their powerful role in individual lives and societies.

 

Technology

Technology includes the world of artifacts humans have created to serve their practical purposes. Students should understand the relationship between science and technology, and how the latter can affect human lives and the natural world. They should be able to anticipate and evaluate the effects of technological developments so they can participate intelligently in important societal deliberations and decisions on such issues.

The five proficiencies are as follows:

Communication

Students should be able to speak, listen, read, write, and view effectively, adapting appropriately to the audience and material at hand.

 

Information

Students should be able to use both traditional sources and modern technologies to access, analyze, and manage information.

 

Thinking

Students should be able to address complex issues and problem situations with sound reasoning, reflective judgment, creative imagination, and a critical, analytical bent of mind.

 

Inter-Personal

Students should understand human emotions, motivations, and idiosyncrasies, and be able to participate effectively in relationships, groups, and citizenship activities.

 

Quantitative

Students should be able to make effective use of quantitative data, and to intelligently apply relevant mathematical and statistical concepts and methods on appropriate occasions.

A final, over-arching goal of the Liberal Arts Core encompasses all these realms and proficiencies. It is for students to recognize the connectedness of things, to develop the disposition to perceive reality as a whole, seeing beyond partial disciplinary perspectives.

The Liberal Arts Core strives to help students achieve an integrative understanding of the connections and interactions between different parts of the human and natural world, the values we seek, the actions we take, and the consequences that ensue.