The Liberal Education Curriculum

In the fall of 2006, Goucher College will launch a new liberal education curriculum. All incoming first-year students — and some transfer students — will be subject to its new requirements.

Goucher's new curriculum is a statement of what the college believes every student should know by the time he or she graduates. It is an expression of what Goucher values most as an institution of higher education, and it is designed to honor the deep and enduring traditions of the liberal arts.

The purpose of liberal education has traditionally been to educate people who are thoughtful and engaged, who can see the world broadly, and who are flexible of mind, body, and spirit. They are critical thinkers, they are strong communicators, and they are adaptable to the world's changing landscape.

Liberal education is a tradition that comes from a democratic, American sensibility about the nature of citizenship and the nature of knowledge. The term “liberal” refers to freedom; liberal education is a way to free, independent thinking.

Because Goucher seeks to encourage students to think beyond the requirements their general-education courses fulfill — and to consider instead the role these courses play in providing a solid foundation for intellectual inquiry, lifelong learning, civic engagement, and true global citizenship — its requirements are expressed in terms not of the disciplines they encompass, but of the values and ideals they are intended to emphasize.

The list below details each of Goucher College's new liberal education requirements. For more information about the courses that satisfy each requirement, please consult the Academic Catalogue.

Curriculum Components

1. Students must demonstrate proficiency in written communication. This will be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency within the English composition sequence of courses or through a portfolio.
2. Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate level.
3. Students must become informed global citizens and gain intercultural awareness through a study abroad experience.
4. Students must become acquainted with different ages, societies, and cultures and learn how to use a variety of historical sources. This component will be satisfied by courses identified throughout the curriculum that deal with the past.
5. Students must be able to reason abstractly and appreciate the elegance of abstract structure. This will be satisfied by a course in mathematics or logic.
6. Students must understand the methods of scientific discovery and experimental design. This will be satisfied by a natural science course with a laboratory.
7. Students must acquire problem-solving and research capability by identifying, locating, evaluating, and effectively using information. This will be satisfied by courses identified throughout the curriculum.
8. Students must be able to analyze and understand the creative process, assimilate experience and communicate it. This will be satisfied by courses identified throughout the curriculum.
9. Students must be able to interpret words, images, objects and/or actions that are expressions of human culture. This will be satisfied by courses identified throughout the curriculum.
10. Students must understand the complex nature of social structures, and/or human relationships that involve issues of inequality and difference. This will be satisfied by courses identified throughout the curriculum.
11. Students must explore the ecological and/or policy dimensions of environmental sustainability. This will be satisfied by courses identified throughout the curriculum.
    
    Note: One course may satisfy more than one, but not more than two of these requirements.