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NOTE: This document is meant to provide context for Chapman University’s DRAFT Gen Ed Assessment Plan (2007)
General Education Philosophy, Learning Outcomes, and Provisions
The General Education program reflects the University mission to provide its students with a personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical, and productive lives as global citizens. The Committee endorses the following guiding principles:
- A flexible general education program encourages students to participate in shaping their program in the most purposeful way for their educational journey
- A personalized general education program allows students to develop new areas of knowledge and build increasing complexity of thought throughout their undergraduate years, making connections across courses, disciplines and areas of interests.
- An integrative general education program enables students to make meaningful connections between GE and the major and to cluster courses to form contexts for learning
- An inquiry-driven general education program strengthens students’ development as critical, ethical, active learners
The program’s learning outcomes reflect the University’s mission and identity. The General Education program enables each student to:
- Understand the importance and develop the means of critical inquiry in academic and civic matters
- Develop a breadth of knowledge in the liberal arts
- Develop depth of knowledge in areas unique to Chapman
- Integrate knowledge within and across disciplines
- Cultivate ethical awareness in learning and practice
- Engage in experiential learning as thoughtful, principled citizens in a local and global sense.
- Become independent thinkers able to sustain a lifelong desire for intellectual growth
To ensure the breadth of learning, the General Education program includes the following provisions:
- All Chapman students must take at least 36 of the 45–46 GE units outside the degree program or major.
- Students may use a course to satisfy one inquiry or exploratory category only; courses may not double-count in GE categories
- Departments will identify courses for Shared Inquiry categories and submit a list of course titles for each category to the GE Committee for approval.
- Through departments or programs, faculty working within or across disciplines will submit Inter/Multidisciplinary clusters to the GE Committee for approval.
- Departments will identify courses/experiences that satisfy the Global Citizen Cluster and submit a list for each category to the GE Committee for approval.
General Education Plan
Shared Inquiry Courses (18–19 units)
Courses in the shared inquiry categories are distinguished primarily by inquiry approaches rather than individual disciplinary areas. They engage students in both active learning and reflective thought, emphasizing critical inquiry in major liberal arts areas. All students take a course that has a primary focus in each of the following areas of inquiry:
- Artistic Inquiry (3 units)
Provides students an opportunity to explore artistic media, performance and/or creative expression.
- Quantitative Inquiry (3 units)
Provides students an opportunity to investigate and explore university-level mathematical and/or computer science analysis.
- Natural Science Inquiry (3–4 units)
Provides students an opportunity to engage in the scientific method of experimentation and research.
Provides students an opportunity to explore processes by which human beings develop social and/or historical perspectives.
- Values and Ethical Inquiry (3 units)
Provides students an opportunity to explore values and ethical perspectives in humanistic, aesthetic, religious, and/or philosophical contexts.
- Written Inquiry (3 units)
Provides students an intensive course in academic writing at the first-year or intermediate level, according to demonstrated competence; includes attention to media-based composing and delivery.
Exploration Clusters (27 units)
All Chapman students will create a uniquely Chapman experience, including the Freshman Foundations Program, an Inter/Multidisciplinary Cluster, and Global Citizen Cluster of focused, self-selected courses and/or experiential learning opportunities.
- Freshman Foundations Program (3 units)
Provides students an introduction to university-level critical inquiry, anchored in the cross-disciplinary Freshman Foundations course and including the summer reading program, academic orientation, and associated co-curricular events.
- Inter/Multidisciplinary Cluster (12 units)
Provides students an opportunity to explore an area of interest from an inter/multidisciplinary focus: four related courses outside the student’s designated degree program or major. At least two courses in the cluster must be upper division. A student pursuing a second major or a minor fulfills this requirement.
- Global Citizen Cluster (12 units)
Students choose six units from across the curriculum that allow them to explore the diversity inherent in our social and natural environments, including human diversity and world cultures. Study abroad, a travel course, or experiential learning pre-approved for this global study (i.e., 120 hours of documented work relating to the category) is strongly recommended and may be used to satisfy units in this portion of the GE.
- Citizenship, Community, and Service (3 units)
Students select a learning experience that focuses on citizenship, community, or service; may be a course or experiential learning pre-approved for this cluster (e.g., service learning internship or 120 hours of documented service learning).
Students complete part of their general education program in a language other than English. This may be accomplished through a language course at or above the 200-level, a course taught in the language, or documented functional language use.
GUIDELINES
Shared Inquiry
- Departments or appropriate academic units identify courses for Shared Inquiry categories and submit, through the chair (WCLS, SAC) or associate dean (other units), a list of course titles and catalog descriptions for each inquiry category.
- The GE Committee reviews the list. If questions emerge regarding a course addressing a particular inquiry, the committee, as is current policy, shall request clarification, documentation, or course revision from the submitting department or academic unit. The GE Committee shall consult with departments or appropriate academic units as needed.
- A list of courses for each inquiry category is submitted to the Registrar and included on the Chapman website and on the Course Schedule for each semester.
Exploration Clusters
- Through departments and/or programs, faculty working within or across disciplines will submit a named cluster listing a minimum of 6–8 courses for Inter/Multidisciplinary and Global Citizen clusters to the GE Committee.
- The GE Committee reviews the cluster. If questions emerge, the committee shall request clarification, documentation, or course revisions from the submitting department or academic unit. The GE Committee shall consult with departments or appropriate academic units as needed.
- A list of clusters for Inter/Multidisciplinary and Global Citizen clusters is submitted to the Registrar and listed on the Chapman website and Course Schedule for each semester.
- The GE Committee will facilitate the formation of clusters and will communicate to all faculty proposed clusters, prior to final approval, to engage faculty collaboration for inclusion of additional courses to the cluster.
General Notes:
- The current GE Guide will be revised to provide guidelines for implementation of the general education plan.
- The GE Committee will contact all units to request inclusion of courses in the GE. The Committee will facilitate the process of course submission.
- Courses in second major or minor can satisfy any applicable general education requirement.
- Students who change majors, minors, or clusters may use courses completed toward a new major, minor, or GE requirement as applicable or as general electives.
- We recommend that the Office of the Provost coordinate with the Office of Student Life to expand experiential and service learning opportunities to accommodate the Global Citizen Cluster’s Global Study and Citizenship, Community, and Service components.
