The Salve Regina University Core Curriculum: A Program Designed for Lifelong Learning and Responsible World Citizenship Purpose and Rationale Lifelong Learning: We, the faculty and administration of Salve Regina University, are committed to preparing our students for the future; that is, for a world that will continually change and yet remain constant in many ways. A crucially important way to prepare students for this changing world is by helping them discover that they can overcome these future challenges with a lifetime of learning and curiosity about the world. We will promote a passion for this lifelong learning, through enthusiastic educational exchanges between learners and teachers, through our commitment to teaching, scholarship, and research, and through our insistence on high standards. Whenever possible and where appropriate, we will choose readings and experiences that will provoke the interest of students and also be diverse enough to address large, general ideas and issues. The University itself will provide a model for lifelong learning by being a vibrant learning community, a place where students and faculty engage in collaborative exchanges, the discussion of common texts and readings, and debates about the issues of our times. Responsible World Citizenship: At Salve Regina, the term responsible World Citizenship attempts to express, in three words, ideals found in the University's Mission Statement and in the heritage of the Sisters of Mercy: (1) the acquisition of wisdom and learning that leads to a better understanding of the world and its people and (2) the promotion of a universal justice that is inspired by Catholic values. The term responsible World Citizen would describe someone who understands and appreciates the diversity of the one human family that extends across the globe. A responsible World Citizen is concerned about the major issues, whether local, regional, national or global, and keeps informed about them, in order to debate them intelligently. Every student will be encouraged to be a responsible World Citizen who is ready to take concrete action that will promote human dignity, social justice, and sustainable global development and is also ready to assume the responsibilities of a citizen in his or her nation. Program Goals for the Core Curriculum Goal I An Education with a Catholic Identity To encourage our students to seek wisdom and prudence and to promote mercy and universal justice by offering them a curriculum with a Catholic identity. Objectives: In order to reach this goal, students will be expected to: Knowledge and Skills 1.1 demonstrate an awareness of the Catholic intellectual tradition and its distinctive contribution to liberal education at this university. 1.2 know the life of Catherine McAuley and the Mercy mission as a prototype of world citizenship and Catholic identity. 1.3 cultivate attitudes and practices that reflect an abiding respect for the dignity of all persons and a commitment to social justice Analysis 1.4 understand the enduring influence of the Bible and Jewish, Christian, and specifically Catholic, symbols, stories, ideas, values and practices. 1.5 engage the Catholic religious tradition with other religious perspectives. 1.6 evaluate their learning and actions from the perspective of Christian ethics. Synthesis 1.7 understand the teachings of Jesus that give this university its compelling vision of a realm of peace and justice. 1.8 understand how to integrate faith, learning, and service as a means to enrich personal and community life. 1.9 recognize the essential unity of all knowledge as both an intellectual and a religious principle through interdisciplinary study and thematic connections among discipline-based courses. Goal II A Liberal Education To provide students with the kind of broad and broadening Liberal Arts education that will || prepare them for a lifetime of developing their intellectual abilities, || give them a moral foundation on which to build their learning, || challenge them to strengthen their mental flexibility, || introduce them to different ways of encountering the realities in the world, and || help them to advance in their careers or change their careers by giving them the confidence of knowing that they can learn new things. Objectives: In order to reach this goal, students will be expected to Knowledge and Skills 2.1 examine enduring insights, values and principles, starting with the Bible and Socrates, that have helped people to discern the truth. 2.2 develop an awareness of the complexity of other cultural traditions as well as their own in debating urgent contemporary issues within the context of faith and reason Analysis 2.3 engage in critical self-inquiry that promotes self-knowledge in order to develop (1) the ability to evaluate different opinions and beliefs, (2) a willingness to test one's point of view against others, (3) a willingness to recognize faulty thinking and seek other rational alternatives, and (4) a sense of collaboration by learning in community. 2.4 apply their studies in the Liberal Arts and Sciences to contemporary issues and situations. Synthesis 2.5 develop a knowledge and understanding of religious studies, the humanities, mathematics, science, and the social sciences and an awareness of the interconnectedness of the various disciplines in the Liberal Arts and Sciences curriculum. Goal III Responsible Citizens of the World To help our students become responsible Citizens of the World. Objectives: In order to reach this goal, students will be expected to Knowledge and Skills 3.1 develop an understanding of their own culture, since this culture will be the base for cross-cultural reference. 3.2 develop a knowledge and understanding of cultures throughout the world. Analysis 3.3 develop, through critical analysis, knowledge and an understanding of Western Civilization and the relationship of the United States to it. 3.4 gain awareness of cultural differences in order to promote the respect and empathy for one another that is essential for dialogue. Synthesis 3.5 transcend the inclination to define themselves primarily in terms of group loyalties and identities. Goal IV Lifelong Learning To help students utilize skills that are essential for lifelong learning by giving them opportunities to practice these skills across the curriculum. Objectives: In order to reach this goal, students will be expected to: Knowledge and Skills 4.1 acquire the necessary foundation for the further development and refinement of their communication skills. 4.2 demonstrate the ability to persuade through the organization of ideas (in writing, speaking, and discussion) and through the art of rhetoric. 4.3 use research as a means of finding and communicating the truth. 4.4 use technology to communicate and acquire information. 4.5 learn to work cooperatively while becoming ever more independent learners. Analysis 4.6 analyze and solve both quantitative and qualitative problems 4.7 apply skills related to critical reading, critical thinking, and problem solving. Synthesis 4.8 integrate and synthesize information and ideas. 4.9 develop the creative, critical, and imaginative skills needed to recognize the beauty, the goodness and the breadth of human experience. Core Structure Click here for Core Structure