Literacies

Literacies

Literacies for Life and Career are the enduring skills that make the full value of an Arts & Sciences education more tangible. Our liberal arts and sciences curriculum helps students develop broad knowledge and expansive intellectual capacities through the study of human society, culture, and thought and of the physical and biological worlds. By engaging deeply with disciplines in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, students develop a critical set of skills indispensable to their future lives as leaders, innovators, and citizens of the world. The Literacies equip students to investigate fundamental questions, interrelate with others to bring ideas into action, and innovate novel approaches.

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Applied Problem Solving: designing and using models, frameworks, theories, and concepts to represent, evaluate, and analyze problems ranging from data sets to real-world challenges.

  • Through Applied Problem Solving, students learn to identify the problem, choose appropriate tools and techniques for analysis, evaluate assumptions, generate solutions, and validate results.

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Collaboration and Leadership: cultivating the principles and practices of an inclusive community-oriented mindset that guide individuals and groups to work together responsibly, equitably, and effectively toward common objectives.

  • Through Collaboration and Leadership, students learn to recognize, assess, and successfully utilize their individual strengths as well as to value the perspectives, needs, and potential contributions of diverse groups and persons.

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Communication Dexterity: adapting communication styles, methods, and approaches to digest and convey information through various forms (written, oral, visual, numerical, etc.) to promote understanding and build connections.

  • Through Communication Dexterity, students learn to actively comprehend and evaluate as well as effectively compose and deliver information with awareness of different audiences, contexts, and media.

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Creative and Innovative Practices: using generative processes and imaginative thinking to challenge existing ideas and develop original concepts, methods, and outcomes.

  • Through Creative and Innovative Practices, students learn to apply novel approaches across different domains and disciplines; utilize tools, technologies, and practices to explore new possibilities; and generate novel forms of artistic and intellectual expression.

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Critical and Interpretive Skills: understanding and analyzing media and information in a variety of forms, such as texts, images, objects, and performances.

  • Through Critical and Interpretive Skills, students learn to analyze the formal and functional properties of different media, make sense of complex or ambiguous information, and provide explanations or insights that illuminate underlying meanings or significance.

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Data Analysis: examining, interpreting, and drawing meaningful insights from models, data, and quantitative information.

  • Through Data Analysis, students utilize statistical methods, mathematical models, and computational tools to discern patterns, relationships, and trends.

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Ethical Reasoning: developing and employing frameworks for reflecting on challenging moral issues and evaluating ethical obligations and responsibilities.

  • Through Ethical Reasoning, students learn to identify and assess ethical dilemmas from a variety of perspectives in order to develop relational awareness and to consider the principles, consequences, and broader context in which decisions are made and implemented.

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Historical and Social Understanding: comprehending and analyzing issues, objects, and events within historical, social, and cultural contexts to make sense of past and present developments.

  • Through Historical and Social Understanding, students learn to identify patterns of continuity and change; grasp the circumstances that influence events and ideas; analyze dominant and marginal narratives; and recognize assumptions, approaches, and modes of thinking in interpretations.

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Integrative Thinking: engaging in a process of analysis and synthesis to achieve a holistic and nuanced understanding of complex ideas, issues, and perspectives.

  • Through Integrative Thinking, students learn to discern connections and relationships between disparate elements, apply theoretical frameworks, and integrate knowledge with an openness toward other perspectives.

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Intercultural and Global Fluency: developing awareness of social and cultural systems in local, national, and global communities.

  • Through Intercultural and Global Fluency, students learn to navigate and comprehend various cultural contexts, develop a critical perspective on their own cultural embeddedness, demonstrate proficiency in languages, and explore global issues.

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Systematic Inquiry: approaching questions in a structured and methodologically-grounded manner and applying exploratory, experimental, or analytical methods to produce research that contributes to knowledge of a subject.

  • Through Systematic Inquiry, students learn to test hypotheses; collect, analyze, and interpret data; and use results to make informed conclusions or predictions.