The Undergraduate Core at Doane

Philosophy of the Undergraduate Core at Doane

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The undergraduate experience at Doane is an immersive, collaborative environment, a community of students, faculty, and staff, that motivates students to take responsibility for their ongoing academic and personal growth. It is a defining experience that serves as a catalyst for students to develop intellectual skills, to build connections among diverse sources of knowledge, and to adapt their liberal education to serve and to lead at all levels of social, civic, and professional citizenship.

Essential Student Learning Outcomes of the Undergraduate Core Through the liberal arts, students will:

Understand foundational areas of knowledge. Students will learn to:

• analyze how identity is formed through the interaction of the individual and society;
• apply basic strategies of mathematical thought to solve problems;
• communicate purposefully, effectively, and precisely;
• analyze the foundations of the contemporary world and the interconnectedness of cultures;
• apply scientific methodologies to and articulate the scientific context of issues they will confront as citizens;
• explore the complexities of the creative process; and
• evaluate the ways in which humans understand the meanings of existence.

Develop crucial intellectual skills. Students will learn to:

• engage in discovery;
• gather and evaluate facts and assumptions;
• support conclusions with relevant evidence; and
• practice effective communication.

Build connections of knowledge across various disciplines. Students will learn to:

• synthesize knowledge across foundational areas and specialized studies;
• develop creative and imaginative insights and expressions; and
• apply and integrate knowledge collaboratively to solve complex problems.

Adapt their liberal education to serve and to lead at all levels of citizenship. Students will learn to:

• pursue a refined, empathetic understanding of a multifaceted world;
• orient their own ethical compasses to act accordingly; and
• engage with people of varying perspectives to build just societies.

Important complementary habits of an intellectual and balanced life will be developed through the depth and breadth of their entire collegiate experience - curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular. Specifically, students will learn to:

Communicate effectively

• practice effective oral communication in order to increase knowledge, foster understanding, and/or promote change in the listener’s attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors
• practice effective reading in order to extract and construct meaning through interaction and involvement with written language
• practice effective writing that is context appropriate in order to develop and express ideas to convey meaning to an intended audience

Use information wisely

• use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively to support individual and group learning
• demonstrate insightful thinking to ask questions and construct knowledge, using information resources and techniques to conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, or make informed decisions
• understand the cultural, ethical and societal issues related to the use of technology and information resources

Pursue a healthy lifestyle

• Examine the factors that promote or inhibit a healthy lifestyle to maximize individual potential
• Engage in a self-examination of their own behaviors and attitudes
• Develop and apply insights and skills to live a healthy, balanced and impactful life

Foundational Areas of Knowledge 21 credits

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Minimum of one 3cr course from each area; maximum of two courses from any single prefix

1. Community and Identity
2. Mathematical Reasoning
3. Rhetorical Communication
4. Global and Cultural Contexts
5. Scientific Perspectives
6. Human Creativity
7. In Search of Meaning and Values