2.  To understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose and to select appropriate communication choices.

3.  To understand and appropriately apply modes of expression, i.e., descriptive, expository, narrative, scientific, and self-expressive, in written, visual, and oral communication.

4.  To participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding.

5.  To understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the development of exposition and argument.

6.  To develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral presentation.

II.           MATHEMATICS

The objective of the mathematics component of the core curriculum is to develop a quantitatively literate college graduate. Every college graduate should be able to apply basic mathematical tools in the solution of real-world problems.

Exemplary Educational Objectives

1.  To apply arithmetic, algebraic, geometric, higher-order thinking, and statistical methods to modeling and solving real-world situations.

2.  To represent and evaluate basic mathematical information verbally, numerically, graphically, and symbolically.

3.  To expand mathematical reasoning skills and formal logic to develop convincing mathematical arguments.

4.  To use appropriate technology to enhance mathematical thinking and understanding and to solve mathematical problems and judge the reasonableness of the results.

5.  To interpret mathematical models such as formulas, graphs, tables and schematics, and draw inferences from them.

7.  To develop the view that mathematics is an evolving discipline, interrelated with human culture, and understand its connections to other disciplines.

III. NATURAL SCIENCES

The objective of the study of a natural sciences component of a core curriculum is to enable the student to understand, construct, and evaluate relationships in the natural sciences, and to enable the student to understand the basis for building and testing theories.

Exemplary Educational Objectives

1.  To understand and apply method and appropriate technology to the study of natural sciences.

2.  To recognize scientific and quantitative methods and the differences between these approaches and other methods of inquiry and to communicate findings, analyses, and interpretation both orally and in writing.

3.  To identify and recognize the differences among competing scientific theories.

4.  To demonstrate knowledge of the major issues and problems facing modern science, including issues that touch upon ethics, values, and public policies.

5.  To demonstrate knowledge of the interdependence of science and technology and their influence on, and contribution to , modern culture.

IV.           HUMANITIES AND VISUAL
                 AND PERFORMING ARTS

The objective of the humanities and visual and performing arts in a core curriculum is to expand students’ knowledge of the human condition and human cultures, especially in relation to behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in words of human imagination and thought. Through study in disciplines such as literature, philosophy, and the visual and develop an appreciation of the arts and humanities as fundamental to the health and survival of any society. Students should have experiences in both the arts and humanities.

Exemplary Educational Objectives

1.  To demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of words in the arts and humanities.

2.  To understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within an historical and social context.

3.  To respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.

4.  To engage in the creative process or interpretive performance and comprehend the physical and intellectual demands required of the author or visual or performing artist.

5.  To articulate an informed personal reaction to words in the arts and humanities.

6.  To develop an appreciation for the influence of the aesthetic principles that guide or govern the humanities and arts.

7.  To demonstrate knowledge of the influence of literature, philosophy, and/or the arts on intercultural experiences.

V.  SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

The objective of a social and behavioral science component of a core curriculum is to increase students’ knowledge of how social and behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, events, and ideas. Such knowledge will better equip students to understand themselves and the roles they play in addressing the issues facing humanity.

Exemplary Educational Objectives

1.  To employ the appropriate methods, technologies, and data that social and behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.