General Education

Commitment

Limestone University is committed to the liberal arts and sciences and to educating men and women for leadership, service, and professional responsibility in the twenty-first century. Limestone is committed to preparing graduates for lifelong learning and professional success in a world of changing career needs and objectives. To fulfill its commitment to graduates, the University has designed a General Education Program which focuses on basic intellectual skills: critical thinking, communication, quantitative reasoning, use and understanding of technology.

General Statement

Those individuals who will become tomorrow's leaders, who will render meaningful service, and who will enjoy professional fulfillment will have prepared themselves to be lifelong learners. They will have acquired abilities, skills, and perspectives that enable them to take advantage of opportunities and to confront challenges just now emerging or as yet unknown.

The General Education Program at Limestone provides the initial learning experience for all students, regardless of intended major or career objectives. The program consists of courses chosen to enhance understanding of one's self and the world. Through this curriculum, students develop dispositions and capacities that promote and enable lifelong learning as well as effective participation in society.

The Liberal Arts

At the heart of Limestone's General Education Program is a commitment to liberal learning in the arts and sciences. This commitment means that Limestone is dedicated to educating a student in a broad perspective by requiring courses that explore the scientific, historical, cultural, social, ethical, and aesthetic contexts in which we live. By the study of these contexts, students sharpen intellectual capacities, enhancing their abilities to think critically, to reflect imaginatively, to compare and integrate, to discern values, and to communicate clearly and persuasively. Further, through this study, students gain awareness of and respect for the world around them, its problems and potential. Students also gain awareness and respect for the individuals that make up our world and its culture; the nature of knowledge with all of its promises and limitations; and finally ourselves, our intellectual, creative, and spiritual capabilities. Thus, the impact of general education at Limestone University is to liberate, to free the students from narrow and parochial thought, and to enable the students to grow, change, and respond effectively to new and unforeseen circumstances.

Educational Goals

While courses in the General Education Program often introduce students to a particular discipline, the intent of these courses is not simply to convey a large number of facts and principles. Rather, content is selected to illuminate the broad intellectual truths and problems of a discipline and to provide experience with the methods of inquiry of the field. This wedding of exemplary content with principles of understanding cuts across all general education classes and helps students to perceive the relevance of knowledge and the interrelationships among the various disciplines represented in general education. The integration of knowledge and understanding is sought through the following educational goals:

• Critical Thinking: the development of sound analytical and synthetic reasoning skills and the ability to employ reasoning skills in productive problem solving;
• Communication: the ability to write, speak, read, and listen effectively;
• Mathematical Skills: the ability to use and understand statistical and other quantitative techniques to interpret data;
• Historical Perspective: awareness of our human heritage and of the power of historical methods for revealing patterns and meanings in our national and international life;
• Social Institutions: knowledge of the major institutions of society such as work, family, voluntary associations, and government;
• Science: understanding the nature of scientific inquiry as well as the role of science in the historic and modern world;
• Technology: the ability to employ computer and other technologies in writing and in the manipulation of data, and understanding the nature and limits of technology;
• Cultures: awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures, languages, philosophies, religions, and methods of understanding them;
• Aesthetic Sensitivity: appreciation and understanding of literature and the fine arts;
• Global Interdependence: awareness of the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of our world and the implications for our economic, political, social, and cultural systems; and
• Values: awareness of the role of values in decision making, of the search for meaning and identity, and of the ethical issues of society

Student Learning Outcomes

After completing the general education requirements, a student will be able to:

• Demonstrate critical thinking through analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing diverse perspectives.
• Comprehend and articulate complex ideas in speech and writing, adapting the message to the audience, situation, purpose, and occasion.
• Comprehend, demonstrate, or articulate the value inherent in literary creation.
• Comprehend, demonstrate, or articulate the value inherent in an artistic, musical, or dramatic creation.
• Use historical perspectives to analyze past events and use social, political, global, or cultural perspectives from the study in the social sciences or foreign languages to analyze present-day issues and forces shaping the future.
• Demonstrate accurate calculating abilities and apply logical reasoning skills to solve quantitative problems.
• Apply the scientific method as an analytical problem solving or general inquiry model and integrate scientific principles and appropriate information technologies into the student’s field of study.
• Develop skills and abilities in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains which support lifetime wellness.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the role of values and ethics in decision making.