General Education Task Force

The liberal arts curriculum in Lewis & Clark’s College of Arts & Sciences consists of three major elements: the departmental major, a set of elective courses, and the General Education curriculum. According to the 2007-2008 Lewis & Clark College Course Catalog, “the General Education curriculum supports and enhances the other elements; it provides the general foundations for liberal learning. Its courses expand students' perspectives and essential skills, helping them become educated and thoughtful contributors to society.” [1] The College regards as essential to a liberal arts education: [1]

• "Mastery of the fundamental techniques of intellectual inquiry: effective writing and speaking, active reading, and critical and imaginative thinking
• Exposure to the major assumptions, knowledge, and approaches in the fine arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences
• Critical understanding of important contemporary and historical issues using modes of thought that are evaluative as well as descriptive and analytic, and that consider the relationship between thought and action
• Awareness of international and cross-cultural issues and gender relations
• Application of theory and knowledge developed in the liberal arts to the search for informed, thoughtful, and responsible solutions to important human problems"

Considering these overarching principles, the Curriculum Committee reviewed Lewis & Clark’s General Education program in 1999. [2] In the spring of 2008, the Assessment Sub-Committee of the Curriculum Committee, chaired by Associate Professor of Economics Harry Schleef, recommended that another review occur in 2008-09. This site contains information about the scope, timeline, and--in due course--results of the review.

[1] Lewis & Clark College Course Catalog 2007-08, http://www.lclark. edu/cgi-bin/catalog. cgi?gradreq.dat, accessed on April 25, 2008.

[2] Report to the Faculty on General Education, http://www.lclark. edu/~cas/faculty/ currcomm/final.html, accessed on April 25, 2008.

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Resources

Moodle Forum (LC username and password required; faculty members only)

Curriculum Committee Call for Ideas (pdf)

Readings on General Education

Proposal to Convene a General Education Task Force (pdf)

Review Timeline

Task Force Membership

Accreditation Self-Study

NWCCU Accreditation Report (pdf)

Report from the 2004 Task Force (Word)

Meeting Notes

Task Force Report to the Curriculum Committee (pdf)

Report to the Faculty from the Task Force and the Curriculum Committee(pdf)