CWRC Curriculum Proposal and Motions
Motion 1: CCRs and ACEs
This proposal is grounded in the LADRs and general aims of the Vision Plan. We continue to support the descriptions of the liberal arts, the vertical integration of skills, and the aims of a first-year common experience that have benefited the College and our students. At the same time, anticipated staffing pressures and the needs of our current students create an argument for increased flexibility for both students and faculty. We believe this document, which contains a strong set of core requirements in the CCRs and intensified commitment to teaching basic skills in the ACEs (Areas of Competency and Engagement), meets the crucial needs of the current moment.
Core Curriculum Requirements (CCRs)
The Core Curriculum Requirements establish a framework for a diverse distribution of liberal arts courses and life-long learning. Students explore a breadth of foundational study across the curriculum.
- Literary and Artistic Perspectives (LA)
- Historical and Social Perspectives (HS)
- Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (PP and RP)
- Scientific, Mathematical, and Computational Methods (SM and SL)
- World Languages (WL)
- Health and Fitness Applied (AF)
Competency and Engagement designations represent a campus-wide commitment to the skills and awareness expected of an educated person. These courses are offered throughout the curriculum and across disciplines. Most students will fulfill them in conjunction with CCRs or their major requirements.
Motion: Replace the current Liberal Arts Degree Requirements (LADRs), as described on pages 34-41 of the 2015-2016 Hanover College Catalog, in Appendix 2 of the Academic Vision Plan, and in Appendix C of the Faculty Manual, with the following Notes, Core Curriculum Requirements (CCRs), and Areas of Competency and Engagement (ACEs). Change other Catalog and Vision Plan references to the LADRs and their objectives accordingly.
- Core Curriculum Requirements (CCRs)
- 2 units Literary and Artistic Perspectives (LA)
- 2 units Historical and Social Perspectives (HS)
- 2 units Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (PR)
- 3 units Scientific, Mathematical, and Computational Methods (SM)
- 2 units World Languages (WL)
- .5 unit Health and Fitness Applied (AF) -- 2 .25 unit courses
- Areas of Competency and Engagement (ACEs)
- 2 levels Writing (W1 and W2)
- 1 level Speaking (S)
- 1 course Cultural Perspectives (CP)
- 1 course Quantitative Literacy (QL)
Notes for Students and Advisors
- CCRs and ACEs should be completed as early as possible in one's academic career. A minimum of 8 CCRs in the first two years is a helpful guideline.
- AP credit may be used to fulfill CCRs and ACEs.
- Students continuing the study of a language from high school are strongly encouraged to begin it in their first year. It is highly recommended that WL be completed by the end of the second year, and it must be started by fall of the junior year. Students may not receive both AP and bypass credit for a language.
- A student who receives a grade of C- or below in a W1 or S course is highly encouraged to take an additional course in the same ACE.
- Learning Center tutors can be an important resource for students, including those who are seeking to improve their writing.
Note for Faculty
- In general, a single course may fulfill a maximum of two requirements, usually a CCR and an ACE. In order for a course to fulfill two CCRs, the content must be highly integrated throughout the course. A single course cannot fulfill two CCRs and an ACE. A course may fulfill a CCR and two ACEs if and only if one of those ACEs is W or S and the other is CP.
Core Curriculum Requirements (CCRs)
The Core Curriculum Requirements establish a framework for a diverse distribution of liberal arts courses and life-long learning. Students explore a breadth of foundational study across the curriculum.
- Literary and Artistic Perspectives (LA) -- 2 units in 2 disciplines.
The central aims of courses that fulfill this requirement are to: 1) interpret, analyze, or create works of art or literary texts; 2) explore the power of literary or artistic works to both reflect and influence individuals, society, and culture; 3) recognize the roles imagination and empathy play in understanding others and the world around us; 4) appreciate the process of artistic creation and 5) examine the history of, theory behind, and/or techniques utilized in literary texts or creative work. - Historical and Social Perspectives (HS) - 2 units in 2 disciplines.
The central aims of courses that fulfill this requirement are to: 1) examine the distinguishing features of the social world in a global or historical context, 2) confront issues of causality and human motivation, 3) give consideration to ethical issues embedded in the social world, 4) explain key ways of evaluating evidence when examining historical and social issues. - Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (PP and RP) -- 2 units in 2 disciplines; one course from PP and one from RP.
PP: Any course that satisfies objectives 1, 2, and 4
RP: Any course that satisfies objectives 1, 3, and 4
The central aims of courses that fulfill this requirement are to: 1) detect, analyze, and assess philosophical and/or theological truth claims, understanding some of the key epistemological issues that arise in the asking of certain fundamental human questions; 2) study and engage philosophical texts and traditions, along with fundamental questions about reality, experience, meaning, language, knowledge, values, and/or the nature of persons; 3) study and engage religious texts and traditions, myths, symbols, ethics, communities, and/or movements, along with pressing questions about ultimate realities; and 4) reflect critically upon one's own deeply held convictions about ultimate human concerns and the implications of holding these convictions for daily life. - Scientific, Mathematical and Algorithmic Methods (SM and SL) -- 3 units in 3 disciplines; at least one course must include a natural-science laboratory or field-study experience.
SM: The central aims of courses that fulfill this requirement are to: 1) expose students to the nature and limits of scientific knowledge and mathematical and/or algorithmic reasoning, and 2) expose students to the language, theory, and practice of disciplines within the scientific, mathematical and/or algorithmic realms.
SL: In addition to the SM aims, courses that fulfill the laboratory or field-study requirements will also 3) expose students to scientific methodology and the connections between scientific theory and physical phenomena. - World Languages and Cultures (WL) -- 2-unit sequence in the same language.
The central aims of courses that fulfill this requirement are to: 1) build skills in a second language, 2) encourage understanding of the nature of language in general, 3) provide insight into and knowledge of other cultures, and 4) prepare students for participation in the global community. An additional central aim of modern language courses that fulfill this requirement is to: 5) foster openness to others' views of the world, in part through analyzing one's own. - Health and Fitness Applied (AF) -- .5 unit.
Two quarter-unit classes prior to winter term of the senior year. Students will be given .25 units for completing a season of a varsity sport. Students who complete a season each of two different varsity sports will have completed their AF requirement.
The central aims of courses that fulfill this requirement are to: 1) demonstrate the health benefits that come with physical activity; 2) facilitate understanding of the fitness components of various physical activities; 3) learn to use physical activity in the management of stress; 4) demonstrate the skills and techniques appropriate to various fitness activities; and 5) develop an appreciation of physical activity as a lifetime pursuit.
Areas of Competency and Engagement (ACEs)
Competency and Engagement designations represent a campus-wide commitment to the skills and awareness expected of an educated person. These courses are offered throughout the curriculum and across disciplines. Most students will fulfill them in conjunction with CCRs or their major requirements.
- Writing and Speaking (WS) -- A 2-level Writing (W) requirement and a Speaking (S) requirement.
Developing strong writing and speaking skills is a hallmark of a Hanover education. Hanover College courses across the curriculum include instruction and practice in communication skills, as students are expected to participate actively in class discussions and debates; write essays and term papers; present their research in class and at conferences; and make effective arguments on important issues within their field and in society at large.
Although almost all Hanover courses involve writing and speaking experiences, some classes have been given specific designations due to the type of guidance and assignments they offer.
Writing 1 (W1) and Speaking (S)- A W1 course should be taken in a student's first semester at Hanover if at all possible.
- W1 courses should be located within a particular department, be required of first-year students, and be capped at 16.
- S should be fulfilled by the end of the sophomore year.
- S courses should be located within a particular department, have their enrollment limited to first- or second-year students only, and be capped at 20.
- A student who receives a grade of C- or below in a W1 or S1 course is highly encouraged to take an additional course in that same ACE.
- A student who does not earn a passing grade in the first-semester course should include a course that meets the same ACE in the next semester or term.
Writing 1 (W1)
The central aims of courses that fulfill the W1 designation are to: 1) learn and engage in college-level writing; 2) take clear and purposeful positions on subjects of importance and support them effectively through a thesis statement, supporting evidence, and cogent arguments that lead to a clear conclusion; 3) understand writing as a process by revising for clarity, consistency, and mechanical correctness; and 4) demonstrate the ability to document evidence.
Speaking (S) The central aims of courses that fulfill the S designation are to: 1) demonstrate skill in structuring oral presentations for maximum effectiveness, interest and clarity; 2) present clear positions on subjects of importance and support them with evidence; 3) critically evaluate and respond to the arguments of others, recognizing premises, chains of reasoning, ambiguities, implications, and logical fallacies; and 4) consider purpose, audience, context, and style in spoken work.
Writing 2 (W2)
Courses that fulfill the W2 designation focus on research methods and research writing appropriate to the discipline and to the specific course. Writing at this level introduces students to how to formulate questions within a specific discipline, to formulate a methodology for addressing those questions, and to evaluate and employ evidence for advancing their conclusions in writing.- At least one W2 course should be completed by the end of the junior year;
- W2 courses should be located within a particular department and have their enrollment capped at 20.
- Cultural Perspectives (CP) -- 1 course.
The central aims of courses that fulfill this designation are to: 1) examine Non-West and Latin American cultures, as well as the cultures of marginalized groups in the United States, from the perspectives of those cultures; 2) articulate different ways of understanding the human condition and identify distinctions among cultural systems, products, structures, preferences, behaviors and values; 3) better understand one's own self, society, and culture, through the study of alternatives; 4) build the cultural competency necessary to operate in a diverse and global environment; and 5) discuss the impact of environment and geography on culture. - Quantitative Literacy (QL) -- 1 course.
The central aims of courses that fulfill the quantitative literacy designation are as follows: 1) Use quantitative methods to reach conclusions and solve problems, and 2) Understand both the power and the limitations of quantitative methods.
Motion 2: FY (First-Year Seminar)
MOTION: Create a first-year seminar course and make it a requirement for all entering students.
First-Year Experience (FY)
Introduces students to the scholarly community and the liberal arts and helps them to develop the intellectual skills and practical habits integral to college success. Students will investigate and apply theories of cognition, learning, and personal development, and explore their vocational interests and aptitudes, all with the goal of becoming more self-reflective and proactive about their approach to academics and to life.
First-Year Seminar (FY) -- .5 unit.
The central aims of this requirement are to help students to begin to: 1) understand the history, value, and purpose of a liberal arts education and what it means to be successful members of a scholarly community; 2) develop higher-order intellectual skills, including close reading, critical analysis, and effective argument; 3) identify and apply the foundational techniques that promote academic excellence, including effective note-taking, time management, and study skills; 4) investigate and internalize theories of learning and cognition in order to become self-aware and strategic learners, able to maximize their strengths and adjust for their weaknesses; 5) develop effective personal strategies for managing stress, navigating obstacles, and becoming persistent and resilient adults, able to successfully navigate social and professional situations at the college level and beyond; and 6) explore and reflect on their interests, abilities, and aspirations so that they can shape their college experience and their lives in a way that is rich and intentional.
* FY must be taken in the first semester after matriculation.