critically about quantitative
data and the inferences that can be drawn from these
data. They also gain experience with the use of
quantitative analysis to interpret empirical data and
to test hypotheses.
Courses in calculus and computer
science do not fulfill the requirement because these
courses do not require students to analyze actual data
sets with the goal of evaluating hypotheses or
interpreting results. To count toward the Quantitative
Data Analysis Requirement, a course must include such
data analysis.
Formal Reasoning and Analysis
In contrast to Quantitative Data
Analysis courses, which deal with inductive reasoning,
courses designated for this requirement focus on
deductive reasoning and the formal structure of human
thought, including its linguistic, logical and
mathematical constituents. These courses emphasize
mathematical and logical thinking and reasoning about
formal structures and their application to the
investigation of real-world phenomena. In addition to
courses in mathematics, this sector includes courses in
computer science, formal linguistics, symbolic logic
and decision theory.
Cross-Cultural Analysis
To prepare for an increasingly
interconnected world, College students are required to
take at least one course to develop their ability to
understand and interpret the cultures of peoples with
histories different from their own. The Cross-Cultural
Analysis Requirement aims to increase students’
knowledge and understanding of socio-cultural systems
outside the United States. The focus may be on the past
or the present and it should expose students to
distinctive sets of values, attitudes and methods of
organizing experience that may not be obtained from
American cultures. This exposure to the internal
dynamic of another society should lead students to
understand the values and practices that define their
own cultural framework.
Through courses designated as
fulfilling the Cross-Cultural Analysis Requirement,
students learn methods of analyzing alternative systems
of living and making meaning and are exposed to the
“local knowledge” of another culture, as
made
Sectors
Society
This sector focuses on the
structure and norms of contemporary human societies,
including their psychological and cultural dimensions.
Courses in this sector use many
analytical techniques that have been developed to study
contemporary society, with its complex relations
between individuals and larger forms of mass
participation. Some Society courses are largely devoted
to the analysis of aggregate forms of human behavior
(encounters, markets, civil society, nations,
supranational organizations, and so on), while others
may focus on the relations between individuals and
their various societies. While historical materials may
be studied, the primary objective of Society courses is
to enable students to develop concepts and principles,
test theories, and perfect tools that can be used to
interpret, explain and evaluate the behavior of human
beings in contemporary societies. This objective will
be realized through the specific content of the various
courses, but the emphasis in each course should be on
developing in students a general capacity for social
analysis and understanding.
History and Tradition
This sector focuses on studies of
continuity and change in human thought, belief and
action.
Understanding both ancient and
modern civilizations provides students with an
essential perspective on
