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contemporary life. Courses in
this sector examine the histories of diverse
civilizations, their cultures and forms of expression,
their formal and informal belief systems and
ideologies, and the record of their human actors.
Students should learn to interpret primary sources,
identify and discuss their core intellectual issues,
understand the social contexts in which these sources
were created, pose questions about their validity and
ability to represent broader perspectives and utilize
them when writing persuasive essays.
Arts and Letters
This sector encompasses the means
and meaning of visual arts, literature and music,
together with the criticism surrounding them.
Most courses in this sector are
concerned with works of creativity—paintings,
films, poetry, fiction, theatre, dance and music. They
generally address a considerable breadth of material
rather than an individual work or artist. The objective
of Arts and Letters courses is to confront students
with works of creativity, cultivate their powers of
perception (visual, textual, auditory), and equip them
with tools for analysis, interpretation and criticism.
This objective will be realized through the specific
content of the various courses, but the emphasis in
each course should be on developing and strengthening
in students a general capacity for understanding
meaning and the ways in which it is achieved in its
distinctive environment of culture and moment.
The Living World
This sector deals substantively
with the evolution, development, structure and/or
function of living systems.
Courses in this sector study the
variety of approaches that are useful in understanding
living organisms, ranging from analyses at the
molecular and cellular level to analyses of evolution
and adaptation to environments. Students learn the
methods used by contemporary natural science to study
these topics, including ways in which hypotheses are
developed, tested and reformulated in light of
ever-increasing research findings. A full understanding
of living organisms incorporates insights from
approaches at many different levels.
The Physical World
This sector focuses on the
methodology and concepts of physical science.
Courses in this sector aim to
provide insight into the content and workings of modern
physical science. Some courses in this sector are part
of a major, while others are designed primarily to
provide an introduction to the field for non-science
majors. Courses for non-science majors may include some
discussion of the historical development of the subject
as well as the most important conceptual
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notions and their mathematical
expressions. All courses in this sector seek to demonstrate
the generally accepted paradigm of modern science:
experiment and observation suggest mathematically
formulated theories, which are then tested by comparison
with new experiments and observations.
All courses in this sector use a
significant mathematical prerequisite (advanced high
school algebra through introductory
calculus)—that is, students will actually be
expected to use mathematical methods and concepts to
achieve an understanding of subjects in physical
science.
Interdisciplinary Explorations
The Humanities and Social
Sciences
Students should engage with
diverse approaches to society, history, tradition and
the arts more deeply than a single course from each
domain can allow. Greater depth of experience can be
accomplished either by greater focus on one area, by
study in a related area, by bringing to bear the
various humanistic and social perspectives upon a
single issue or topic or by engaging directly in
academically-based activities informed by these
perspectives.
In this sector, students broaden
their perspective by taking a course in the humanities
or social sciences that has been approved as a General
Education course and that cuts across two or three
sectors. Other courses approved for this sector will
seek a more integrative approach by addressing a
problem or topic from a variety of disciplinary
perspectives. Still others will combine disciplinary
study with community service or activism,
constructively and reflectively connecting the
theoretical with the actual. Finally, courses in the
arts that combine creative or performance experience
with reflection and grounding within a discipline will
be approved for this sector.
The Natural Sciences and
Mathematics
Similarly, students should engage
with the diverse approaches to the natural sciences and
mathematics more deeply than a single course from the
physical and life sciences would allow. Greater depth
of experience can be accomplished by either greater
focus on one area, study in a related area, bringing
various scientific perspectives to bear upon a single
issue or topic, or engaging directly in
academically-based activities informed by these
perspectives.
In this sector, students broaden
their perspective by taking a course in the natural
sciences or mathematics that has been approved as a
General Education course and that cuts across the two
sectors. Other courses approved for this sector will
seek a more integrative approach by addressing a
problem or topic from a variety of
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