The Goals of General Education

Students acquire knowledge of past and present achievements of our own and other cultures in the arts, letters, and sciences; of the impact of people, institutions and communities involved in the creation, preservation and transmission of culture; of the distinctions and interconnections among disciplines. This includes Knowledge of:

the world’s great literary, philosophical, and religious traditions;

the historical and social context of major political, intellectual, religious, economic, scientific and cultural developments;

the evidence, ideas, and models needed to understand how people relate to each other, to institutions and to communities;

the evidence, ideas, and models to make informed and responsible judgments about the physical world;

major achievements in the fine arts of our own and other civilizations and the cultural, social, and historical context in which they were created;

values, ethics, and legal issues in a free society;

the wellness issues involved in encouraging life-style choices necessary for sustaining health and well-being;

Students learn the Skills of perception, research, investigation and the critical analyses needed to cope with problems and find solutions, and the written, oral, and electronic communication skills requisite to shaping ideas and transmitting them persuasively. These Skills include being able:

To communicate purposefully through reading, writing, speaking and listening effectively and through use of appropriate technology;

to use the investigative, analytical, quantitative, and critical thinking skills needed to examine alternatives and make decisions;

to perceive and make informed aesthetic choices and analyses about artistic use of sound, movement, and images;

to identify, locate, and evaluate information sources in both traditional and electronic forms;

to interact effectively in interpersonal and inter-cultural group situations.

Students will actively engage in reflection about aesthetic and ethical concerns and the diversity of human values through experiences that transcend the limits of specialization. This is evident when students:

become independent, creative, and self-directed learners;

gain an understanding of the academic community and its application to broader communities;

cooperate and collaborate when working with other people;

examine the influence of culture on one’s own perceptions and treat others with dignity, respect, and civility.

These broad goals are achieved through coursework in five cluster areas, each of which is defined by a set of learning objectives. Students work to meet these learning objectives while enrolled in integrated or sequenced courses in each cluster area. All students complete Cluster One their freshman year, and all students at least start Cluster Three their freshman year.

The Human Community at James Madison University

The Goals of General Education