Arts and Sciences Program Goals
The mission of the Division of Arts and Sciences - previously called General Education - is to create a learning environment that provides our students with the opportunity to become educated persons. In our view, and educated person is one who is familiar with the frames of reference and habits of mind that are present in the liberal arts and sciences. In particular, an educated person is engaged in a lifelong quest to grow in the ability to think, communicate, cooperate, act, and value; to accept the challenges of living in a complex and changing global society; and to pursue meaningful work, service to others, and personal well-being.
Arts and sciences requirements vary per program. Please consult each program's descriptions for program-specific arts and sciences requirements and information.
Broad Learning Outcomes
Through their experiences in the arts and sciences curriculum, students at Labouré College will acquire knowledge of the physical, natural, social, spiritual, and aesthetic worlds; knowledge of self; historical consciousness; appreciation for diversity; and theological understanding. In particular, they will refine their abilities to:
- Think, including: critical analysis; reasoning and problem-solving across multiple contexts – historical, literary, quantitative, scientific, ethical, and theological; and creative expression.
- Cooperate, including: teamwork and collaboration with others; understanding and tolerance of racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity; and managing conflicts and disagreements with civility.
- Communicate, including: conveying ideas to others clearly, coherently, and persuasively both orally and in writing; using intrapersonal communication to facilitate problem-solving and self-reflection; and listening and sharing ideas respectfully across cultures.
- Act, including: empowerment through the development of personal agency skills: civic engagement; finding answers to questions through mastery of information resources; and being lifelong learners.
- Value, including: personal/social responsibility; self-worth; ethics/morality; personal happiness; and empathy.
Curriculum Structure
The structure of Labouré College's arts and sciences curriculum encompasses three distinctive features: Interdisciplinarity, Hierarchical Organization, and an Integrative Theme. These features and their foundations in Constructivist Theory are described below.
Interdisciplinarity
The Labouré College arts and sciences curriculum is designed to achieve integration through a progression of learning experiences, starting with discipline-specific courses, continuing through interdisciplinary courses and seminars, and culminating in a senior capstone project in the bachelor's degree. To comprehend this model, it is necessary to distinguish three levels of cross-disciplinary discourse:
- Multidisciplinary - the lowest level - is an additive approach in that it draws on knowledge from multiple disciplines but stays primarily within the context of a single academic discipline.
- Interdisciplinary - is an interactive approach in that it compares, contrasts, and synthesizes knowledge from multiple disciplines and is not based primarily in a single academic discipline. This approach is taken in our 3000 and 4000 level arts and sciences courses.
- Transdisciplinary - is holistic in that it transcends traditional academic disciplines and focuses on topics that integrate the liberal arts with professional course frameworks. This is the model for the senior capstone course.
Hierarchical Organization
Consistent with our model of interdisciplinarity and the Constructivist's emphasis on context, relevance, and reflection, the arts and sciences curriculum includes the following hierarchical components:
- Basic Core. These required 1000- and 2000-level thematically linked courses from multiple disciplines expose students to the range of ideas and habits of the mind that are present in the liberal arts and sciences, and are included in the arts and sciences component of the associate degree programs.
- Multidisciplinary Integrative Seminar. This integrative course introduces students to cross-disciplinary discourse and enables them to make connections between the ideas and concepts they have learned through their experiences in discipline-specific liberal arts courses.
- Interdisciplinary Advanced Core. These 3000- and 4000-level courses provide students with the opportunity to continue the integration process they began in their multidisciplinary integrative seminar. Specifically, students will be challenged to compare, contrast, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize knowledge from multiple academic disciplines.
- Senior Capstone. The capstone course in the RN-BSN program is a project-based transdisciplinary endeavor designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop a signature work that demonstrates their integration of knowledge and skills across their academic and professional coursework.