Goals

To fulfill the mission of the General Education Program, the university has designed a curriculum with a number of general and specific goals to be met by all undergraduate students.

Upon completion of the General Education Program, students should be able to:

§         Think critically and creatively both within and across academic disciplines for the purpose of constructing logical and persuasive arguments

§         Employ a variety of research methods, tools, and styles or inquiry to gather and organize information and to solve problems

§         Read, write, speak, and listen effectively within and across a variety of social and professional contexts

§         Develop an awareness of self that provides a foundation for responsible and principled personal behavior

§         Identify the diverse values that shape decisions in public, professional, and private life, and assess the ethical implication of those decisions

§         Work cooperatively with others in a shared process of inquiry and problem-solving

Area 1:  Communication (6 - 9 hours)

Objective: Radford University students will be able to express themselves effectively and appropriately taking into account a range of audiences, purposes, and contexts. They will be able to acquire, organize, synthesize, and document information.

Radford University students should be able to:

• Use language and content appropriate to the audience and purpose
• Conform to standard English usage and mechanics
• Demonstrate clarity of thesis and effective organization
• Select and integrate material from multiple appropriate sources
• Correctly use a standard reference style for documentation

Area 2: Fine Arts (3-6 hours)  

Objective:  Radford University students will understand the creative and expressive contribution of the arts to human cultures.

Radford University students should be able to:

• Identify stylistic and formal characteristics of artworks
• Analyze the expressive content of an artwork as intended by the creative artist
• Identify and interpret works of art according to historical and cultural perspectives

Area 3: Health and Wellness (3 hours)

Objective:  Radford University students will understand the implications of health and lifestyle choices for themselves and society.

Radford University students will be able to:

• Identify health-related choices that promote personal well being and enhance the overall quality of life
• Analyze the relations among factors such as nutrition, stress, and leisure as they influence personal wellness
• Explain how personal health and lifestyle choices affect society at large
• Explain how social and cultural factors affect personal health and lifestyle choices

Required (3 hours)

Area 4: Humanities (6 – 9 hours)

Objective: Radford University students will understand the importance of the search for answers to humankind’s most fundamental and profound questions and the ways in which these questions have been examined.

Radford University students should be able to:

• Explain the nature and methods of inquiry in the humanities
• Describe and explain differing views of the meaning, value, and purpose of life
• Explain works of literature according to historical and cultural perspectives
• Interpret and critically evaluate works of literature as expressions of the human condition

Area 5:  International and Intercultural Studies (3-6 hours)

Objective: Radford University students will demonstrate an awareness of different cultures and an understanding of relationships among peoples and nations.

Radford University students should be able to:

• Analyze similarities and differences between their own and other cultures that affect values, beliefs, and behaviors
• Identify and discuss contemporary international issues from the perspectives of different cultures
• Explain the role of language in shaping culture

Area 6:  Mathematical Sciences (6 hours)

Objective:  Radford University students will be able to use the tools of mathematics to conceptualize and solve problems.

Radford University students will be able to:

• Identify relationships among numeric, symbolic, and graphical information
• Interpret numeric, symbolic, and graphical information
• Generate meaningful representations using numeric, symbolic, and graphical information
• Solve problems using numeric, symbolic, and graphical information

Area 7: Physical and Natural Sciences (8 hours)

Objective:  Radford University students will understand the methodology of scientific inquiry and be able to critically interpret results of scientific research in order to participate in informed discussions of scientific issues.

Radford University students will be able to:

• Explain the methods scientists use to gather data and test hypotheses
• Identify the advantages of controlled experiments
• Design and carry out a simple experiment and analyze findings
• Distinguish between findings based upon empirical data and those that are not
• Explain the relationships between science, technology and society

Area 8:  Social and Behavioral Sciences (12-15 hours)

Objective: Radford University students will understand how individual, social, and cultural factors influence human behavior and shape the reciprocal relationships between people and society.

Radford University students will be able to:

• Identify and explain the social and cultural factors that shape ideas and behavior
• Identify and explain how individual and collective behaviors shape societies and cultures
• Analyze and assess social and cultural issues from the perspectives of different disciplines
• Evaluate and interpret individual and collective behavior