Students may choose from courses such as Asia in the Modern World, Africa and the West, Religions of the East, Introduction to Latin American Politics, and Nonwestern World Literature in Translation. The exercise of human judgment in making or appreciating works of art depends upon the ability to cope with ambiguity and the nuances of experience. Students may choose from courses in the history of art, film, music, or theatre as well as courses in drawing, photography, ceramics, dance, and other arts. To foster an appreciation of racial and ethnic diversity in our society and the importance of the values of tolerance and equality, students in the School of Liberal Arts will take a course that illuminates the pluralistic nature of the United States. Options for this requirement include specific courses from the departments of English, History, Spanish, Anthropology, and Sociology, as well as interdisciplinary courses.
Gender organizes societies in unique and fundamental ways.
Through one course chosen from a variety of disciplines, such as history, women's studies, political science, philosophy, and psychology, students will gain an appreciation for gender as a category of analysis and way of re-evaluating knowledge. A perspective on the basic capacities and processes that underlie human behavior fosters an understanding of the self, including the development of individual and social identity in social contexts. Literacy about public issues, the ability to assess them critically, respect for a plurality of viewpoints, and an awareness of the process by which informed consensus is reached all contribute to one's commitment to civic involvement. This requirement may be fulfilled either by taking an approved course such as Economics, Recent American Constitutional History, Ethics, Philosophy and Law, and Introduction to Environmental Policy, or by participating in a supervised, approved community service project. Students may fulfill this requirement by taking a course such as Introduction to World Agricultural Development, History of American Foreign Relations, Introduction to Comparative Politics, or Sociology of Peace and War.