The General Education Program promotes knowledge integration by encouraging courses and experiences that enable a student to discover connections between different disciplines and their real-life applications. Social Responsibility is the ability to apply knowledge and skills gained through the undergraduate experience for the advancement of society. Attention and service to the world at large is characteristic of a socially accountable, well-educated individual. One goal of the General Education Program is to introduce a student to historical ethical reasoning, contemporary social and ethical issues, and to promote knowledge, skills, and attitudes that encourage responsible civic engagement. Information Literacy and Baccalaureate Competencies Information literacy is a fundamental component of the four Baccalaureate Competencies.
Information literacy includes, but goes beyond, information technology skills.
It is the ability to determine the nature of required information, to access it effectively and efficiently, to evaluate it critically, and to incorporate it into one's knowledge system. It necessitates the responsible, legal, and ethical use of information. The General Education Program encourages breadth of knowledge through distribution requirements. Also included are courses or experiences in foreign language and civilization, study abroad programs, and domestic programs that focus on elements of cultural difference. Social and Ethical Issues includes ethical reasoning from historical and contemporary perspectives.