The first part of a proposed reworking of the university’s general education program was unveiled Friday, and it places an emphasis on giving students the ability to tackle “big questions.”
While the proposal lacks many details about how the program will ultimately work, it calls for centerpice courses called the “I” series, so named because they will emphasize “Issues, Imagination, Intellect, Investigation, Inspiration, [and] Implementation.”
“Through these courses, students will be challenged from their first moments on campus to master the intellectual tools needed to wrestle with matters of great weight and consequence, the so-called Big Questions,” the General Education task force wrote in a document explaining the initiative.
The task force, chaired by history professor Ira Berlin, began working on creating a new general education curriculum after spring break. Deans were informed of the new plan earlier this week, and faculty members were sent information Friday afternoon.
The committee hopes to have at least 20 “I” series courses be taught in the spring semester so the university can begin evaluating them.
The full general education plan is supposed to be finalized by the end of the semester. Before it is implemented, it must be approved by both the University Senate and the university system.
The information sent to professors can be viewed here.
