From Awareness to Action:
Promoting Critical Thinking and Citizenship in Baccalaureate Education
Team Members
Kathy Bushrow
Natalie Kizzire (contact person)
Caroline Pryor (new team member)
Dawn Reed
Intent: The proposed Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) General Education Program will facilitate student
development toward demonstrating the Values of SIUE: Citizenship, Excellence, Integrity, Openness, and Wisdom.
Our model will emphasize connections across the curriculum, offer consistency in standards, and recognize the holistic nature of student development. The student-centered curriculum will provide a strong foundation in core competencies--which include languages, technology, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, communication and interpersonal skills, cultural and global awareness--by providing a system of related courses, which may be combined or team-taught by various disciplines.
The resources of SIUE will be utilized extensively through this model. For example, the Freshman Seminar will include, among other topics, an introduction to Service Learning/Community Service with a focus on the SIUE campuses, including the East St. Louis Center . The youth programs at the East St. Louis Center may also provide an opportunity for service and promote college attendance for young people who may not otherwise attend college . The Fine Arts courses, particularly Art, may include visits/assignments related to the University Museum . The Science courses may include the study of plant/animal life around Cougar Lake . All introductory-level courses will be structured to include a type of Service Learning project. A transfer-student seminar will introduce the service learning concept to this segment of the student body.
The courses, which comprise General Education Curriculum, will serve to promote openness to diversity and individual differences. Through the inter-group relations courses, which may be combined with writing, oral communication, or another course, students will be encouraged to experience diversity through topics discussed and coursework assigned.
The culmination of the Baccalaureate Program will be the Senior Assignment. Drawing upon experiences gained during general education coursework, students will design a Senior Project that integrates a community-based Service Learning Project within their major area. Such a project would encourage citizenship throughout the entire academic experience, thus promoting connections between the university and community, the major area and society, and ultimately societal roles.