College Program in Liberal Education
focus of Academic Programs Committee
by Ann Marie Deer Owens
Vanderbilt University's College of Arts and Science provides a rigorous
and dynamic core curriculum through its 15-year-old College Program in Liberal
Education (CPLE), members of the Academic Programs Committee were told April
25. Committee members also were briefed on Vanderbilt's interdisciplinary
and multicultural programs.
James V. Staros, chair of the Faculty Senate and professor and chair of
molecular biology, said the core curriculum in liberal arts education has
resurfaced as a hot topic in academic circles. Some schools have been criticized
for easing the distribution requirement in the curriculum.
Staros reviewed the history behind the formation of the CPLE at Vanderbilt.
In the 1970s, students in the College of Arts and Science had been given
greater flexibility in their selection of courses to fulfill the requirements
for graduation. Students were required to take courses in six of seven defined
areas.
In 1978 Jacque Voegeli, dean of the College of Arts and Science, appointed
an ad hoc Committee to Review the Distribution Program. The CPLE that it
proposed was adopted by the faculty of Arts and Science to take effect in
1982.
Under the requirements of the CPLE, students must demonstrate a proficiency
in writing, mathematical reasoning and foreign languages. There are specific
course requirements in four areas: history and culture, humanities, natural
science and social science.
Staros noted that writing pervades the CPLE. "With only a very few
narrow exceptions, such as for mathematics courses for which a writing requirement
would not make good sense, any course proposed for inclusion in the CPLE
must include opportunities for students to prepare written work and be graded
on their writing," he said. "This helps to ensure that Vanderbilt
students will leave here equipped to communicate in the written word."
There is a lengthy approval process for new courses proposed for CPLE credit.
Proposals go through the Curriculum Committee, College Program Committee
and Faculty Council. Then they must be approved by the faculty of Arts and
Science. All approved CPLE courses are reviewed every three years by the
College Program Committee to ensure they adhere to the CPLE's standards.
"Our challenge is to maintain and strengthen our liberal arts education,"
Staros said. "Our success in doing so relies on the faculty's continuing
engagement in programmatic design and review."
Amy-Jill Levine, chair-elect of the Faculty Senate, spoke briefly about
multicultural and interdisciplinary studies and their value to education.
Levine, who is the Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies and director
of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality at the Vanderbilt
Divinity School, noted that many college faculties recognize the value of
diverse and interdisciplinary views.
Interdisciplinary studies at Vanderbilt include programs for majors in:
American Studies, African-American Studies, Communication, East Asian Studies,
European Studies, Latin American and Iberian Studies, Public Policy Studies
and Urban Studies, and, within the Divinity School, a new certificate program
in "Religion, Gender and Sexuality."
Levine cited examples from her classroom teaching to show how multicultural
concerns enrich the educational experience. For example, the Book of Ruth
tells the story of a Moabite widow, Ruth, who pledges loyalty to her Israelite
mother-in-law, Naomi. While some students viewed Ruth as a role model, others
find her to be a negative example of one who gives up her culture, home
and religion.
Levine said that each person brings his or her own particular values, experiences
and interests to readings, and that what one individual considers important
may not be so to those of other lands and cultures.
"To produce well-rounded students who must necessarily live in a multicultural
world, we need to alert them to recognize conflicting truth claims and to
find the value in explaining rather than simply enforcing their views,"
Levine said.
[ Return to Register
| News and Public Affairs
]
This document created May 28, 1997
HTML Translation by Billy Kingsley