2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived]

University Foundational Studies: Learning Outcomes and Category Learning Outcomes


Learning Outcomes for Foundational Studies

  • Locate, critically read, and evaluate information to solve problems.
  • Critically evaluate the ideas of others.
  • Apply knowledge and skills within and across the fundamental ways of knowing (natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, arts and humanities, mathematics, and history).
  • Demonstrate an appreciation of human expression through literature and fine and performing arts.
  • Demonstrate the skills for effective citizenship and stewardship.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of diverse cultures within and across societies.
  • Demonstrate the skills to place their current and local experience in a global, cultural, and historical context.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical implications of decisions and actions.
  • Apply principles of physical and emotional health to wellness.
  • Express themselves effectively, professionally, and persuasively both orally and in writing.

I. Composition


Policies


The Freshman Composition requirement may be fulfilled by:

  • ENG 101  and ENG 105  or ENG 107  or ENG 108  
  • OR (for students whose first language is not English) ESL 103A ESL 103B , and ENG 105 
  • OR (for Honors students with Old SAT Critical Reading score of 650 or above, New SAT Reading Test score of 35 or above, or ACT English score of 29 or above) Completion of GH 101  and GH 201  

Requirements


Freshman Composition

A. ENG 101  and ENG 105  (Old SAT Critical Reading (CR) score below 510; New SAT Reading Test Score below 28; or ACT score below 20) or,

B. ENG 107  or ENG 108  (Old SAT Critical Reading (CR) score of 510 or above; New SAT Reading Test score of 38 or above; or ACT score of 20 or above).

Junior Composition

One upper-division course (select from BEIT 336 , ENG 305 ENG 305T ENG 307 ENG 308 ENG 313  or HRD 340 )

Learning Objectives


  • Demonstrate fluency in the writing process: planning, drafting, revising, editing, and preparing final papers.
  • Demonstrate competence in the varied elements of writing: thesis, stance, content, organization, sentences, diction, and technical matters.
  • Demonstrate awareness of rhetorical strategies in various forms of writing, with particular attention to audience.
  • Assess the usefulness and reliability of sources, including Internet sources.
  • Synthesize and critique material from a variety of sources with an emphasis on scholarly and professional publications; incorporate sources; document sources properly.
  • Exhibit critical thinking as readers and as writers, and
  • Understand the relevance of good writing to real-world situations.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

II. Communication


Policies


No special policies.

Requirements


One course (select from COMM 101  or COMM 202 )

Learning Objectives


  • Apply basic theoretical concepts to the study of human communication.
  • Apply concepts of small group communication in the development and execution of a small group presentation and the small group process.
  • Employ concepts of public speaking in the preparation and delivery of informative and persuasive speeches.
  • Find, use, and cite evidence to support assertions or arguments both orally and in writing, and
  • Apply concepts of relational, interpersonal communication to the development of a fictional or actual human relationship.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

III. Quantitative Literacy


Policies


All courses approved for the Quantitative Literacy category have the following prerequisite:

B or better in high school Algebra II (Parts I & II), or appropriate placement score, or MATH 035  with a C or better.

Requirements


Select from the following:

AHS 240 , CHEM 106L /CHEM 106 , ENVI 240 , MATH 102 MATH 105 MATH 241 , PHYS 106 /PHYS 106L , or PHYS 116 /PHYS 116L  

Learning Objectives


  1. Explain information presented in mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words, geometric figures), including appropriate critique of the information or conclusions provided.
  2. Convert relevant quantitative information into various mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, tables, words, geometric figures) and carry out mathematical procedures and processes fluently and accurately.
  3. Make judgments and draw appropriate conclusions based on a quantitative analysis, while recognizing and describing the limits of this analysis.
  4. Make and evaluate important assumptions in given situations in estimation, modeling, and data analysis.
  5. Communicate the results of a quantitative argument, citing the representation of the math problem, explanation of the solution, and the interpretation of the solution.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

IV. Health and Wellness


Policies


Students, who have completed armed military service basic training (including reservists), have met the Health and Wellness requirement.

Requirements


A. One approved course (select from AHS 111 , PE 101 , or SOC 471 ) or,

B. Completion of U.S. armed military services basic training (reserves or enlisted).

Learning Objectives


  • Describe how society benefits from healthy citizens.
  • Explain how lifestyle choices affect individual and/or community health within two or more dimensions of wellness (e.g., emotional, physical, social, mental, spiritual, environmental health).
  • Analyze values and behaviors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
  • Engage in a process of healthy behavior change or health promotion.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental

V. Laboratory Science


Policies


A.  One Foundational Studies designated laboratory science course, select one pair from the following:

BIO 112  and BIO 112L , CHEM 100  and CHEM 100L ENVI 110  and ENVI 110L , PHYS 101  and PHYS 101L , or SCED 100  and SCED 100L ; or

B.  Any two laboratory science courses from two different science disciplines. 

Learning Objectives


Course

  • Articulate how data are acquired, and how hypotheses and theories are constructed.
  • Use the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses.
  • Apply scientific theories to predict the nature and behavior of new systems, environments, or scenarios, and
  • Articulate how current issues in science and technology intersect with populations, institutions, and societies.

Laboratory

  • Engage in laboratory experience that reinforces and augments the theoretical content of the lecture course.
  • Use the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses.
  • Use the tools and techniques of the discipline to gather and analyze data, and
  • Present the analysis and findings of the lab experience.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

VI. Social and Behavioral Sciences


Policies


None specific to category

Requirements


Select one course from the following:

AET 461 ECON 100 ECON 346 , EPSY 202 EPSY 221 , PSCI 130 PSCI 305 , PSY 101 , or SOC 101  

or take both ECON 200  and ECON 201  

Learning Objectives


  • Describe how individual choices and/or evolving social institutions affect human decision-making.
  • Utilize discipline-specific methodologies to predict an individual or social outcome.
  • Connect discipline-specific content and methodology to contemporary social issues, and
  • Explain how the specific discipline informs and contributes to other disciplines.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

VII. Literary Studies


Policies


None specific to category

Requirements


Select one course from the following:

ENG 239 ENG 338 ENG 339 ENG 346 LAT 215 , or PHIL 321  

Learning Objectives


  • Demonstrate aesthetic responsiveness and interpretive ability.
  • Connect writings to their literary, cultural, and historical contexts.
  • Employ literature to analyze issues and answer questions relating to human experience, systems, and the physical environment, and
  • Reflect on themselves as products of and participants in traditions of literature and ideas.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

VIII. Fine and Performing Arts


Policies


None specific to category

Requirements


Select one course from the following:

ART 151 ARTE 390 COMM 240 COMM 336 ENG 219 , IAD 110 MUS 150 MUS 233 MUS 236 MUS 333 THTR 150 , or THTR 174  

Learning Objectives


  • Demonstrate aesthetic responsiveness and interpretive ability.
  • Connect works of art to their literary, cultural, and historical contexts.
  • Employ knowledge of the arts to analyze issues and answer questions relating to human experience, systems, and the physical environment, and
  • Reflect on themselves as products of and participants in traditions of the fine and performing arts.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

IX. Historical Perspectives


Policies


Completion of ENG 105 ENG 107 , or ENG 108 

Class size will be no larger than 30.

Requirements


One course (select from HIST 113 HIST 201 *, HIST 202 *, HIST 313 , or MUS 351 ).

* Option available only for transfer or dual credit courses

Learning Objectives


  • Analyze the origins and consequences of historical events and developments.
  • Understand ideas in their historical context and explore diverse interpretations of the past by critically assessing both primary and secondary historical sources.
  • Evaluate historical arguments by analyzing major assertions, background assumptions, and explanatory evidence.
  • Use an historical perspective to understand the world today and address contemporary issues.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking and systems thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills; Must include an informational literacy exercise.
  • Must incorporate opportunities for students to read critically and to analyze contextually a wide variety of sources and to write extensively.
  • Must include a graded writing components.

X. Global Perspectives and Cultural Diversity


Policies


There are two pathways to completing the Global Perspectives and Cultural Diversity requirement.  Which pathway a student takes is dictated by whether they have met Indiana State University’s Non-Native Language (NNL) requirement in high school.  Students who have completed the NNL requirement will take one officially designated Global Perspective and Cultural Diversity (GPCD) course.  Students who have not, will take two Non-Native Language courses to complete the requirement.

International students will take the designated Global Perspective and Cultural Diversity course.

Students on the Non-Native Language pathway, with a certified learning disability, must work with the Languages, Literatures, and Linguistic department and the Student Academic Services Center to meet the Global Perspectives and Cultural Diversity requirement.

Note:  Students who took non-native languages in high school, but did not take two years in a single language earning a C- or better are encouraged to take the language placement test at ISU to see if they can place into a non-native language class at a higher level. If they take the higher-level course and earn a C+ or better, they will have met the non-native language pathway.

Requirements


Students who have not met Indiana State University’s Non-Native Language requirement, must take the non-native language pathway:

  • Two courses (6 credits) at ISU in a single or multiple non-native languages, (select from 101 and 101, or 101 and 102), or two courses (6 credits), from an accredited college or university, in a single language, including American Sign Language

International Students must successfully complete the ESL curriculum (ESL 103A  and ESL 103B  , or ESL 103B , and completion of ENG 105 ) and:

  • One GPCD course (3 credits) as designated below

Students who have met the non-native language component in high school (two years in high school in a single non-native language, including American Sign Language, with a C- or better) must complete the Global Perspective and Cultural Diversity pathway:

  • One GPCD course (3 credits) as designated below

AFRI 113 AFRI 212 AFRI 222 , ENG 340 ENVI 130 , ECON 347 EPSY 341 , FREN 201 FREN 202 , GERM 201 GERM 202 , GNDR 301 , HIST 101 HIST 102 HRD 335 , LAT 201 LAT 202 , PSCI 105 SOC 110 SOC 465 , SPAN 201 , or SPAN 202    

Learning Objectives


  • Develop a basic understanding of one’s culture in comparison to another culture or language, and
  • Use multiple lenses such as race and ethnicity, gender, social class, regional culture, and religion to evaluate one’s culture in comparison to those studied, and
  • Critically examine issues of cultural differences, societal values and relationships, and evaluate one’s own culture and value systems through comparison and contrast to the target language or culture, and
  • Use the target language or culture in developing an understanding of the world today.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.

XI. Ethics and Social Responsibility


Policies


None specific to category. (Embedded within learning objectives.)

Requirements


Select one course from the following:

AFRI 323 ATTR 413 , BUS 204 CIMT 475 CRIM 100 , ECON 103 , ENVI 442 , ENVI 462 , HIST 334 , HRD 488  , MKTG 150 MUS 418 , PHIL 201 PHIL 303 PKG 381 , PSCI 107 , or GNDR 200  

Learning Objectives


  • Understand the historical and philosophical bases of ethical decision-making and social responsibility;
  • Use independent thinking, critical analysis, and reasoned inquiry when assessing personal, professional, and societal issues;
  • Demonstrate the ability to make personal and professional decisions by applying knowledge and skills obtained from the study of ethics and theories of social responsibility; and
  • Articulate how their ethical framework and understanding of social responsibility shape their actions.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.
  • Must give students the opportunity to apply what they are learning to real world scenarios.
  • Must include opportunities for experiential learning or community engagement.
  • Must give students the opportunity to identify and solve problems.
  • Must incorporate opportunities for students to critically read and analyze text-based materials beyond textbooks (e.g., novels, classical literature, primary sources, science journals, poems, lyrics, blogs, etc.).

XII. Integrative Electives and Applied Learning


Policies


Select from one of the options listed below. Upper Division Electives require 45 earned credit hours or more at time of registration.

Requirements


A. Two approved courses (see lis below) or,

B. One approved course and completion of a second degree, second major, a minor, or a degree in education where content courses are delivered outside the Bayh College of Education, or

C. One approved course and an Applied Learning Experience.

  1. A one-course equivalent study abroad experience (To receive ALE credit for a study abroad experience, students must enroll in IS 398  (0 credit hour course), or
  2. Completion of a University College approved Applied Learning Experience (see list).

List of Approved Courses: 

Learning Objectives


  • Use a thematic approach to a particular topic or issue that integrates multiple ways of knowing.
  • Engage in a project or conduct research that makes use of multiple ways of knowing to address a particular topic or issue.
  • Analyze and write at an advanced level.

Skill Applied Learning Requirements


  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop critical thinking skills.
  • Explicitly demonstrate how the curriculum will develop information literacy skills.
  • Include a graded writing component, which whenever possible is developmental.
  • Must incorporate opportunities for students to critically read and analyze sophisticated, complex text, and to write intensively.
  • Must include assignments that apply information from within and across various “ways of knowing”.