1. As you consider Scheuer and Ungar, are there parts of their projects or their focus that you find missing in the Core Handbook? Put differently, they write about conceptions of the liberal arts and the value of a liberal education. What, if anything, do they focus on that the Core Handbook seems not to emphasize? If the connection is neat and tidy – and you find no missing pieces – link at least one Ungar response to a misperception to a detail in the Core Handbook. Explain with evidence. This response might be relatively short – perhaps 100 words.

I think the Core Handbook does a pretty good job at identifying and including the many parts of a strong liberal arts education. I do think, however, that it does not focus on citizenship as much as Scheuer believes it should. Scheuer describes the three different types of citizenship; traditional civic dimension, economic citizenship and cultural citizenship. The Core Handbook focuses a lot on cultural citizenship, a tiny bit on traditional civic dimension, but hardly, if at all, on economic citizenship. Within the handbook there is of course social-global awareness that strongly covers the cultural citizen ship. Then there is the the, “Civic Engagement Seminar [which] is a one-credit experience that provides students with the opportunity to be civically engaged and to reflect on their previous years of study in their major and the Core Curriculum as it relates to their duties and responsibilities as a member of a larger society”. This is the small inclusion of traditional civic dimension but I believe that making this course only one credit greatly diminishes the importance of it. And finally, there is the lack of economic citizenship teaching.

2. For homework due February 26, we started to critically explore two of our current classes in relation to the Core Handbook and/or a conception of the liberal arts outlined in Scheuer/Ungar. Revisit that work by identifying which part(s) of the Core the course fits into (Exploration, Creative Arts, etc.). If you did not explore 2 Core courses, pick a third course to ensure you have 2 Core courses. Scheuer thinks that critical thinking and citizenship are two important or key goals of a liberal arts education. How does (or doesn’t) each course contribute to one or both goals? You should have text that looks something like a paragraph (with key evidence from Scheuer/Ungar, Core Handbook, and the course) for each course.

One course I am currently taking is the laboratory science. I don’t particularly see how this course does much in regard to citizenship or critical thinking. I think it is hard to think critically when there are such obvious right and wrong answers in science. The Core Handbook, in talking about a laboratory science course states, “This course will serve to introduce the scientific method as an approach to knowledge and may include topics relating natural sciences to human interactions with local and global surroundings”. While on the surface that seems like it goes along with the liberal arts goals, there is one word that ruins that facade for me. It states that it “may” include topics that help with citizenship. That means it also may not and unfortunately I see the biology course I am currently taking as falling under the may not category. I have learned nothing new about how I personally or our human race have impacted our surroundings. It has only been the basic things we have had drilled into our brains since first grade which is topics such as littering, global warming and pollution. I fail to see how my completion of this course will allow for me to be a more informed and smart thinking citizen. Another core course I am currently taking is, obviously, english composition. With this course, I can see how critical thinking is actually taught and emphasized. Scheuer says that important skills that form the bridge between critical thinking and philosophy include, “thinking independently…thinking outside the box… grasping the different forms and divisions of knowledge and how they are acquired…seeing distinctions and connections beyond the obvious; distinguishing reality from appearance; and engaging with complexity”. One of the outcomes described in the Handbook for english composition is, “Employ techniques of active reading, critical reading, and informal reading response for inquiry, learning, and thinking”. This shows that this course attempts to help develop and fine tune critical thinking as well as the skills that are connected to it. In class we have been introduced and encouraged to always use these skills when reading a text, our peers work and when writing responses ourselves.

4. Look at the Critical Thinking requirement in the Core and consider it alongside what Scheuer/Ungar have to say about critical thinking/inquiry. Develop a connection using evidence from at least one of our authors and the Core Handbook. Build your response as a paragraph-like unit.

Critical thinking is somewhat of an enigmatic process or idea. Scheuer says, “Critical thinking is the intellectual engine of a functional democracy: the set of mental practices that lends breadth, depth, clarity, and consistency to public discourse. It’s what makes thinking in public truly public and shareable. And yet, like the liberal arts and citizenship, critical thinking isn’t monolithic or easy to describe”. Essentially it is an ever changing and evolving system which allows people to fully deploy their skills to become engaged and informed peers and citizens. The Core Handbook states the learning outcomes from critical thinking are, “1. Evaluate and synthesize information from multiple contexts and settings to achieve a common understanding of a phenomenon and to effectively characterize and/or implement an action designed to address a question, challenge, or problem. 2. Reflect upon, communicate, and objectively evaluate their thinking processes”. These are similar projected outcomes or acquired skills from learning critical thinking. Both have the presence of an expansive set of skills that, once used together, will allow the person to start actually critically thinking.