Revised General Education Program Guidelines VI. Social Sciences

For approval of a course in the Social Science section, the instructor will provide a comprehensive description of the course, addressing its aims and general requirements, including:

1. evidence that the course presents general ideas and principles basic to the field of study including:
   1. an introduction to the major concepts, theories, models and issues;
   2. an introduction to the major research methods, including
      1. an examination of what constitutes evidence;
      2. an examination of cause-effect relationships;
      3. the importance of formulating, measuring, and manipulating variables;
      4. the importance of formulating, operationalizing, and testing hypotheses;
   3. an overview of the history of the development of the field;
   4. awareness of contemporary thinking in the field;
   5. awareness of connections to related disciplines;
   6. consideration of the way in which culture has influenced the development of the field;
2. evidence that the course requires discussions, written assignments, and/or oral presentations that facilitate improvement of student skills, including critical thinking and critical literacy, in the following areas:
   1. interpretation of findings;
   2. differentiation between empirical fact and opinion;
   3. the relationship between hypothesis and theory;
   4. evaluation of logic and parsimony of arguments;
   5. alternate interpretations of findings;
   6. questioning of assumptions and exploration of new areas of inquiry;
3. a brief description of the methods to be used to assess student understanding of the course's subject matter and student attainment of the abilities and understandings listed above, as well as a method for providing for course improvement.