Courses in the Natural Sciences offer students the opportunity to learn how the laws of the physical world are derived and tested through observation, theory, and experiment. Students will gain an understanding of the correctable nature of scientific knowledge and the increasingly important interconnections among science, technology, and social concerns.

Courses in Mathematics will present methods, principles and patterns of thought that are used to study mathematical and logical systems. Students will gain some insight into how the aesthetics of mathematical analysis and its practical uses extend our understanding of human thought and the real world in which we function.

Courses in Technology engage students in the study and application of principles, methods, and practices involving computing and information technology. They provide students with an opportunity to move from being simple consumers of technology to producers and contributors of both knowledge and technology.

Criteria for General Education Distribution Courses in Natural Sciences

1. Each course should have natural science content as a central focus.
2. Each course should have a hands-on, inquiry-based component, so that students actually engage in the process of investigation. This component would not necessarily take the form of a traditional, weekly, experimental laboratory; “inquiry” experiences might also be developed, for example, through take-home experiments, visits to museums or other field sites with specific objectives, data analysis, computer-based experiments, or brief in-class experiments. The course should be designed to provide experience in scientific inquiry, analysis, and problem-solving.
3. The course should engage students in reflection on the relevance and value of science to society and/or culture, as well as to the uses and abuses of scientific understanding and investigation.

Criteria for General Education Distribution Courses in Mathematics/Technology

(courses in this Distribution area should meet either the Mathematics or the Technology criteria specified below):

Mathematics

1. A significant part of the course should be aimed at the mastery and/or application of mathematical principles (i.e., doing mathematics).
2. The course should promote mathematical thinking and inquiry. To this end, the course should regularly require students to explain their reasoning and apply mathematical principles. Students should also be asked to make conjectures and explore and analyze mathematical problems.
3. The course should foster an appreciation of the value of mathematics, whether it be practical, aesthetic, or intellectual.

Technology

1. The course should have computing and information technology content as its main focus.
2. The course should develop students’ competency in the critical practice of technology in order to further knowledge, advance real-world applications, or enhance creative expression.
3. The course should engage students in an examination of the ethics, rights and responsibilities of decision-making within the digital domain.