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The Linfield Curriculum (General Education Requirements)
The Linfield Curriculum
(General Education Requirements)
The purpose of the general education requirement called the Linfield Curriculum is to foster the development of wholly-educated persons by providing a coherent experience spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, and social-behavioral sciences. The Linfield Curriculum seeks to enable students to communicate effectively; appreciate literary, artistic, and historical works; be conversant with various philosophical and religious conceptions of humanity; understand the role of diversity both globally and nationally; analyze how human beings behave individually and socially; understand, formulate, and critique quantitative arguments; and comprehend the methods and accomplishments of modern science.
Grounded in the multidisciplinary spirit of the liberal arts, the Linfield Curriculum stresses wide exposure to the ways that educated individuals, be they scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, or ethicists, engage ideas, articulate choices, and assert opinions. It encourages students to cultivate intellectual and personal flexibility, pursue independent action, and engage in responsible decision-making. The Linfield Curriculum emphasizes communication and facilitates self-discovery in personal, cultural, and academic contexts. It affirms the need to understand people and societies both nationally and internationally. In short, the Linfield Curriculum encourages inquiry, analysis, and imagination, habits of mind that provide the foundation for reasoned action, wonder, and continued learning in all aspects of life.
The Linfield Curriculum consists of four major components: (1) the Inquiry Seminar; (2) Six Modes of Inquiry; (3) Diversity Studies; and (4) a Writing-Intensive Requirement. Courses contributing to the Linfield Curriculum (including Modes of Inquiry, Global and Multicultural Inquiry, and Writing-Intensive courses) are normally a minimum of 3 semester-credits. Any single class transferred from outside institutions must be at least 3 semester-credits or 4 quarter-credits. To encourage intellectual breadth, no student may count more than two courses from a single department toward completion of the Linfield Curriculum.
I. The Inquiry Seminar (IQS 125)
At the center of the Linfield Curriculum is the Inquiry Seminar, taken by each
first- or second-year student. A collaborative investigation of a compelling
subject, the Inquiry Seminar builds upon and deepens the relationship between
thinking and communication, both oral and written. It models the goals of the
entire Linfield Curriculum by developing the critical thinking skills common
to every discipline and vital to becoming an educated person. Inquiry Seminars
are taught by faculty from many fields and offer a wide range of topics varying
from semester to semester. Because they provide an introduction to thinking and
communicating within the academic environment, Inquiry Seminars do not satisfy
requirements for majors and minors. Each student may take only one Inquiry Seminar
except in cases of failure.
4 credits, with at least 3 hours of formal class time per week and one hour
of assigned lab activity either within or outside of class.