Certain general education competencies are required to ensure that you are well prepared to meet today’s rapidly changing environment of technological developments and diverse people coming together to build a better future for all humanity. The Upper Iowa faculty have determined that, in order to participate competitively in such an environment,
its graduates should be able to demonstrate the following 26 specific competencies, or outcomes, as they are organized into seven general learning categories:

Communications

•  Read critically
•  Write clearly
•  Listen objectively
•  Speak effectively

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

•  Define problems
•  Distinguish between fact and opinion
•  Propose and evaluate solutions
•  Defend a conclusion rationally

Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning

•  Reason inductively and deductively
•  Utilize mathematical thinking processes and skills in performing fundamental mathematical calculations
•  Know the fundamental logic of the natural sciences and use it to analyze science-related problems

Information Technology

•  Develop appropriate computer skills
•  Transform raw data into information
•  Use information to aid in problem solving
•  Demonstrate understanding of and respect for intellectual property

Global and National Diversity

•  Develop understanding of divergent cultural perspectives
•  Understand the interdependence of nations
•  Understand political institutions

Social Responsibility

•  Understand the mutually dependent relationship between human beings and their environment
•  Develop an awareness of the impact of technology on the human environment
•  Develop knowledge of contemporary human conditions in the world
•  Develop the skills to function effectively with others in the community

Understanding of the Humanities

•  Cultivate a sense of imagination and curiosity
•  Understand how social structures intersect with the arts
•  Develop skills in the critical judgment of aesthetic matters

Certain courses in Upper Iowa’s general education curriculum teach one or more of these competencies explicitly, while others dovetail with those core courses to reinforce outcomes already learned either at Upper Iowa or elsewhere. In general, you will demonstrate accomplishment of the general education competencies by successfully completing the following course regimen:

* Cultures courses include

SPN 125 Introduction to Hispanic Cultures
EDU 162 Diversity for Teachers
SOC 240 Diverse Cultures in America
ENG 265 African American Literature
GEOG 200 World Regional Geography
ANTH 110 Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 120 Culture and Difference
ANTH 214 Visual Anthropology
ANTH 310 Political Anthropology
SPN 306 Culture and Society of Spain
COMM 221 Intercultural Communications
Various approved Special Topics courses

One or more of the course requirements may be waived if you are able to demonstrate prior achievement of its outcomes either by transfer credit or by scoring at the 85th percentile on the appropriate section of the Accuplacer examination. Requirements may vary for students enrolled in the Teacher Education Program.

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