Thematic Encounter Course Proposal

Thematic Encounter

In these 100-, 200-, or 300-level Way of Thinking courses, the theme should be a primary lens used to frame or supplement course content, not necessarily to replace course content. While instructors are encouraged to use the theme to interpret existing content, they are welcome to add course content that directly contributes to a greater understanding and/or appreciation of the theme.

Requirements:

% of course on the theme:

4-credit course: Minimum 25%
2-credit course: Minimum 50%
1-credit course: 100%

Themes

Justice
This theme focuses on historical and contemporary social change, whether forms of oppression or advocacy for human dignity and inclusion. Courses might explore concepts of justice, or historical or contemporary calls for fair and equitable conditions, institutions and laws, or the fight for human rights and equality, or various policies and movements that have restricted the same.

Movement
This theme examines the interactions of ideas, people, energy, information, or matter as they flow from one location, literal or metaphorical, to another. This theme recognizes that movement can occur across conceptual, historical and stylistic boundaries, and that humans, other animals, and even the most basic components of our world move in one form or another, and often, from one form to another.

Truth
This theme examines what truth is, why it is valuable, how it shapes choices and our perceptions of ourselves and our world. This theme might explore efforts to discover and promote truth, or the ways in which lies, errors, biases, or faulty science subvert, obscure, and misidentify truth.

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A single section of a course can only carry one theme.

In the Integrations Curriculum a course can be designated as either:

A Way of Thinking, AND/OR
A Thematic Encounter or Thematic Focus
CSD: Identity (CI) or CSD: Systems (CS), OR
INTG 100: Learning Foundations(LF), INTG 205: Transfer Seminar, or INTG 300 Learning Integrations (LI), OR
Theological Explorations (TE) or Theological Integrations (TI)

Any course carrying one of the above designations may also have one engagement^, (except for TE, CSD:I, LF, and LI, which cannot carry engagements):

Artistic engagement (AR)
Experiential engagement (EX)
Global engagement (GL)

Any course may satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) skill requirement.

Any course (except courses that fulfill Theological Explorations, Theological Integrations, Learning Foundations, or any course with a THEO course number) may also satisfy the Benedictine Raven (BN).

Any 2xx or 3xx, 4-credit course (except for INTG 100: Learning Foundations, CSD:I, INTG 105: College Success, and INTG 300 Learning Integrations) may satisfy the Writing Skill (WR) requirement.**

*Thematic Focus courses have the option to be renumbered based on theme and course level to be consistent across the curriculum. They will still carry the Department prefix.

The renumbering will be as follows:

277/377 - Justice Theme
278/378 - Movement Theme
279/379 - Truth Theme

Each course under the Theme will have a different letter, for example:

HIST 276A
HIST 276B, etc.

^Semester-length study abroad courses may carry both GL and EX.

Application Date

MM/DD/YYYY

Effective Term

Effective Term Year

YYYY

Basic Course Information

Department or program:

Instructor

When you click submit, a copy of your submission will be automatically emailed to you. Please include your full email address here:

Please enter your department chair's email here:

Course number:

Course title (as listed in the official catalog). If a topics course, please list the specific title this request applies to:

Abbreviated course title for the class schedule (30 characters or less including parenthesis & designation)

Number of credits:

Grading type

	Standard (A-F or S/U)
	A-F only
	S/U only

Prerequisites (if any):

MOST RECENT Official course description from the Academic Catalog. If this is a topics course, please list description for this specific topic:

Please note:

A. The committee understands that some courses may still be in development. Prompts that ask for examples of assignments seek information about the spirit of what students will do and instructors are not bound to the specific details (e.g. writing prompts) provided.

B. The committee includes faculty from a variety of disciplines. Please remember to briefly explain disciplinary terms, contexts, and/or texts to allow all the members of the committee to best understand how your responses address the question.

C. As you are answering these questions, please keep in mind that students will need to produce work to assess their fulfillment of the related learning outcomes if applicable.

Go to the Integrations Curriculum - Faculty Resources course to review resources, such as:

Teaching Guidelines,
Reflection Prompts and Rubrics, and
Sample Assignments & Activities.

For which theme are you applying?

Are you applying or have you applied for a Way of Thinking for this course?

If this course has a designated Way of Thinking, has it already been approved?

1. Please provide an introductory overview of the course by elaborating on course content.

2.a. How will the course content meet the thematic encounter percentage requirement (see above)? Your answer should address how students will engage directly with the theme.

2.b. Provide an example(s) of assignment(s), lab(s), and/or activity(ies) where students will engage directly with the theme.

3.a. How will the course’s disciplinary perspective (and/or associated Way of Thinking) contribute to students’ understanding of the theme?

3.b. Students will submit an artifact to their portfolio that demonstrates how students use the course’s disciplinary perspective to examine the theme. Please describe a type of artifact students might produce. (The students will use this artifact in Learning Integrations their junior or senior year).

(Optional) Additional information (is there anything else that you would like the GECC to know about this course or application?):

Forms Manager

Thematic Encounter Course Proposal

Basic Course Information

Go to the Integrations Curriculum - Faculty Resources course to review resources, such as: