Liberal Arts Core

Coordinator: Peter McCormick
Email: mccormick_p@fortlewis.edu

Fort Lewis College’s commitment to the liberal arts is embodied in its general education program and in its majors in the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Liberal in liberal arts means “free,” freedom from ignorance. A liberal arts education is intended to impart the capacities and values required for responsible citizenship and advancement in the professions and help students develop a commitment to life-long learning. These capacities include breadth of knowledge, the ability to analyze and weigh evidence, open-mindedness, understanding of different cultural perspectives, critical thinking, quantitative reasoning, and communication.

The Liberal Arts Core is designed to complement the specialization provided by the majors. Exploration of different areas of knowledge and ways of understanding the world combined with the development of competencies in communication, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning is the primary focus of the lower-division courses in general education.

Learning Outcomes:

Students apply intellectual and practical skills to think critically and communicate effectively
Students demonstrate knowledge of the a) diversity of past and present human cultures and b) physical and natural world
Students gain skills necessary to be engaged and contributing members of a local and global society
Students reflect critically on ethical issues and make reasoned, intelligent judgments about complex problems
Students integrate knowledge and skills and apply them to new settings and complex problems

Liberal Arts Core Programs

Freshman Mathematics Program

Assistant Dean of First Year Programs: Sandra Gilpin
Email: gilpin_s@fortlewis.edu

Senior Lecturers: Sandra Gilpin, Leslie Goldstein, and Sherri Spriggs
Lecturer: Carla Rossi

The Freshman Mathematics Program is responsible for instruction in basic skills and beginning college-level mathematics courses in statistics and quantitative literacy that fulfill the MA1 requirement in general education and for coordination of the Algebra Alcove, one of two mathematics support centers at Fort Lewis College. The mission of the Freshman Mathematics Program is to provide a positive learning experience that helps students connect mathematics to their lives. In the Freshman Mathematics Program, we strive to make mathematics accessible to our students and we are responsive to their interests and needs.

Writing Program

Assistant Dean of First Year Programs: Sandra Gilpin
Email: gilpin_s@fortlewis.edu

Associate Professor: Erik Juergensmeyer
Senior Lecturers: Michelle Bonanno, Ana Hale and Ayla Moore
Lecturers: Melinda Bezdek, Mark Brenden, William Mangrum, Jillian Wenburg, and Amanda Zubrowksi

The Writing Program provides instruction in basic skills reading and writing courses, and the required introductory, intermediate, and advanced composition courses. It also coordinates the Writing Center. Faculty in the Writing Program consider their courses “heirs of the ancient liberal art of rhetoric.” The study of rhetoric began in Greece, about 2,500 years ago, as the art of using language persuasively. Although the original emphasis of rhetoric was on speaking, in the modern era its domain has expanded to encompass writing. The Writing Program teaches students that effective communication is highly situational, requiring students to compose and deliver messages appropriate for the occasion, purpose, and audience.

Liberal Arts Core