The activities in this course are designed to align with MSU’s Undergraduate Learning Goals (http://undergrad.msu.edu/programs/learninggoals) and the Center for Integrative Studies in Arts and Letters (http://cisah.msu.edu/). Wherever possible, I will try to provide an account of how the course activities align with these goals in their descriptions on D2L. MSU’s Undergraduate Learning Goals Michigan State University has outlined a set of undergraduate learning goals. An integrated arts and science foundation enhances the potential that MSU graduates will be outstanding leaders and life-long learners. These are they, slightly modified, as they relate to our class.

• Analytical Thinking
  • You will use ways of knowing from the disciplines within the arts and humanities to access information and critically analyzes complex material in order to evaluate evidence, construct reasoned arguments, and communicate inferences and conclusions.
  • You will acquire, analyze, and evaluate information from multiple sources. o synthesize and apply information within and across disciplines.
  • You will identify the credibility, use and misuse of humanistic and artistic methods.
• Cultural Understanding
  • You will think about global and cultural diversity within historical, artistic, and societal contexts.
  • You will reflect on experiences with diversity to demonstrate knowledge and sensitivity.
  • You will demonstrate awareness of how diversity emerges within and across cultures.
• Effective Citizenship
  • You will participate in a Fictional World modeled on those in the larger, real, interconnected current world.
  • You will apply knowledge and abilities to solve societal problems in ethical ways.
• Effective Communication
  • You will use a variety of media to communicate effectively with your peers and your instructor.
  • You will identify and consider how contexts affect communication strategies and practices.
  • You will engage in effective communication practices in a variety of situations and with a variety of media.
• Integrated Reasoning
  • You will integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge to make informed decisions that reflect humane social, ethical, and aesthetic values.
  • You will critically apply disciplinary knowledge in a liberal arts context.
  • You will use a variety of inquiry strategies incorporating multiple views to make value judgments, solve problems, answer questions, and generate new understandings

The mission of Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities is to help students to become more familiar with ways of knowing in the arts and humanities and to be more knowledgeable and capable in a range of intellectual and expressive abilities. IAH courses encourage students to engage critically with their own society, history, and culture(s); they also encourage students to learn more about the history and culture of other societies. Our courses focus on key ideas and issues in human experience; encourage appreciation of the roles of knowledge and values in shaping and understanding human behavior; emphasize the responsibilities and opportunities of democratic citizenship; highlight the value of the creative arts of literature, theater, music, and arts; and alert us to important issues that occur among peoples in an increasingly interconnected, interdependent world.

The goals of IAH courses are to assist students to

• Cultivate habits of inquiry and develop investigative strategies from arts and humanities perspectives;
• Explore social, cultural, and artistic expressions and contexts;
• Act as culturally aware and ethically responsible citizens in local and global communities;
• Critically assess, produce, and communicate knowledge in a variety of media for a range of audiences;
• Recognize and understand the value of diversity and the significance of interconnectedness in the classroom and beyond.