Foundations of Inquiry (BSC100)

Intellectual Foundations

Foundations of Inquiry (BSC 100)

Overview
Learning Outcomes
Guidelines
Course Proposal
Implementation

Report to the College Senate

of the

Select Committee

on General Education

8 November 2002

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1. Overview

All entering students, except those exempted from general education by a current articulation agreement, shall be required to complete successfully Foundations of Inquiry (BSC 100) during their first year. This course is a first-year intellectual experience to be shared by Buffalo State students. It will prepare students to be critical and engaged learners throughout the rest of the program. Students will analyze a common set of original texts from cross the disciplines and learn to identify and evaluate arguments and to better understand their own beliefs and values. The original texts will be collected by the faculty in the form of an Intellectual Foundations Reader.

2. Proposed Learning Outcomes/Objectives

Students will:

a.

identify the benefits of a liberal arts & sciences education;

b.

identify critical thinking skills, including creative thinking skills;

c.

identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments;

d.

apply critical thinking skills to topics/issues related to the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences;

e.

demonstrate the ability to think critically about one's own values and beliefs;

f.

demonstrate an understanding of the value of diverse modes of inquiry;

g.

demonstrate basic ability to use the College computing environment in academic research

3. Course Proposal and Guidelines

a.

A common Intellectual Foundations Reader developed by Buffalo State faculty will account for at least 75% of BSC 100 reading materials, and may account for 100%, of class reading materials

i

The Intellectual Foundations Reader shall consist of original text or translated readings and images in Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences along with a section on critical thinking concepts and basic research.

ii

BSC 100 course content must include material from each section

iii

Individual instructors may add reading selections amounting to up to 25% of class reading materials.

iv.

The Intellectual Foundations Reader will be revised every 2-3 years.

b.

BSC 100 Must be taught by full-time faculty (with few exceptions)

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Course Proposal

Prefix, Number and Name of Course: BSC 100: Foundations of Inquiry

Credit Hours: 3

In Class Instructional Hours: 3

Labs: 0

Field Work: 0

Catalog Description:

Prerequisites: None

Foundations of Inquiry, is designed as an introductory course in critical and creative thinking skills. Students will learn to identify arguments, in the many forms they take, and to analyze and evaluate the strength of those arguments, as well as to better understand their own beliefs and values. Emphasis will be placed on intellectual curiosity, analytical and creative thinking, and fair-mindedness as students apply these skills and attitudes in appropriate ways to topics in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.

Reasons for Addition:

In 1922, scholar Paul Shorey argued that "the greatest service which . . . college education could render to America today would be . . . to create in every audience a resisting minority that cannot be stampeded by plausible sophistry and emotional volubility." If these words were true in 1922, how much more so must they be today?

Critical thinking courses are prevalent on campuses today for a variety of reasons they are seen as a pragmatic imperative in an age of information overload, deceptive advertising, and political ideology, as a necessary condition for the very possibility of effective learning in general, and as an approach that fosters an open-minded tolerance of alternative perspectives and worldviews. These goals are consistent with the Buffalo State College mission and the mission of the Intellectual Foundations program. The course will also introduce students to the study of the liberal arts as a foundation for achieving their personal and professional goals.

This course is designed as a first-year experience, to be shared by all students who start college at Buffalo State. The course will frame expectations regarding the Intellectual Foundations program and will provide student with fundamental critical and creative thinking skills to better ensure their active participation in their college education.

SUNY Trustees' General Education learning outcomes addressed:

Students will:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Locate, evaluate and synthesize infomration form a variety of sources;
Identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own or others' work
Develop well-reasoned arguments
Understand and use basic research techniques;
Demonstrate the basic operations of personal computer use.

Student Learning Outcomes & Assessment

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will:

Content Reference

Assessment

1. identify the benefits of a liberal arts & sciences education

I

Class discussion, class participation, and/or written or oral presentation

2. identify critical thinking skills, including creative thinking skills

II

Class discussion, class participation, and/or written examination

3. identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments

III

Class discussion, class participation, and/or written examination

4. apply critical thinking skills to
topics/issues related to the arts,
humanities, natural sciences, and/or social
sciences

IV

Class discussion, class participation, and/or written or oral presentation

5. demonstrate the ability to think critically
about one's own values and beliefs.

II

Class discussion, class participation, reflective journal, and/or written or oral presentation

6. demonstrate an understanding of the value
of diverse modes of inquiry

I, II, IV

Class discussion, class participation and/or written or oral presentation

7. demonstrate basic ability to use the College computing environment in academic research.

V

Oral and/or written presentation

Course Content

I.

Conceptual Foundations

A.

Overview of the liberal arts & sciences

B.

Attributes of a liberally educated individual

C.

Value of being a liberally educated individual

II.

Critical Thinking

A.

Value of being a critical thinker

B.

Skills necessary to be a critical thinker

C.

Critical self-examination

II.

Identification, Analysis, and Evaluation of Arguments

A.

Argument Identification

1.

Argument indicators

2.

Narratives, opinion pieces, and explanations

B.

Argument Analysis

1.

Premises and conclusion

2.

Logical structure

3.

Analogic and creative structure

C.

Argument Evaluation

1.

Truth of premises

2.

Deductive validity

3.

Inductive validity

4.

Analogic validity

III.

Application of Critical Thinking Skills to the Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences

A.

Thinking about Nature

B.

Thinking about Society

C.

Thinking about Value

D.

Thinking about One's Self

IV.

Basic research in the College computing environment

Bibliography

The bibliography for this course will be to be generated and undated every 2-3 years by faculty in the form of the Intellectual Foundations Reader. At least 75% of textual readings shall be drawn from the Intellectual Foundations Reader. The Intellectual Foundations Reader shall consist of original text or translated readings and images in Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences along with a section on critical thinking concepts and basic research. BSC 100 course content must include material from each section.

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4. Implementation

a.

Prior to the end of Spring, 2003, the IFC shall convene a campus-wide committee to write, compile and edit the Intellectual Foundations Reader.

b.

The Intellectual Foundations Reader Committee shall be open to all faculty and professional staff. Its membership shall include:

i.

Two representatives elected from each Faculty (6 members)

ii.

One representative from the library elected by the library faculty (one member)

One elected professional staff from the academic support areas (1 member)

iii.

The Director of the Intellectual Foundations Center (ex officio committee chair)

iv.

Administrative liaison appointed by the Associate V.P. for Undergraduate Education.

c.

The Intellectual Foundations Reader Committee shall elicit contributions from the entire College Community.

d..

The Intellectual Foundations Reader shall be ready for sale to students by August, 2005

| return to top | Return to Table of Contents |

1. Overview
All entering students, except those exempted from general education by a current articulation agreement, shall be required to complete successfully Foundations of Inquiry (BSC 100) during their first year. This course is a first-year intellectual experience to be shared by Buffalo State students. It will prepare students to be critical and engaged learners throughout the rest of the program. Students will analyze a common set of original texts from cross the disciplines and learn to identify and evaluate arguments and to better understand their own beliefs and values. The original texts will be collected by the faculty in the form of an Intellectual Foundations Reader.
2. Proposed Learning Outcomes/Objectives
	Students will:
		a.	identify the benefits of a liberal arts & sciences education;
		b.	identify critical thinking skills, including creative thinking skills;
		c.	identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments;
		d.	apply critical thinking skills to topics/issues related to the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences;
		e.	demonstrate the ability to think critically about one's own values and beliefs;
		f.	demonstrate an understanding of the value of diverse modes of inquiry;
		g.	demonstrate basic ability to use the College computing environment in academic research
3. Course Proposal and Guidelines
a.	A common Intellectual Foundations Reader developed by Buffalo State faculty will account for at least 75% of BSC 100 reading materials, and may account for 100%, of class reading materials
	i	The Intellectual Foundations Reader shall consist of original text or translated readings and images in Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences along with a section on critical thinking concepts and basic research.
	ii	BSC 100 course content must include material from each section
	iii	Individual instructors may add reading selections amounting to up to 25% of class reading materials.
	iv.	The Intellectual Foundations Reader will be revised every 2-3 years.
b.	BSC 100 Must be taught by full-time faculty (with few exceptions)

Prefix, Number and Name of Course: BSC 100: Foundations of Inquiry
Credit Hours: 3
In Class Instructional Hours: 3		Labs: 0	Field Work: 0
Catalog Description:
*Prerequisites:* None
Foundations of Inquiry, is designed as an introductory course in critical and creative thinking skills. Students will learn to identify arguments, in the many forms they take, and to analyze and evaluate the strength of those arguments, as well as to better understand their own beliefs and values. Emphasis will be placed on intellectual curiosity, analytical and creative thinking, and fair-mindedness as students apply these skills and attitudes in appropriate ways to topics in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences.
Reasons for Addition:
In 1922, scholar Paul Shorey argued that "the greatest service which . . . college education could render to America today would be . . . to create in every audience a resisting minority that cannot be stampeded by plausible sophistry and emotional volubility." If these words were true in 1922, how much more so must they be today? Critical thinking courses are prevalent on campuses today for a variety of reasons they are seen as a pragmatic imperative in an age of information overload, deceptive advertising, and political ideology, as a necessary condition for the very possibility of effective learning in general, and as an approach that fosters an open-minded tolerance of alternative perspectives and worldviews. These goals are consistent with the Buffalo State College mission and the mission of the Intellectual Foundations program. The course will also introduce students to the study of the liberal arts as a foundation for achieving their personal and professional goals. This course is designed as a first-year experience, to be shared by all students who start college at Buffalo State. The course will frame expectations regarding the Intellectual Foundations program and will provide student with fundamental critical and creative thinking skills to better ensure their active participation in their college education.
SUNY Trustees' General Education learning outcomes addressed:
Students will:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.	Locate, evaluate and synthesize infomration form a variety of sources; Identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own or others' work Develop well-reasoned arguments Understand and use basic research techniques; Demonstrate the basic operations of personal computer use.

Student Learning Outcomes Students will:	Content Reference	Assessment
1. identify the benefits of a liberal arts & sciences education	I	Class discussion, class participation, and/or written or oral presentation
2. identify critical thinking skills, including creative thinking skills	II	Class discussion, class participation, and/or written examination
3. identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments	III	Class discussion, class participation, and/or written examination
4. apply critical thinking skills to topics/issues related to the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and/or social sciences	IV	Class discussion, class participation, and/or written or oral presentation
5. demonstrate the ability to think critically about one's own values and beliefs.	II	Class discussion, class participation, reflective journal, and/or written or oral presentation
6. demonstrate an understanding of the value of diverse modes of inquiry	I, II, IV	Class discussion, class participation and/or written or oral presentation
7. demonstrate basic ability to use the College computing environment in academic research.	V	Oral and/or written presentation

I.	Conceptual Foundations
	A.	Overview of the liberal arts & sciences
	B.	Attributes of a liberally educated individual
	C.	Value of being a liberally educated individual
II.	Critical Thinking
	A.	Value of being a critical thinker
	B.	Skills necessary to be a critical thinker
	C.	Critical self-examination
II.	Identification, Analysis, and Evaluation of Arguments
	A.	Argument Identification
		1.	Argument indicators
		2.	Narratives, opinion pieces, and explanations
	B.	Argument Analysis
		1.	Premises and conclusion
		2.	Logical structure
		3.	Analogic and creative structure
	C.	Argument Evaluation
		1.	Truth of premises
		2.	Deductive validity
		3.	Inductive validity
		4.	Analogic validity
III.	Application of Critical Thinking Skills to the Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences
	A.	Thinking about Nature
	B.	Thinking about Society
	C.	Thinking about Value
	D.	Thinking about One's Self
IV.	Basic research in the College computing environment

4. Implementation
a.	Prior to the end of Spring, 2003, the IFC shall convene a campus-wide committee to write, compile and edit the Intellectual Foundations Reader.
b.	The Intellectual Foundations Reader Committee shall be open to all faculty and professional staff. Its membership shall include:
	i.	Two representatives elected from each Faculty (6 members)
	ii.	One representative from the library elected by the library faculty (one member)
		One elected professional staff from the academic support areas (1 member)
	iii.	The Director of the Intellectual Foundations Center (ex officio committee chair)
	iv.	Administrative liaison appointed by the Associate V.P. for Undergraduate Education.
c.	The Intellectual Foundations Reader Committee shall elicit contributions from the entire College Community.
d..	The Intellectual Foundations Reader shall be ready for sale to students by August, 2005