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Colleagues,

What follows is the proposed Global Citizenship Program to come before the Faculty Assembly
on February 8. Many of you submitted comments, suggestions, and proposed amendments, and
we have revised the proposal in their light. Specific amendments to be considered at the
February 8 meeting are included in a separate document. Don’t hesitate to turn to any member
of the Senate for clarification of the proposal.

Resolution to create a Global Citizenship Program to replace Webster University’s current


general education program.

Resolved: That the Faculty Assembly of Webster University adopts the Global Citizenship
Program, defined below, to replace the University’s current general education program.

Webster’s General Education Program, known as the “Global Citizenship Program,” will consist
of the following requirements. These requirements will apply to B.A. and B.S. students
beginning in August, 2012, in accordance with the Implementation Plan detailed in section VII .

I. Breadth Requirements.
A. Requirements: 27 credit hours distributed as indicated below.
1. Six Credit hours from courses designated “Roots of Cultures.”
2. Six Credit hours from courses designated “Social Systems and Human
Behavior.”
3. Three credit hours from courses designated “Physical and Natural World.”
4. Three credit hours from courses designated “Global Understanding.”

[Restrictions on I.A.1-4:
a. All courses used to fulfill these breadth requirements outlined
above must show evidence of promise that they cultivate one of the
following skills:
i. Written Communication or
ii. Oral Communication or
iii. Critical Thinking or
iv. Intercultural Knowledge or
v. Ethical Reasoning
b. No course prefix may be used twice to satisfy requirements
within Area A.1, Roots of Cultures.
c. No course prefix may be used twice to satisfy requirements
within A.2, Social Systems and Human Behavior. ]
5. Three hours from courses designated for “Quantitative Literacy.”

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II. Global Citizenship Program Keystone Seminar. Three credit hours.

Total Required Credits Hours: 27

III. GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar: Requirement for students entering as new full-time
degree-seeking Freshmen (who have not previously matriculated at another post-
secondary institution or who have fewer than 16 credit hours of college credit).

Total Required Credit Hours


for students entering as
freshmen: 30

IV. Overall Restrictions.


1. No student may include any course that is a requirement of his/her first major
as a course used to fulfill GCP requirements (see exceptions, below).
2. No course may be used to fulfill more than one of the above requirements.
3. All courses in the Global Citizenship Program must be completed with
a grade of at least C- or better.
4. All courses included in the GCP must be approved by the “Global Citizenship
Program Committee.” This will usually be accomplished by the
submission of syllabi to the committee for approval based on the
requirements stated above. The Faculty Senate will create this committee
upon approval of the proposed GCP by the Faculty Assembly.
5 All new courses will first require the approval of the Curriculum Committee
before being submitted to the Global Citizenship Program Committee.

V. Exceptions.

A. The GCP breadth requirements do not apply to students entering with an AA degree.
However, AA students are required to complete a GCP Keystone seminar.
B. The GCP requirements do not apply to students seeking a sequential degree.
C. The GCP requirements for students pursuing high-credit-hour B.A. and B.S. majors
(above 75 credit hours) may be adjusted by the Global Citizenship Program
Committee on the initiative of the Department responsible. In such situations, the
requirement that no courses taken in the major (see I. B. 1. above) may be waived
by the Global Citizenship Program Committee.
D. The GCP shall apply to B.F.A. and B. M. degree programs on an adjusted basis. The
exact nature of their participation will be determined during a phase-in period
(August 2012-August 2016) through consultation between the relevant
department and the Global Citizenship Program Committee.

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VI. Assessment. GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar and the Global Citizenship Keystone
Seminar serve as the points for the collection of student work for assessment.
Rubrics for assessment will be developed by the Global Citizenship Program
Committee. The complete assessment plan follows on a separate page.

VII. Implementation.

Prior to implementation. Admissions training, advisor training (St. Louis and


International), faculty and curricular development initiated, Global Citizenship
Program Committee created, course coding begun.

First academic year (2012-2013): Program applies only to full-time, degree-


seeking students, with fewer than 30 credit hours of college credit, who have not
previously matriculated at a post-secondary institution, who are not majoring in
programs in the departments of Dance, Music, and Theatre. Continue
development, training, and coding.

Second academic year (2013-2014): Program applies to continuing GCP students


and new full-time, degree-seeking students, with fewer than 30 hours of college
credit, who have not previously matriculated at a post-secondary institution, who
are not majoring in programs in the departments of Dance, Music, and Theatre
only. Continue development, training, and coding. Advisor training extended
campus U.S.

Third academic year (2014-2015): Program applies to the two previous years’
GCP students, new full-time, degree-seeking students, with fewer than 30 credit
hours of college credit, who have not previously matriculated at a post-secondary
institution, who are not majoring in programs in the departments of Dance, Music,
and Theatre, and transfer students with fewer than 75 transfer credits outside the
departments of Dance, Music, and Theatre. Continue development, training, and
coding.

Fourth academic year (2016-2017): Program applies to all students previously in


the program and to all newly enrolled students, without regard to transfer status or
major department.

pg. 3
VIII. Working Definitions
.
A. Breadth Requirement Definitions.
1. Roots of Cultures courses are expected to help students develop knowledge of
human cultures and the sources of meaning, focused by engagement with “big
questions,” whether contemporary or enduring.
2. Social Systems and Human Behavior courses are expected to help students
develop knowledge of human cultures and how people and their cultures and
institutions work, focused by engagement with “big questions,” whether
contemporary or enduring.
3. Physical and Natural World courses are expected to help students develop
knowledge of the physical and natural world, focused by engagement with “big
questions,” whether contemporary or enduring.
4. Global Understanding Courses are expected to help students understand
cultures foreign to them, or international languages, or forces that draw people of
the world together and forces that push them apart.

B. Skill Requirement Definitions.


1. Critical thinking is a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive
exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating
an opinion or conclusion.
2. Ethical Reasoning is reasoning about right and wrong human conduct. It
requires students to be able to assess their own ethical values and the social context
of problems, recognize ethical issues in a variety of settings, think about how
different ethical perspectives might be applied to ethical dilemmas and consider
the ramifications of alternative actions. Students’ Ethical Self Identity evolves as
they practice ethical decision-making skills and learn how to describe and analyze
positions on ethical issues.
3. Intercultural Knowledge is a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills
and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of
cultural contexts.
4. Oral Communication is a prepared and purposeful presentation designed to
increase knowledge, to foster understanding, and/or to promote change in the
listeners' attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
5. Written Communication is the development and expression of ideas in
writing. Written communication involves learning to work in many genres and
styles. It can involve working with many different writing technologies, and
mixing texts, data, and images. Written communication abilities develop through
iterative experiences across the curriculum.

pg. 4
C. Quantitative Literacy (QL) – also known as Numeracy or Quantitative Reasoning
(QR) – is a "habit of mind," competency, and comfort in working with numerical
data. Individuals with strong QL skills possess the ability to reason and solve
quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life
situations. They understand and can create sophisticated arguments supported by
quantitative evidence, and they can clearly communicate those arguments in a
variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc., as
appropriate).

D. Global Keystone Seminars. This course engages students in developing and using
intellectual and practical skills to demonstrate their understanding of responsible
global citizenship, through collaborative participation in meaningful, real-world
projects and problem-solving experiences. Students practice skills for lifelong
learning and integrative learning through analysis, synthesis, integration and
application (transfer) of prior learning (formal academic concepts as well as
personal life experiences) to address complex problems, locally or globally.

E. GNST 1200 Freshman Seminars emphasize exploration and discovery through a


range of topics, teach students to think critically in a community of learners, and
set a standard for academic excellence that continues throughout the academic
career of every student. “Great Thinkers” are visionaries who can be defined in
various ways, from the well known to everyday people who find solutions to
everyday questions. A great thinker has the necessary mindset, as well as the drive
and desire, to learn. In completing this seminar, students become better critical and
creative thinkers and cultivate the skills and knowledge necessary for lifelong
learning. Other goals for GNST 1200 include making students more purposeful in
their thinking, exploring interdisciplinary approaches to subject matter, developing
critical and creative thinking skills, improving communication skills, and
developing a connection to Webster University through interpersonal relationships.
GNST 1200 is a requirement for students entering as new full-time degree-seeking
Freshmen (who have not previously matriculated at another post-secondary
institution or who have fewer than 16 credit hours of college credit.

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