Scientific Understanding

Scientific Understanding Course Criteria Courses fulfilling the scientific understanding component of general education should

1. be open to students from all programs;
2. explain the historical perspective of scientific ideas;
3. utilize the scientific method for understanding the physical universe;
4. present content deemed most important in traditional scientific disciplines;
5. promote scientific awareness by developing the use of inquiry and observation;
6. encourage thoughtful analysis that allows students to develop operative knowledge so that they may assess social, medical, and environmental issues, and make informed decisions;
7. be taught by faculty with qualifications and background in the subject matter that meet the standards for university level instruction in that discipline;
8. be recognizable as general education in the natural sciences at other institutions.