Goals and Learning Outcomes
Elon
University Department of Philosophy
15
June 2007
Numbered
items are our Goals; the bulleted sub-points are the Learning Outcomes we
associate with each goal.
1.
Fluency in traditional
philosophical knowledge
·
Students
appreciate different ways of doing and defining philosophy (e.g., skepticism,
deconstruction, etc.)
·
Students
understand at least one traditional way of doing philosophy in depth
·
Students
appreciate the scope and development of the history of philosophy and their position
in relation to it
2.
Critical engagement with the
sources of our own and others’ beliefs
·
Students
can articulate and apply critical standards for evidence
·
Students
can situate general critical thinking standards in terms of the development of
epistemology
·
Students
can adopt a critical distance from the surrounding culture, including
articulating hidden assumptions and challenging that which is constructed as
unquestionably given
3.
An attunement to the ways in
which language shapes worlds, realities, perceptions, and selves
·
Students
recognize the non-neutrality of language and its potential to shape and reshape
discourse
·
Students
can recast a problem or conversation through carefully chosen language
·
Students
are committed to using language in a responsible and transparent way
4.
The ability and disposition to
approach other modes of thinking and dwelling with curiosity, initiative, and
respect
·
Students
can suspend their own current views
·
Students
can give a fair account of other modes of thinking and dwelling
·
Students
come to a deeper understanding of their own modes of thinking and dwelling from
approaching those of others.
5.
The ability and disposition to
seek out a range of relevant communities of discourse, both traditional and
nontraditional, and utilize their insights judiciously
·
Students
understand that they do not work alone; that previous discourses and
scholarship are essential to their own intellectual projects
·
Students
can locate relevant, substantial, and reliable material
·
Students
can understand, evaluate, and make constructive use of a diverse array of that
material
·
Students
can generate revealing and important questions
·
Students
take care to consistently give appropriate credit when making use of the work
and ideas of others
·
Students
consistently seek critical feedback within relevant communities of discourse
·
Students
develop a meaningful and articulate sense of the purpose and method of
argumentation as such
·
Students
develop a clear and succinct sense of the purpose and method of individual
arguments
·
Students
can understand the structure of arguments, both others' and one's own
·
Students
can evaluate arguments fairly and substantially
·
Students
can construct strong, compelling, and original arguments
·
Students
heed arguments as guides for more authentic beliefs and behaviors
·
Students
engage in discourse with an active commitment to sustaining the participants
and the community in which it takes place
7.
Fluency in effective problem-solving
·
Students
can formulate problems clearly
·
Students
can generate new ideas
·
Students
can reframe problems creatively through a critical awareness of their contexts
and embeddedness and develop the imagination to look beyond them
·
Students
can practice creative thinking effectively with others and bring the results
successfully to their larger communities
8.
The ability and disposition to make
reflective choices, take responsibility, and act with integrity and care toward
all of the communities within which we are embedded
·
Students
consistently and effectively undertake service to their communities
·
Students
guide their communities to act with foresight and compassion
·
Students
infuse their community participation with active, shared philosophical
reflection
9.
Habits of philosophical balance
and modesty
·
Students
are better able to maintain their balance in times of trauma, conflict, and
unexpected challenges
·
Students
can inhabit uncertainty and keep self-questioning productive
·
Students
cultivate emotional self-awareness and maturity
·
Students
mindfully seek out mentors and exemplars to guide their philosophical and other
development
10.
The ability to integrate and
synthesize a variety of points of view, texts and disciplines to more wisely
approach human concerns and challenges within and beyond philosophy
·
Students
look widely for relevant communities of discourse
·
Students
can make interesting and original connections among a variety of points of view
·
Students
can apply insights across diverse fields and ways of knowing