Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Tennessee Board of Regents general education core is to ensure that college graduates have the broad knowledge and skills to become lifelong learners in a global community that will continue to change. Because course requirements in general education emphasis breadth, they are not reduced to the skills, techniques or procedures associated with a specific occupation or profession. As a fundamental element of the associate degree, the general education core is essential for full completion of all degrees.
General education provides critical thinking skills enabling students to discover authoritative answers to questions, and to solve challenging problems. Specifically, educated people practice and are literate in many forms of communication. They recognize their place in the history, culture, and diverse heritage of Tennessee, the United States, and the world. They appreciate the web of commonality of all humans in a multicultural world and are prepared for the responsibilities of engaged citizenship. They recognize the ethical demands of modern life. They demonstrate the skills and knowledge of the social and behavioral sciences to analyze contemporary society. They are familiar with the history and aesthetics of the fine arts. They understand and practice the scientific and mathematical view of the world.
Finally, Tennessee’s general education core provides for its citizens the means to make a better living. It also, perhaps, above all, enables its citizens to have a better life.
Competencies
Students completing the general education core will minimally demonstrate competencies in each of the following areas:
- The ability to write clear, effective academic argument that includes the academic research skills of critical reading and gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and transmitting information.
- The ability to communicate orally through informing, persuading, listening and relating to others.
- The ability to analyze/discuss/and use quantitative information, demonstrate a reasonable level of facility in mathematical problem solving and recognize connections between mathematics and other disciplines.