Curriculum and the Classroom

The following list of recommendations is designed to aid faculty, students, and staff who are interested in promoting and exploring women's and gender equity issues across the curriculum and in our classrooms. For faculty and staff, the listing of Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) will be particularly helpful, as well as the recommended syllabus statement regarding inclusiveness. For students interested in exploring gender issues the listing of courses here at the College that focus on gender or have it as a listed topic will be most relevant.

Recommended ELOs to allow for gender inclusion in curriculum:

1. Civic Responsibility

Intended Learning Outcome: Analyze the results of actions and inactions, including likely effects on the larger local and/or global communities.

Assessment may include, but is not limited to, the following criteria and intended outcomes:

• Analyzes community needs within appropriate context
• Identifies and analyzes characteristics of a community and its members
• Identifies and analyzes the various contexts of a given community
• Analyzes past community needs based on historical context to inform current or future needs
• Analyzes present or future community needs based on understanding the contexts of that community
• Identifies and analyzes impacts on community
• Identifies how choices impact local or global communities
• Analyzes how individuals can affect local or global communities in positive/negative ways
• Analyzes how one’s own choices can affect local or global communities in positive/negative ways
• Connects knowledge to make an informed decision on community issues
• Connects learning to make informed decisions
• Applies learning to solve community problems/issues
• Uses specific examples and experiences to demonstrate an understanding of community issues

2. Critical/Creative Thinking

Intended Learning Outcome: Analyze, evaluate and synthesize information in order to consider problems/ideas and transform them in innovative or imaginative ways.

Assessment may include, but is not limited to, the following criteria and intended outcomes:

• Analyzes problems/ideas critically and/or creatively
• Formulates appropriate questions to consider problems/issues
• Evaluates costs and benefits of a solution
• Identifies possible solutions to problems/resolution to issues
• Applies innovative and imaginative approaches to problems/ideas
• Synthesizes information/ideas into a coherent whole
• Seeks and compares information that leads to informed decisions/opinions
• Applies fact and opinion in an appropriate manner
• Expands upon ideas to foster new lines of inquiry
• Synthesizes ideas into a coherent whole
• Evaluates synthesized information in order to transform problems/ideas in innovative or imaginative ways
• Applies synthesized information to inform effective decisions
• Experiments with creating a novel idea, question or product
• Uses new approaches and takes appropriate risks without going beyond assignment guidelines
• Evaluates and reflects on the decision through a process that considers the complexities of an issue

3. Cultural Sensitivity

Intended Learning Outcome: Demonstrate sensitivity to the beliefs, views, values and practices of cultures within and beyond the United States.

Assessment may include, but is not limited to, the following criteria and intended outcomes:

• Identifies the significant beliefs, views, values and practices of culture(s)
• Identifies the beliefs, views, values and practices that form a culture
• Identifies other significant elements of culture (e.g., religion, clothing, food, language, family, history, economics)
• Explains cultural similarities and differences
• Explains similarities between, among and/or within cultures
• Explains differences between, among and/or within cultures
• Explains the ways in which culture shapes perceptions and worldview
• Demonstrates sensitivity to other cultures by displaying self-reflection, introspection and appreciation of cultural differences
• Recognizes one’s own biases, prejudices, ethnocentric views, stereotypes, etc. through self-reflection and introspection
• Evaluates the effects one’s own cultural values have on their perception of other cultures
• Analyzes and appreciates cultural differences

Recommended syllabus statement regarding inclusiveness:

EQUAL ACCESS

All students will be treated equitably under syllabus policies without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, gender identity, student status, economic status or ideological preference.

The following courses focus on women’s and gender studies:

Anthropology

History

Sociology

Women’s Studies