The college catalogue states that “the General Education program embarks on three goals: 1) development of competencies; 2) exposure to a broad variety of disciplines; and 3) development of a global perspective.”   The competencies referred to in (1) are characterized as “core liberal arts competencies,” and one of the three competencies is referred to as “oral communication.”

The faculty handbook further elaborates on the “Oral Communication Requirement” in the following way:

“The goal of the oral communication requirement is to prepare students to present information, evaluate ideas, and construct arguments in ways appropriate to interpersonal discussions, small group discussions, and/or public speaking engagements. A course fulfilling this requirement must do the following:

1)instruct students on these specific dimensions of oral communication: understanding audience and setting, selecting and organizing information and/or constructing arguments, speaking with clarity and effect, listening effectively, and attending to disciplinary and cultural conventions of speaking and listening. 

2)provide students with multiple opportunities to practice and develop their oral communication skills.

Approved by the General Faculty  3/4/04”

  

The only other official language on oral competency is contained in the < R course proposal form > from the Academic Affairs Committee.

It is helpful to see the three core competencies of the general education program as supporting the college’s mission.  The first paragraph of the mission statement reads:

Our purpose is to inspire and educate our students to become autonomous thinkers, discerning moral agents and active citizens of a democratic society. Through an emphasis on active learning, we engage students in the liberal arts, which fosters self-determination and demonstrates the transformative power of education. We envision our students' lives as based upon rational choice, a firm belief in human dignity and compassion unlimited by cultural, racial, sexual, religious or economic barriers, and directed toward an engagement with the central issues of our time.