Ethics, information literacy among revised requirements
The Carolina Core’s new overhauled courses have received positive reviews in their first year at USC.
The new set of general education courses, which rolled out last fall, includes an initiative called Social Advocacy in Ethical Life, courses in the School of Library and Information Science and fine arts classes like music and art appreciation.
The social advocacy requirement is new to USC and aims to help students learn how to communicate values through the spoken word. It builds on ethical theory that dates back to the early Greeks and encourages students to think about how ethics relate to their social and political lives.
“Not only will students be getting experience in engaging audiences, but they will also learn how to be persuasive and engage in arguments,” said Helen Doerpinghaus, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies. “These are qualities that are needed for students to get a job in the future.”
Another new course in the Carolina Core is Information Literacy and Technology, a multimedia course that teaches students how to store and retrieve information. It also teaches students how to research and check facts.
This class, which is listed as SLIS 202, has received good reviews from students, according to Doerpinghaus, and Samantha Hastings, a professor for the class, said she has enjoyed teaching it.
“The students just love it; they keep saying they wish they knew this information when they started school,” Hastings said. “This class is definitely an important addition to the (Carolina) Core, and it’s just good to see the students doing so well.”
Introduction to Music fulfills the fine arts credit in the Carolina Core and aims to help students develop skills that professors say could serve them in many different ways.
“Students develop critical listening skills in Core music courses, the most important tool for lifelong appreciation of music,” said Joseph Rackers, a music professor. “Students will come away with a sensitivity and respect for music in all of its forms, whether classical, jazz or popular styles.”
Besides an appreciation for music, Matthew Fordham, a first-year biology student, said he’d taken away important tools for his career.
“You learn how to not only critically think, but to listen analytically, which is a skill any person would consider as a valuable resource in future careers,” Fordham said.
The new general education requirements have also revised some existing classes, like English 102, that incoming students are required to take if they have not already satisfied the requirement.
“The new English 102 course meets two learning outcomes — written communication and information literacy,” Doerpinghaus said. “We basically redid one of the biggest classes on campus.”