College of Arts and Sciences (Styled with a Heading 2)

Introduction

The College of Arts and Sciences provides the “Core” education in the liberal arts for all students at IQ University and offers Bachelor of Arts degrees or Bachelor of Science degrees in 4 majors through 3 departments. Besides its responsibility for the Core program, the College of Arts and Sciences supports the professional schools through courses in Math, Physics, Biology, Communication Studies, English, and other disciplines.

Some students within the College or in the professional schools choose to enrich their educations or to prepare for their chosen careers by obtaining a double major: for example in Biology and Music, Sociology and Music, Biology and Sociology. Over 50% of students in the College study abroad, and many participate in faculty-sponsored research projects, internships, or service learning.

Faculty in the College are reflective teachers, who continually seek for ways to improve their teaching while maintaining an active agenda of research and scholarship. Each faculty member advises students, serving as a mentor and model for the student’s progress in study and preparation for a life of service and leadership. Advisors in Biology and Sociology assist students who are preparing for careers in those professions.

The College supports the Learning Resource Center for English, mathematics, international languages, speech, and group process, and encourages student involvement through clubs sponsored by each department and through the College’s Student Advisory Council. Each year the English department sponsors the Northwest Undergraduate Conference in Literature (NUCL) and the History Department publishes its award winning journal, Northwest Passages.

All students at IQ University are welcome to audition for plays, to sing in the chorale, or to play in one of the musical ensembles. All are invited to join the prize-winning debate team or to compete in Mock Trial.

One program in the College is externally evaluated: Music (NASM). The other programs conduct program reviews every five years in addition to yearly self-assessment. The College as a whole is assessed by the Northwest Association of Colleges and Universities as part of IQ University's periodic assessment.

Mission

The curricula and programs of the College of Arts and Sciences are central to the academic life of the University. They have been designed to encourage students to formulate and incorporate intellectual, ethical, and social values. At the heart of this endeavor is an educational approach that combines excellence in teaching, value-centered instruction, and personal attention to the individual. The faculty, through the curriculum, attempt to order and integrate development of breadth and depth, with keen awareness that education is a question of personal intellectual growth. Close student-faculty relationships ensure that the atmosphere of the college encourages such growth. Learning is a true community effort in which students and faculty actively take part.

College Requirements

The undergraduate programs are designed to build on the University’s core curriculum to educate students so that they will make contributions to the world guided by concerns for issues of justice and ethical behavior. In addition to the University core, the college requires courses in communication and metaphysics.

College Learning Objectives and Outcomes

In addition to the outcomes for their degrees and their majors, graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences will be able to:

1. Communicate effectively;
2. Understand how problems in metaphysics are related to problems in other academic disciplines or to problems in every day life.

Effective Communication

The CAS core communication requirement helps students learn to explain and, in some courses practice aloud, how people use communication to exert influence, acquire knowledge, create identities, and foster relationships through written or oral communication.