UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Given the well-documented extent to which American college students lack both basic political knowledge and an interest in political and civic engagement, the Political Science faculty is pleased to see that the language of "Global Citizenship" is retained in the core. As your document implies, most students are woefully unaware of "contemporary world issues" and of their own roles as hopefully informed and responsible citizens in their local communities [you say "South Carolina"], "nation….and world." Civic knowledge, civic competence, and civic engagement are in short supply, despite much evidence (which we would be happy to document for the committee) that these goods are essential to individuals’ understandings of their own political interests and of the meanings of political events, policies, and disagreements, and to the promotion of political trust, political participation, and commitment to democratic values. One might as a result expect to see in the learning outcomes for "Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding" some reference to politics or political knowledge, and there is in fact one such reference. Yet what is emphasized in the three "Learning Outcomes" listed under this one core component are "principles of historical thinking," "principles of the social sciences," and language competency. As a result, we have a couple of questions to ask, as a way of expressing some concerns we have about this document.

(1) Learning Outcome #1 seems intended to rule out all courses save nominally history courses. Is that so? If it is, we would ask you to reconsider. According to the "Context" provided, "students [should] engage in the study of history to gain a broader context for understanding local and global issues" and they must be able to apply "historical frameworks to address contemporary questions and problems." In political science, and we are certain in many other disciplines, courses intended to enhance student understanding of "local and global issues" and of "contemporary questions and problems" are approached from an historical perspective and/or by way of historical frameworks. In political science, this is fundamental to the basic American Politics and Introduction to World Politics courses, and it is virtually always the case, in our undergraduate courses, that the course focus is situated within historical and spatial contexts.

(2) Learning Outcome #2 refers to students using "the principles of the social sciences…to analyze political and environmental issues." We are pleased to see the phrase "political issues" emphasized here, and wonder if that is intended to make nominally political science courses central to this Outcome? Given the use of that language, the centrality of citizenship to the document, and what we know to be the importance of civic knowledge, competency and engagement, we would like to think so. But in the "Context" we are told that the social sciences can help us explore, understand, and analyze "the human condition" and "contemporary issues, both local and global," (and therefore virtually everything), and so we suspect that emphasizing political awareness and knowledge is not the intention. Rather, one might infer that the objective is to rule in all nominally social sciences courses. Is that the case?

On page 6 of the appendix, I would suggest the following change: Use the principles of the social sciences to explore diverse cultural identities and to analyze political, social, economic and environmental issues. On page 7 of the appendix: Learning Outcome 2: Students will be able to use the principles of the social sciences to explore diverse cultural identities and to analyze political, social, economic and environmental issues. I like the premise of Learning Outcome 2, but I think it should encompass more than strictly political and environmental issues, as well as exploration of cultural identities. Courses analyzing political, social, economic, and environmental issues across the world will help students to better adopt a global lens for understanding diverse cultures and perspectives, as well as build a better knowledge base from which to work in order to address major global issues and conflicts.

Bravo for the core ideas. They are solid although I would have like to have seen at lease some nod toward understanding the core origins and principles of Western Democracy. (Sort of a Locke/Burke to Jackson core requirement.) That said please don't turn this into a smorgasboard of pick and chose from any of 100 classes. Make them think, not memorize dates or facts. These core ideas need to be taught as core ideas, not just tacked on to other courses (and quickly deleted because faculty need more lecture time for "real"subject matter.) Also remember that most of our faculty were hired for their often very narrow academic success, not their overall academic understanding of their broader fields. As a result many (?) will have no idea what the core principles of a given discipline actually are any more then the students they are supposed to teach. (I speak of this from the perspective of the last decade plus of hiring in our own Department.) Honestly admitting and addressing this problem will vastly enhance the outcome.