(one unit to be taken in the first year)
Learning Objectives
As one of two foundational seminars in the Sound Connections curriculum, the Connections 100-level seminar welcomes students to the academic community at Puget Sound by integrating the introduction to the liberal arts with the development of skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities.
Through the introduction to the liberal arts, students:
- Enrich their understanding of the course topic/theme/issue by exploring it from multiple disciplinary perspectives and developing appreciation for the distinct and complementary approaches inherent to different disciplines.
- Develop an understanding of the Puget Sound liberal arts curriculum, including its structure and ethos.
- Discover ways of identifying and pursuing academic interests.
To develop skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities, students:
- Participate in collaborative learning and engagement that fosters community and cultivates a sense of belonging.
- Develop skills for learning in and contributing to a diverse community that aspires to be equitable and inclusive.
- Develop self-awareness regarding individually effective approaches to learning.
Guidelines
The course's substantive theme provides context for an introduction to the multidisciplinarity of a liberal arts education and for the meaningful practice of skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities.
To introduce students to the liberal arts, this course:
- Explores meaningful examples of disciplinary and multidisciplinary inquiry grounded in the substantive theme of the course.
- Facilitates students’ exploration of their own Puget Sound curricular and co-curricular interests.
- Includes a student-directed collective project or similar collaboration that relates to the substantive theme of the course.
To develop skills for lifelong learning in diverse communities, this course:
- Integrates at least two activities supporting learning objectives 4-6 with the course theme.
- Incorporates collaborative assignments that foster connection and develop communication skills between and among students.
- Discusses self-care/wellness as a crucial element of an effective approach to learning.
- Includes activities that facilitate practice of academic success skills [such as fostering resilience, managing stress, forming effective study habits, or managing time and distractions]
- Integrates an iterative learning process in which students reflect on opportunities to try, redo, and reassess learning practices.
CONN 1xx courses may not fulfill major/minor/emphasis requirements, Divisional requirements, nor other core requirements.