Curriculum
Framework for Learning
The function of the Framework for Learning is to make explicit how Concordia University understands and applies its mission statement. To help realize the goals of the mission statement, the total educational experience of Concordia students-both in and out of the classroom-is placed within an overarching structure called the Framework for Learning.
Goals and Competencies
Aesthetic
Goal: to increase awareness, understanding and informed critical appreciation of artistic expression and to foster creative talents within the student.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. understand the importance of artistic expression in reflecting and shaping the life of human communities;
B. appreciate the arts by exploring them in relation to philosophical, religious and social thought;
C. appreciate the arts by experiencing major forms of artistic communication;
D. appreciate and examine the relationship of the arts and ineffable aspects of human experience;
E. value one's self as a contributor to, appreciation of and participant in various avenues of artistic expression.
Intellectual
Goal: to develop the ability to think critically, incorporating skills for imagining, organizing, analyzing and evaluating.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. reason logically, reflectively and independently;
B. examine, analyze and integrate ideas, applying inductive, quantitative and abstract thinking;
C. synthesize and formulate new ideas;
D. arrive at thoughtful, informed and ethical decisions;
E. use appropriate and current technology in problem solving, research and analysis.
Physical
Goal: to foster informed healthful living, balanced service to God and humanity and enlightened care for self.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. demonstrate strategies that promote lifelong health;
B. implement and evaluate a personal physical fitness plan;
C. implement a health-conscious lifestyle, including intellectual and emotional wellness;
D. balance health of physical self and service to God and humanity.
Spiritual
Goal: to foster understanding of the Gospel and its Biblical source from the perspective of Lutheran theology, including implications of the Gospel for human experience and for vocation in home, workplace, public life and congregation.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. appreciate and understand the content of the Bible, with appropriate reference to the Gospel and Lutheran theology;
B. describe the Christian tradition, noting the university's Lutheran heritage and examine the range of Christianity's influence on human history and culture;
C. relate with sensitivity to various religious traditions;
D. understand the complexities of the intersections of religion and society, including questions of ethics and vocation;
E. serve the larger community and reflect on the significance of that service.
Communication
Goal: to develop an awareness of communication processes and the desire and skill to improve writing, speaking, research, synthesis and analysis.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. understand and demonstrate the writing and speaking process, developing theoretical knowledge of and applying skills in interpersonal, public and intercultural communication contexts;
B. respond to texts with attention to logic, style, voice, organization and effect;
C. use skills of logic, research, evaluation and synthesis in a variety of contexts;
D. describe communication factors in the development, maintenance and dissolution of relationships;
E. demonstrate a responsible, ethical use of all forms of communication;
F. demonstrate application of technology as a communication tool.
Interpersonal
Goal: to develop understanding of self and self in relation to others.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. understand human behavior individually, in groups and in organizations;
B. understand his/her own experience and paradigms, discover biases and their effects on behaviors, thought processes, feelings and spirituality;
C. develop empathy and understanding for others from similar as well as from different backgrounds;
D. develop self-understanding within the context of relationships with others;
E. demonstrate cooperative approaches to conflict resolution.
Civic
Goal: to understand the structure and operations of governments as well as the dynamic interplay between individual and corporate identities; to examine patterns and processes of culture and social structure.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. evaluate and understand current and historical societal issues;
B. compare and contrast issues, societal institutions and policies in the U.S. with those of other countries;
C. articulate a coherent democratic and just vision for the U.S., including the rights and responsibilities of its citizens and the role of the state;
D. participate in the body politic: campus, city, state, national, or international.
Global
Goal: to facilitate an informed understanding of our global interdependence and the ability to interact effectively with people, language and cultures other than a student's own.
Competencies: With the help of the Concordia community the student will:
A. relate with an informed perspective to people of at least one other culture of the world;
B. relate with an informed perspective to people of at least one other culture of the United States;
C. identify economic, political, religious, scientific, technological, geographical, environmental and other links in our global community;
D. work towards justice and environmentally responsible living within a global perspective;
E. recognize and act upon the difficulties caused by ethnocentrism.
As indicated above, the Framework for Learning shapes the entire Concordia educational experience, entailing not only overt academic work but also chapel and spiritual life opportunities, service learning, foreign study, internships and a wide array of campus life activities. All academic coursework-majors and minors, study in professional programs, electives and especially the general education curriculum-is explicitly guided and informed by the Framework for Learning and is designed to support its goal.
General Education Requirements
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