Students will demonstrate effective communication:

• by their ability to conceive ideas about a topic, synthesize and arrange them logically, and express them clearly in both oral and written standard English.

• by oral and written competence in presenting opinions persuasively, in adapting communication to specific purposes and audiences, and in understanding opposing points of view.

• by their basic competency in at least one foreign language.

Students will demonstrate effective analysis of information:

• by their ability to recognize inconsistency in logic, to separate fact from opinion, to know the difference among theory, fact, and proof, and to organize, interpret, and communicate the results obtained by observation and experimentation.

• by their ability to identify and comprehend main and subordinate ideas in written works and to summarize the ideas in their own words; to draw conclusions from information found in a variety of written, numerical, and visual forms of data for the purposes of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation; and to read critically, seeing relationships among language, form, and content in expository and imaginative writing.

• by their ability to locate and integrate research materials and credit sources appropriately and responsibly with full attention to the standards of academic honesty and to use computers for basic information processing.

Students will demonstrate problem-solving ability by identifying and formulating problems and proposing and evaluating ways of solving them, including application of the scientific method and the principles of mathematics to real world situations and to problems in other disciplines.

Students will demonstrate intelligent decision-making by making informed decisions and recognizing the ethical dimensions of their decisions.

Students will demonstrate aesthetic appreciation by their ability to address activity in the fine, literary, and performing arts as media for human expression.

Students will demonstrate responsible citizenship through active participation as a citizen, including:

• understanding and assuming, opportunities and responsibilities associated with being citizens of the U.S. and world community.

• recognizing ethical issues implicit in their personal behavior and in the operation of political, social, and economic institutions.

• examining their assumptions about themselves, about others as individuals, and about their society as a whole.

Students will demonstrate familiarity with and some understanding of such major issues facing all societies as:

• the growing global economic interdependence of world regions.

• ecological and environmental issues and alternatives.

• health issues (including those pertaining to human sexuality).

• the impact of emerging technologies.

• Students will demonstrate basic knowledge in several cognitive areas:

• major developments in the history of the United States and of world civilization, both Western and non-Western.

• major economic, social, and political institutions of the United States and the world.

• representative literary and artistic achievements within their historical contexts.

• at least one area of science (biology, chemistry, geology, or physics).

• psychological, social, and cultural factors that affect individual and collective behavior.

• the physical diversity of the earth and the spatial relationships of people with their environment.

Students will demonstrate tolerance and understanding through their comprehension of, and appreciation for, diversity in human behavior, points of view, and values.

Students will demonstrate their capacity for a worthy use of leisure:

• by valuing participation in fine and performing arts activities.

• by giving evidence of an increased curiosity for exploring new areas of knowledge.

• by valuing physical activity and its contribution to a healthy lifestyle.