General Competencies

Critical Analysis: Ability to use the African-centered perspective to interpret and analyze, critique  ideas, texts, social, historical and cultural phenomena.

Disciplinary Knowledge: Understand the history of Black Studies, the social-political and academic arena in which it developed, its major contributors, and how Black Studies’ distinctive treatment of subject matter has been affected by its historical evolution.

Effective Communication: Abilities to effectively discuss, analyze, and present ideas in a variety of ways–orally, written, and through use of multi-media technology on a variety of assignments or tasks.

Understanding Human and Cultural Diversity: Knowledge of and respect for the culture, values, and belief systems of the global community of individuals and groups; understand the commonalities among members of the human race while also understanding how concepts such as  race, gender, culture, ethnicity and religion introduce real and contrived differences between and among groups.

Problem Solving: (a) Contribute to the betterment of society by identifying critical social issues and problems, (b) Employ appropriate empirical methods to pursue causes, effects, and solutions to those problems, and accept responsibility for presenting findings and solutions to appropriate agents of social change.

Technological Literacy: Demonstrate ability to appropriately choose and effectively use multiple methods of technology in locating and displaying socially relevant information in a public forum both large and small.

Specific Competencies for African American Studies

I. Critical Analysis

• Define African philosophy.
• Discuss the interconnections (or lack of) between African philosophy and African-American philosophy.
• Define African centeredness and explain its transformation of the Black Studies discipline.
• Apply the dentition of African philosophy to the cultural, social, economic, political, and spiritual Black global issues.
• Describe/define the role of the Black intellectual.
• Discuss the differences between the role of the mainstream Black intellectual and the African centered intellectual.
• Discuss the uses of the anthropological, political, social, and economic uses of the concept of race.
• Define and discuss the affective approach to knowledge.
• Discuss bow the concept of race has affected the development of African and diasporan literature.
• How do we defend the validity of an Afrocentric theory of Black personality? Outline a method of research analysis for scholarly investigation of a topic in the Black Studies social science/behavioral curriculum.
• Outline the processes involved in conducting a specific study using ethnographic methods.
• List five texts that are most responsible for the epistemological development of the discipline and explain their importance.
• Explain the interrelationship between pedagogy and epistemology in Black Studies.
• How does the study of Kemet (Ancient Egypt) attempt to re-define the Black Studies discipline?
• Discuss the role of gender in the Black Studies curriculum.
• Discuss bow the interconnections between race, gender, and class issues in the Black Studies discipline differ from those in mainstream disciplines.

II. Disciplinary Knowledge

• Define the discipline.
• Discuss the historical range of the discipline.
• Be familiar with the names and ideas of the primary figures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that have contributed to the discipline.
• Discuss the politics of the 1950s and 1960s that are responsible for the institutionalization of Black Studies.
• Explain why Black Studies was conceived as an interdisciplinary discipline and how the discipline has evolved to an independent status much like history, English, political science, and anthropology.
• Define an African world view and delineate and discuss its components.
• Discuss the diversity of the intellectual vends and scholars that make up the field of Black Studies.
• Describe, characterize, or define the various methodologies used in research and ethnographic methods in the discipline.
• Discuss the difference between method and methodology.
• Apply the critical/analytical methodologies used to critique the creative arts.
• Explain how/why the visual arts, music, dance, proverbs, epics, magic are all manifestations of the inextricable interrelationship between African religion and philosophy.
• Define African Aesthetics.
• Discuss the women who have intellectually and politically contributed to and influenced the development of the discipline.
• Discuss the role sexism and class has played in the discipline.
• Discuss the politics that distinguish Black Studies Departments from Black Studies Programs.
• Discuss the significance of the study of Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and Mdw Ntr (hieroglyphics) to the history and evolution of Black Studies.
• Explain the need for an emphasis on the Meatier, principles of truth, justice, and harmony to pedagogy in Black Studies.
• Discuss the history of Afrocentricity, giving particular emphasis to its relationship to the broader field of Black Studies.
• Define a Black Studies paradigm. Discuss the ideas of scholars whose works contribute to the conceptualization of this paradigm.
• Define an African centered paradigm. Discuss how it differs from a broader Black Studies paradigm and discuss the ideas of scholars whose works contribute to the conceptualizations of this paradigm.
• Discuss the historical reasons for the various names of departments that describe the discipline such as Black Studies, African American Studies, Africana Studies, Pan-African Studies, Black World Studies, Diasporan Studies, and New World Studies.
• Discuss the history of African American literature, poetry, novels, essays, autobiographies, and emancipatory narratives.
• Discuss the literary works of major (influential) African literary figures.
• Discuss the characteristics of the Black church and its relationship to African religion.
• Demonstrate reading knowledge of an African language.
• Discuss the politics of Black popular culture, especially of Black music, the mass media and Black cinema.
• Discuss the political, economic, and cultural development of Africa.
• Discuss the development of African-American history.
• Discuss the politics and culture of Blacks in the Caribbean and their relationship to Africa and North America.

III. Effective Communication

• Proficiency in using Standard English in speaking and writing.
• The ability to argue Black Studies issues orally and to write about them persuasively.
• Development of listening skill.
• Respect for the opinion of others.
• The ability to argue both the negative and positive perspectives of an issue in Black Studies.
• Competent and confident interviewing skill.

IV. Understanding Human and Cultural Diversity

• Ability to work as consultants for Black Studies issues and to assist high-school teachers and administrators in developing Black Studies curricula.
• Ability to use quantitative data to improve quality of secondary education.
• Assist grassroots community organizations in understanding the psychological, sociological, economical, and health issues that relate to spouse and drug abuse in the Black community.
• Lead dialogue inside and outside the academy on recent “Whiteness Studies.
• Ability to discuss characteristics of a Eurocentric world view.
• Dismiss the cultural differences and similarities between Blacks in Africa and the diasporas.

V. Problem Solving

• Collection of Research Data and Application of that data to problem solving.
• Conceptualization of specific thesis from broad, multi-layered aesthetic topic and organized, substantive support of that thesis.
• Development of Research Questionnaires.

VI. Technological Literacy

• Ability to create Black Studies Databases because of paucity of scholarship in the discipline on the Internet and because of the politics surrounding scholarship in the discipline.
• Ability to create Black Studies web pages because of under representation on the Internet.
• Ability to create multi-media presentations.
• Ability to research competent sources for African American Studies on the Internet.
• Be able to use software that analyzes statistical material that relates to research methods and ethnographic methods.
• Ability to create desk-top publishing software in order to disseminate information about the discipline of Black Studies.

General Goals

• Majors will learn to read critically and identify and assess the central arguments of all kinds of cultural texts.
• Majors will learn to approach materials, topics, and the past, in general, from an interdisciplinary perspective and learn how to ask sharp and revealing questions about sources and the connections between sources.
• Majors will learn to distinguish primary and secondary sources and understand how different kinds of texts operate and communicate.
• Majors will learn how to read, recognize, and use important analytical concepts and important theories in cultural studies and American Studies.
• Major will learn how to contact research and use the library and its print documents, digital archives, and Internet sources.
• Majors will learn to organize and collect data and write clear, concise, and incisive analytical papers, including a capstone essay of approximately 5,000 words based with proper footnotes and bibliography based on an array of primary sources and demonstrating original argument.

Special Goals

• Learn how to read culture and understand how culture in all its forms– written texts, art, music, film, and architecture — reflects, shapes, and represents how we live and understand the world on a daily basis. Also understand how we use culture to communicate and the central place of power in the creation of culture.
• Understand the broad and enduring debates, key concepts, and ideas that drove American history and the documents speeches, laws, novels, biographies, autobiographies, songs, poems, painters, films, television shows, web-sites, blogs, sport events, and buildings which represent (and argue about) them.
• Understand the myths of America the dream, the notion of classlessness, the frontier, innocence, and progress and how these myths shape and distort reality.
• Explore the historical role of the media in creating and disseminating ideas about the nation and about citizenship, democracy, group identity, and individual identity.
• Understand the long, deep, and contested multi-culturalism of America, how different groups have made the nation, and the central struggles for inclusion in the politics of the country as well as in the representations of the nation and the good life.
• Recognize the role of class and economic structures in determining and shaping American lives and the nation’s politics, society, and culture.
• Understand the long history of American power from imperialism to war to the soft power of culture in the global order.
• Examine the role of public and private places and place-making in creating American identities and how the built environment (and other dynamics) are shaped by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, public policy, transportation, and community networks.

Undergraduate Majors Learning Goals

The Anthropology Department at Temple University offers courses in the four main sub-fields of the discipline: Archeological, Biological, Cultural and Linguistic. With its focus on understanding human diversity and a commitment to developing critical analysis, problem solving, communication and technological literacy skills, the undergraduate major in anthropology prepares students for a wide variety of careers, as well as for entry into PhD and other professional post-graduate programs. In addition to the general anthropology major, students can specialize in Visual Anthropology or in the Human Biology Track. The Visual Anthropology track integrates the study of anthropological theory with the analysis and production of visual media.  The Human Biology Track provides a broad-based curriculum that combines evolutionary biology and the social sciences for students interested in medicine and allied health professions.

1.Disciplinary Knowledge

A. Understand the range of theoretical perspectives employed in the discipline.

B. Understand the history and methodologies of the discipline.

C. Demonstrate familiarity with such institutions as marriage and family life, politics, the economy, religion, art, and others in cross-cultural perspective.

D. Demonstrate familiarity with human/environmental relationships at local, regional and global levels, now and in the past.

E. Demonstrate knowledge of human evolutionary biology.

F. Demonstrate an understanding of the dynamic interaction between human biology, environmental parameters and cultural factors in the formation of human societies.

G. Demonstrate a familiarity with the ways in which the discipline is applied in today’s world (e.g., in heritage management, urban studies, epidemiology).

2. Understanding human Cultural and Biological Diversity

A. Demonstrate familiarity with the nature of culture and cultural differences at the local, regional, national and global levels.

B. Demonstrate familiarity with past cultures, the outline of world prehistory and defining episodes (e.g., the origins of agriculture, the origins of cities and civilizations) in that prehistory.

C. Understand the genetic, environmental and cultural causes of modern human biological variation.

D. Understand the biological and cultural perspectives on race and gender.

3. Critical Analysis

A. Understand the relationship between (ethnographic, archaeological, visual, linguistic, and/or biological) data and theory.

B. Understand and evaluate written and visual texts in scholarly literature

C. Demonstrate the ability to apply this understanding to information generated in popular culture and the media.

4. Problem Solving

A. Demonstrate ability to formulate research problem; collect and analyze data; and interpret results.

B. Experience hands-on learning in ethnographic or archaeological field schools, and/or in class related field projects, and/or in service learning placements.

C. Demonstrate competence in evaluating bibliographic resources.

D. Understand the importance of context in evaluating and interpreting data.

5. Effective Communication

A. Demonstrate communication skills in written assignments, presentations and group discussions.

6. Technological Literacy

A. Demonstrate familiarity with software necessary to conduct research and to communicate research results.

B. Demonstrate familiarity with information resources (e.g., library, museum and electronic databases).

C. Demonstrate competency in using instruments/equipment commonly used in anthropological research (e.g., video cameras and audio-video editing systems; lab techniques necessary for genomic analysis; surveying and G.P.S. instruments).

Graduate Student Learning Goals for Anthropology

Temple University’s Department of Anthropology is committed to producing doctorates in anthropology who are well prepared for professional careers in academia, government, non-profit/non-governmental organizations, or the private sector. We strive to produce doctorates who:

• Have acquired sufficient knowledge of the four traditional subdisciplines of American anthropology (namely, archaeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and sociocultural anthropology) to be broadly conversant in the key issues of each; to teach a four-field undergraduate survey course (e.g. Introduction to Anthropology); and otherwise to function intellectually and professionally as a researcher, teacher, advisor/mentor, and colleague within a four-field department of anthropology.
• Have developed broad-based mastery of one of the four subdisciplines, and are able to demonstrate that mastery through competent participation in all relevant professional activities associated with their chosen field, such as giving professional presentations at regional and national conferences; competing successfully for research funding; carrying out original research; participating in the peer-review process; publishing original work in journals, books, and other scholarly publications; and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Are prepared to make significant original contributions to their areas of research specialization, to their subdisciplines, and to the discipline as a whole through their research, publishing, teaching, and service activities.

General Competencies

• Understand the broad foundations of at least one major Asian culture, including its history, culture, and socio-economic-political organization.
• Recognize the utility of different humanistic and social science disciplines in understanding a culture.
• Understand the distinction between theory and data and the links between them. Understand how to draw generalizations from actual social experience.
• Recognize the way language serves as a foundation of culture.
• Understand the issues and requirements of cross-cultural communication.
• Encourage students to take more initiative in educating themselves, to make analytical generalizations, to make ethical choices, and to feel confident in these and other exercises of personal responsibility.

Specific Competencies

• Establish preliminary personal intercultural relationships and networks that can help expand contacts into various Asian societies.
• Know how to use standard bibliographic tools and the internet to find more information on any specific topic.
• Learn how to identify and contact people with specific information and expertise.
• Understand how a second language is acquired.

Skills

• For non-Asian students, establish a foundation in an Asian language so that further development of language skills will be feasible.
• For non-American students, improve their oral and written skills in English to facilitate inter-cultural communication.
• Write analytical essays at a professional level of competence.
• Communicate ideas through oral presentation.
• Utilize computers for word processing, communication, and access to data, including the internet.

General Objectives

These are competencies concerned with foreign-language learning. All language programs, including the certificate programs and the minors, share these competencies. All of the foreign-language competencies are achievement based. Each competency listed below is to be understood in terms of what can be achieved at a particular level of study in a specific language. It is well known that some languages are easier than others for adult English speakers to learn. It is equally well known that some of the skills are more difficult to learn in some languages than others. One of the ways the department plans to address these concerns is by developing a separate assessment document to provide an explicit characterization of what should be achieved at each level of instruction for each of the eight languages taught in the department. By consulting the assessment document, it will be possible to have a clearer understanding of what these goals mean for all levels of language instruction throughout the department.

1. The four skills: To be able to speak and write and to understand the written and spoken forms of the target language at a level appropriate for the number of semesters the language was studied.

2. Communicative competence: To use the target language accurately and effectively with native speakers to meet needs, achieve goals, and engage in activities socially, professionally, and individually.

An elaboration of the notion of accuracy:

Pronunciation: To be intelligible to native speakers and to approximate the target phonology within a range appropriate for the level of study and in the view of other relevant factors like the learner’s age.

Grammar and cohesion: To speak and write the target language in conformity to its rules of grammar and ways of structuring discourses and of marking relations across linguistic units within a discourse, given the learner’s level of study.

Register: To use varieties of the target language appropriate to the situation and interlocutors, given the learner’s level of study.

An implicit component of communicative competence: to use culturally appropriate communicative strategies to facilitate and guide interactions in the target language, given the learner’s level of study.

Learning Objectives for Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean (to be achieved by the end of the fourth semester)

1. In academic and social settings in the US and in the target culture students should be able to use the target language orally and in writing to provide personal background information, meet basic social needs, and engage in simple social interactions in ways that are:

• grammatically and lexically accurate
• comprehensible to an attentive target-language speaker
• in written form recognizable and interpretable to an attentive target-language reader
• coherent
• cohesive
• informed by target-language social and cultural norms

Understand the target language in brief exchanges involving:

• personal background information
• meeting basic social needs
• extended simple social interactions
• short context-rich segments from radio and TV broadcasts and movies
• printed messages encountered on signs, schedules, and similar brief texts
• short connected texts edited for language learners
• short, simple authentic texts with some guidance and assistance

2. To have knowledge of the common practices, conventions, and beliefs–and an awareness of widely held norms of behavior–in the target-language’s cultures.

3. To have knowledge of some of the ways in which languages differ from each other and the importance of those differences when using the target language and also when using one’s native language with speakers of other languages.

4. To develop strategies for interacting with people from other cultures both in the target language and in one’s own native language.

5. To develop strategies to continue learning the target language on one’s own.

Learning Objectives for the Certificates in Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese

Note: Certificates comprise six semesters of language study

1. In academic and social settings in the US and in the target culture students should be able to use the target language orally and in writing to provide personal background information, meet basic social needs, and engage in simple social interactions in ways that are:

• grammatically and lexically accurate
• comprehensible to an attentive target-language speaker
• in written form recognizable and interpretable to an attentive target-language reader
• coherent
• cohesive
• informed by target-language social and cultural norms

Understand the target language in brief exchanges involving:

• personal background information
• meeting basic social needs
• extended simple social interactions
• short context-rich segments from radio and TV broadcasts and movies
• printed messages encountered on signs, schedules, and similar brief texts
• short connected texts edited for language learners
• short, simple authentic texts with some guidance and assistance

2. To have knowledge of the common practices, conventions, and beliefs–and an awareness of widely held norms of behavior–in the target-language’s cultures.

3. To have knowledge of some of the ways in which languages differ from each other and the importance of those differences when using the target language and also when using one’s native language with speakers of other languages.

4. To develop strategies for interacting with people from other cultures both in the target language and in one’s own native language.

5. To develop strategies to continue learning the target language on one’s own.

Learning Objectives for the Minors in Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese 

The minors have the same learning goals for language as the certificates as well as several additional learning goals.

1. In academic and social settings in the US and in the target culture students should be able to use the target language orally and in writing to provide personal background information, meet basic social needs, and engage in simple social interactions in ways that are:

• grammatically and lexically accurate
• comprehensible to an attentive target-language speaker
• in written form recognizable and interpretable to an attentive target-language reader
• coherent
• cohesive
• informed by target-language social and cultural norms

Understand the target language in brief exchanges involving:

• personal background information
• meeting basic social needs
• extended simple social interactions

·       short context-rich segments from radio and TV broadcasts and movies

·       printed messages encountered on signs, schedules, and similar brief texts

·       short connected texts edited for language learners

·       short, simple authentic texts with some guidance and assistance

2. To have knowledge of the common practices, conventions, and beliefs–and an awareness of widely held norms of behavior–in the target-language’s cultures.

3. To have knowledge of some of the ways in which languages differ from each other and the importance of those differences when using the target language and also when using one’s native language with speakers of other languages.

4. To develop strategies for interacting with people from other cultures both in the target language and in one’s own native language.

5. To develop strategies to continue learning the target language on one’s own.

6. To have systematic knowledge of the target language’s major modem and contemporary literary figures, fictional works, and themes.

7. To have systematic knowledge of the target language’s popular culture as expressed in its cinema and other popular art forms, and in social movements and trends within its speech communities.

8. To have knowledge of some of the ways academic disciplines study the modem and contemporary literature and popular culture of the target language and the kinds of questions those disciplines investigate.

9. To have knowledge of some of the ways in which the target language’s literature and popular culture are engaged with themes, movements, and concerns of global significance.

Goals Shared with the College of Liberal Arts

Learning and Information Synthesis

• The CJ major develops a value for life-long learning.
• The CJ major develops a skill set that will help them to engage in life-long learning.
• The CJ major must learn how to succinctly summarize key points from larger amounts of information.
• The CJ major knows how to find scholarly publications, what is generally found in the major sections of these publications, and how to appropriately cite these materials.
• The CJ major learns how to organize summaries of research findings topically, thematically, and historically.
• The CJ major learns that the World Wide Web contains a significant amount of misinformation and values the need to locate the original information sources and evaluate their validity.
• The CJ major values the need to approach learning from a multiple perspectives.

Critical Thinking

• The CJ major must be able to identify and evaluate the validity of the assumptions underlying a particular argument.
• The CJ major should be able to distinguish fact from opinion.
• The CJ major should be able to logically sequence arguments/facts in support of a specific position.
• The CJ major should be able to make factual counterarguments against arguments against a particular position.
• The CJ major learns how to understand how their own values influence their judgment/learning processes.

Scientific Method

• The CJ major learns to prize objectivity in thought and measurement.
• A CJ major understand how to apply the scientific method to generate and test hypotheses.
• The CJ major should develop a sound understanding of descriptive statistics (e.g., frequency distributions, rates and percentages, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion).
• A CJ major should develop a good understanding of basic inferential statistics (e.g., t-test, Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA).

Communication Skills

• The CJ major develops a good ability to listen to others.
• The CJ major should be able to communicate effectively in group settings.
• The CJ major must be able to write effectively.

Diversity and Openness

• The CJ major learns to approach new learning experiences with an open mind.
• The CJ major appreciates and values diversity.
• The CJ major learns to respect other’s perspectives and accepts multiple viewpoints about an issue as being normative.
• The CJ major should be able to take another’s perspective and try to understand their opinions, beliefs and experiences from that viewpoint.

Problem Solving

• CJ majors understand that asking questions is an important learning skill and learn how to ask clear, concise questions.
• The CJ major knows how to define a problem, determine its causes, and develop a solution that specifically addresses these causes.

Life Skills

• CJ major learns how to manage time effectively.
• The CJ major must learn how to work effectively in small groups.
• CJ majors learn how to develop career-relevant professional networks.
• The CJ major knows how to conduct oneself ethically and with integrity.

Goals Specifically for the Criminal Justice Major: Discipline Specific Knowledge

• The CJ major understands how the 3 major components of the Criminal Justice System operate and interact with each other.
• The CJ major develops a broad knowledge of key legal decisions that affect the structure and conduct of the Criminal Justice System.
• The CJ major understands how to apply the United States Constitution to the Criminal Justice System.
• The CJ major understands that criminal justice policy should be based in objective, thoughtful analysis.
• The CJ major appreciates the media’s influence on criminal justice policy and public attitudes about the criminal justice system.
• The CJ major has a clear understanding of the major theories of delinquent and criminal behavior.
• The CJ major has a clear understanding of the theories relating to crime prevention.
• The CJ major learns how to find credible information from academic and government sources about crime and criminal justice policy.

Learning Goals for Undergraduate Economics Majors

1. Mastery of basic concepts and models in microeconomics.

2. Mastery of basic concepts and models in macroeconomics.

3. Mastery of basic concepts and models in international economics.

4. Mastery of basic concepts and techniques in statistics and econometrics.

5. Ability to communicate economic ideas and make economic arguments in writing.

PhD in Economics: Specific learning outcomes

• Demonstrate mastery of research skills in a social science or analytic context:
• Ask important research questions.
• Apply theory and conceptual models to the identification of alternative explanations or answers.
• Demonstrate the ability to analyze new theory, models, methods or software systems.
• Develop testable hypotheses based on the application of conceptual models.
• Develop methods to test the hypotheses.
• Collect, organize and analyze data using quantitative methods and qualitative reasoning.
• Describe the results of hypotheses testing and their implications.

Communicate and defend research findings orally and in writing:

• Develop skills in research reporting and publication of results.
• Present research proposals for review by advisors, dissertation committees, referees, and other institutional sources.
• Present research findings to peers during research seminars.
• Identify professional venues including conferences and journals for publication of results.
• Prepare research manuscripts suitable for presentation at conferences and submission for publication.

Demonstrate effective teaching and assessment methods to assure that learning occurs:

• Develop and/or improve course syllabi that facilitate assurance of learning.
• Prepare effective lectures, discussions, and presentations using an appropriate venue to support learning.
• Deliver course topics under the guidance of faculty mentors.
• Evaluate learning outcomes and give feedback to students.

Competencies taught by the English department incorporate two kinds of instruction, the second following naturally from the first: (1) teaching students skills in reading and creating texts, and (2) preparing them for jobs in careers where reading and writing are central.

We teach such skills as:

• Critical thinking
• Ability to participate actively in discussion groups
• Research methods
• Familiarity with and ability to critique our literary and linguistic heritage, including English, American, and literatures and the structure of the English language itself
• Analysis of many kinds of complex texts (literary, cultural, and virtual)
• Cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary understanding
• Writing clearly and effectively

These skills are valuable not only in careers that require writing-publishing, journalism, advertising-but also in the professions and in fields that require understanding of our own and other cultures-such as business, government, and cultural institutions. In an increasingly unified global culture, the ability to interpret and understand texts becomes central.

In accordance with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, the learning goals for students of French at Temple University are:

• Communication and Communities: To communicate in French with native speakers of French, whether in Philadelphia, in a French-speaking culture, or by means of technology with French speakers anywhere in the world.
• Culture: To demonstrate sensitivity to, understanding and appreciation of the variety of cultural perspectives and practices in the French-speaking world.
• Comparisons and Connections: To compare and draw connections between the French language and English (or another language) in a way that enriches overall linguistic competence; to compare and draw connections between the French culture, Francophone cultures, and other cultures and to draw connections between this knowledge and the study of other disciplines, such as literature, history, and economics.
• Life-Long Learning: To demonstrate positive attitudes toward the continued study of the French language as well as France and / or Francophone countries and regions, and the study of languages and cultures in general.

The Temple University French program proposes to state these learning goals explicitly in the Undergraduate Bulletin, on the French program website, and to correlate individual course learning objectives with these goals in French program course syllabi.

Geography and Urban Studies has a central purpose underlying its curriculum:

To enable students to develop a body of knowledge, through a variety of learning processes, that provides substantive spatial and urban contexts for understanding society.

GUS majors share common objectives with other social sciences and with Arts and Sciences departments.

General Competencies

Shared with CLA

• Develop critical and analytical skills
• Be able to gather, interpret and analyze data
• Design and carry out research projects
• Be able to work with a research team in a collaborative setting
• Be able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• Utilize quantitative techniques

Shared with the Social Sciences

• Understand the inter-relationship of the individual and society
• Appreciate cultural diversity
• Understand human and societal conditions in the contexts of time and place
• Be aware of the policy implications of social science analysis

Competencies specific to GUS

Exposure to and knowledge of disparate cities, regions, countries, and environments, and through that, a comparative, critical, and spatially oriented conceptual framework.

• Use mental maps and appropriate models to organize information about and analyze spatial behavior
• Understand the physical and human dimensions of “place” in both objective and subjective terms
• Use multiple criteria to identify regions of different types
• Knowledge of the history of urban development and of different developmental paths toward urbanization
• Identify the internal structure of cities
• Discuss the global context of urban settlements in both industrialized and non-industrialized contexts
• Identify new urban structures, such as megalopolis, edge cities, labor sheds, and metropolitan corridors
• Knowledge of the intersection of the physical environment with human settlements, especially in urban areas
• Knowledge of the earth’s basic physical systems and spatial variations across the globe
• Knowledge of the earth’s basic ecosystems, their bio-diversity and productivity
• Analyze the role of human activity in affecting the physical environment, and the limits placed by the physical environment on human society

Knowledge of global and spatial contexts of social processes, including:

• The distribution and interaction of international, national and local economies
• Political divisions and control, and the processes of transnational, regional, and local cooperation and conflict
• The role of inequality, e.g., race, class, and gender in different socio-spatial contexts and communities
• The policy consequences and conditions involved with issues of space and location
• The ability to discuss trends in world population, including the economic, political and social factors underlying migration
• The concepts of cultural convergence and divergence
• The spatial and urban contexts of social problems

Development of skills specific to each student that complement their substantive knowledge base from among the following:

• Interpret, evaluate and create visual representations of knowledge outcomes, using maps, graphs, tables, web-sites, etc.
• Design & conduct research projects, including applied, field based projects
• Develop critical and analytical skills critiquing and proposing social policy
• Conceptualize differences in Place from a multi-cultural perspective
• Develop geographic data base and computer cartography skills
• Interpret a wide range of landscapes, deconstructing natural and built environments and texts
• Develop graphic and evaluation tools related to land use planning issues

Specific methods and skills

Note that not all students will be interested in all skills and techniques.

• Observe social space: observation, description, interpretation, evaluation
• Recognize learning styles and processes through learning journals
• Carry out extra-linguistic observation
• Determine validity and reliability in research
• Know different interview techniques including directed, formal, and informal
• Design and execute surveys
• Collect life histories
• Learn how to listen
• Be a participant observer
• Create and interpret maps
• Map urban neighborhoods (transects, economic activity, social networks, etc.)
• Collect and analyze visual data
• Write reports
• Present reports and other material
• Use, create and evaluate basic tables and statistical analysis
• Use census data
• Perform electronic data base research
• Design research questions
• Visually present data
• Do web-based data systems management

Learning Objectives for the Master’s Program

Graduates from our Master’s program should be able to:

• Integrate perspectives from multiple social science disciplines to understand city and metropolitan dynamics
• Understand basic urban processes both in U.S. and non-U.S. contexts
• Use spatial frameworks to analyze urban and metropolitan problems
• Recognize the differing approaches to urban policy represented by governmental, market-based, and nonprofit/non-governmental organizations
• Employ basic statistics to analyze data sets
• Engage in secondary research on urban dynamics and problems using available data sources, including quantitative data housed in the Social Science Data Library and Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project
• Design and deliver professional presentations using PowerPoint and other presentation technologies
• Engage in both theoretically informed and applied scholarship
• Recognize and abide by ethical norms of research and professional conduct
• Understand the major academic and intellectual movements governing the analysis of urban public policy and urban dynamics over the past 100 years
• Develop an expertise in particular qualitative or quantitative analytical methodology for urban analysis
• Design, execute, and report on an applied urban studies research project in a written format at a standard of quality that is suitable in a professional or academic context

Learning Objectives for the Doctoral Program

• Graduates from our doctoral program should be able to:
• Integrate perspectives from multiple social science disciplines to understand city and metropolitan dynamics
• Understand basic urban processes both in U.S. and non-U.S. contexts
• Use spatial frameworks to analyze urban and metropolitan problems
• Recognize the differing approaches to urban policy represented by governmental, market-based, and nonprofit/non-governmental organization
• Employ basic statistics to analyze data set
• Engage in secondary research on urban dynamics and problems using available data sources, including quantitative data housed in the Social Science Data Library and Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project
• Design and deliver professional presentations using PowerPoint and other presentation technologies
• Engage in both theoretically informed and applied scholarship
• Recognize and abide by ethical norms of research and professional conduct
• Understand the major academic and intellectual movements governing the analysis of urban public policy and urban dynamics over the past 100 years
• Develop an expertise in particular qualitative or quantitative analytical methodology for urban analysis
• Design, execute, and report on a theoretical urban studies research project in a written format at a standard that is suitable for publication by a peer-reviewed academic journal or publishing house
• Conduct original research that makes a substantial and novel contribution to the urban studies academic literature
• Employ multiple (i.e., spatial analytic, quantitative, and qualitative) methods to conduct research on urban dynamics and problems
• Participate successfully in scholarly and professional communities

n accordance with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning the learning goals for students of German at Temple University are:

• Communication and Communities: To communicate in German with native speakers of German, whether in Philadelphia, in a German-speaking culture, or by means of technology with German speakers anywhere in the world.
• Culture: To demonstrate sensitivity to, understanding and appreciation of German cultural perspectives and practices.
• Comparisons and Connections: To apply their knowledge of German language and culture as they make connections to other disciplines, comparing German languages and cultures through the prism of other disciplines, including the study of literature, history, economics, and others.
• Life-Long Learning: To demonstrate positive attitudes toward the continued study of the German-speaking world, its language and culture, and the study of languages and cultures more generally.

The Temple University German program proposes to state these learning goals explicitly in the Undergraduate Bulletin, on the German program website, and to correlate individual course learning objectives with these goals in German program course syllabi.

The interdisciplinary BA in Global Studies will prepare students:

To understand complex global problems using tools of multiple disciplines, including economic analysis, social science, and historical methods.

The Global Studies major requires introductory course work in History, Economics and Political Science, and each of the three tracks feature courses from additional disciplines as both required and elective courses.  Students will be able to draw on this disciplinary training and apply multiple disciplinary tools and lenses to analysis of global issues that require in-depth knowledge of these fields.  

To communicate ideas about global issues effectively, through written work, oral expression, and digital communication tools.

Global Studies, like all other majors, requires two writing-intensive courses – Introduction to Global Studies, a small introductory course and Capstone Seminar – which will be offered by Global Studies-affiliated faculty. These are typically limited to 20 students per class.  These courses require students to develop their critical writing skills and, in the capstone, to produce a sustained piece of critical research, using methods drawn from a variety of disciplines, and also require students to showcase communication skills.  The capstone seminar will be a research-oriented course allowing students to delve in depth into an important issue in Global Studies.  When possible, the capstone seminar will be offered in three distinct variants – Global Security, Global Economy, and Global Cultures – focusing on and bringing together students within each of the three tracks, although this will depend, particularly during the early years, on enrollments within each of the tracks and the availability of appropriate faculty in a given semester.

To look beyond local and national boundaries and see themselves as part of global network whose sustainability requires ethical stewardship and a moral sensibility.

It is essential that Temple students begin to think of themselves as global citizens. This means that they must emerge from the Global Studies major with an enhanced civic consciousness about the impact of human activity on the environment; a sensibility about the role that the United States and other powerful western nations play in shaping the lives of less powerful peoples across the globe, especially in the “Global South;” and an informed outlook about the kinds of policy solutions that are available to deal with transnational challenges. Global Studies majors will learn to think both comparatively and globally.

To prepare themselves for careers in a global marketplace.

Students who major in Global Studies will be well-versed in the basic principles of Economics; will understand major concepts drawn from Political Science and International Relations; and will have a solid foundation in 20th-century world history. In addition, each student will select one of three thematic tracks – Global Security, Global Economy, and Global Cultures – and, with the assistance of a faculty advisor, select course options that appeal to his or her areas of interest, culminating in original research in the senior capstone course. This kind of knowledge will place Temple University’s Global Studies majors in an advantageous position for careers in any kind of international field.

To learn from cultures different from their own.

The BA in Global Studies requires students to show proficiency in a foreign language and to study other cultures either through a study abroad experience or through area studies coursework. In time, this kind of international exposure will allow students to see themselves through the eyes of others, an invaluable learning experience.

Language Courses: Elementary

Critical Analysis: Learn grammar & syntax of a foreign language

Disciplinary Knowledge: Acquire basic understanding of a foreign language, including alphabet

Effective Communication:

• Learn basic elements of syntax and word-formation
• Learn grammatical structure of an inflected language
• Understand etymology and history of words in English
• Understand English word-formation
• Use memory to build a skill

Understanding Human & Cultural Diversity: Acquire elementary sense of relation between language and culture

Problem Solving: Learn language skills that clarify syntactic relations

Technological Literacy: Do elementary exercises on computerized language programs

Communication Ability:

• Learn basic elements of syntax and word-formation
• Learn grammatical structure of an inflected language
• Understand etymology and history of words in English
• Understand English word-formation
• Use memory to build a skill

Language Courses: Advanced

Critical Analysis: Acquire sophisticated understanding of a foreign language

Disciplinary Knowledge: Acquire the linguistic skills needed to master the discipline

Effective Communication: Master formation of complex sentences, paragraphs, and larger structures. Display skill in writing

Understanding Human & Cultural Diversity: Explore language of another culture, with attention to the relation of diction and syntax to cultural values; in Greek and Latin, explore cultural continuity imbedded in vocabulary

Problem Solving: Acquire detailed knowledge of syntactical and lexical complexity

Technological Literacy: Use Perseus and other programs to perform sophisticated searches of ancient literature

Communication Ability: Master formation of complex sentences, paragraphs and larger structures. Display skill in writing

Courses in Ancient Culture: Basic

Critical Analysis: Analyze relatively simple examples of ancient culture

Disciplinary Knowledge: Learn the approach of a ‘field’ study that embraces several academic disciplines

Effective Communication: Be able to write clear papers, expository or argumentative, and make oral presentations

Understanding Human & Cultural Diversity: Explore ethical codes and way of life of another civilization

Problem Solving: Study ancient methods of problem solving (dialogue, rhetoric, community-building, war); learn to work collaboratively

Technological literacy: Use Perseus, the World Wide Web, and e-mail to acquire basic information about ancient culture, literature and history

Courses in Ancient Culture: Advanced

Critical Analysis: Evaluate questions for which answers are complex, develop skills that enable balanced understanding of issues, use higher order thinking

Disciplinary Knowledge: Acquire sophisticated understanding of how to study the various elements of a ‘field': history, literature, social life, material culture, resources availability, religion, etc. Pursue a course of study that leads to deep rather than surface understanding

Effective Communication: Be able to write substantial research papers and make oral presentations

Understanding Human & Cultural Diversity: Advanced exploration of the ethical codes and way of life of another civilization

Problem Solving: Study ancient methods of problem-solving (dialogue, rhetoric, community-building, war); learn to work collaboratively

Technological Literacy: Use Perseus, the World Wide Web, and e-mail to acquire advanced information about ancient culture, literature, and history; communicate and share information with others

The major has the same learning goals for the minors as well as several additional learning goals.

In academic and social settings in the US and in the target culture students should be able to use the target language orally and in writing to provide personal background information, meet basic social needs, and engage in simple social interactions in ways that are:

• grammatically and lexically accurate
• comprehensible to an attentive target-language speaker
• in written form recognizable and interpretable to an attentive target-language reader
• coherent
• cohesive
• informed by target-language social and cultural norms

Understand the target language in brief exchanges involving:

• personal background information
• meeting basic social needs
• extended simple social interactions
• short context-rich segments from radio and TV broadcasts and movies
• printed messages encountered on signs, schedules, and similar brief texts
• short connected texts edited for language learners
• short, simple authentic texts with some guidance and assistance

To have knowledge of the common practices, conventions, and beliefs and an awareness of widely held norms of behavior in the target-language’s cultures.

To have knowledge of some of the ways in which languages differ from each other and the importance of those differences when using the target language and also when using one’s native language with speakers of other languages.

To develop strategies for interacting with people from other cultures both in the target language and in one’s own native language.

To develop strategies to continue learning the target language on one’s own.

To have systematic knowledge of the target language’s major modem and contemporary literary figures, fictional works, and themes.

To have systematic knowledge of the target language’s popular culture as expressed in its cinema and other popular art forms, and in social movements and trends within its speech communities.

To have knowledge of some of the ways academic disciplines study the modem and contemporary literature and popular culture of the target language and the kinds of questions those disciplines investigate.

To have knowledge of some of the ways in which the target language’s literature and popular culture are engaged with themes, movements, and concerns of global significance.

To have:

• knowledge of the range of subjects and topics dealt with in the discipline
• sound grounding in a significant area of study in the discipline
• knowledge of the sorts of questions investigated in the discipline
• knowledge of the ways research is conducted in the discipline
• knowledge of widely accepted explanatory and interpretative frameworks and theories used in the discipline
• ability to pose and investigate questions and to report findings orally and in writing in ways consistent with accepted practices in the discipline
• ability to critically analyze and discuss (orally and in writing) primary and secondary material relevant to the discipline

Mosaic I & II Learning Goals

• Read an unfamiliar and problematic written text (rhetorically, historically or culturally challenging)
• Recognize and wrestle with abstractions, large ideas, and implications associated with difficult written texts
• Construct positions, arguments and interpretations
• Make connections across disciplines, history, and cultural boundaries
• Apply ideas and extrapolate meanings
• View the world in radically and culturally different ways
• Express themselves in persuasive and thoughtful writing that reflects the conventions of academic discourse
• Engage in intelligent discussions that construct thoughtful and persuasive positions

In accordance with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, the learning goals for students of Italian at Temple University are:

• Communication and Communities:  To communicate in Italian with native speakers of Italian, whether in Philadelphia, in a Italian-speaking culture, or by means of technology with Italian speakers anywhere in the world.
• Culture:  To demonstrate sensitivity to, understanding and appreciation of the variety of cultural perspectives and practices in the Italian-speaking world.
• Comparisons and Connections:  To compare and draw connections between the Italian language and English (or another language) in a way that enriches overall linguistic competence;  to compare and draw connections between the Italian culture, Italian-American culture, and other cultures and to draw connections between this knowledge and the study of other disciplines, such as literature, history, and economics.
• Life-Long Learning:  To demonstrate positive attitudes toward the continued study of the Italian language as well as Italy and / or Italian-America, and the study of languages and cultures in general.

The Temple University Italian program proposes to state these learning goals explicitly in the Undergraduate Bulletin, on the Italian program website, and to correlate individual course learning objectives with these goals in Italian program course syllabi.

Jewish Studies scholars work out of many disciplines and develop many skills in order to engage in Jewish study as scholars, as life long learners, and, for some, as various kinds of practitioners. Listed below are: General and then more Advanced skills, followed by the Broader Aims of the program. The Jewish studies major, minor and secular certificate program focus on introducing students to three basic areas of Jewish studies scholarship:  Jewish religion, culture, and philosophy; Jewish literatures and Hebrew language; and Jewish History.

General skills:

• Basic organizational, reading, and writing skills
• Constructing simple essay arguments with use of various types of sources, sacred, literary, and historical
• Comprehension of continuity and change over time
• Knowing the difference and relationship between various forms of interpretation and notions of truth claims
• Appreciating a variety of critical, scholarly perspectives
• Understanding what various kinds of Jewish communities do and the kinds of questions Jewish studies scholars ask in relation to these practices
• Recognizing the difference between different kinds of truth claims

More advanced:

• Critically examining written, visual, and ritual materials and scholarly sources
• Understanding the difference between the three primary areas of Jewish studies scholarship covered in the program at Temple: religious and secular Jewish texts, practices, and histories, Hebrew as a Jewish language and the broader legacy of Jewish literatures, and the broader span of Jewish history
• Formulating analytical questions about Jewish texts, literary, philosophical and historical
• Demonstrating the ability to write an analytical essay
• Developing speaking and presentation skills
• Gaining the ability to use the library and other technologically appropriate sources for research and writing
• Learning how to collect and organize historical and textual data

​Overall:

The Jewish Studies program will assist students in:

• Understanding the broad foundations and arguments around the relationship between, Jews, Judaism and Jewish forms of cultural expression.
• Have some basic knowledge of forms of Jewish religious, cultural, and political expression.
• Appreciate the broader historical questions that animate Jewish studies scholarship.
• Understanding the distinction between theory and data and the links between the two components while drawing generalizations from actual social experience,
• Recognizing the role of language and especially Hebrew as central to Jewish culture, religion, and history
• Students should come out of the program knowing the differences between Judaism as a religious tradition and Jewishness as a statement of ethnicity, culture, politics and/or communal identity and some sense of how notions of race both complicates and enhances these commitments and engagements.
• Students should know the basic elements of at least three of the major Jewish readings of history (Biblical, Rabbinic, Secular, Zionist, Haskala/Wissenschaft, Liberal, and Postmodern).

All Latin American studies courses are developed to recognize and appreciate cultural diversity both in the U.S. and abroad.

Introductory level LAS teach students to:

• recognize scholarly and other intellectual work done in two or more disciplines that contribute to Latin American Studies
• think and critically evaluate an author’s argument
• write short essays using evidence to support a thesis
• analyze arguments and explanations
• learn how to access and evaluate information about Latin America obtained through the internet
• recognize and state the value inherent in different intellectual positions
• recognize implicit messages or representations in oral, written or visual forms of communication
• communicate ideas about Latin America through oral and visual presentations
• recognize the most important issues facing Latin American Society today
• understand the role of people of Latin American descent living in the United States throughout that nation’s history

Intermediate and advanced LAS courses teach students to:

• compare development in different time periods or geographical regions of Latin America to understand these differences and similarities
• recognize and understand the regional, ecological, racial and ethnic diversity of Latin America
• recognize the most important contributions of Latin American peoples to the world
• read more demanding texts in English about Latin American subject matter
• improve understanding of texts written in Spanish and/or Portuguese about Latin American subject matter
• recognize cause-and-effect; be able to state and defend a causal argument

Learning Goals for Mathematical Economics

1. Mastery of basic concepts and models in microeconomics.

2. Mastery of basic concepts and models in macroeconomics.

3. Mastery of basic concepts and techniques in econometrics and mathematical economics.

4. Ability to communicate economic ideas and make economic arguments in writing.

PhD in Mathematical Economics

Specific learning outcomes

Demonstrate mastery of research skills in a social science or analytic context:

• Ask important research questions.
• Apply theory and conceptual models to the identification of alternative explanations or answers.
• Demonstrate the ability to analyze new theory, models, methods or software systems.
• Develop testable hypotheses based on the application of conceptual models.
• Develop methods to test the hypotheses.
• Collect, organize and analyze data using quantitative methods and qualitative reasoning.
• Describe the results of hypotheses testing and their implications.

Communicate and defend research findings orally and in writing:

• Develop skills in research reporting and publication of results.
• Present research proposals for review by advisors, dissertation committees, referees, and other institutional sources.
• Present research findings to peers during research seminars.
• Identify professional venues including conferences and journals for publication of results.
• Prepare research manuscripts suitable for presentation at conferences and submission for publication.

Demonstrate effective teaching and assessment methods to assure that learning occurs:

• Develop and/or improve course syllabi that facilitate assurance of learning.
• Prepare effective lectures, discussions, and presentations using an appropriate venue to support learning.
• Deliver course topics under the guidance of faculty mentors.
• Evaluate learning outcomes and give feedback to students.

Competencies to be developed by the study of Philosophy

A. General Intellectual Competencies

1. To read difficult texts with understanding, and to summarize them and explain them to others.

2. To determine what does and does not follow from what: to detect common fallacies.

3. To write about difficult problems with clarity and logical cogency (Note: Many philosophy courses require more writing than courses in other disciplines).

4. To understand the methods of both the natural and formal sciences.

5. To synthesize the results of more specialized disciplines so as to arrive at a coherent world view. Philosophy majors would, for example, be expected to be competent to discuss the merits and faults of such theses as materialism, naturalism, and determinism and to draw out their consequences for various conceptions of human freedom.

6. To gain facility in solving problems ofreasoning of the sort frequently found on professional school entrance examinations. (Note: Quite a few philosophy majors opt to take our pre-law tutorial instead of senior seminar. An important part of the education we provide is preparation for law and other professional schools).

B. Philosophical Intellectual Competencies

1. To gain an understanding of the history of Westem philosophy and other philosophical traditions.

2. To gain some familiarity with current thinking in major areas of philosophy such as ethics, philosophy of language, etc.

C. Values

1. To both appreciate the diversity of cultures and values and to develop appropriate standards of conduct.

2. To understand the basis of our political life and enable people to make wise and well-grounded political choices.

Learning Goals for the Political Science Undergraduate Major

The central aim of our undergraduate courses is to enable our students to speak and write precisely about politics. Students concentrating in political science are introduced to a range of political concepts, vocabularies and methodologies via the four disciplinary subfields of political science: political theory, American politics, international relations, and comparative politics. Through introductory coursework in these subfields, students develop an understanding of concepts that help them to grasp what is uniquely political. Through their selection of elective courses, students pursue topics and methodologies of particular interest to them. As students identify and articulate pertinent political questions, we provide them with the research skills with which to acquire important information to anchor their thought and to actively engage in problem solving. Although some of our students may pursue graduate education, most of them will be engaged in different life projects. Our aim is to prepare them to do whatever these may be with greater thoughtfulness and responsibility. In addition to cultivating their ability to think critically and expanding their content knowledge, many of our students are seeking models of how to be good citizens.

1. Content Knowledge

• Understand the range of theoretical frameworks used in the four subfields
• Demonstrate familiarity with a range of formal and informal political phenomena, including institutions, actors, levels of governments, and the ideas animating such phenomena
• Understand the relationship between empirical social scientific and theoretical arguments
• Demonstrate familiarity with the range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies used in the subfields

2. Critical Thinking

• Understand the importance of bringing intellectual rigor to the study of political phenomena
• Demonstrate competence in verbal communication through active and substantive participation in class discussion
• Understand the difference between strong and weak counter arguments
• Understand the logic of causal inference

3. Problem Solving

• Demonstrate the skill of explicating complex and multi-layered arguments
• Demonstrate the skill of formulating a research question and a hypothesis
• Demonstrate the ability to collect and analyze data
• Demonstrate competence in evaluating bibliographic sources
• Demonstrate proficiency in at least one social scientific or humanistic method

4. Written Communication

• Understand the differences among response, analytic, and research papers
• Understand the disciplinary norms for writing analytic and research papers
• Demonstrate the ability to work through the sequential steps of framing, drafting, and revising a research paper
• Demonstrate the ability substantively to respond to peer and instructor feedback through revision
• Demonstrate improvement over time in the above areas

Domain Specific Skills and Knowledge    

Psychological Literacy at each level of the curriculum, progressing from a broad overview of psychological science, its subfields and methodology in introductory courses to domain specific foundation and advanced courses, culminating in the Psychology Capstone course.

Scientific Reasoning through critical analysis of classic and current psychological research studies at the introductory and foundation levels, to design and conduct basic psychological research and mentored research scholarship at the advanced level.

Quantitative competency with the ability to apply the appropriate descriptive and inferential statistical techniques to analyze data, familiarity with statistical software and interpretation of output, as well as the ability to critically interpret statistical results found in psychology research articles. Statistical concepts are introduced in the Statistics for Psychology course and reinforced at the foundation and advanced level, with an emphasis on combining them with research methodology and critical thinking concepts.

Scientific Writing and Communication skills that conform to the standards of the field (e.g., clarity, objectivity, citing all sources). This includes the ability to articulate psychological concepts and scientific findings at the appropriate level for a general psychological audience and using a variety of different modalities (e.g., written, oral presentation, posters). These skills are developed with shorter written assessments at the introductory and foundation levels and more fully refined in writing intensive courses at the advanced level.

Professional Ethics with the ability to critically evaluate real-world situations for issues such as bias, plagiarism, conflict of interest, mistreatment of research subjects/participants, violations of professional obligations, and misrepresenting scientific findings. These issues are explicitly addressed in courses such as Careers in Psychology, Critical Thinking in Psychology, and Conducting Psychological Research and are a common theme in other classes.    

Transferable Skills

Critical Thinking in evaluating sources, arguments, and evidence to make sound judgments and come to independent conclusions is formally presented at the introductory level and reinforced in multiple courses across the curriculum. Problem-solving skills are developed in the context of research design at the advanced level. 

Respect for Diversity including, but not limited to, differences in gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, mental and physical disability, and religion. Issues such as the psychology of stereotyping, implicit bias, and in group/out group bias are explored in cognitive and social psychology courses and misconceptions about mental health are directly addressed in a variety of classes dealing with psychopathology.     

Professionalism, including adherence to rules and regulations, accountability, and appropriate demeanor and tone for workplace communications, is addressed across the curriculum through expectations that students meet the requirements of individual courses, as well as department and university standards. Professionalism is practiced in advanced courses such as Conducting Psychological Research and Capstone in Psychology, with opportunities for students to lead discussion, collaborate in groups, and give formal presentations.

Ethical Behavior is emphasized throughout the curriculum and students are expected to adhere to the university policy on academic honesty, as well as the general principles of ethical behavior (beneficence, fidelity and responsibility, integrity, respect for others’ rights and dignity)  introduced in Critical Thinking in Psychology and expanded on in Conducting Psychological Research. 

Verbal and Written Communication skills that include the ability to synthesize complex or technical issues and explain them at a level that is appropriate for a given the audience. These skills are reinforced through various in-class assignments, starting at the introductory level, including in-class presentations and written assignments. At the intermediate and advanced levels, students hone these skills in the writing of research articles and literature reviews, culminating in a capstone project.

Understanding Interpersonal Dynamics using knowledge of psychological concepts and research, as well as being able to apply this understanding to situations involving teamwork, problematic behavior, and conflict resolution. Related coursework includes social psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, and behavior analysis courses.

Temple University’s Department of Religion provides its undergraduate majors and minors with sound disciplinary knowledge of the content of the world’s leading religious traditions, and with the understanding and ability to apply important theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of religion. The Department designs its curriculum and instruction to concomitantly ensure the development of three fundamental student skills, which may be employed both in and beyond the study of religion: 1) critical analysis and reflection; 2) research methodologies; 3) communications. Instruments to measure the delivery of these are programmed in our required entry-level course and capstone seminar.

Disciplinary Knowledge

Content

• Understand the cultural and political contexts in which at least three religions (one “Western”, one “Eastern”; and one “Indigenous”) emerge;
• Understand the fundamental belief systems of at least three religions (one “Western”, one “Eastern”; and one “Indigenous”);
• Identify four (Creed, Cult, Code, Community) to seven (Doctrinal, Mythological, Ethical, Ritual, Experiential, Institutional, Material) features of at least three religions (one “Western”, one “Eastern”; and one “Indigenous”) and explain their interrelationships and functions;
• Understand the relationship between religion and society in at least one contemporary nation state.

Theory and Method

• Knowledgably define “religion” and critically assess the value of at least six leading definitions of religion in academic literature;
• Demonstrate sound familiarity with the key notions to three important theories of religion (e.g., Marxist, Durkheimian, Eliadean, Geertzian) and critically assess the value of each;
• Understand the implications of contemporary theoretical perspectives in the social sciences and humanities (e.g., feminist; postcolonial; postmodern, critical race, queer) for the study and understanding of religion;
• Demonstrate the ability to employ at least two theoretical approaches to the interpretation of religion with effect.

Student Skills

Critical Analysis and Reflection

• Comprehend the relationship between (ethnographic, archaeological, visual, linguistic, and/or textual) data and theory;
• Identify the central argument(s) of a scholarly text and its key premises, and assess said argument(s) in terms of truth, validity, and soundness.

Research Methodologies

• Demonstrate the ability to formulate research problems, collect and analyze data, and soundly interpret results;
• Demonstrate effective competence in evaluating bibliographic resources and assessing the scholarly worth of textual sources, and competence in accessing such resources and sources through key research avenues.

Communications

• Write an essay effectively arguing as to the nature of religion and logically support one’s position with at least three clearly articulated premises and references to substantive examples;
• Deliver an effective public presentation of one’s own research on a subject in religious studies.

Temple’s Russian program helps students achieve their learning goals, whether they want to go on to use Russian to communicate with Russian friends, to engage in business with Russian partners, to work in government or in the media, or to study Russian culture.

Our courses are designed in accordance with the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning (see www.actfl.org and click on “Publications”).

Students of Russian at Temple:

• Learn to communicate in Russian with native speakers of Russian and participate in Russian-speaking communities, whether in Philadelphia, Russia, or, through study abroad and/or use of technology, anywhere else in the world;
• Develop an appreciation of Russian culture and cultural practices and perspectives including not only the landmark works of literature, art, architecture, and music, but also Russian cultural behaviors, traditions, and expectations;
• Apply their knowledge of Russian to make connections to other disciplines, such as History, Political Science, Geography, and Economics, using Russian and English-language sources to compare Russian, American, and other cultures to understand Russia and the USA in a global context;
• Enhance their understanding of the English language and their written and spoken communication skills in both Russian and English;
• Develop language learning skills and strategies they can apply to the continued study of Russian language and culture (after completion of their program at Temple) or to the study of other languages and cultures.

Goals for the undergraduate major

1. Develop a Sociological Imagination

The sociological perspective emphasizes the roles of structure, organization, and hierarchy in shaping social action and in identity formation among groups and individuals.  This perspective requires standing apart from, observing, and problematizing practices and structures often taken for granted.  Teaching our students to view the world this way is an important goal of our major.

2. Learn to Work as a Sociologist

Our students learn to understand both their immediate environment and the larger world in terms of a number of interpretative frameworks and to produce and evaluate the data that support or dispute them.  They should gain skills in both theory and methods and be able to apply these in whatever fields they enter after graduation.

3. Become Socially Literate

Critical to both of the above is fostering social literacy—the ability to be critical about both the quantitative and qualitative data describing the social world—and the theoretical frameworks through which we interpret those data.   This is especially important for data that influence social policy.  Social literacy requires the comprehension of both expository prose and numerical representations.  The sociological imagination should enhance our graduates’ lives and increase their agency.

4. Be Able to Communicate a Sociological Perspective

We strive to produce graduates who can communicate clearly and accessibly about human behavior and the social world.  We want them to engage in public sociology by writing and speaking about research, public debate, and daily life.

5. Learn to Understand the Urban Setting

We want students to take advantage of the urban environment in which they are studying.  Our urban setting provides a great laboratory for them—one in which they can study many of the major areas of sociology, including class and inequality, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, urban education, problems of health and disease, and the organization of the city.

6. Become Critical Citizens

While only some of our students will go on to become professional sociologists, most will use their research skills in their work settings.  All of our students should become critical citizens.  We endeavor to give them a heightened ability to understand the world, thereby making them observant, thoughtful, and analytical.  By fostering their appreciation of excellent writing, of a well-fashioned argument, and of the viewpoints of others, we hope to enrich their lives wherever they find themselves in the future.

Temple University’s Graduate Program in Sociology is devoted to the training of research scholars and educators in the discipline.  Students have a variety of career goals, ranging from academic research and teaching to research and administration in private or public agencies.

The Department offers two distinct programs of study in sociology.  The Master’s Program provides students with advanced training in policy‑oriented research skills, with a regional emphasis on the Philadelphia metropolitan area.  It is especially designed for those working in agencies where such skills are used and wish to upgrade their qualifications.  The Doctoral Program concentrates on three main subfields of sociology described below to prepare students for research and teaching in academic settings and for advanced work in applied research settings. The program allows students some flexibility in developing additional specialty areas.

The three main areas of graduate teaching and research are race & ethnicity, gender & sexuality, and urban & globalization.

Undergraduate

Goals Statement: Language, Literature, Linguistics and/or Education Option

Knowledge

1. Awareness of fundamental outlines of history of Spanish or Spanish American literatures and/or linguistic/grammatical concepts.

2. Familiarity with major creative writers in either Spanish or Spanish American Literature and/or significant linguistic/grammatical concepts.

3. Awareness of basic critical methodologies in the study of poetry, drama, narrative fiction and the essay and/or linguistic/grammatical concepts.

4. Awareness of the literary, social and historical context in which particular literary/language traditions developed (that is, history and other more panoramic historical factors which are relevant).

Skills

1. Ability to read sophisticated texts written in Spanish at a level at which literary analysis can be performed and at which complex texts in Spanish can be read.

2. Ability to write and speak Spanish in such a way as to be able to participate in critical discussions and write critical essays in compliance with grammatical rules.

3. Ability to analyze and interpret texts in terms of themes, characters, structure, style, overall textual strategies.

4. Ability to relate analysis and interpretations of different texts to one another (to identify or generate a relevant context and place a text in that context).

5. Ability to communicate such interpretations competently in written form in Spanish.  A student with these skills and knowledge can identify and formulate a problem, can divide the problem into parts and analyze the parts, and can synthesize the parts into a conclusion.

Goals Statement: Language And Professional Studies

Knowledge

1. A basic command of modern professional practices as applied to the Spanish-speaking world.

2. Awareness of the cultural environment in which transactions are conducted in the Spanish-speaking world.

3. A working knowledge of fundamental business/medical/legal Spanish terminology.

Skills

1. Ability to read and interpret in cultural and business related terms sophisticated texts concerning business/medical/legal transactions written in Spanish.

2. Ability to write and speak Spanish in such a way as to be able to communicate effectively on business/medical/legal related issues and to be involved in discussions and to write essays on the subject.

3. Ability to translate adequately business/medical/legal related documents.

A student with these skills and knowledge can identify and formulate a problem, can divide the problem into parts and analyze the parts, and can synthesize the parts into a conclusion.

Graduate Program

Knowledge

1. Awareness of fundamental outlines of history of Spanish or Spanish American Literatures and/or linguistic patterns.

2. Familiarity with canonical creative writers in either Spanish or Spanish American Literature and significant linguistic concepts.

3. Awareness of fundamental critical methodologies and theoretical approaches in the study of literature and/or linguistics.

4. Awareness of the literary, social and historical context in which particular literary/language traditions developed (that is, history and other more panoramic historical factors which are relevant).

5. Ability to expand existing knowledge in the field in terms of one or more of the following areas:  textual scholarship, interpretation, historical scholarship, active use of theoretical constructs, interdisciplinary nature of work, awareness of significant aspects of gender and ethnic studies, cultural approaches, language acquisition and language learning, relations between language, culture and society, the function of the scholar in society (many of these topics were explored in the Modern Language of America’s Introduction to Scholarship in Modern Languages and Literatures volume.

Skills

1. Ability to read sophisticated texts written in Spanish at a level at which literary and/or linguistic analysis can be performed.

2. Ability to write and speak Spanish in such a way as to be able to participate in critical discussions and write critical essays in compliance with grammatical rules.

3. Ability to analyze and interpret texts in terms of its many components and using diverse critical constructs.

4. Ability to relate analysis and interpretations of different texts to one another (to identify or generate a relevant context and place a text in that context).

5. Ability to communicate such interpretations competently in written form in Spanish.  A student with these skills and knowledge can identify and formulate a problem, can divide the problem into parts and analyze the parts, and can synthesize the parts into a revealing conclusion.