10/05/2021
It was announced this week that Hastings College has won another NEH grant, this time for "A More Perfect Union: Exploring America's Story and Commemorating its 250th Anniversary." The HC proposal focused on three distinct elements that we intend to add to our curriculum:
1) A new Civic Education General Education requirement. (As you will recall the prior Political Science and History requirements were eliminated from the 2.0 curriculum. This requirement would be in alignment with the objectives of the proposed Civics Secures Democracy Act which seeks to reintroduce civics in a focused manner within courses designed to specifically address teaching about the history and civic institutions of the United States, teaching skills such as the analysis of texts and the assessment of the reliability of sources as well as promoting values such as free speech, civil discourse, tolerance and inclusion, understanding different perspectives and developing civic habits such as voting, serving on juries, volunteering (service learning), and engaging in deliberative discussions.)
2) Two new Interdisciplinary Minors (IDEAs): Civic Faith and Medical Humanities. (It is the intention that this will replace two of the existing IDEAS and will be more focused and coherent. The Civic Faith IDEA will examine questions and ideas surrounding American identity, the unique expectations associated with American citizenship, and the evolving character of civic life in the United States. This IDEA will include 20 credit hours of courses primarily from the humanities and the social sciences, including courses on American government and the behavior of American citizens, the history of women’s rights and social movements in the United States, the components of American identity, and the ethical obligations of American citizenship. The Medical Humanities IDEA will focus on the intersection between humanistic thought and the medical sciences, examining questions about what factors constitute quality of life, the ethical obligations that both practitioners and medical companies have to patients, the historical development of medical treatment and healthcare in the United States, the role of government in regulating healthcare, and the meaning of lived experiences within medical communities.)
3) Create a new Bachelors of Philosophy (B.Phil) degree offering with a stronger foundation in humanities courses. (The current general education requirements for all HC students include only three courses in oral communications, written communications, and quantitative skills (and under this project a fourth in civics). The B.Phil will expand the core to include additional general education requirements in civic life, ethical reasoning, religious studies, creative arts, cultural literacy, and two semesters of a non-native language, all of which will be offered primarily by humanities departments. The B.Phil will also require students to declare an interdisciplinary major. This new degree program will be designed to offer a more rigorous education in the liberal arts and will be targeted primarily to students who are hoping to eventually enroll in a graduate or professional degree program. The degree itself will offer a distinctive accreditation for HC graduates that may help them stand out in their post-graduation careers.)
The grant totals $454,000. It will allow the hiring of a Political Scientist for a two-year contract, and will fund a Religion professor (newly hired), a Philosopher, and a Historian (already on the faculty) for one year each.
Dr. Nick Clark, an alum, was instrumental in helping HC secure this grant.
