Core Humanities courses

Core Humanities courses are interdisciplinary, comparative courses that delve into key questions about human culture, values and history. Students engage in extensive reading and analysis of primary sources to develop a sense of the ideas and events that influenced human development over time.

The courses are writing-intensive so that students can practice presenting persuasive arguments supported by evidence from the texts. There is also a discussion component that provides opportunities for practicing oral expression skills through thoughtful dialogue with other students. The focus on critical thinking and effective communication provides the foundation that students need to succeed in more advanced classes in their majors and in their careers beyond the University of Nevada, Reno.

All Core Humanities courses satisfy Core Objective 5 (History and Culture) of the Silver Core Curriculum. In addition, CH 203 satisfies Core Objective 8 (Constitution).

Course overview

Assessment

The Core Humanities Program measures its effectiveness and strives for improvement through regular assessment of courses and the program as a whole. Indirect assessment measures include student course evaluations and surveys of all students taking Core Humanities courses each semester. Direct assessment measures take various forms depending on the student learning outcome being assessed and may include faculty meetings or surveys to discuss how well students are performing certain tasks, standardized assignments graded according to common rubrics and quizzes or exams that test students' knowledge of key concepts. Assessment data is reported to the core curriculum board according to the assessment schedule for the core curriculum.