Drury: Our Context Small college (1,600) in SW Missouri; founded by Congregational church Liberal arts heritage, now with professional & master’s programs 40% growth in campus-wide enrollment over the last decade Globally-oriented, common core General Education program introduced in 1995

Our Curriculum: Global Perspectives 21 Goal: prepare students for responsible & productive lives in 21st century 57 hours focused on Global Studies Each student earns a minor in Global Studies by completing the curriculum

Why an Interdisciplinary Approach? Real-world problems Modeling for our students Addressing open-ended questions Creating faculty connections and community Shared responsibility for general education

The ‘Core’: 15 hours Alpha Seminar: The American Experience –Year-long, common first-year experience –Taught by faculty across the university Values Analysis (2nd year) Global Awareness/Cultural Diversity (2 nd yr) Global Futures (capstone) –Connect general education & major field in addressing the nature & issues of the future

Other efforts  Theme Year Convocation Program  Connecting core with themed events, speakers, readings and assignments  Arts Administration Program  Joint effort between business, art  Edward Jones Center for Entrepreneurship  Study abroad support, Arts Administration  Connecting Science classes with service  ‘Drury Science Day’ at middle school; all classes taught by teams from General Education science classes

Other efforts  Forum on Animal Rights  Supported by DU alum B. Barker  Interdisciplinary team of 10 faculty from biology, philosophy, psychology, languages,…  First course offering: Animal Ethics (Fall 2008)  Multi-team-taught course examining interactions of humans and animals from a variety of intersecting perspectives  Study and preparation for this course has already produced changes in the faculty’s personal choices

Drury’s SIFE Team  Chapter of Students in Free Enterprise, a global non-profit  Develop projects locally, nationally and internationally that serve others through entrepreneurship  Working with elementary schools kids in Laredo, TX to develop and market class calendars  Developing strategy for bio-sand water purification in villages in Mexico, Zambia, and India  40 students from 15 majors across campus  National and international recognition through SIFE competitions (World Cup champions 2001, 2003)

Next Step: Pathways Student desire for choice, coherence in GP21 experience Solution in progress: Offer sets of linked core courses around a common theme Grew from existing options: –Science & Inquiry with sustainability focus –Environmental Ethics for Values Analysis –Global Futures section focusing on ecological challenges Create linked sets of existing or modified courses, providing a pathway through GP21 Six working teams preparing proposals –Latin America and Latina/o Studies, Gender Studies, Global Health, Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies

Conclusion Growing prominence of community connection, service in our core courses Student desire for seeing how their education matters on and beyond campus In professional programs, in traditional liberal arts majors, and in programs and projects outside those departments