Implementing a Certificate in Integrated Humanities

FAIN: AKB-270210-20

Doane College (Crete, NE 68333-2426)
Kathleen Hanggi (Project Director: September 2019 to August 2022)
Jared List (Project Director: August 2022 to present)

A three-year project to implement a new general education certificate program in integrated humanities for psychology and biology majors.

Doane University proposes a $100K Humanities Connections Implementation Grant to implement a new Certificate in Integrated Humanities Program (CIHP). Faculty from the Departments of English, Biology, and Psychology will lead implementation of the CIHP which will be designed for students of any undergraduate major, but particularly in areas of health and social services. The objective of this proposal is to develop three pathways towards certification within the general education core by the end of the grant period – Opioids & Addiction, Fear in the Present Age, and Medicine in America – that will take a multidisciplinary approach to explore a contemporary issue. Each pathway will include three components: (1) two new and innovative eight-week courses called short courses; (2) two revised sections of complementary introductory courses from the undergraduate core curriculum; and (3) a capstone course designed to synthesize the knowledge, values, and skills acquired within each pathway.

Associated Products

Reimagining the Future of the Liberal Arts: Integrative Pathways through General Education (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Reimagining the Future of the Liberal Arts: Integrative Pathways through General Education
Author: Katy Hanggi
Author: Brad Johnson
Abstract: As students approach college more focused on their professional goals after they graduate, what place can the humanities occupy in this landscape of higher education? This session provides an overview of the Certificate in Integrated Humanities Program at Doane, which offers students a career-focused pathway through their general education requirements. We will discuss the program itself, but also take participants through the planning and design process, calling attention to the obstacles we faced and the ways we were able to move past them. This work is supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Date: 02/11/2021
Conference Name: AAC&U General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment Conference

The Integrated Humanities Certificate: A Model for Interdisciplinary Pathways through General Education (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Integrated Humanities Certificate: A Model for Interdisciplinary Pathways through General Education
Author: Kathleen Hanggi
Abstract: As more students approach college focused on their professional goals after they graduate, what place can the humanities occupy in this landscape of higher education? As the number of English and other Humanities majors has decreased over the last decade, the English Department at Doane University designed the Integrated Humanities program to attract students to our classes and emphasize our role in students’ long-term career successes. This session provides an overview of the Certificate in Integrated Humanities Program, which offers students a humanities-centered pathway through their general education requirements with an attention to their professional goals. In a pathway, students study a contemporary, complex issue, such as opioids and addiction or the politics of fear, from multiple disciplinary perspectives and engage in interdisciplinary, independent research to earn a Certificate. What makes this program particularly unique is that each pathway is rooted in experiential learning and intentional collaboration among faculty to make explicit to students the value of a strong liberal arts foundation. The coursework is also connected to co-curricular programming and community events that bring experts and practitioners from the region to share their experiences and perspectives with students. The presentation will discuss the program itself, as well as highlight the planning and design process, calling attention to the obstacles we faced and the ways we were able to move past them. This work is supported by a Humanities Connections grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Date: 01/08/2022
Primary URL: https://vimeo.com/659126595
Primary URL Description: Digital artifact to accompany the presentation.
Conference Name: Modern Langauges Association

Connecting the Liberal Arts to Career-Focused Students: Designing Integrative General Education Pathways (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Connecting the Liberal Arts to Career-Focused Students: Designing Integrative General Education Pathways
Author: Katy Hanggi
Author: Kate Marley
Abstract: More and more students enroll in college with a career or a professional goal in mind. Given that mindset, students are often frustrated by their general education requirements; the relevance of the broad foundation of general education to a specific career or major is not obvious to them. And yet, the broad foundation general education courses offer are integral to develop the range of skills needed in most careers. The aim to enhance students’ general education learning and help them connect that foundation to their major programs of study is one shared by many faculty and administrators. In 2020, Doane University launched the Certificate in Integrated Humanities, which connects students’ career goals with a strong liberal arts foundation. The Certificate in Integrated Humanities establishes pathways through the Doane Core, the general education program, where students study an contemporary interdisciplinary issue, such as Opioids and Addiction, from multiple disciplinary perspectives. The program bundles existing courses with these new concept-based courses to make transparent the connections for students. This interactive seminar will draw upon Doane University’s successful launch of the Integrated Humanities program and utilize small group activities, individual brainstorming, and larger group discussion to help attendees think creatively about ways their institutions and departments might innovate their general education program. The activities will highlight potential obstacles and ways around them; practical steps to consider; and adaptability and scalability for these innovations. Participants will leave with new ideas and perspectives for innovating their general education offerings.
Date: 01/20/2022
Conference Name: AAC&U 2022 Annual Meeting

Professional Goals & General Education (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Professional Goals & General Education
Abstract: An overview of the Integrated Humanities program and the relationship between general education and career success.
Author: Katy Hanggi
Date: 10/07/2021
Location: Doane University

Trauma and the Fear Response (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Trauma and the Fear Response
Abstract: As a counselor educator, Arden Szepe presented to students in the Fear in the Present Age course about fear and its relationship to trauma from her perspective as both a counselor and a counselor educator.
Author: Arden Szepe
Date: 11/09/2021
Location: Doane University

Opioid Epidemic and the Liberal Arts (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Opioid Epidemic and the Liberal Arts
Abstract: An interdisciplinary panel discussion on the relationship between opioid epidemic and the liberal arts. Panelists included an addiction counselor, an internship coordinator, a student in the Opioids and Addiction course, and a former prison chaplain.
Author: Brad Johnson
Author: Irene Prince
Author: Sarah Begay
Author: Andrea McGrath
Author: Jose Villalpando
Date: 04/12/2022
Location: Doane University

Make it Meaningful: Thinking Creatively to Design Interdisciplinary Gen Ed (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Make it Meaningful: Thinking Creatively to Design Interdisciplinary Gen Ed
Author: Jared List
Author: Katy Hanggi
Author: Kate Marley
Author: Brad Johnson
Abstract: As universities explore ways to retain students, a common refrain is to make general education meaningful. In “Reimagining Gen Ed,” historian Steven Mintz argues that for students to take general education seriously, it should avoid looking like high school. Chronicle of Higher Education writer Beth McMurtrie suggests universities move away from a model that encourages the attitude, “These are courses that you want to get through, get over, get done.” Creating a meaningful general education experience is key to engaging students in their education and retaining them through graduation. This session will present general education models at a small private liberal arts college and an urban public research institution. The two have different student bodies, missions, and stakeholders. Presenters will highlight two models for rethinking the typical distribution model and moving outside disciplinary structures. These differing approaches to designing interdisciplinary general education sequences create a strong foundation for student engagement.
Date: 4/13/2024
Primary URL: https://gepa.secure-platform.com/site/solicitations/102003/sessiongallery/94112/application/4689
Conference Name: AAC&U Conference on General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment

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