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Hewlett
Program in General Education
The Hewlett Program in General Education is an experimental program dedicated
to the development of year-long, collaboratively taught, multidisciplinary cluster
courses and to the improvement of general education at UCR. Cluster courses are
part of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Program (HASS)
and at least two cluster sequences are offered every year. These sequences, designed
especially for sophomores (though not limited to them), offer a stimulating and
innovative approach to students’ non-major coursework. Students who take all
three quarters of a cluster sequence have an opportunity for intellectual growth
not normally possible in a typical ten-week course. In addition:
- Cluster courses challenge students to think about issues from multiple
perspectives. Through year-long study of a topic from a variety of points
of view, students come to see that intellectual problems often have more
than one side to them and more than one solution. Students will be invited
to think about the different methodologies of disciplines while also recognizing
their shared and/or complementary features.
- Cluster courses add depth as well as breadth to students’ non-major
coursework. In multidisciplinary courses of year-long duration, knowledge
and skills can build cumulatively from fall to spring. Students move from
introductory assignments to more sophisticated, in-depth assignments in
their third quarter. Coursework may include field trips, film and performance
series, creative projects, and collaborative research.
- Cluster courses offer a sense of community. Clustering groups of
students together over the course of an entire year gives students
the opportunity to develop group rapport. Ideally, students will share
more about the goals and aspirations of their education, engage more
productivity in collaborative work, and form more lasting intellectual
ties with their peers.
Contact
For more information about the Hewlett Program, email Deborah Willis,
Faculty Director of the Hewlett Program in General Education, at: deborah.willis@ucr.edu,
or see Margaret Kolberg,
Administrative Assistant, in the Liberal Studies and Interdisciplinary Programs
Office, 2416 HMNSS (phone: X2742).
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