12
ost liberal arts colleges have socalled distribution requirements
to ensure that students are, at a
minimum, introduced to the major branches
of scholarly learning.
Siena Heights is fairly typical in
requiring some academic experience in the
arts, humanities, social and physical
sciences as well as English and
mathematics. As a Catholic institution, the
University goes further than many schools
by also requiring course work in philosophy
and religious studies. The requirements are
part of the “General Education” necessary
for graduation from SHU.
What is not at all typical, however, is the
Siena Heights requirement that senior level
students, nearly ready to graduate, enroll
in an inter-disciplinary seminar that focuses
not only on academic scholarship but also
on personal reflection. It’s called
GEN 401—the General Education Senior
Seminar—and it is one of the truly
distinctive elements of a Siena education.
Just when students at most colleges are
focused most narrowly on their chosen field
of study (and, indeed, when Siena Heights
students are completing in-depth senior
projects in their majors), GEN 401
encourages—no, demands—that students
broaden their focus. With their undergraduate education nearly finished,
students are required to take stock of the
experience and consider what it will mean
for them in the future.
“The Senior Seminar is a synthesis and
integration of all the learning that’s
occurred before, and it takes place in a
community of students from other
disciplines,” explains Susan Conley Weeks,
program director for General Education.
From the multiple perspectives of their
different majors, students explore together
what it will mean to be competent,
purposeful and ethical in their future
professions. They examine their own
spiritual and intellectual biographies. They
consider the responsibilities of citizenship,
identify and defend their values, articulate
a philosophy of life. And they talk, a lot,
sharing insights and information from their
By Jennifer Hamlin Church
Putting it All Together
Seminar helps students integrate life, learning and values.
majors and discussing how they will
continue learning through life.
exploration of “work, money and the
human condition.”
“Ultimately, GEN 401 is guided by the
Dominican idea that you should study,
reflect and then share the fruits of your
reflection,” Weeks said.
While most faculty consider GEN 401 a
crucial, value-added element of a Siena
Heights education, students don’t always
agree. “Some students do not share the value
of the reflective life,” Weeks admits.
The class is “a bridge between academic
life and beyond,” says Pat Schnapp, RSM,
who enjoys teaching a section of GEN 401
every semester. “David Van Horn used to
tell students it was their ‘wisdom c \