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Foundations of American Democracy

This page provides a description of the Foundations of American Democracy component of University Studies. In so doing, it differentiates between common component-level student learning outcomes and discipline-specific course-level learning outcomes. The goal is to encourage the development of challenging and varied University Studies courses that share common assessable student learning outcomes.

Description and Rationale

Foundation of American Democracy courses provide students with opportunities to study the concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts of the founding documents of the American republic, as well as the practices that developed from these documents. These courses also provide students with opportunities to evaluate key milestones in the effort to form “a more perfect Union.” Studying the Foundations of American Democracy involves a systematic examination of democracy in the United States as it relates to history, religion, politics, race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, and disability. Students should explore the Foundations of American Democracy through diverse cultural values, perspectives, and viewpoints. Courses in the Foundation of American Democracy component will expose students to the many facets of American democracy, while encouraging students to develop an awareness the importance and implications of democracy in their own lives.

Common Student Learning Outcomes Aligned to University Studies Goals

The following are the Common Student Learning Outcomes for Foundations of American Democracy. These come from UNC Policy 400.1.5 and are aligned with the UNCW Learning Goals. Each course in this category must address all of the Common Student Learning Outcomes for the category, and list these Common SLOs along with course-specific SLOs in the course syllabus. Proposals for inclusion in the category will describe the opportunities which will be provided for students to learn the outcome (readings, class discussion and/or activities, applied projects) and list the specific sources of evidence (exams, papers, projects, quizzes, etc.) that will be used to determine the level of student understanding.

  • FAD 1. Evaluate key concepts, principles, arguments, and contexts in founding documents of the American republic, including the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and a representative selection of the Federalist Papers; and,
  • FAD 2. Evaluate key milestones in progress and challenges in the effort to form “a more perfect Union,” including the arguments and contexts surrounding the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail, as well as other texts that reflect the breadth of American experiences.

Student Completion Requirements

Students are required to take three hours from this component.

Category Specific Guidelines for Proposers

  • Courses proposed for FAD must address both Student Learning Outcomes, as defined in UNC Policy 400.1.5 and listed above.  
  • In order to make this requirement credit neutral, courses proposed for FAD must satisfy at least one other University Studies component. For example, a course that satisfies FAD may also satisfy Living in Our Diverse Nation (LDN), or some other University Studies component.  
  • Courses that satisfy FAD may satisfy a total of 4 components, which is an exception to the rule of courses satisfying a maximum of 3 components. For example, a course that satisfies FAD may also satisfy Living in Our Diverse Nation, Information Literacy, and Historical and Philosophical Approaches, or some other combination of 3 other components.