As a liberal arts college with a strong interdisciplinary curriculum in the social and behavioral sciences, Pitzer presents a unique opportunity for self-exploration and for exploration of the world. The College expects students to take an active part in planning their course of study, to bring a spirit of inquiry and adventure to planning that course of study, and to work hard to meet the intellectual goals of a Pitzer education. To guide students and their advisers, the College has six educational objectives. Student Learning Outcomes for Pitzer College’s Educational Objectives [PDF]
Breadth of Knowledge
The human experience is the center of a Pitzer education. By exploring broadly the programs in humanities and fine arts, natural sciences and mathematics and social and behavioral sciences, students develop an understanding of the nature of human experience-its complexity, its diversity of expression, its continuities and discontinuities over space and time, and the conditions which limit and liberate it.
Understanding in Depth
By studying a particular subject in depth, students will develop the ability to make informed, independent judgments.
Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning, and Effective Expression
By comparing and evaluating the ideas of others and by participating in various styles of research, students develop their capacities for critical judgment. By exploring mathematics, statistics, quantitative/survey research methods, and formal logic, students acquire the ability to reason quantitatively. By writing and communicating orally, students acquire the ability to express their ideas effectively and to persuade others.
Interdisciplinary Perspective
By integrating the perspectives of several disciplines, students gain an understanding of the powers and limits of each field and of the kind of contribution each can make; students learn how to understand phenomena as a complex whole.
Intercultural Understanding
By learning about their own culture and placing it in comparative perspective, students appreciate their own and other cultures, and recognize how their own thoughts and actions are influenced by their culture and history. This understanding supports a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that facilitate effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts. Student Learning Outcomes for Intercultural Understanding
Social Justice, Social Responsibility and the Ethical Implications of Knowledge and Action
Through the Social Justice Theory and Social Responsibility Praxis paired course sequence, students will acquire a concern with and commitment to social justice and social responsibility through both theory and practice courses that emphasize these themes. Student Learning Outcomes for Social Justice and Responsibility
