DePauw’s course catalog states, ”A DePauw education asserts that developing a global perspective and an appreciation and tolerance for a more diverse society are vital for living in an increasingly interdependent world.” Furthermore, the faculty-approved statement, “The Purpose and Aims of DePauw,” says, in part, that the DePauw curriculum is designed “to broaden (students’) perspectives on humanity and culture” and “to give them an understanding of the contemporary world and the human prospect for the next decades.” The Committee on Academic Policy and Planning (CAPP) fully endorses these goals. We acknowledge that progress has been made yet recognize that there is still much to do.
Therefore, in order better to fulfill these longstanding commitments regarding the aims of a DePauw education, CAPP resolves to work with the students, faculty and staff of DePauw University to propose, by the April 6, 2015 faculty meeting (ensuring a vote no late than the May 4, 2015 faculty meeting), changes to ensure that the DePauw experience prepares all graduates to engage problems of social inequality in a productive, ethical and informed manner. The DePauw education will include, as major objectives, providing knowledge, skills and opportunities required to attain a rich understanding of historical and contemporary stories of difference, particularly in the interactions between dominant and marginalized groups within a culture.
Submitted for your information on behalf of CAPP,
John Caraher
Chair, Committee on Academic Policy and Planning