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As preparation for “responsible citizenship and ethical leadership in local and global communities,” as articulated in the Rollins College mission statement, students need both breadth and depth in their learning experience. By majoring in at least one area of knowledge, students gain the depth necessary for disciplinary expertise, whereas the rFLA curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts exposes students to varied perspectives and domains of knowledge. Upon successful completion of this general education curriculum, students will be able:
- To demonstrate knowledge of the distinctive methodologies and subject matter of the sciences, social sciences, expressive arts, and humanities.
- To read, think, write, and speak critically and analytically.
- To identify and articulate moral and ethical dimensions of personal and social issues.
Additionally, in keeping with the mission of the College of Liberal Arts, which is, in part, “to provide a rigorous liberal arts baccalaureate education of the highest quality,” the rFLA curriculum exposes students to the ways various areas of knowledge may reinforce and enrich each other.
rFLA has three components: the Rollins College Conference (RCC), Competencies, and Neighborhoods.
1. The Rollins College Conference
All first-year students enroll in an RCC during the Fall semester. Most students live in the same residence hall as their RCC classmates as part of the Living Learning Community program. The RCC is an interactive seminar class on a broad range of topics. Professors are drawn from all academic disciplines encompassing the arts, the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. Throughout the first semester, the RCC professor joins students in educational activities and co-curricular experiences that supplement and enhance the course. Upper-class peer mentors assist in the RCC and help first-year students with the transition to academics and life at the College. The faculty member teaching this seminar course also serves as the student’s faculty advisor during their first year.
The RCC is not a prerequisite for any other course at Rollins, so students may advance if they fail their RCC course. However, no RCC may be taken for credit/no credit, so the grade earned in the RCC course will appear on the student’s transcript.
2. The Competencies
Writing: In a contemporary global society, one must be able to write coherently and thoughtfully in both public and professional spheres. To master the skills and rhetorical practices of writing within a given discipline, students must move beyond basic instruction to the complexities of audience analysis and engagement in the larger queries of an informed citizenry. Writing coursework requires students to produce a series of written assignments intended both to extend facility in English composition and to deepen understanding of course content.
Writing competency courses may NOT be double-counted toward a major or minor. Students will complete this requirement by earning a C or better in any ENG 140 course, earning a C or better in an approved Rollins transfer course, or achieving an AP English Language and Composition exam score of 4 or 5.
Foreign Language: Foreign language study has an intimate and necessary connection with the educational goal of learning about oneself and one’s relationship to the world. Language is not just the primary vehicle for the communication of culture; it is culture. As such, foreign language study offers a unique window of perception regarding non-English speaking cultures, a window through which students can learn to communicate in a language other than their native tongue, learn how other people live and what they value, or, in the case of ancient languages, delve into our rich culture and philological heritage. Second language study also provides insights into the nature of language and its power to shape ideas and expression.
Foreign Language competency courses may be double-counted toward a major. Students will complete this requirement by earning a C- or better in any Rollins course that carries the foreign language competency designation, earning a C- or better in an approved Rollins transfer course, achieving an AP Language exam score of 4 or 5, achieving an IB Language exam score of 6 or 7, or being an International Student admitted to Rollins College based on TOEFL score.
Mathematical Thinking: Responsible citizens make decisions that shape their lives, their society, and the world. Decision-making requires a variety of skills that will be strengthened as students complete a Mathematical Thinking competency course. Students will develop and sharpen their deductive reasoning and critical-thinking skills, enabling them to construct and articulate sound, precise, and convincing arguments and to evaluate the arguments of others. They will build and study mathematical and/or statistical models for real-world phenomena, and they will hone their ability to make estimates, develop the skills needed to draw well-founded conclusions and make reliable predictions. Students will demonstrate mastery of these skills as they apply to issues they will encounter in their subsequent course work, career, and daily life.
Mathematical thinking competency courses may be double-counted toward a major. Students will complete this requirement by earning a C- or better in any Rollins course that carries the mathematical thinking competency designation; earning a C- or better in an approved Rollins transfer course, achieving an AP Statistics exam score of 4 or 5, achieving an AP Calculus exam (A/B or B/C) score of 4 or 5, or achieving an IB Mathematics exam score of 4 or better.
Health and Wellness: Personal health decisions are critical examples of people assimilating, understanding, and applying academic knowledge. In Health and Wellness courses students will learn to apply basic scientific, sociological and psychological constructs to everyday decisions that impact personal health. They will learn to discern facts from anecdotal stories in order to form intelligent models of behavior. Students will demonstrate mastery of these skills by assessing, on an individual basis, their own fitness level and lifestyle decisions and then analyzing those decisions using research-based models. This analysis will lead to an understanding of what constitutes a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Students will complete this requirement by 1) earning a C- or better in any Rollins course that carries the Health and Wellness competency designation or earning a C- or better in an approved Rollins transfer course and 2) completing two (2) non-credit-bearing PEA requirements or participating in varsity sports for at least two years. Students may receive a medical exemption for the PEA requirement with appropriate documentation.
3. The Neighborhoods
To be eligible for a Bachelor of Arts degree, students must complete five (5) courses from one (1) specific Neighborhood (see descriptions below). Neighborhood courses are appropriately designated in the Course Schedule published each semester by the Office of Student Records.
Students may take one (1) neighborhood course from another neighborhood, excepting the neighborhood practicum, which must be taken in their neighborhood. Students may double-count one (1) neighborhood course toward their major.
Students may complete neighborhood courses and thus advance in the neighborhood by achieving a C- or better in neighborhood courses. The Director of rFLA may approve courses taken at regionally accredited institutions of higher education other than Rollins for neighborhood credit.
Students will select their neighborhood during the Fall semester of their first year. In the spring of their first year they will take their first neighborhood class at the 100-level. Subsequently, students must take three (3) classes at the intermediate 200-level. To complete the neighborhood, students must take the neighborhood practicum at the 300-level. The mathematical thinking and writing competencies must be completed BEFORE the student enrolls in the practicum. Students should complete the foreign language competency before enrolling in the practicum, but may be co-enrolled if necessary.
Neighborhood Descriptions-When Cultures Collide
How do people, cultures, and environments change when different worlds and worldviews encounter and interact with one another? Is every corner of the earth destined to look the same, or is it possible to resist the homogenizing forces of globalization? The increasing emphasis on global integration has catapulted these longstanding questions to the forefront of contemporary discussions about the world and our place within it. This neighborhood encourages students to examine the scientific, artistic, literary, cultural and socioeconomic effects of our evolving world. Topics of inquiry and exploration include hybridity and diversity in religion, music, and philosophy; the effects of globalization on human, animal, and plant development; and the social, political and cultural ramifications caused by migrations of people around the world.
Mysteries and Marvels
Black holes. Mona Lisa’s smile. Atlantis. Houdini. The Holy Grail. How to live forever. Why he/she won’t return my calls. At the same time as we find comfort in all that we know, believe, and hold to be true, we instinctively are propelled forward by the quest for knowledge of that which eludes us. This neighborhood invites students to explore and interrogate what we do not know about our world, our community, our friends and families, and ourselves. Through a diverse array of courses, students will have the privilege of examining all kinds of mysteries ranging from artistic marvels and scientific wonders to political and cultural blind spots and literary whodunits in order to acquire the skills and experience necessary to unlock the enduring mysteries of the universe or at least of contemporary college life.
Identities: Windows and Mirrors
Our identities from our fingerprints and Facebook profile to our family trees fundamentally shape the ways that we think about, feel, and interact with the world. This neighborhood provides students with the opportunity to put themselves under the microscope (literally and figuratively!) by exploring the diverse components that factor into the construction of the self. Learning how we define our ethnic, gendered, religious and cultural identities will, in turn, open up new ways of thinking about and engaging with the larger social, economic, political, and ecological networks of which we all are part. As we take the path toward global citizenship, the following questions will serve as our guide: What does it mean to be human? Where do I belong? What is a family? What can I do to make a positive impact on the world, and how?
Innovate, Create, Elevate
Global progress relies on people who are creative, innovative, and flexible. This neighborhood will prepare students to develop these essential attributes by teaching them how to explore and enhance their creative processes. Students who choose this neighborhood will be challenged to experiment with and in their world by testing its boundaries, pushing conventions, and devising new ways of thinking and doing things in this rapidly changing world. Courses will invite students to study the history of innovative thought, belief and practice across the centuries as well as identify opportunities for development and change in their own local and global communities. Through the process of learning what a change maker is and does, students will acquire the knowledge and skillsets to become ones themselves.
Transfer Students and rFLA (starting Fall 2015 or later)
Students entering Rollins with an AA degree from any accredited school in the United States will not have to complete any rFLA requirements except RCC 200.
Students entering Rollins with fewer than thirty (30) transferred credit hours must complete the entire rFLA curriculum including RCC 100.
Students entering Rollins with thirty (30) or more transferred credit hours BUT without an AA degree must take five (5) courses: a two-credit transfer RCC 200; a two-credit 100-level neighborhood class that will introduce them to all four neighborhoods, rFLA 100; two (2) 200-level neighborhood class; and the neighborhood practicum (300-level) class. They must fulfill the competency requirements either with transfer credits or Rollins courses. The Director of rFLA may approve courses taken at regionally accredited institutions of higher education other than Rollins for neighborhood credit.
Students planning to transfer out of Rollins College are still required to take rFLA courses.
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