Core Education
Core Education gives you the tools you’ll need to make the life you want. Woven throughout your UO experience, Core Ed is how you develop the capacities that define a UO graduate. These are the skills that endure long after graduation and that employers consistently say they value most.
Methods of Inquiry | Areas of Inquiry | Degree Requirements | Clark Honors College
Methods of Inquiry
Real-world problems span disciplines. The four methods of inquiry are the essential learning goals built into every Core Education course. They shape how you think and learn and how you apply what you know in your studies and in your life.
Critical Thinking
Develop the skills to explore ideas, issues, and events from different angles. Learn how to draw logical conclusions by weighing evidence and questioning assumptions. Recognize bias, evaluate conflicting information, and stay open to changing your mind as you learn more.
Creative Thinking
Explore how to combine ideas, images, and knowledge in new ways. Experiment with different approaches and build on what you already know. Take thoughtful risks. Stay curious. Learn from what does not work and push past your first idea.
Written Communication
Learn how to express complex ideas clearly and effectively. Practice organizing your thoughts and supporting your arguments. Learn to write for different audiences. Strong writing is an essential skill in every career.
Ethical Reasoning
Build skills for thinking through ethical questions tied to real-world issues. Consider different perspectives and weigh the consequences of decisions. Make informed choices as technology, policy, and global challenges grow more complex.
Areas of Inquiry
The four Methods of Inquiry are applied across the liberal arts, where they take shape in different ways depending on the Area of Inquiry. Each Core Ed course fits into one of these areas and gives you a new perspective while building up your skills.
Arts & Letters
Explore how people create meaning and express identity as they make sense of the world through literature, art, music, philosophy, language, and religion. Consider the big questions that shape the human experience.
Social Science
Examine how researchers study human behavior and social systems, along with the forces that shape our world. Learn how different theories and methods help explain why people and societies act the way they do.
Science
Apply scientific thinking, from asking questions and testing ideas to analyzing data and drawing conclusions based on evidence. Explore how science is applied in the real world and the ethical questions it raises.
Cultural Literacy
Look into cultures, identities, and perspectives from around the world. Consider how people live and communicate, and how they make meaning. Study difference, inequality, and agency in the United States. Understand how power and history affect people’s everyday lives and influence opportunities and outcomes.
Requirements at a Glance
The following Core Ed requirements vary based on the type of degree you are working toward:
- Written English
- For all degrees, students complete Writing 121 and either Writing 122 or 123.
- Areas of Inquiry: Arts and Letters, Social Science, and Science
- For a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts, students complete 4 courses in each category.
- For all other degrees, students complete 3 in each category.
- Cultural Literacy
- For all degrees, students complete 1 course in each category: Global Perspectives and US: Difference, Inequality & Agency.
- Second Language
- Required for bachelor of arts degrees.
- Math/Computer Science
- Required for bachelor of science degrees.
Enrolled in the Clark Honors College?
Students at the Robert D. Clark Honors College complete their core education requirements in a different way. Explore how the graduation requirements work.