University of Virginia Library

Six Blocks

The primary objective is to
prepare the graduate to analyze
and to cope with human dilemmas.
Mr. Buchanan proposes six
required courses or blocks of
study to satisfactorily achieve a
truly "liberal arts" degree.

The first two suggested
areas of concentration are
expository communication and
logical and statistical inference,
which should be taken the first
year.

Expository communication
requires the student to answer
present day problems by
observation or documented
sources. Videotaped document
and a written report are
submitted by each student.
"These presentations should
give the students experience
with the two media they will
later need to use."

The result of logical and
statistical inference should give
"experience with the processes
by which researchers reach
conclusions." To achieve this
the student would study the
processes of inductive and
deductive reasoning, testing of
hypotheses, and the
philosophies of natural and
social sciences.