(Page 2 of 21) - Teaching Cultural Perspectives to Future Army Officers at West Point authored by Forest, James.

Introduction
The United States Military Academy – commonly referred to by its geographically-related
shorthand “West Point” – is a truly unique institution of the higher education landscape of the
United States. As training grounds for future officers of the United States Army, West Point
maintains the highest standards of academic, military, and physical education. Students who
attend this institution are uniquely dedicated to the principles of service and discipline, and are
among the most qualified high school graduates attending any academic institution in the United
States.

This paper describes the unique, multidisciplinary goal-based approach to curricular

design and assessment at West Point, focusing on the structure, process and content of student
experiences that contribute to the achievement of the Cultural Perspectives goal. Clearly, gaining
an appreciation for culture has never been more important than in today’s globally
interdependent environment. This discussion will first provide an overview of the unique
institutional context and the Academic Program at the Military Academy. This is followed by a
description of one of these goals – developed a cadet’s cultural perspective – which covers issues
of definition, goal development and implementation, and student outcomes assessment. Thus, the
conclusion of this paper draws some important lessons we have learned from our
multidisciplinary efforts in developing our student’s cultural knowledge.

I. The Institutional Context
West Point was the first service academy in the United States, established by Congress in 1802.
With its focus on service to the nation, the curriculum at West Point has been modified at various
times to meet the anticipated future needs of the Army, the nation, and higher education. Once
almost exclusively focused on civil engineering – providing the foundation for service in the
Corps of Engineers and Field Artillery – the curriculum now balances the physical sciences and
engineering with the humanities and the social sciences to lay the educational foundation for
commissioned leadership in the 21st Century Army.

West Point maintains a commitment to educational excellence, and achieves the highest

standards in collegiate education. West Point has graduated 56 Rhodes Scholars, placing it
squarely in the same league as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Princeton Universities. Our Model
United Nations team is ranked top in the nation, and the Engineering department has been rated
among the top five in the nation for decades. The Military Academy is accredited by the
Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and
the engineering and computer science programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology.

While many excellent colleges and universities have educational goals similar to those of

the United States Military Academy, the institution’s relationship with the U.S. Department of
Defense adds a dimension that makes West Point unique. As the sole institution of higher
education in the nation whose primary responsibility is to educate cadets for career service as
professional Army officers, West Point incorporates a dynamic, challenging, and integrated
curriculum, organized around a set of interdisciplinary goals drawn directly from Army needs.
Toward this end, the purpose of the curriculum is to set the intellectual foundation for a lifetime
of service as a commissioned officer in the Army and – like other aspects of the West Point
experience – is designed to inspire and foster development in leadership, moral courage, and
integrity essential to such service.