How does Core work?
The Core Program is an interdisciplinary course. This means that you will study a number of different subjects in an integrated manner. Rather than taking a separate course in English, History, Religion, Philosophy, Science, etc., our Core Program combines the study of these subjects in a meaningful whole. How does this work?
Common Presentations
The faculty teaching in Core come from a number of different academic disciplines (majors, if you will) and together they plan the curriculum for the semester. Each segment of Core combines a common presentation for the whole class, and the faculty teaching in that Core. Most often this is a lecture given by a faculty expert. It might also be a film or video, or perhaps a panel discussion or one act play. There are a number of occasions when a guest lecturer from another college or university will make a presentation. On a number of occasions, we have also had a guest lecture from an individual who brings life experience to our students.
Core lecture presentations are held twice a week (for most Cores). Junior year Core students meet three times a week for lectures. These lecture presentations are held in our state of the art auditorium, complete with some of the latest in multi-media presentation software and hardware.
Discussion Sections
Following the Core presentations, students then meet in their registered discussion section. These discussion sections are composed of 16-18 students who meet with a professor to talk about the readings and lecture. The emphasis in this part of Core is discussion--learning how to interact with different people and ideas.
It is also in the discussion section, that writing assignments, tests and quizzes are given. In several of the Core discussion sections, students may also lead their class discussion or give presentations to their discussion group.
To find out more about the content of each Core, please check out the Core syllabi.
