Knowing the difficulty to address vocational expectations and intellectual growth need of students, core curriculum fulfills students’ desire to pursue their interests independent of the requirements of their majors. Courses taken in the core program give students the opportunity to expand their knowledge into disciplines beyond their major to explore ideas and learn skills that will help them become open-minded thinkers without which they cannot become the problem solvers in their civic and professional lives.
Core program strives to show students that, no matter how different they are, disciplines such as literature and physics, or philosophy and cognitive science intersect in their concern for common issues that have to do with individuals, societies, and the world. The core curriculum shows students that their individual actions have consequences in local, national, and global levels, and invites them to evaluate the ethical implications of these actions. It prepares students for civic engagement and enables them to respond critically and constructively to change – social, cultural, scientific, technological and otherwise. It aims to make students ask the very personal question of the duties and obligations, as well as the privileges, rights, and responsibilities of civic and ethical agency in a dynamically changing world.
The core program’s knowledge areas are listed below:
Detailed information about the core program is available at the Core Program web page.