Students will spend approximately 50 hours in required core classes during their four years at Fairfield, a requirement many students complain is too extensive, too time consuming and too irrelevant to their interests.
When it comes to this huge component of the curriculum, there is no shortage of student opinion, many of which seems in favor of change.
“I think the core is good because it introduces you to different things…but there are just too many requirements,” said Julia Hermanowski ’09.
“Because of the core I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do, which was double major in Spanish and International Business,” said Allison Abreu ’08. “With two different core requirements in the business school and the College of Arts and Sciences, it’s almost impossible to combine majors from each, which is frustrating.”
Change is in the works, as University Fr. President Jeffrey von Arx, has also expressed criticism about the core curriculum, although the change he calls varies a bit from that expressed by students.
“Even something as excellent as general education in the Jesuit liberal arts curriculum stands in need of improvement. I have long thought that the core curriculum at best is too much of a menu selection – one from column A, two from column B”, he said in his inaugural address in October 2005.
Thus, change is in store for Fairfield’s core curriculum and integration is the buzzword. Plans are currently underway to implement strategies to make the core a more integrated coherent curriculum, a change that could dramatically transform the nature of these classes as whole.
The integration of the core curriculum is the first of three initiative set forth in von Arx’s strategic plan; it is an integral part of his long-term vision for the University and will greatly influence the undergraduate experience.
A working committee, facilitated by associate professor of economics Kathy Nantz has been assigned and is actively evaluate strategies with which to implement this goal.
The integrative learning project centers on fine-tuning the core curriculum in order for meaningful connections to be made horizontally amongst the core disciplines, as well as vertically in relation to the major, according to Nantz. This coherence will help students more fully appreciate how the core curriculum relates to their education as a whole.
Nantz said that much of the recent effort that has been made has been to “introduce faculty and staff to what integrative learning is all about; to help them build on what is already taught and make connections.”
Community-building and informative events, a retreat, a speaker, and numerous conversations amongst faculty members of various disciplines were all cited by Nantz as ways her committee has engaged faculty and staff with this vision of integrative learning.
She hopes that these efforts have already instigated change within classrooms, but concrete adjustment of curriculum will occur on a more gradual basis. During the upcoming spring semester, faculty learning communities will begin collaborative work on re-designing courses to align with this new vision.
English professor Mariann Regan supports this initiative and recognizes a lot of ways that her English courses could tie in well with other disciplines, particularly sociology and politics, because of a focus on society’s structure and history.
“Knowledge is separated into disciplines just for order,” said Regan. “There is a natural integration, it’s the logistics of it that can be difficult.”
Providing students opportunities to have reflective moments to analyze how their core classes have mattered is a significant goal of this project. According to Nantz, this would give students, “…an opportunity to stop and think and write; to look at what they’ve done and think about making connection with it.”
The committee is looking at ways to prompt such reflective moments, possibly through the implementation of 4 year portfolio project or a capstone course for students.
“…Integration has important implications for understanding oneself as a whole person and a responsible moral agent,” said von Arx said in his inaugural address.
“Learning needs to go on on both sides,” Nantz said in regard to the importance of both faculty and student involvement in this effort.
The spring semester will comprise of a more concentrated effort on the committee’s part to introduce students to this initiative. While some student input has been collected via classroom focus groups already, Nantz said the upcoming semester will include more student focus groups, surveys and information tables.
As of now, students seem largely unaware of the changes that are underway. However, many concerns still revolve around the extensive amount of core classes required, something not directly addressed by the initiative.
“I guess that could be good, but the core is definitely large enough already,” said Fenton.
“I don’t think a change is really necessary. It’s fine how it currently is,” said Evan Brard ’07.
“I think that all sounds great,” said Abreu. “But maybe they could work on making the core more concise as well as coherent.”
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