Twenty-two. The maximum amount of core classes a student could take in their time at Fairfield.
That is easily four semesters of five classes each. Without starting on majors and minors.
The core curriculum here at Fairfield is quite possibly the most complained about, as well as most praised aspect of the school. Countless students have found majors through the courses, while others have prayed for them to be over.
According to Fairfield’s website, the “core curriculum emphasizes the importance of a broad liberal arts education, nurturing the formation of students as thinking and caring citizens of the world.”
The website lists Fairfield’s six Core Pathways: engaging traditions, creative and aesthetic engagement, global citizenship, rhetoric and reflection, quantitative reasoning and scientific reasoning.
While Sacred Heart University and Quinnipiac University both have three areas of focus, other comparable universities have a pass/fail system for their core classes.
When it is all said and done, is it really worth it to the students?
On Fairfield’s blog “The Stag Spotlight,” there are four alumni that have made testimonials that the core was a vital aspect of their time here.
Christine Henchar Reed ’90 states on the blog, “Without sounding overly dramatic, the core curriculum changed my course of studies and career trajectory.”
Jessica (Michael) Harrell ’04 wrote, “For me, the ‘requirement’ to be well-balanced has served me well.I am more comfortable in a variety of situations than I would have been without the experiences of my core classes.”
However, not all students agree. Kevin Bachman ’13, a Religious Studies and Communications major and Marketing minor, takes a slightly less enthusiastic approach.
“It helped me realize what I didn’t want to study at all, but I kind of knew that to begin with,” he says. “It helped me learn some cool stuff but it didn’t help me pick my major. It also didn’t help my GPA at all.”
Andrew Kringas ’14 agrees.
“I feel that the core curriculum at Fairfield is a little bit over the top,” he says. “The fact that I am in a biology class and a philosophy class as an International Studies major for my second semester as a junior is ridiculous.”
Mary Galterio ’15 has felt a certain pressure from the core in her first two years here. While she acknowledges her experience “wasn’t bad,” she admits she was confused by it at times.
“I ended up taking too many unnecessary classes and now I am behind and still left with no major,” Galterio says. “I also feel like there are too many requirements, each time I check one off I learn of a new one.”
Alexandra Tarabour ’13 sees a brighter side to it. A Communications and Environmental Studies double major, she chose her majors in a “round-about” manner.
She was immersed in environmental studies freshman year when she took an Environmental Science and Chemistry Energy “cluster class.”
“Our class size was relatively small, definitely less than 15students, and the majority of them all lived on the same floor as me in Regis. We became such a close-knit group of friends that having two, two and a half hour classes a week was somehow enjoyable,” Tarabour says. “After taking that course I decided to declare my minor in Environmental Studies.”
Freshman Giana Postiglione is feeling the pressure of the core already. In her first two semesters, she has taken 10 core classes and one towards her major. However, her calculus and Spanish core classes led her to declare a minor in both Mathematics and Spanish.
Admitting that she actually likes the core curriculum, Postiglione thinks it “could be minimized a little and still give the same positive effect that the Jesuits and administration hope for.”
Timothy Smith ’13, an Accounting and Finance double major, believes the core “gives you exposure to things outside your major to make you a more rounded student.” However, he believes the administration should reevaluate the core in order to tailor it more for life and success outside the classroom.
“I think a course in public speaking or some offerings that better prepare students for success in the real world may be more beneficial than the traditional arts and sciences core courses,” Smith adds.
In the end, the core may not be about how you do in the classes, but what you take from them.
Check out these past Mirror articles about the core:
http://fairfieldmirror.com/2012/09/19/fairfield-u-an-apple-with-a-rotten-core/
http://fairfieldmirror.com/2010/10/27/the-real-core-unmasked/
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