The New Core: An Overview

“Fordham affirms the value of a Core Curriculum rooted in the liberal arts and sciences. The University seeks to foster in all its students life-long habits of careful observation, critical thinking, creativity, moral reflection and articulate expression.”

— Fordham University Mission Statement

What's NEW in the New Core? Changes in the new Core to come into effect starting 2009-2010: • The Core is now designed to unfold over all four years of the undergraduate degree. • There is a reduction in the Language requirement from five courses to four. • There is a new required course in Understanding Historical Change. • There is a new capstone course. In addition to the Values Seminar, students must take an Interdisciplinary Seminar. • There is a new distributive requirement: students must take 4 eloquentia perfecta or EP courses. These courses are limited to 19 students and devote 20% of class time to exercises designed to help students’ writing and speaking. The Freshman Seminar and Texts & Contexts will be EP seminars in the first year, and the Values Seminar will be an EP seminar in the senior year. • Students are encouraged to take one Service Learning course in the Core. List of Courses in the New Core * = change as summarized above Introductory course Composition & Rhetoric (1 course, with 1 semester of preparation if necessary) Introduction to Disciplinary Ways of Knowing & Concepts Freshman/Sophomore Courses Mathematical/Computational Reasoning Natural Science (2 courses, Physical Science and then Life Science) Philosophy of Human Nature (possible EP-1*) Faith & Critical Reasoning (possible EP-1*) Fine & Performing Arts (possible EP-1*) Foreign Language & Literature (1 course, with 1-3 semesters of preparation) Text & Contexts (EP-2*) Understanding Historical Change* (possible EP-1*) Social Sciences (possible EP-1*) Advanced Disciplinary Study Philosophical Ethics Sacred Texts & Traditions Advanced Disciplinary Courses in Literature, History, and Social Science (2 courses) Capstone Courses Interdisciplinary Seminar in Literature, History, and/or Social Science (1 course)* Values Seminar (EP-4*) Distributive Requirements Eloquentia Perfecta Seminars (4 courses, 3 at first)* Global Studies American Pluralism Service Learning (optional)* Further Reading For detailed descriptions of the courses in the new core, see: Executive Summary of Toward 2016 - Fordham's Liberal Arts Core Curriculum (PDF)