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THE CORE: FINAL PROPOSAL The following contains the descriptions of each category as it appears in the final core curriculum revision proposal, approved March 2 by the Educational Policy Committee. Core categories appear in bold face, with the suggested course hours per category in parenthesis (current course hour suggestions are based more or less on current practice).. Please note that the document is still a proposal -- it will go before full faculty vote on March 15, 1999. CORE GATEWAY Christian Faith and Contemporary Issues (3) A first-year interim course, with multiple sections, devoted to the delineation of a Christian worldview and its implications for issues of contemporary relevance. CORE COMPETENCIES Research and Information Technology (1) A first-year introduction to the computer and to college-level research skills, making full but discriminating use of current electronic information technology and the resources of the Hekman Library, with a discussion of the cultural impact of computer technology and the ethical responsibilities of its users. Written Rhetoric (4) A first-year course in college-level composition which also addresses the larger issues of writing: rhetorical structure, social context, ethics, worldview, and interpretation; this course serves as the foundation for the college writing program. Rhetoric in Culture (2-3) A category of core courses devoted to the practice of oral and visual rhetoric in contemporary culture which also address the larger issues within these modes of communication: rhetorical structure, social context, ethics, worldview, and interpretation. Foreign Language (3-16) A category of core courses in which a student’s skills in a foreign language are developed to a degree equivalent to a fourth semester college proficiency; normally this means the completion of a 123 or 202 foreign language course. Health and Fitness (3) A category of core courses designed to enhance the physical skills and knowledge requisite for living healthy lives. CORE STUDIES Biblical Foundations, I or II (3) Students must take one introductory or intermediate course in Biblical Foundations. BF I: An introduction to the Bible, studied within its literary, historical, and cultural settings in order to understand its central theological themes and teachings, which serve as a foundation for Christian faith and life. Intended for first or second year students. BF II: A careful and detailed study of a key division of Biblical literature at the intermediate level in which the central issues of canon, authority, and interpretation are also investigated. Students who take the Theological Foundations I course should fulfill this requirement by taking an intermediate course from BF II. Theological Foundations, I or II (3) Students must take one introductory or intermediate course in theological foundations. TF I: A study of basic Christian theology, understood as the central teachings of the Christian church drawn from reflection on the sense and import of the Biblical text. Here basic doctrines are studied in the context of the historical development of Christian thought, with particular attention to the Reformed tradition. Intended for first or second year students. TF II: A careful investigation of a key Christian doctrine or theme at the intermediate level in which the central issues of the nature, task, method, and purpose of Christian theology are also addressed. Students who take the Biblical Foundations I course should fulfill this requirement by taking an intermediate course from TF II. History of the West and the World, I or II (4) Students must take one of the following two courses. HWW I: Beginning with the emergence of the major civilizations in the river valleys of ancient Eurasia, this course traces the development of the world’s chief historical and religious traditions down to the European exploration and colonization of the Americas circa 1500. Primary source readings from various cultures are emphasized, with a common secondary text providing an overview. Intended for first or second-year students. HWW II: Beginning circa 1500, this course traces the rise of Western civilization to prominence in the context of other world cultures in the emerging modern world. Primary source readings from various cultures are emphasized, with a common secondary text providing an overview. Intended for first or second-year students. Philosophical Foundations (3) A consideration of perennial questions pertaining to the existence of God, the basic makeup of the world, the nature, origin, and destiny of human life, the source and status of moral judgments, the basis of justified beliefs, the structure of human knowledge, and the relation between religious faith and human reason. Intended for first or second-year students. Mathematics (3) An introduction to the nature and variety of formal and quantitative structures, to mathematical models and their applications, and to the role mathematics has played in shaping science, culture, and society. The Natural World (8) A category of core studies covering courses designed to acquaint students with the fundamental entities, structures and systems of the natural world and the nature of the sciences that study them. Literature (3) A category of core studies covering courses designed for intensive engagement with works of any literature. The Arts (3) A category of core studies covering courses designed for intensive engagement with music, visual art, film, theater, and the like, attending to both the productive and receptive aspects of the medium selected. Persons in Community (3) A category of core studies covering courses that introduce students to the various components of human identity and behavior within their immediate social contexts, and to the nature of social scientific methods as they apply to the study of persons. Societal Structures in North America (3) A category of core studies covering courses that address the broad social, economic, and political institutions of North American society, as well as the basic concepts, theories, and methods of the sciences that study these institutions. Global and Historical Studies (3) A category of core studies covering courses that deal with issues and developments extending beyond the confines of present-day North America. Included in this category are courses that focus either on 1) the historical development of some nation, region, institution, technology, transforming event, art, or discipline; or on 2) issues of global diversity and interdependence , including the traditions, technology, history, and current status of regions and cultures outside North America, the forces that are working to foster the increasing interrelatedness of peoples and nations, and the means and methods of global cross-cultural understanding and communication. Cross-Cultural Engagement (1-3) A core requirement that can be met by any course of at least one credit hour in which students interact directly with members of a different culture over a significant period of time. Courses fulfilling this requirement may also satisfy other core requirements. CORE CAPSTONE Integrative Studies (3) A category covering upper level courses that seek to draw students into critical reflection upon the deepest assumptions, commitments, and issues in some domain of human inquiry, belief, or practice. Courses in this category would include those dedicated to an examination of ethical and religious issues in the professions; to inquiries into the nature and grounds of scientific or religious belief; to an exploration and critique of ultimate accounts of human culture and society; or, at the most general level, to an inquiry into the relationship between Christian faith and cultural stance. Intended for third or fourth-year students. |
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