Running Head: CASE STUDY #1

Case Study #1
Monica L. Cano
Loyola University Chicago

CASE STUDY #1

At the heart of any institution's foundation is their core curriculum. The core curriculum consists of what the
college or university finds valuable for students to learn or be exposed to beyond their major. The common core provides a
unifying intellectual base for students. In this paper, five different higher education institutions and their respective
curriculum will be highlighted. The goal is to expose both commonalities and differences among the various common
requirements from the five learning establishments.
The first university is Elon University, ranked the best southern university and number one for study abroad of
master's level institutions. According to the most recent academic bulletin, this midsize university requires first year
foundations in English, Mathematics, and The Global Experience (a seminar style course on 21st century issues). There are
also requirements in experiential learning and world language. Over the course of four years, students must also complete
two courses in each of the following topic areas: Expression, Civilization, Society, and Science/Analysis. This set of
courses makes up the studies in the Arts and Sciences core with the addition of two more courses in any of the previous
areas to provide a more advanced level of study in one of the areas outside of a student's major. In order to tie together the
core experience, a final interdisciplinary capstone seminar is the final component of Elon's curriculum.
http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/catalog/14-15Academic%20degrees.pdf%20.pdf
Georgetown University is a private Jesuit university with a small undergraduate student body. Most of the core
curriculum requires a minimum of two courses per subject at Georgetown. The subjects with that requirement are History,
Philosophy, Theology, Math/Science, and Social Science. On the other hand, writing and a broad topic area entitled
Humanities, Arts, Literature, and Cultures, require only one course each. Additionally, all students are required to complete
as many courses as necessary for them to reach mastery of a foreign language at the intermediate level.
http://bulletin.georgetown.edu/college/#GeneralEducationRequirements
The Common Curriculum program at Loyola University New Orleans requires the same language fluency. Similar
to Elon's program, there is also a first year seminar. The introductory common curriculum consists of the seminar, and one
course each in English, History, Math, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Science Process. After students have completed
those requirements, they are introduced to the advanced common curriculum. This curriculum asks for a course in Creative
Arts and Cultures, Ethics, History, Natural Science in Context, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Social Science, and Writing
about Literature. http://2014bulletin.loyno.edu/undergraduate/common-curriculum
Fordham University is another Jesuit liberal arts university. The core curriculum for their Lincoln Center includes
four Eloquentia Perfecta seminars, one of which will be a capstone Senimor Seminar. There are two courses, respectively,

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for English Composition and Literature, Philosophy, Theology, and Natural Sciences. Foreign language to an advanced level
of fluency is required for all students, except those in the sciences. One course each is expected in Mathematics, History,
Social Sciences, and the Fine Arts. Two additional courses in either Literature, History, or the Social Sciences, along with a
capstone course. Rather uniquely, Fordham also specifically requires courses in American pluralism and global studies.
http://www.fordham.edu/info/21687/core_curriculum
Goucher College's Liberal Education Requirements program has a strong connection to the first year experience
through it's Frontiers seminar course and Connections (a continuation of the orientation process). The first year foundations
also recommend college writing proficiency and foreign language study. At least one course in perspectives (Social
Sciences and Natural Sciences), mathematical reasoning, artistic/creative expression, textual analysis and critical
perspectives, understanding diverse perspectives, study abroad and environmental sustainability are all required. As with
the other schools, foreign language study is required to at least the intermediate level.
http://catalog.goucher.edu/content.php?catoid=3&navoid=620#Requirements_for_the_Bachelor_of_Arts_Degree
A majority of the schools presented (all but one) included the foreign language requirement in their curriculum. In
Fink's (2013) model of significant learning, language fluency in a second language would fall under application.
Specifically, learning another language is a skill that can be somehow evaluated to signify different levels. Elon University
(2014) summarized the importance of this skill in particular stating, Learning another language encourages engagement
with other cultures and enhances one's ability to participate meaningfully in local, national, and international settings (p.
37).
The commitment to learning languages reflects an underlying recognition of a rapidly globalizing culture. As
Fordham University pointed out, education should mold leaders and activists who serve in multiple communities,
addressing global issues as well as local. For this reason, Fordham incorporates classes designated under Global Studies and
Elon's Global Experience course. One goal of these types of courses being offered in programs, is to provide students with
chances to connect topics from the classroom to their every day lives. This relates to Nilson's (2010) emphasis on making
information concrete for students. Fink (2013) also pointed out that significant learning experiences are tied to teaching in
ways that make issues relevant to students.
Furthermore, a seminar style course (utilized by a few of the universities) goes beyond merely presenting the
issues, it allows students to engage in a meaning making process that has a greater impact. The specific emphasis on 21 st
century problems, like Elon University's, contributes to facing the challenge of developing individual and social

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responsibility in our students (National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, as cited in Fink, 2013,
p.17) through meaning making. These seminars in particular enforce the human dimension and application forms of
significant learning. On the other hand, some of the seminars mentioned in the core curriculum were particularly interested
in preparing students for the liberal arts college experience. These particular seminars were more closely interested in
Fink's goals of learning how to learn and integration. Of course, the intentions of the various seminar topics and styles are
not mutually exclusive; there is a great deal of variation.
Consequently, mention of the first year curriculum highlights the differences in the very structure of the core
curriculum at the five universities. Certain programs, like Georgetown and Fordham, have no built-in structure to guide
students through the core. It appears that the implicit assumption is that students are all beginning with the same level of
foundational knowledge. In contrast, some programs like Loyola University New Orleans, have tiered core curriculum
programs going from introductory to advanced. The university is attempting to build the foundational knowledge that the
student brings to their college experience by ensuring that basic levels are met in competencies like writing and math.
Incidentally, something particularly interesting was the rationale for the courses included in the core. Some
universities provided overall statements tying the courses to the mission of their program with a general lists. Others
provided in depth explanations about the courses themselves and their importance or relevance. The only one to really list
learning goals was Elon University. The reasoning behind the core curriculum also ties the previous subject of ensuring
certain foundational knowledge versus furthering learning in other capacities. However, what really stuck out from the Fink
(2013) reading was the lack of coherency between professionals regarding critical thinking. Most professors said they were
working to improve the critical thinking skills of students without being able to clearly define it themselves. Repeatedly in
my research on the core curriculum, I found references to critical thinking in course descriptions or core curriculum
overviews.
The real question is how are those programs and courses actually refining students' critical thinking skills or
meeting established goals like those of. In general, there seemed to be a lack of information on how learning was to be
carried out at some institutions. Although, there were references to some of the important active learning methods Fink
(2013) discussed like small group work, writing to learn, and service learning mentioned. It was impressive to note Elon's
experiential learning requirement and Goucher's study abroad requirement. The commitment to such strong learning
experiences was one that should have been included in all of the universities.

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5
References

Elon University. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/catalog/1415Academic%20degrees.pdf%20.pdf

Goucher College. (2012). Retrieved from http://catalog.goucher.edu/content.php?