Recently, there has been some talk about future changes in the core curriculum. The liberal arts core currently includes 18 courses of diverse classes from various disciplines of study. These classes are structured to incorporate the Jesuit education model and to form well rounded individuals by exposing students to several academic areas. These classes also allow students to explore certain aspects of different majors and to get a feel for classes that may pique an interest in a future career.
And while there are options to gear the core more towards a specific major, the core generally allows students of all majors to be well-rounded and educated in fields other than their specific area of study.
While talk of change is just beginning, there is an interest in the topic by both faculty and students. On Wednesday, March 15, the Student Government Association (SGA) president Maggie Ritter ’17 sent out an email with a survey informing the student body about potential future changes and asking for opinions on how faculty could make the core better.
“If you take this survey you can ensure your voice will be heard in the process of re-imagining the curriculum,” Ritter wrote in the email. “If you have any frustrations or praises with anything in our current curriculum that you want to have known, please let us know by filling out the form. We would love to hear your thoughts and opinions in this pivotal time.”
“I think that the core is an important part of a Loyola education because it exposes students to several areas of study, but I think that the core is too extensive with the upper level classes. Taking one course in each area would be sufficient in figuring out where your interests lie” said Kristen Doyle ’19.
“I believe that the core is really helpful for those who do not have a major. Taking courses in different areas, other than my major, is interesting, but at times seems to be a bit excessive” said Megan Lynch ’20.
Changes to the core are in the preliminary stages of being discusses and reviewed. There is no consensus on what change to the curriculum would look like, how it would affect current students who are still working through their core, and which departments would be affected.
“I do not know much about the current state of the discussions regarding the curriculum. This was referred to a committee of faculty (student and administration representatives are on it as well), but I do not know where they are at this point. I would also say that there is no way to tell what, if anything, will in fact change and/or the timeline at this point. So much of this is still up in the air” said Dean Douglas Harris, the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
If you would like any more information regarding any potential changes, look out for any updates on the Greyhound website. If you would like to share your opinions or give helpful input for any potential changes, you can contact SGA at [email protected] and look out for future surveys.
