2008 Woodie Awards
Anniversary of core curriculum
Carol Anne Autry
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: News
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Banners and posters sprinkled around campus celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Core Curriculum. Writings from Aristotle, a speech describing a personal memoir and debates over a Bible passage are all memories students have from their Core Curriculum courses.
Some students may look at the banners and wonder what the university is celebrating. The school is celebrating it's classes: Cultural Perspectives, Communication Arts, Biblical Perspectives and Concepts of Fitness and Health all make up the Core Curriculum that every Samford student is required to take.
In 1996, former Samford President Thomas E. Corts asked professors to devise an interdisciplinary program that every Samford student would be required to take before graduation.
The first attempt, Corner Stone, failed because it was too expensive for the amount of students Samford educates. The Core Curriculum was a simpler yet more effective system that preserved the ideas of an interdisciplinary education. Samford used columbia University and the University of Chicago as models for their core curriculum.
Before Samford established the Core Curriculum in 1997, Samford used the "Chinese menu" technique. Under this program, the school required each student to take a class in history, math, English and science, calling it a general education.
"This idea works for large state schools, however, we are a smaller school, the idea of the Core Curriculum is that every student is engaged in a common culture and exposed to new ideas," chair of the history department John Mayfield said.
Cultural literacy, communication skills and critical thinking are the three ideas that make up the Core Curriculum. Mayfield said that it engages every student in the same ideas, at the same pace. Mayfield believes that every American student should experience the teachings of Plato, Locke, Aristotle, and Socrates.
"Students often complain about Core Curriculum classes, saying that giving speeches does not pertain to nursing. However, it brings together the freshman class, uniting them with the same assignments and ideas," Mayfield said.
Some students may look at the banners and wonder what the university is celebrating. The school is celebrating it's classes: Cultural Perspectives, Communication Arts, Biblical Perspectives and Concepts of Fitness and Health all make up the Core Curriculum that every Samford student is required to take.
In 1996, former Samford President Thomas E. Corts asked professors to devise an interdisciplinary program that every Samford student would be required to take before graduation.
The first attempt, Corner Stone, failed because it was too expensive for the amount of students Samford educates. The Core Curriculum was a simpler yet more effective system that preserved the ideas of an interdisciplinary education. Samford used columbia University and the University of Chicago as models for their core curriculum.
Before Samford established the Core Curriculum in 1997, Samford used the "Chinese menu" technique. Under this program, the school required each student to take a class in history, math, English and science, calling it a general education.
"This idea works for large state schools, however, we are a smaller school, the idea of the Core Curriculum is that every student is engaged in a common culture and exposed to new ideas," chair of the history department John Mayfield said.
Cultural literacy, communication skills and critical thinking are the three ideas that make up the Core Curriculum. Mayfield said that it engages every student in the same ideas, at the same pace. Mayfield believes that every American student should experience the teachings of Plato, Locke, Aristotle, and Socrates.
"Students often complain about Core Curriculum classes, saying that giving speeches does not pertain to nursing. However, it brings together the freshman class, uniting them with the same assignments and ideas," Mayfield said.