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Core Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Though they cover much of the same material as equivalent non-Core courses, Core courses have been specially adapted to the Core structure and theme. For example, the first-year course, ASI 110-120, enables Core students to explore English, history, philosophy, and religious studies in small interdisciplinary seminars and large, specialized lecture presentations. Second and third year Core courses build upon the experiences of the first year, reinforcing and deepening what students have already studied.


No. The first semester of the Core Program is a set of tightly interrelated courses upon which the later courses build.


No. The Core Program consists only of Common Academic Program courses, that is, courses that all students at UD must take in order to graduate.


Select Core as your learning living community during registration for First Year Choices. Selection is first-come-first served and Core is capped at 120 students.


In the first year students take ASI 110-120, a fifteen semester-hour sequence in which English, history, philosophy and religious studies are integrated chronologically and thematically. Courses in the second and third years of Core build upon concepts and methods from the first year and carry Core themes into discussions of contemporary issues. Core faculty work closely together to ensure that students find meaningful coordination among their courses.


The Core Program fulfills many of the Common Academic Program requirements. In fact, the Core Program served as a model for the Common Academic Program. Due to its structure and small size, however, Core can offer much closer coordination of courses and more systematic development of its theme than is possible in other parts of the Common Academic Program.


Core classes are smaller than non-Core Common Academic Program classes and students receive close faculty attention.


There are four second-year Core students who serve as teaching assistants (Core Fellows) for the first-year Core students. There are also Core Residence Assistants in the designated residence hall, and there are Core Special Interest Houses in the student neighborhood that provide academic support and organize social activities for Core students.


No. The 120 students represent a cross-section of new students, with differing backgrounds and abilities. However, many Honors students are also Core students. Core and Honors work very closely together, and you could receive 15 hours of Honors credit for completing Core with a B average.


Core students live together on the same floors in the designated residence hall. Students report that this is the best thing about UD. Because you are taking most of the same classes and living with the same 120 people, you make more friends and receive help when needed.


Faculty teaching in Core are selected on the basis of teaching excellence and interest in innovative teaching. Core faculty have chosen to devote extra time and attention to their Core students and courses.


Each year 120 new first-year students join the Core program. The students are from all of UD's undergraduate schools: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Education, and the School of Engineering. Core is not an honors program. Most students accepted at UD are eligible. Core is designed to enrich the learning experience of any UD student.


The Core Program helps students to understand, appreciate, and critically evaluate historical roots and contemporary expressions of competing values in Western culture and some non-Western cultures. Core faculty help students to see interrelations among courses from different disciplines and to develop skills in critical reflection on ethical, social, and political issues.

Students particularly enjoy the friendships they form in Core. Because they take courses together and participate together in extra-curricular events, they get to know each other well. A special sense of community develops among Core students that enhances both their academic and co-curricular college experience.


William Trollinger
Director, Core Program
(937) 229-2827
Email Dr. Trollinger >>

Or

Marissa McCray
Core and Humanities Visibility Coordinator
(937) 229-5369
Email Marissa >>


CONTACT

Core Program

Marianist Hall
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469 - 0725
937-229-5369
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