Pace Undergraduate Catalog (Page 54)

Undergraduate Catalog 2004-2006

[table of contents] [academic programs] [index]

54 University Core Curriculum UNIVERSITY CORE CURRICULUM The Core Curriculum, a program of study in the arts and sciences, is central to all undergraduate degrees at Pace University. Many students might ask why half their credits are taken in the core before beginning a major program of study. Below are some answers to consider: • Core courses, regardless of a student’s major, address fundamental problems and issues in the arts and sciences. These courses consider these themes from diverse perspectives and approaches, and ensure that Pace graduates achieve competency in a variety of skills that are sought by employers and are needed for graduate-level work. A strong liberal arts education is necessary for virtually every career. • Students will develop abilities that are essential to success in college study and in careers. They include: Critical thinking Problem solving Analysis Technological competency Effective writing and communication skills Quantitative reasoning Global, national and international perspectives Historical, literary and artistic approaches Scientific inquiry • Core courses are enriching, intellectually and person- ally, and will prepare students to become lifelong learners, better able to respond to the inevitable changes and challenges of their professional and personal lives. The University Core Curriculum seeks to balance: • Western and Non-Western ideas and experience • An understanding of diversity with an appreciation of the need for community • Classical ideas and works with emerging voices • Global views and issues with national perspectives and concerns • Social responsibility with individual responsibility • Technological literacy with human social interaction. Beginning in the fall of 2003, Pace University instituted a new and innovative Core Curriculum designed to promote active learning, student success, and faculty- student interaction. The new core encourages a wide variety of course offerings taught with interactive methods that foster deep learning. Features of the new core include: Community building Social responsibility and civic engagement A focus on student learning outcomes Choice and flexibility The Core Curriculum is composed of three distinct and integrated areas, each of which allows for flexibility and choice, so students can fulfill the core according to their individual abilities and preferences: Section I, Foundational Requirements, ensures that Pace graduates achieve competency in a variety of communi- cation and quantitative skills. Students entering Pace with a strong background in English, language, or computing may be eligible to place out of some foundational requirements by taking proficiency or placement exams. Students who need additional work and support in these vital skill areas will find the help they need through this series of coursework. Section II, Areas of Knowledge, offers broad exposure to a variety of approaches and perspectives in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, and to different modes of analysis and understanding. These courses are intended to develop a sense of social, civic, and global awareness and responsibility. In the required Civic Engagement and Public Values course, students will apply the theories they learn in the classroom to a real-life need within the community. Students will reflect upon the experience, and consider their role as educated citizens and as problem-solvers. Community-based learning is consistent with Pace University’s longstanding tradition of applied, experien- tial, and interactive learning, and our commitment to fostering an engaged campus. Section III, Inquiry and Exploration, is an area where students have free choice to complete a minor or concentration, take courses of special interest, or auxiliary courses for their majors. Other core requirements that fit into one of the three sections include: • A Learning Community, in which students and their professors experience a purposeful, coherent and integrated learning environment together in linked or interdisciplinary courses. • Two Writing-enhanced Courses, in which students will strengthen their writing and communication skills while learning course content. Students who matriculated before September 2003 will complete the core curriculum that was effective during that time. For further information about the University Core Curricu- lum, visit the core Web site, available from the Pace home page. NOTES ON THE UNIVERSITY CORE (see also “Placement” in the Academic Policies and Regulations section of this catalog) Completion of Foundational Requirements New students are required to complete ENG 120 by the time they attain 30 credits and, in addition, must complete the remainder of the Foundational Requirements of the University Core within 66 credits.

NOTE: Information contained herein was compiled prior to June 2004 and is accurate as of that date. Subsequent changes may occur with respect to University programs, curricula, requirements, rules, regulations, policies and procedures, which are not reflected in this catalog. Enrollment shall be subject to and governed by such changes.

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