The current core curriculum, Clare College, has been the guideline for students’ general education since 1998. Now a new core curriculum is to be set in motion beginning fall 2017.
Phillip Payne, the chair of the new general education committee, explained that Clare College is great, but change is inevitable.
“Clare was a good gen ed, but this is the nature of curriculum,” said Payne, chair of the history department. “Curriculum… needs change and periodically it is important to overhaul and refresh curriculum.”
The new core education does not have a name assigned to it yet, but Payne said it is going to coincide with the school’s mission, address concerns brought up with the current general education and fit the new learning goals.
Franciscan identity is one of the courses added to the new curriculum addressing what it actually means to showcase Franciscan values and emphasize the university’s mission.
The student body’s concerns were heard when the committee was working on what the new curriculum has to offer, resulting in two diversity classes being offered in the new general education tract.
Among the new courses offered is the technology requirement which is to be phased in over a two-year span.
“We live in the 21st century, and it is important to focus on information, literacy and technology,” said Payne.
Payne went further in depth about the changes, saying there will be a period in time where both Clare College and the new general education will be offered at the same time.
Students have to be able to complete the curriculum they were admitted under, which will cause for a transitional period until the new curriculum is the only one available.
Once the new curriculum is offered, students will be able to choose whether they want to stick with Clare College or go into the new core curriculum.
Payne advises students considering going into the new core curriculum to talk to their advisors and see which would be more beneficial to the student. Students in their junior and senior year may not want to switch to the new curriculum due to amount of time it would take to complete it.
Current students get to give a helping hand in how the distribution of the new classes will be weighted.
There are several sub-committees, chaired by faculty and one student, that focus on a different subject covered by the new curriculum, determining which classes between either general education tract are interchangeable and how many credits each class is worth.
Students new to the Bonaventure community who would potentially be the most affected by the new curriculum have voiced concerns about the changes.
Timothy Walter, a freshman Spanish major, said he is slightly frustrated with the curriculum changes.
“Someone should explain what happens to the kids that want to follow the new course but have already taken several of the classes from the Clare courses offered,” said Walter.
The committee, chaired by Payne, addressed this concern while developing the new curriculum by wanting the introduction of the new tract to be as smooth as possible.
Some of the Clare classes will overlap with those in the new core education, which will act as substitutes for classes in the new tract if a student chooses to undertake it.
Payne and the committee point out the value of education is equal between both general education options and that the new one is still taught by the same professors and at the same institution.
“I am excited about the new gen ed courses and I think it is going to be good,” said Payne. “We are offering new courses and building upon the successes of Clare College.”
fieldsbj14@bonaventure.edu
