Letter from the Director
Prof. David Eckel is shown here leading a CC102 seminar discussion. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky.
Prospective students and their families often ask me to explain in a few words what makes the Core such a special program. I say that we deal with “Great Ideas, Great Minds, Great Books, and the Great Questions of Life.” We grapple with some of the greatest texts that have ever been written – texts that raise deep questions about human life. We explore the nature of friendship, what it means have a longing for home, how to deal with tragic disappointment, and how to live what Socrates calls “the examined life.” Elie Wiesel, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a lecturer in the first-year Core Humanities, says: “Questions unite us, answers divide.” Our texts do not dictate answers; they just raise the questions. By grappling with these questions, we learn to measure ourselves against some of the greatest minds in human history.
The Core experience begins in small seminars where a small group of students work closely with faculty to explore the meaning of classic texts in the Humanities and Social Sciences and to plumb the significance of major discoveries in the Natural Sciences.
Core faculty are drawn from departments across the College of Arts & Sciences. They bring a tradition of intellectual excellence to the Core, as well as a commitment to lively and challenging teaching.
When students talk about their experience in the Core Curriculum, they mention not only the sense of intellectual excellence and their love of classic texts, but also the feeling that the Core is a lively and nurturing community. To hear how Core students reflect on their Core experience, click here. To learn more about Core activities and cultural events, click here. To take part in our conversation about the great questions of the Core, visit the Core Blog.
We hope that this website will introduce you to one of the most exciting programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. We invite you to join us in a project of lively and thoughtful exploration of the sources that shape our lives as human beings.
Cordially,
Professor M. David Eckel, Assistant Dean of CAS
Director of the Core Curriculum