{"id":86457,"date":"2025-03-10T12:11:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T16:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/?p=86457"},"modified":"2025-08-25T12:12:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:12:48","slug":"the-humanity-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/the-humanity-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"The Humanity Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Steve Holt<\/h6>\n

For Sophie Klein<\/span><\/a>, a recent discussion in her section of \u201cThe Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World\u201d (CC 102<\/span><\/a>) exemplifies the relevance of CAS\u2019s <\/span>Core Curriculum<\/span><\/a> to life today. Klein\u2019s class had been reading Aristotle\u2019s Nicomachean Ethics<\/em>, in which the philosopher unpacks the concept of eudaimonia, which loosely translates to \u201cthriving\u201d or \u201cliving well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out what this idea of \u2018thriving\u2019 means, and what it is that humans ideally and actually do<\/em>,\u201d says Klein, a senior lecturer in the Core Curriculum who also teaches in the department of classical studies. \u201cWhat are we supposed to be doing<\/em>, so that we can know if we\u2019re thriving when we\u2019re doing it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The class conversation took a turn in a direction Klein wasn\u2019t expecting: to artificial intelligence. How does AI enhance, or diminish, human wisdom and thriving? ChatGPT might provide a shortcut in completing an academic paper, but at what cost? Aristotle, the class concluded, would say there\u2019s value in the struggle to complete a task, and even in failure.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Relying on ChatGPT] would optimize your time, it would optimize your efficiency, it would maybe even write better than you could,\u201d Klein says. \u201cBut you\u2019re not developing that resilience\u2014that ability to develop and hone a skill set through intention, effort, and practice\u2014which is what Aristotle spells out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sophie Klein teaching “The Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World” (CC 102) in Spring 2024<\/span>. Photo by Doug Levy for Boston University Photography.<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the kind of wisdom students mine every day from the Core Curriculum, a carefully curated sequence of liberal arts courses in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences that BU students can opt into to help them think critically and meaningfully about the world. Students can earn a <\/span>Core minor<\/span><\/a> by completing the two gateway humanities courses (CC 101 and 102) and at least four of the other humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences courses. Students who maintain a B+ average in their Core courses and complete a substantial capstone project or paper can graduate with Core honors.<\/p>\n

AI may not have been an existential reality when the program began in 1989, but Core faculty say the readings\u2014whether Virgil or the Gospel writers or Frederick Douglass\u2014offer students relevant insights to every generation. In its 35 years, Core has matured into a sought-after community of learners from across the University, many of whom are seeking wisdom for today from history\u2019s great minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a really special thing to get to sit down with a group of students, many of whom are first year, and spend time thinking about these eternal questions and listening to one another and getting a chance to have that community of people you\u2019re going on this journey with,\u201d Klein says. \u201cIt\u2019s very energizing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Students in “The Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World” (CC 102) in Spring 2024. <\/span>Photo by Doug Levy for Boston University Photography.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An Integrated Curriculum<\/h4>\n

In circulating proposed plans for a Core program, a 1988 memo to CAS faculty described \u201can integrated curriculum with a sustained exposure to great works of literature, philosophy, religion, and the arts\u201d that \u201ccontinue to speak to us today.\u201d The optional Core Curriculum would consist of up to six courses (and a handful of electives) covering the philosophical and natural arc of history, from the Earth\u2019s origins through modernity.<\/p>\n

Students\u2019 guides for the epic journey range from Homer to W.E.B. DuBois, with an objective of building a \u201ccommunity of readers, thinkers, and creators\u201d who are ready to \u201cmeet the challenge of our present moment.\u201d BU offers two first-year Core courses in the natural sciences: \u201cOrigins: The Cosmos, Earth, Life, and Human Beginnings\u201d (CC 111) and \u201cScience, Reality, and the Modern World\u201d (CC 212), followed by two social sciences courses in year two. Core has not changed much since its advent 35 years ago, according to program director <\/span>Kyna Hamill<\/span><\/a>. But its popularity has grown since 1989, from roughly 150 students to 250 today. Hamill, a master lecturer, says around one in five first-year students opts into the program today, coming from almost every major at CAS\u2014and beyond.<\/p>\n

\"Netiva
Kyna Hamill, master lecturer and drector of the Core Curriculum, and Netiva Sinha (CAS\u201925) at the top of the Florence Duomo during a Core trip to Italy in January 2025. Photo courtesy of Kyna Hamill.\u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI just taught my class this morning, and they\u2019re students from Questrom, COM, linguistics, English, data sciences,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are very few classes at BU where you\u2019re going to have that diverse population of fields and study that are all reading the same book. Because these books can be read from so many different points of view, each student is invited to read it from their particular interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Hamill says that where many students may be drawn to Core for the intellectual pursuit, they stay for the community. Students can choose to live in specialized Core housing, attend experiential learning trips to Florence or London, and use the Core office as a hangout between classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of the students say \u2018this is where I found my people,\u2019\u201d Hamill says. \u201cWe have students sitting outside [in the Core office suite] that met in first-year classes, and now they\u2019re juniors and seniors and are hanging out together all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Students in “The Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World” (CC 102) in Spring 2024. <\/span>Photo by Doug Levy for Boston University Photography.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An Instructor’s View<\/h4>\n

Klein, who is in her sixth year at BU, teaches three humanities courses in the Core curriculum: \u201cAncient Worlds\u201d (CC 101), \u201cThe Way\u201d (CC 102), and a 300-level course in which students can reimagine a favorite Core reading in a new digital format. \u201cThe Ancient Worlds\u201d course opens with <\/span>The Epic of Gilgamesh<\/span><\/i>, considered the oldest text in recorded literature, dating to as early as 2100 BCE.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[Gilgamesh] is a hero who\u2019s two-thirds god,\u201d Klein says. \u201cSo, what does it mean to be two-thirds god and one-third human?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From there, CC 101 students read Homer\u2019s <\/span>Odyssey<\/span><\/i>, Thucydides\u2019 <\/span>Peloponnesian War<\/span><\/i>, Sophocles\u2019 <\/span>Ajax<\/span><\/i>, Euripedes <\/span>Hecuba<\/span><\/i>, and the Hebrew Bible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got sacred texts, we\u2019ve got mythological texts, we\u2019ve got dramas, we\u2019ve got history,\u201d Klein says. \u201cI tell students you have to know what you\u2019re signing up for: There\u2019s going to be a lot of reading, but then again <\/span>there\u2019s<\/span><\/i> going to be a lot of reading<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Klein says that despite having read all of the texts many times, she gleans something new in every discussion she has in class. She recalls class during the COVID-19 pandemic that they met weekly at 8 a.m. on Zoom. Logging on from their homes as far away as Hong Kong, Germany, and Brazil, the students grappled with what the texts said about grief, love, and friendship\u2014discussions that frequently turned to what students were living through at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Student in “The Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World” (CC 102) in Spring 2024. <\/span>Photo by Doug Levy for Boston University Photography.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the takeaway of this class, isn\u2019t it? The texts are beautiful and it\u2019s lovely to read them and think about them, but they only continue to be meaningful if they give you a way of thinking about the present time,\u201d Klein says. \u201cThere has to be a sense that we are reading these in order to have more perspective, to have clear eyes, to have a partner in meaning-making for what we are doing today.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Alum\u2019s View<\/h4>\n

A former English major with a PhD in American poetry, Liz Jones-Dilworth (CAS\u201902) now owns a marketing and design firm, JDI, whose clients are mostly science companies. \u201cOne quick scan through our lengthy <\/span>design portfolio<\/span><\/a> would show you how art and science and writing come together in my world,\u201d says Jones-Dilworth, who credits Core\u2019s emphasis on both the humanities and natural sciences for giving her a fluency in both worlds.<\/p>\n

\"Don
\"\" Top Photo: Liz Jones-Dilworth (right) met four of her best BU friends in the Core, including Bethany Gumper (CAS\u201902); Bottom Photo: Elizabeth Milnes (CAS\u201902), Liz Jones-Dilworth (CAS\u201902), Professor of Philosophy C. Allen Speight, David Gelles (CAS\u201902), Bethany Gumper (CAS\u201902), and Matthew Parker (CAS\u201902) at the Core banquet in May 2000 (r-to-l).\u00a0<\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jones-Dilworth\u2019s meaningful experiences in Core are almost too many to list: She met four of her best BU friends in CC 102; her sophomore year roommate was her CC 101 study partner; she worked in the Core office, was a Core writing tutor, and videotaped Core science lectures; and she edited the Journal of the Core Curriculum<\/em> and served on the banquet committee.<\/p>\n

So when she had an opportunity to give back as founder of the Core Alumni Council, she didn\u2019t hesitate. The council works to connect current students, professors, and alumni. Recent and upcoming events include a gathering for students on entering the job market and a book club for Core alumni in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Core Alumni Council is manifesting the community that the alumni feel so strongly with each other,\u201d Jones-Dilworth says. \u201cTo go through Core is a unique experience; anyone else who has chosen that path is automatically intriguing to me and I feel I have some kinship with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Student\u2019s View<\/h4>\n

Core was one of the main reasons Netiva Sinha (CAS\u201925) came to BU. Sinha, who is from Bangkok, Thailand, was looking for a university in the US where she could pursue STEM and the humanities in the same place. She was drawn to BU for the smaller Core class sizes and the opportunity to read and discuss texts she would have regretted missing. Initial uncertainty about her decision subsided as the neuroscience major connected with her Core colleagues in and outside of class, as well as in the Core office, where Sinha worked beginning in her second year.<\/p>\n

\"Netiva
\"Core\"Friday Netiva Sinha (CAS`25) with her Core friends on campus (middle), in Florence (top), and at a Core tea event (bottom). Courtesy of Netiva Sinha.<\/span><\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sinha, who says she\u2019s \u201cfound her place at BU and within Core,\u201d adds that she\u2019s been drawn to the engagement with her classmates on the questions more than the answers. The engagement is all the richer because of the diverse array of students Core attracts.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is taking their life experiences, what they\u2019ve taken from the class, other classes, other topics, their own personal interests, and they\u2019re bringing that to class,\u201d Sinha says. \u201cThe discussion is the most valuable thing you can get from the class. It\u2019s not about the answer, it\u2019s about the fact that people are contributing everything they\u2019ve learned, everything that makes them human, into that discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four years on, Sinha has picked up\u00a0a <\/span>Core minor<\/span><\/a> and says she is convinced \u201cscience is just another field we use to understand ourselves as humans.\u201d She says she is applying to teaching master\u2019s programs with the hopes of becoming a high school biology teacher.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this interdisciplinary, holistic approach to science from Core, I feel like I\u2019ll be able to translate that into the classroom,\u201d Sinha says.<\/p>\n

\n
The Core Curriculum<\/strong><\/h6>\n
First Year<\/h6>\n

Term I<\/strong>
\nCAS CC 101 Core Humanities I: Ancient Worlds (4 units)
\nCAS CC 111 Core Natural Sciences I: Origins: The Cosmos, Earth, Life, and Human Beginnings (4 units)
\nTerm II<\/strong>
\nCAS CC 102 Core Humanities II: The Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World (4 units)
\nCAS CC 212 Core Natural Sciences II: Science, Reality, and the Modern World (4 units)<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Second Year<\/h6>\n

Term I<\/strong>
\nCAS CC 201 Core Humanities III: Renaissance, Rediscovery, and Reformation (4 units)
\nCAS CC 221 Core Social Sciences I: Making the Modern World: Progress, Politics, and Economics (4 units)
\nTerm II<\/strong>
\nCAS CC 202 Core Humanities IV: Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Modernity (4 units)
\nCAS CC 222 Core Social Sciences II: Unmaking the Modern World: The Psychology, Politics, and Economics of the Self (4 units)<\/p>\n

Students pursuing a Minor in Core Independent Studies to build on the academic program will also complete the 2-unit capstone course, normally in the third year of study:<\/strong>
\nCAS CC 350 Core Capstone (2 units)<\/p>\n

Other Core Courses<\/h6>\n

CAS CC 220 Multimedia Encounters with Core Texts (2 units)
\nCAS CC 318 Public Speaking (4 units)
\nCAS CC 320 Multimedia Encounters with Core Texts (4 units)
\nHUB CC 182 Cocurricular: The Core Docent Program II (2 units)
\nHUB CC 192 Cocurricular: Collegiate Publishing Workshop: The Journal of the Core Curriculum (2 units)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Steve Holt For Sophie Klein, a recent discussion in her section of \u201cThe Way: Antiquity and the Medieval World\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20263,"featured_media":84680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[547,195],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86457"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20263"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86457"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86458,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86457\/revisions\/86458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}