The core curriculum of any college or university is the heart of its undergraduate academic experience. As St. Thomas’ course catalog states, it helps to instill "an appreciation for the life of the mind and the joy of learning."
The University of St. Thomas stands out as having an extensive and prescriptive core curriculum. The undergraduate core curriculum is designed to foster liberal learning, moral and ethical development, career preparation, and understanding of the natural and social worlds of which we are all a part. Students study theology, philosophy and the arts. They take courses focused on ethics, literature, language, and culture. Other fundamental aspects of the core curriculum include engaging the community through service learning, exploring the natural world through inquiry-based assignments, and learning to understand and engage in social and historical analysis. The core curriculum integrates ideas across disciplinary boundaries and, ultimately, helps students to become lifelong learners possessing the knowledge, sensitivities, and skills needed in order to live moral, meaningful, and fulfilled lives.
St. Thomas is striving to create an endowment to support core-curriculum activities permanently. This effort could include components such as a first-year experience, pedagogical innovation, co-curricular activities, and capstone "bridge" courses.
A first-year experience would assist freshmen as they make the transition from high school to college and begin to achieve their educational goals. St. Thomas could connect the first-year experience with community-based learning activities or other activities designed to help bond students to the St. Thomas mission and to each other as a freshman cohort.
Innovation in pedagogy, or teaching methods, is vital to the undergraduate experience because it enhances the ability of students to learn. Faculty members must continually improve their teaching techniques and methods by conducting pedagogical research, attending teaching workshops and offering innovative courses to students. Funds for this might support research, travel to workshops, and innovative classroom approaches that require additional support.
An abundance of activities that are linked to the core-curriculum themes of liberal learning, moral and ethical development, and career preparation can be orchestrated for the campus community – specifically students. These activities might include, but would not be limited to, speakers, lecture series, workshops and seminars, and Student Affairs-organized events.
Capstone bridge courses are taken during a student’s senior year and are designed to tie the Catholic intellectual tradition to specific majors. They provide graduating students with reflection and perspective on their individual programs of study in relation to theology. Funds are needed for the development of more of these courses and to allow planning for team-teaching between theology faculty members and other departments’ faculty members to occur.