Become That Someone Core Curriculum

Department Contact:

Office of the Undergraduate Core Curriculum: 814-471-1173

Interim Director: Dr. Irene M. Wolf

iwolf@francis.edu

Core Curriculum Mission Statement:

Our Become That Someone Core Curriculum guides all Saint Francis University students to develop character, excel in their fields, build communities, and act as globally engaged citizens. Through our Franciscan tradition, the curriculum cultivates a life of constant renewal of mind, heart, and soul fostering the spiritual, physical, and intellectual formation of the student. 

Core Curriculum Vision Statement:

Our Become That Someone Core Curriculum inspires Saint Francis University students to recognize that a better world is possible and provides the tools and foundation to build this better world by addressing the challenges faced by humanity. 

Core Curriculum Goals

GOAL 1:  EXCEL AND LEAD IN YOUR FIELD 

SLO 1a. Develop research, quantitative, and analytical abilities 

SLO 1b. Build effective communication skills 

SLO 1c. Respond to situations in work and life with innovation, flexibility, and problem solving 

SLO 1d. Integrate Franciscan values and ethical frameworks into one’s personal leadership style 

GOAL 2:  BUILD CHARACTER AND COMMUNITY 

SLO 2a. Demonstrate an appreciation of Franciscan values, Catholic Social Teaching, and other religious perspectives, to enhance oneself and enrich the community for the common good of all 

SLO 2b. Demonstrate commitment to holistic self-care, including spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial well-being    

SLO 2c. Analyze and navigate economic, social, and political systems essential to building and strengthening community 

GOAL 3:  FORM A BETTER WORLD 

SLO 3a. Become an informed, open-minded citizen who respects the importance of inclusion and accepts the inherent dignity, individuality, and freedom of every human person   

SLO 3b. Embody a spirit of global solidarity, essential for peace and prosperity, for people and the planet   

SLO 3c. Practice civic responsibility to address global challenges collaboratively and ethically 

FOUNDATIONS:

Foundations courses are the nucleus of the core curriculum. They help students to develop the skills that will be threaded throughout the curriculum, preparing them with the basic elements needed for success in college courses and beyond. Foundational courses include transferrable skills such as written and oral communication, information literacy, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking. They also include an introduction to Franciscan values and service to others, helping students to build a foundation and preparing them to make a difference in their careers, communities, and the world.   

CONNECTIONS:

Connections courses allow students to build on their knowledge and skills, strengthening the foundation while building the next educational level through exploration of different disciplines. They encourage a breadth of knowledge while further developing habits of mind, methods of inquiry, and ways of understanding through different frames of reference and traditions of each discipline. Each course in the connections category has been carefully selected to help achieve the objectives behind the core curricular goals. Courses in this category provide students with an opportunity to apply their skills, knowledge, and diverse ways of thinking to problems and issues challenging us today and in the future.  

INTEGRATIONS :

Integration courses encourage the application of the knowledge and skills gained throughout the core curriculum to one’s future career and life. They help to contextualize all that has been learned in the college curriculum. They encourage students to consider diversity and social justice, democracy, global awareness, and civic engagement.  Students may engage in opportunities to develop stewardship, leadership, or advocacy while guided by Franciscan values and the problem-solving skills they have learned. Integration courses include research, community engagement, experiential learning, internships, and problem-based learning. 

Common Themes Throughout All Three Levels of the Core 

A. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion tied directly to Catholic Social Teaching should serve as common themes reflected in many of the core courses. These topics are seen as essential components of the core and should be discussed at multiple points throughout the curriculum rather than compartmentalized in a separate course. 

B. Transformative Development is a new approach to the wellness concept. Physical, spiritual, emotional, and financial literacy will be addressed. Students will start with modules (between SOAR and orientation) and a summer reading book to introduce these topics. The topics will then be reinforced in CES events taken over multiple years, in small projects/reflections in CORE I, II, and III, and in FTAE 105.

RECOMMENDED COURSE SEQUENCING   

 

	FALL		SPRING
	COURSE	CREDITS	COURSE	CREDITS
1st YEAR	CORE 103	0	CORE104	0
	WRIT102 (Foundations)***	3	FTAE105 (Foundations)	3
	History (Connections)	3	CORE I (Foundations)	3
2nd YEAR	LIT (Connections)		Natural Science (Connections)	3
	CORE II*(Connections)		Philosophy**(Connections)	3
3rd YEAR	Social Science* (Connections)	3	Quantitative Reasoning (Foundations)	3
	Ethics**(Integrations)	3	Fine Arts and Creative Expressions (Connections)	3
	Applied Seminar (Integrations)	3	Language and Culture (Connections)	3
4th YEAR	CORE III (Integrations)	3

COURSE POLICY:

*Students must complete a CORE II course in a different field than their social science course.

** Students are required to complete a course in philosophy and ethics. At least one of these courses must be at the 200-level or above. Before enrolling in a 200-level course or higher in one discipline, students must first complete a 100-level course in the other discipline.

***Students are required to earn a grade of C or higher in WRIT 102 Research Writing to satisfy the university’s standards of writing competence. 

TRANSFER POLICY:

All first-time full-time matriculating students will be required to enroll, at some point in their academic careers at Saint Francis, in the following CORE courses in order to earn a degree: CORE 103, CORE104, CORE I, CORE II, and CORE III. This policy applies without regard to the number of college credits any student may have earned prior to attending Saint Francis University as a first-time student. 

Students who have matriculated on a full-time basis at another college or university prior to attending Saint Francis may be exempt from one or more CORE courses according to the number of credits they have transferred in: 

• Students transferring in more than 14, but fewer than 28 earned credits, excluding AP, College in High school and CLEP credits, are required to take either CORE 103 or 104, but not both. 
• Students transferring in 28 or more earned credits, excluding AP, College in High school and CLEP credits, are exempt from CORE 103, CORE 104, and CORE I. 
• Students who transfer to the university with an associate’s degree will only be required to enroll in FTAE105 and CORE III Junior/senior Capstone to fulfill the core requirements.

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE WAIVER:

International students must show documentation of a TOEFFL score by the Registrar’s Office. Final approval of the waiver by the Office of Academic Affairs based on the report from the Registrar.

A study abroad experience must include a credit-bearing course meeting the languages and culture core course description, and the experience is typically four weeks in a country other than the US. With the approval of the core curriculum director, multiple study abroad experiences may be stacked to meet the four-week requirement.