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 Alfred J. Finch, Jr., Ph.D., ABPP
Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences Colonel, SCM al.finch@citadel.edu  |
During the last three years, I have talked extensively about our efforts to increase the multicultural awareness of our students and to help them develop a global perspective. In fact I have talked so much about it that one alumnus recently requested assurance that we maintain the core curriculum. He stated that he had found the required courses he had to take at The Citadel to be some of the most useful. This article will focus on the core curriculum which I like to think of as the corps curriculum. Just as all cadets at The Citadel go through similar experiences in the corps; all cadets experience a similar core curriculum.
The notion of a core curriculum goes back to the ancient Greeks who proposed a “curriculum” to educate citizens to be knowledgeable, moral leaders. The curriculum was designed to be what free men, as opposed to slaves, should know. Thus the term liberal education means what free and moral leaders should know and has no political implications. At The Citadel the core curriculum provides this part of a cadet’s education. The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) teaches approximately 65% of the core curriculum and is one of the major players in it.
What should be the goals of the core curriculum? Numerous articles and papers have been written on this topic and I will not attempt to review them or even reference my sources as they have combined into and influenced my own way of thinking about the topic.
First an educated (free) person must be able to think and write clearly and effectively. The courses offered in the core curriculum by SHSS are writing intensive with many of them requiring oral presentations. Most students arrive at the college level without the skills to communicate their thoughts and ideas in a clear and precise manner. The development of these skills is a difficult and time consuming process. Although data are not available from graduates of The Citadel, recent research indicates that only 25% of American college graduates are deemed proficient from a literacy point of view. In addition to the tireless energy of the faculty, The Citadel is fortunate to have other resources available to our students. Thanks to funds from the Foundation, The Citadel has been able to conduct regular workshops for the faculty on incorporating writing across the curriculum. Similarly thanks to generous donations from donors and the support of the Foundation, we have other helpful resources. The Center for Writing and Learning Strategies has served as an invaluable resource for our students in polishing their writing skills. An Oral Communications Laboratory has been established and a Toast Masters International been made available on campus. These resources have greatly enhanced our students’ development of communication skills.
The core curriculum should help develop a critical appreciation of the ways we gain and apply knowledge and understanding of ourselves, our society and our universe. Specifically we want students to develop skills in acquiring information and understanding how to make decisions based on this information. Students are required to study the methods of not only the social and physical sciences but also the methods of history and languages. Regardless of what our alumni do after leaving The Citadel, they need to know how to acquire information and make informed decisions in order to be effective, principled leaders.
The third goal of a core curriculum is to help students develop an understanding of, and experience in thinking about, moral and ethical problems. Although a specific course in philosophy or ethics is not required in The Citadel’s core curriculum, ethical decision making is discussed and explored in many of the courses throughout the curriculum including English, history, psychology, political sciences, criminal justice, ROTC and others. Recently through the efforts and generosity of an alumnus we have been able to sponsor a series of seminars on legal and ethical issues in the military as another way of infusing our curriculum with ethical decision making.
A contemporary core curriculum must be global and must provide students with exposure to the ideas, beliefs, and experiences of other cultures. Graduates can no longer conduct their lives without a greater understanding of the world at large. The belief in this principle of the core curriculum has been the stimulus for a number of the new programs that we have developed in the last three years.
Finally, the curriculum of a college should provide the opportunity to develop a depth of knowledge in a specific area – the major. At The Citadel, we offer a wide variety of majors and each student is required to concentrate in at least one of these areas. The big question that we will need to address in the next few years is the amount of time that one needs to spend on the area of concentration verses the amount of time required in the core curriculum and the amount of time available for electives. The debate over this issue is likely to intensify in the next few years and has already become a major issue on campus.
The debate over the allocation of time for study in the major area as opposed to the core curriculum and electives is a clashing of cultures and belief systems. Generally the “professional” schools end up on one side of the debate while the more traditional arts and science faculty are on the other. Issues of accreditation are in conflict with issues of liberal education and the core curriculum. Emotions run high and each side of the debate feels its position is correct. As we move forward, how we address this debate, will determine the future of not only The Citadel but its graduates.
I will close by paraphrasing Roger Smith, the former CEO of General Motors who said that a liberal education may be the most important type of education because it helps people learn to tolerate ambiguity and bring order from what appears to be confusion. We strive to give our students these skills and to continue to develop them in our self.
