Boston College

Academics

The Core Curriculum

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of a Jesuit undergraduate education is the corecurriculum, a tradition that has been embraced since the school’s founding in 1863.

Although the university has undergone many changes since that time, questions that have traditionally stood at the center of intellectual debate have remained salient. Many focus on issues such as the origin and destiny of existence, the principles of the physical world, the characteristics of human nature, the state of our society, and our attitudes toward the past. Because of the relevance of these questions to all academic pursuits, Boston College has retained its integrated core curriculum, allowing students to examine these questions during their years at the university.

Because each academic discipline examines these questions from a unique perspective, the core requirements are dispersed among the university’s many departments. All students are required to take a full year of theology, philosophy, natural science, social science, and modern European history. In addition, one semester of study is required in fine arts, cultural diversity, English literature, English composition, and mathematics. The College of Arts and Sciences and the Carroll School of Management also require each student to demonstrate proficiency in a foreign or classical language. As students proceed through the core, the above mentioned questions are addressed in depth, challenging undergraduates to formulate and reformulate their positions on the questions and issues that shape their lives.

I had never taken classes in philosophy or theology before, and wasn’t sure how they would complement what it was that I thought I wanted to do. But looking back, I find that my interests (academically, professionally, and otherwise) have changed a great deal since I was a freshman in college. Had I filled my schedule with classes to prepare me for the career I sought when I was eighteen, I would have been quite disappointed when my path eventually changed course. But through the classes I took for the core, I was exposed to ideas that complemented all of the other classes I took in college, and in my grad school and law school coursework as well.

Faculty

One of the school’s greatest assets is the quality of its faculty. Although BC prides itself on its research accomplishments, the professors, lecturers and instructors possess a common characteristic: all are devoted to the importance of their primary responsibility—teaching undergraduates. Unlike other research universities, at which many of the lower-division classes are taught by teaching assistants or part-time faculty, the bulk of the classes required in the core curriculum are taught by full professors who are distinguished in their fields.

Despite the beautiful campus and first-rate facilities, in my opinion, the school’s greatest asset is its faculty. You can tell that the reason they are at BC is because they want to teach undergraduates. My sophomore year, I had a his tory professor who had a reputation as a very tough grader. After receiving a grade on a paper that was lower than I expected, I went to his office to ask him for advice. I didn’t expect the meeting to last more than five minutes. He invited me into his office, and after discussing the paper for a minute or two, he began to ask me questions about my academic interests and the career path I was considering. At the time, I wasn’t sure, and I told him so. His response was brilliant. He said, ‘Well, that’s the reason you’re here! One of the purposes of a liberal arts education is ‘to liberate’ you from the restrictions placed on your ability to learn about the world once you leave school and focus on a career. Use your time here to explore all that you can—you may not have many chances like this ever again.’ I took his advice, and outside of my major, I took classes on Shakespeare, American architecture, Beethoven, World War II, and other areas in which I had a curiosity. That professor and I became close friends, and are still in touch today. Not only did I get an A in his class, the advice he gave me about how to approach my college career was among the best I had ever received.

In lower-division “survey” classes in the history, natural science, and social science departments, classes are taught by full professors in a lecture hall setting two days a week, and are then broken up into smaller discussion groups on a third day. This format allows for general information to be communicated en masse, but also gives students and faculty a weekly opportunity to discuss what has been presented and to relate the material to more specific topics. In departments such as theology, philosophy, English, foreign languages, math ematics, and fine arts, classes are kept small to maximize the student’s ability to comprehend and discuss the subject matter with other students and faculty members alike. As students move from the core requirements to their upper-division electives, they find that the class sizes become even smaller. Each department offers seminar classes in which a professor and small groups of students examine specific academic issues in detail; the departments also allow students to earn class credit for “Readings and Research” in a one-on-one project with a faculty member. A popular cocurricular employment opportunity offered by all four schools is the Undergraduate Faculty Research Fellowships, in which students can earn money as they assist faculty members with their research. Faculty are also instrumental in helping students to win prestigious fellowships and other awards. Course evaluations and surveys of graduating seniors demonstrate that students are quite satisfied with their professors; many have indicated that the student-faculty relationship often transcends the classroom experience, as professors and students develop friendships that last well beyond the student’s graduation.

Academic Resources

Students have access to a multitude of resources to assist them in their academic pursuits. The university’s network of libraries features the Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. research library, along with seven other libraries featuring art collections, rare books, and professional resources for education, social work, and law. These facilities also provide students with access to the Web and other on-line databases and applications, private small-group study rooms, and audiovisual equipment. The Academic Development Center, located in the O’Neill Library, provides free tutoring to students in all subjects, along with specialized services for students with learning disabilities. The Student Affairs division includes several offices that serve students seeking academic support. Included among these is the Learning Resources for Student Athletes office, and the Learning to Learn program, which helps students improve their critical thinking and develop learning skills necessary to succeed in college.

The university has refurbished many buildings on campus to accommodate state-ofthe- art classrooms, laboratories, computer facilities, and meeting rooms providing every student with a learning environment that complements the subject matter being taught. International study provides students an opportunity to integrate their majors with coursework abroad, giving undergraduates a global perspective on their fields. Similarly, service learning allows students to apply their enthusiasm for creating a more just world to their classroom work.