This Fall semester the revitalized University Core has launched the new exploration level for sophomore students who’ve come in on our new shared curriculum for all UP students. Each semester moving forward we’ll be offering more ‘X’ courses as additional students come to UP needing to take two X courses before graduating (this year first-year students and sophomores are on the revitalized Core; in 2023–2024 it will be first-years, sophomores, and juniors; and then in 2024–2025 we’ll reach full implementation). The general goal of X classes is to bring together multiple Core habits of heart and mind, embedding multiple ways of knowing from the liberal arts and sciences, to engage students in interdisciplinary inquiry on timely and timeless topics of interest. More information is available for UP faculty and staff on the pilots.up.edu Core curriculum page, and also on the public facing Core website.
If you have a potential interest in, or ideas for, creating new X courses or evolving existing courses in an X direction, we’ll be hosting several information sessions in September prior to the October 1 priority deadline for course approvals through the Undergraduate Core Curriculum Committee (who can also consider other proposals on a rolling basis through the year pending department or program scheduling):
- Thursday, September 15, at 2:30 p.m. in Franz Hall 222: A joint production between the Public Research Fellows program and the Core for purposes of networking across disciplines—finding ways for everyone to connect with the engaged humanities and imagining possible X courses that could come through collaboration.
- Tuesday, September 20, at 4 p.m. via Zoom (https://uportland.zoom.us/j/7284758438) with the Core Director (Andrew Guest) to understand the design of X classes and the process for approval.
- Monday, September 26, at 4 p.m. in Franz Hall 205 with the Core Director to understand the design of X classes and the process for approval.
Also feel free at any time to contact Andrew Guest (guesta@up.edu) for questions related to the Core.