1. What is Core II - the International Core?
2. How does
Core II (International Core) compare to Core I (Distributive
Core)?
3. What's different about the International Core?
4. What is meant by the subtitle, "Integrated Studies of
the Contemporary World?"
5. Who Chooses the International Core (IC)?
6. Is all the work done in the classroom?
7. Can I change to the other Core if I want to?
8. What do Core II students, faculty, and alumni have to
say?
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1. What is Core II - the International Core?
The "International Core: Integrated Studies of the Contemporary World"
(or Core II) is one way to satisfy the "core requirements" of your
"general university requirements." In Core II you will take thematic
courses that are international in content and perspective,
interdisciplinary in approach, and usually team-taught by faculty from
varying disciplines. This is different from Core I, where you can take
a sampling of courses in different academic disciplines - arts,
humanities, social and natural sciences - (referred to as the
"distributive" core.)
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3. What's different about the International Core?
The International Core offers a unique opportunity to prepare for
living in the Twenty-first Century. It will enable you to:
*Explain the historical origins of world trends,
*Describe general international/global issues,
*Understand how one issue is related with others,
*Apply ethical frameworks in evaluating alternative responses to the
issues,
*Consider the role of the United States in global issues.
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4. What is meant by the subtitle "Integrated Studies of the
Contemporary World?"
Core II classes are different from other classes
in at least three ways:
The topics considered in Core II are fundamental issues facing us
and our global neighbors. After the freshman Core II courses, which
expose
you to the development of Western thought (with points of intersection
with the non-Western world), the remainder of your Core II courses will
focus on global issues of themes rather than academic disciplines.
You'll study topics like poverty, war and peace, gender, and images of
self and world, rather than more traditional subjects like history or
chemistry.
You'll learn from a team of two teachers in most Core II classes,
teachers who can relate the topic of the course to their special
fields of knowledge. You could study poverty for example, with an
economist and a philosopher. The teachers also enjoy learning from
each other, and from you.
You'll do your integrative learning within a smaller learning
community, and will get to know each other well. You will struggle
together to comprehend issues and seek solutions from multiple
perspectives.
Remember, too, that all Integrated Studies courses are designed as
core courses exclusively; you will never have to compete for attention
with students who are majors in the field.
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5. Who Chooses the International Core (IC)?
All kinds of students from all kinds of majors are drawn to the IC.
Each year about 15% of the freshman class choose to start the program,
and they tend to be students who want to do more for themselves than
just "get core courses out of the way." They want to be part of a
conversation about how our world is changing, and how it should change.
They want to explore their own sense of self and the role they might
personally play in changing the future. IC students are regular PLU
students, just as the teachers are regular PLU professors, but both of
them are also people who want their learning to be a little different.
Does this sound like you?
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6. Is all the work done in the classroom?
Lots of people get credit in the International Core for a semester or
year spent abroad, in London or Athens, in Jamaica or China, in Cuba or
Scotland, to name a few possibilities. Even in the classroom, students
are as likely to work in small groups or set up and lead poster
projects as they are to read and write in a traditional learning
format.
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7. Can I change to the other Core if I want to?
Yes. If you decide for whatever reason that Core II is not your thing,
you can transfer credits to Core I (traditional distributive core). (If
you are undecided in the beginning, be sure to start in Core II because
it is easy to transfer credits from Core II to Core I, but not the
reverse. Students tend to stay in the program, not because they're
stuck there, but because they like it.
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8. What do Core II students, faculty, and alumni have to say?
Sarah Stauffer, major History, minor English, secondary education,
class of 2000-
"Many of the courses that have profoundly influenced my life have been
those within Core II. The provocative topics, the departmentally
integrated and team-taught nature of the classes, and the emphasis on
inquiry, self-exploration and discovery are invaluable aspects of Core
II."
Karen Weathermon, major English, minor biology, 1983 PLU; Ph.D.
English 1999-
"Core II was easily one of the most influential parts of my PLU
education. It was challenging and exciting to explore topics "outside
the box" of traditional disciplinary courses, to see connections, to
puzzle over contradictions and to see faculty also engaging in
discussions and debates over ideas.
Robert Stivers, Professor, Religion Department, PLU-
"Increasingly, human problems are becoming global in scope with
solutions requiring the input of many ways of thinking. The
International Core (Core II) is both global and integrated, and
prepares students for the world they will face in the coming decades."
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