Core Curriculum at Springfield College

Springfield College has a new Core Curriculum, effective in Fall 2020. This curriculum is designed in faithfulness to the Springfield College mission and to further strengthen the Humanics philosophy of educating students in spirit, mind, and body. It is the cornerstone of a Springfield College education. Regardless of your major, it provides a strong, developmental, and holistic foundation for leaders in service to humanity. Upon completion, you will all be prepared to learn, lead, and serve in diverse, multicultural, and global contexts as well as in any career path you may choose. You will have the knowledge, habits of the mind, skills, and abilities to face unexpected situations and challenges, the values and attitudes for self-motivation, and a vision of service that stems from hope, optimism, and making a difference, as well as the self-determination, to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

There are five components of the Core (download a guidebook here):

Springfield College Seminar (SCSM 101) is our first-year seminar. All students take this course as an introduction to the Core Curriculum, to Springfield College, and to being a college student.

Foundations for the Future and Understanding the World courses build students’ skills as careful, creative thinkers who know how to think about the world: Foundations for the Future courses include writing, literature, quantitative reasoning, and wellness. The Understanding the World courses engage you in coursework in scientific reasoning, spiritual and ethical perspectives, aesthetic expression, and historical and social literacy.

In your Themed Exploration, you will choose a theme to explore in depth and take three courses that challenge you to think about that topic from a range of interdisciplinary perspectives.

Your Signature Work project in your major capstone/seminar course will help you think about the overlap between your Core Curriculum and your major course of study.

The Wellness Passport is a co-curricular part of the Core, where you put into practice your wellness goals. After completing your 300-level wellness course, you’ll complete 48 stamps of wellness activities.

Allison Cumming-McCann

I hope that students will learn to take pleasure in doing intellectual work and to develop confidence in their own ideas. I hope students learn to live the mission of the College and gain the skills necessary to be conscious, critically thinking, engaged, successful cititizens, students, and leaders.

Anthony C. Hill

[I'm looking forward to] working with brightminds who are beginning their journey as college students and are in pursuit of 'truth' and how to effectively live out the Humanics philosophy. I want students to read and critically engage with the content, have the courage to share their viewpoints, be able to gain insight from complex and difficult topics, and learn more about various aspects of their identity.

Chris Hakala

I hope students take away the idea that there are many different ways that any given topic can be examined. And, I hope students leave my course with a level of intellectual curiosity that will serve them for the rest of their college career. They should consider the faculty as partners in the learning experience and they can reach out to me anytime for support.

Jill Giebutowski

I'm looking forward to creating a strong cohort as a part of students' first-year experience. I hope students will develop a curious habit of mind and examine their assumptions.

General Education Program