Susie P. Gonzalez

210-999-8406

susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu

Trinity University Approves New Curriculum Guidelines

June 24, 2003 – After several years of campus-wide discussion and research, major curriculum guidelines are being implemented at Trinity University.  The changes, which will go into effect for students entering in the fall of 2004, are intended to strengthen academic and intellectual opportunities for faculty and students. “The new opportunities in the revised curriculum capitalize on what we see as the distinctive strengths of the Trinity experience,” says Michael Fischer, vice president for academic affairs. Those distinctions include the University’s broad array of course offerings; the personal attention students receive from faculty in advising and independent work, whether it’s engaging in scientific research, designing a set for a play, or writing a thesis in history; and the University’s location in San Antonio that fosters internships and community service. A Trinity panel that reviewed the curriculum with an eye toward updating it determined that it would not have to “start from scratch,” according to Judith Fisher, chair of the University’s Curriculum Council and an associate professor of English. “We already have a curriculum that is very good – one that provides students with a broad liberal arts education while giving them the chance to specialize in a wide range of majors, including several professional programs not typically available at a university of our size.” Highlights of some of the major revisions to the Core Curriculum include: An intensive summer experience. This addition to the Trinity curriculum will allow faculty to develop innovative, intensive courses not possible during the regular academic year, such as special topic courses, educational tours, and service learning. Interdisciplinary majors. Many Trinity students already double major, often by combining one traditional liberal arts major with a professional program. Under the guidance of a faculty member, students will now be able to pair an existing major with a specially designed interdisciplinary major that will draw on relevant courses in several departments. The senior experience.  Many Trinity students do independent work as seniors; the new curriculum defines it formally as a “senior experience” to round out a student’s education. All Trinity students start with a first-year seminar and end with a “senior” project intended to synthesize what they have been learning and look forward to how their academic career will carry over into their post graduate life. Five Understandings. The new curriculum offers five understandings versus six in the current curriculum. This change offers students more choices and smaller classes by including more courses in the revised understandings. New value is placed on quantitative reasoning, which is now a separate understanding; arts and literature are brought together in a coherent way in a new understanding; and interaction between western and non-western cultural traditions characterizes the new cultural heritage understanding. Trinity University is a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences institution noted for its exceptional faculty and commitment to the comprehensive preparation of its talented student body. It is a learning community that has charted its course with a steadfast commitment to excellence since it was founded in 1869.

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Last updated on July 18, 2003 by the Office of Public Relations