“This is Butler.”
Quick Facts
Schools and Degrees:
Five colleges emphasizing liberal arts
Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music,
Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Pharmacy, Master of Arts, Master of
Business Administration, Master of Music, Master of Science
Over 60 majors offered
New “Butler University Core Curriculum” approved by Faculty, 9.04
188 faculty of 275 voted; approved by a vote of 154 – 34 (88% approval)
Philosophical Principles:
“We take the broadest goal of liberal education to be to develop students’ capacities to lead a good life; one characterized by knowledge of self, consideration for others, engagement in local and world communities, aesthetic discernment, enthusiasm for the life of the mind, and passion for life’s work.”
Goals of “core education at Butler should have the following characteristics:”
» Embody the University’s mission of “fostering a stimulating intellectual community built upon interactive dialogue and inquiry among faculty, staff and students.”
» Core curriculum should “encourage shared educational experiences,” while allowing faculty and students to pursue particular interests and aptitudes.
» All five colleges should share ownership of the core curriculum and “integrate its values, skills, and goals into the major programs in ways that can be assessed.”
» All five colleges should commit faculty to teach in the core.
» There should be central oversight of the Core Curriculum program “in order to provide advocacy in administrative discussions, to facilitate staffing, and to ensure ongoing consistency with our philosophical and pedagogical goals.
» “Because there are elements of the Butler core that are distinctive, we should place limitations on the amount of the core that can be satisfied by AP or transfer credit, making allowances . . . .”
» “In order to convey the central importance of the core in the education of our students and to better build the academic community, we should construct a core that can be taught largely by tenure stream faculty. We should recruit, hire, and develop a tenured faculty sufficient in number and equipped with the necessary skills to teach the core while maintaining the integrity of the major programs.”
Other Defining
Characteristics of the Core Curriculum:
» Structured by “Learning Objectives rather than Disciplines”
» Integrated with Majors
» Teaching and Learning in Community—interactive learning
» Principle of Limited Choice—some requirements have limited options, others are given a “Menu” of wide choice for satisfying them.
» Learning Objectives identified for each requirement.
» Core Administration described.
» Staffing described.
» Pedagogical principles outlined: “interactive learning,” “coherent, incremental learning,” integrate education and experience,” “creative active learning,” “on-going practice of skills,” “assess learning often and give prompt feedback,” “respect diverse talents,” “increase formal contact with students,” “share core’s liberal arts orientation with students as part of framework for particular classes.”
Core Structure
Overview
1. The
First-Year Program (8 hours, first year, limited choice sequence)
Signature program of the first year, includes “big questions,” value of liberal education, reading texts critically, writing, writing process, oral communication.
2. Physical
Well-Being (2 hours, any year, menu)
Develop habits of good health.
3. Methods
of Analytic Reasoning (3 hours, first two years, limited
Capacities for quantitative and analytic reasoning; centrality of these capacities in natural and social sciences; recognize applications.
4. Inquiries
in Experimental Science (4 hours, any year, limited choice)
Develop an understanding of experimental science and a capacity to reason scientifically; experience first-hand the scientific process method through discovery-based learning; to gain awareness of some significant scientific theories and achievements.
5. Questions
of Value (3 hours, any year, limited choice)
Develop the ability to recognize ethical questions and to discover the moral dimensions of decisions one makes; reflect on the nature of moral judgments and their relation to human nature, cultural difference, religious traditions, and subjective preferences; develop capacities for moral reasoning and argumentation, and to learn how such capacities can be used in ordinary life.
6. Perspectives
on the Creative Arts (3 hours, first year on, menu)
Develop cognitive and affective appreciation of artistic creation; participate actively in the creation of an artistic product; reflect on the nature and sources of aesthetic value; develop habits of participation in artistic and cultural events.
7. Inquiries
in World Cultures (6 hours, second year, limited choice)
Engage in reflection about and investigation of cultures different from their own; explore these cultures using a variety of sources and disciplines (e.g., art, literature, religion, philosophy, geography, social and political history); recognize both the value and challenges of cultural diversity.
8. Inquiries
in Science, Technology, and Society (3 hours, second to senior
year,
menu)
Understand ways in which science and technologies impact cultures, societies, economies, and political systems; understand the social, cultural, economic, historical, and political factors which influence the development and application of science and technology; understand major achievements and issues in science and technologies; gain critical awareness of how scientific theories and technologies are related to broader societal issues.
Additional Core
Curriculum Requirements (taken in “any part of the university”, no exemptions):
» Writing Across the Curriculum Requirement—one course
» Indianapolis Requirement—one course; engagement with community
» Service to Community Requirement—one course; service learning
» Butler Cultural Community Requirement—eight cultural events
Total Credit Hours in Core Curriculum:
32 hours plus “additional Core Curriculum Requirements”
Total Credit Hours to Graduate:
Varies by major and college: 120 to 136
Percentage of Core to Total:
24 – 27%,
plus additional three courses and eight cultural events
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