The Common Core (also core curriculum or the Core) is the University of Chicago's implementation of the Great Books program for its college. These courses cover topics in the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and sciences. It forms the general education requirements for the college and uses the Socratic method to teach critical analysis of original texts. The purpose of the Core is to provide a common intellectual experience for all undergraduate students regardless of their major. It is also associated with Chicago's highly academic culture and its reputation for rigor.
The Core was founded on the principles of educational perennialism by Chicago President Robert Hutchins and philosophy professor Mortimer Adler in the 1930s. It has been modified and expanded in order to address the accusation of deifying Dead White Men, but in essence it is still as it was originally intended: a broad introduction to the best thinkers of Western Civilization through original source material.
Famous quotes containing the words common and/or core:
“Academic and aristocratic people live in such an uncommon atmosphere that common sense can rarely reach them.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“Avoiding humiliation is the core of tragedy and comedy.”
—John Guare (b. 1938)