GEORGIA ENGLE
The Redesign Task Force, composed of 25 professors, faculty and students, is restructuring the USF undergraduate core curriculum. The Task Force is nearly finished designing the two proposed models. A main goal of this redesign, according to the task force, is to “articulate a signature Jesuit experience that will make a USF education distinctive.”
In order to accomplish this, they have reorganized USF’s core learning goals to coincide with various Jesuit tenets. These include, but are not limited to communication and collaborative engagement, which is related to the Jesuit tradition “eloquentia perfecta” or clear and effective communication, and an approach to scientific reasoning that is “inspired by the Jesuit commitment to infinite truth, goodness, and beauty— ‘finding God in all things.’”
The two proposed models have a hybrid approach of distributive and integrative models that total 36 core credits instead of the current 44 core credits. Right now, USF has a full distributive model in which general education requirements provide students with schooling in various disciplines regardless of their major. Integrative models are generally interdisciplinary, but are organized by theme, competency or skill.
Louise Goupil, an associate professor of biology and chair of the task force, explained that a distributive model is often seen as a, “checklist.” She continued, “It is most important that this redesign is student centered. The current core is 20 years old, we want to make it relevant for students today.”
The first proposed model is a 2 to 7 approach, two core classes will be integrative and seven will be distributive. The two integrative courses will be taken the first year a student is at USF. The second model is a 3 to 6 approach. Again, the first two cores will be taken during the first year, but the third core will be taken during a student’s final year at USF.
Currently, students must take philosophy, ethics and theology separately. But in the proposed 3 to 6 model, the core is called “Ethical Inquiry” and students can choose if they want to take philosophy, ethics or theology.
Golden Gateway: City as Classroom, is a class that was created for both models. This integrative course would be a required “interdisciplinary course that uses San Francisco as a classroom.”
Sociology professor and former President of Faculty Association Mike Webber, has some concerns about the proposed models. “More options, another model, it needs to be bolder and imaginative,” said Webber. “I’m concerned about the overall purpose and design. They are only reducing the core by 4%.”
This redesign will be piloted in the fall of 2026. It will most likely be a small group of students who will try the new model, eventually expanding to the entire undergraduate body.
On April 9, the task force will meet with the ASUSF senate to discuss the proposed models, which is open to all students. “We are doing this for you and want your feedback,” said Goupil.
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