Case Study #1

Allison Schipma
Curriculum Development in Higher Education
Loyola University Chicago

Case Study #1
For this assignment I was very intentional when choosing five higher education
institutions core curriculum to compare and integrate with the selected readings. The arts have
always been a passion that resonates deeply with my experiences, so I chose a couple of
institutions that had academic programs based heavily on the performing arts as well as
institutions that had more traditional academic coursework. Comparing and contrasting these two
types of institutions was not only interesting, but will be beneficial when looking to create a
diverse and meaningful curriculum later in the semester. The institutions that this case study will
be looking at are the following: The Tisch School of the Arts in New York, The Julliard School in
New York, Columbia College in New York, The University of New England in Maine and the
University of Chicago in Chicago.
The Tisch School of the Arts is located in New York and has distinguished alumni in
various areas of the arts including artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Spike Lee. Their core
curriculum consists of two core classes, Art in the World whom students take in their first year
during their fall semester as well as The World Through Art which students take in their first
year during their spring semester. The classes are structured as a lecture once a week and then
two workshop sessions as well. These core classes are based heavily on reading and writing. The
main focus of these classes is teaching students how to read complex texts for an understanding
of their arguments, and how to write well-reasoned essays supported by evidence.
(http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/object/curriculum.html)
The Julliard School is another world renowned institution located in New York. The
Julliard School has a highly competitive pre-college program, but offers distinguished B.F.A and
B.M. degrees as well. Like Tisch School of the Arts, Julliard has very notable alumni such as

Kevin Spacey and Patti LuPone. In terms of core curriculum for the Julliard School, students are
expected to begin a three semester core curriculum program. This three semester core curriculum
track consists of three components. The first component of this track is a course called Ethics,
Conscience, and the Good Life. The second component is another course that a student is
eligible to take once they complete the first course; this course is Arts and Aesthetics. The final
course in the three semester core curriculum is a type of writing workshop related to their area of
discipline or an elective course that is offered. The electives offered for students range from art
history, to literature, to gender and philosophy courses. The Julliard School created the core
curriculum based off of the intention that ...students refine skills in reading, writing, speaking
and critical thinking, learning to communicate with greater clarity and effectiveness.
(http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/liberal-arts)
The final institution based in the performing arts that was selected for this case study was
Columbia College New York campus. Columbia College describes their core curriculum as Not
only academically rigorous but also personally transformative for students.
(http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/) Columbia Colleges core curriculum has four different
pieces. Within their curriculum students are required to complete a Science requirement, a
Global core requirement, a Foreign Language requirement and a Physical Education
requirement. For the science requirement students are expected to complete three courses, with
one mandatory course being the Frontiers of Science course. The Global core requirement only
requires two courses from two different genres of courses. One of the genres in which
students can choose from offers courses that focus on a specific culture and that cultures
development over time. The other genre of courses offers courses that focus on several world
settings and cultures and their relation to each other. For the Foreign Language requirement,

students are expected to complete a second term of an intermediate language sequence, or they
have the option to test out of that requirement based on either their SAT score or placement tests
offered through the university. It should also be noted that if English is not registered as your
first language, you are able to fulfill this requirement. Finally, the Physical Education
requirement requires one class entitled Physical Education C1001 and the passing of a
swimming test or enrollment in beginners swimming. If a student plays a sport, they must
register that as a class that counts for one credit- but this credit does not count towards their
Physical Education requirement.
One of the institutions that did not identify as an arts performance school was the
University of New England. The University of New England has four different core requirements
that are broken down into a four year track. In their first year, students are required to choose
from a set of Environmental Awareness courses. Within their second year, students are
expected to enroll in course that falls under the Social and Global Awareness category of the
core curriculum requirements. In their third year students are required to complete a course that
falls under the Critical thinking- Human responses to problems and challenges category and in
their fourth year students enroll in a course that will fulfill the Citizenship and Civic
Engagement requirement. The University of New England frames their core curriculum with the
intent that you will gain essential skills of critical thinking and communications that will help
you achieve your educational goals no matter your field of study.
(http://www.une.edu/cas/programs/core-curriculum)
The final institution that I chose for this case study was the University of Chicago. Since
the University of Chicago is a well-known institution I was curious to see what their core
curriculum included and the justification for why their core curriculum was created in this way.

The University of Chicago justifies their core curriculum around the understanding that
Interdisciplinary collaboration can illuminate complex problems- and that this exploration is
best achieved when are well versed in multiple disciplines.
(https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/academics/core ) I found that the University of Chicago
had four separate pieces to their core curriculum. Each requirement has several courses that a
student may choose from. The first piece of their requirements that a student must fulfill is the
enrollment in two to three courses within the Humanities, Civilization Studies and the Arts
category. The second requirement was the completion of 3 courses within the Natural and
Mathematical Sciences category. Completion of two or three courses from the Social
Sciences category and lastly the fulfillment of a Language requirement. The Language
requirement can be fulfilled through testing out of an upper level language course or a placement
credit of some sort. The institution also offers a recommended schedule breakdown for each
quarter. This breakdown
(https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/brochure_core.pdf ) offers
different course types, and goes deeper into depth about the requirements including details on
various study abroad opportunities.
Although each institution has a different mission and academic purpose, I found it
interesting that they shared some common themes within their core curriculum. Some common
these that can be identified were the desire for the students to connect their education to the
world at large, a language requirement, and a suggested course schedule. When looking at these
various institutions desire to connect a students education to the world at large both the arts
schools and the more traditional universities had course requirements that challenged students to
build critical thinking skills and use those skills to identify problems across the globe and engage

in conversation around those issues. This requirement for students really resonates with the
Bransford et al reading assigned for this week. The text acknowledges that while a student
learning inside the classroom is important, much of what they learn occurs outside of the
classroom. Bransford et all states Bringing students and teachers in contact with the broader
community can enhance their learning. (Bransford et al, 2004, p. 224) Another similarity that I
noticed was a language requirement. While not every single school had the requirement listed, I
was surprised to see that most of them did require some type of foreign language. I also found it
interesting that the schools that did require a foreign language requirement also offered the
option to test out of that requirement either via SAT or a placement test offered by the university.
The last commonality between all five schools that was prevalent in my search of core
curriculum was the suggested track for scheduling a students core requirements. Each institution
either had mandated terms or quarters in which the student needed to complete their core
curriculum, which I thought was beneficial. In our reading from Almost all students, especially
from freshmen and sophomores, begin a course of study with serious misconceptions about
knowledge in general and the discipline specifically (p. 8) At an institution like an arts school
where you may not necessarily be focused on these types of classes a suggested schedule would
be helpful for students when they are trying to figure out classes that relate directly to their
respected discipline. At a more traditional institution, this type of suggested scheduling can be
beneficial for students who are looking to continue onto an advanced degree or are heavily
involved in extracurricular activities. For incoming students, providing structure of some sort can
make the transition from high school to an institute of higher education less daunting.
When looking at the core curriculum and the differences between them, three main
differences stuck out. The first difference was the physical education requirement. Only one of

the institutions that I looked at had a physical education requirement. The second main difference
that I noted was the depth in which the websites spoke about the core curriculum and its meaning
and purpose to the institution and the third difference I noticed was the sheer number of
requirements and courses that a student needed to complete or the number of courses that
students needed to take. While these are small differences, they are still differences that I think
speak to the atmosphere of the institution and its relation to their mission and vision.
I found it interesting that only Columbia College required some type of physical
education requirement. I have always thought of a physical education requirement as something
that is sort of antiquated and practiced at a middle school or a high school setting. I also found it
interesting that Columbia College, one of the institutions I had picked as an arts focused school
required this type of requirement as well as a swimming credit. I was so interested in this
requirement that I looked deeper into the course requirements to see if I could find a rationale or
a reason for this type of requirement. When I was unable to find further information, I called the
institution itself to inquire about the history of the requirement and was told that I can follow up
farther with an advisor if I am admitted into the school about testing out of this requirement.
Secondly, between the arts focused schools and the more traditional types of schools I
noticed a distinct difference as to what detail was presented on their website about the core
curriculum and the suggested courses. When looking at Tisch School of the Arts core curriculum
presented on their website (http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/object/curriculum.html ) it is very vague and
does not go into detail about what the requirements entail or when a student is suggested to
complete their courses. The University of Chicago on the other hand has a separate detailed pdf
(https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/brochure_core.pdf ) that
outlines the reasoning and history of the core curriculum as well as specific details for each

requirement. In a way, this difference spoke to how much each institution potentially values or
places emphasis on the meaning and value of their core curriculum. Finally, I noticed that the
sheer number of courses mandated to complete the requirements of the core curriculum was
varied between universities. The University of New England, for example, requires at least one
class each year from the core curriculum (http://www.une.edu/cas/programs/core-curriculum )
while The Julliard School requires twenty four credits within the Liberal Arts amongst four
categories (http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/liberal-arts).
In conclusion, among the five schools there are some similarities but there are also key
differences that cannot be ignored. While these differences are not beneficial or detrimental, the
literature provided helpful background as to the purpose and value of developing a core
curriculum that will not only challenge a diverse group of students but also support their growth
and development. The college experience is an important one for many individuals. As
instructors and developers of curriculum for a diverse set of students, the literature reminds us
that As an instructor, you are also an ambassador of the academy to these groups, and you are
close enough to them to reach out an include them. (Nilson, 2013, p. 14)

References
Literature:
Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (2004). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and
School. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.

Nilson, L. (2003). Understanding Your Students and How They Learn. In Teaching at its best: A
research-based resource for college instructors (2nd ed., pp. 1-15). Bolton, MA: Anker Pub.
Online:
Tisch School of the Arts
http://www.tisch.nyu.edu/object/curriculum.html
The Julliard School
http://www.juilliard.edu/degrees-programs/liberal-arts
Columbia College- New York
http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/
The University of New England
http://www.une.edu/cas/programs/core-curriculum
The University of Chicago
https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/academics/core
https://collegeadmissions.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/pdfs/brochure_core.pdf