The Core Curriculum

The core curriculum is the center of undergraduate education at the University of Dallas. It is central to and structured toward the fulfillment of the institution’s fundamental purposes. It is designed to foster the student’s pursuit of wisdom through formation in intellectual and moral excellence, to foster a mature understanding of the Catholic faith and to encourage a responsible concern for shaping contemporary society. The organization and content of the core are determined by the premise that these goals can best be achieved through a curriculum founded on the Western heritage of liberal education. Within this heritage, the Christian intellectual tradition is an essential element and the American experience merits special consideration.

The core is thus a specific set of courses focusing on the great deeds, ideas and works of western civilization — including in particular those expressive of its Christian character — in the belief that they are sure guides in the search for truth and virtue. As befits a pilgrimage toward the best and highest things, the curriculum is designed to nurture reflection on the fundamental aspects of reality and conducted so as to provoke inquiry into the perennial questions of human existence. It thus fosters genuinely liberal learning by providing both the material and the opportunity for free and systematic investigation into the central facets of Western experience.

In the courses of the core, students investigate the human condition and man’s relation to God, nature and his fellow man. The courses aim at developing in the student both the desire to understand these subjects and the means by which to investigate them. The inquiry into these themes is conducted through the different disciplines, which, while highlighting special threads within the fundamental issues and distinctive modes of studying them, also point to their ultimate unity. The curriculum as a whole provides a broad but firm foundation which enables the student to raise the most profound questions and to search for true answers. In its parts, the core is an introduction to the various ways by which that search may be conducted and one’s vision shaped.

All students must take 9 credits in philosophy. Normally, the program in philosophy is Philosophy 1301, 2323 and 3311.

The Literary Tradition courses: English 1301, 1302 and 2311 are required. Bachelor of Arts students (except for students earning B.A. degrees in Biology, Physics and Education: Math/Science) are required to take English 2312.

The following courses fulfill the Mathematics requirement:

Euclidean and Non-Euclidean Geometries (Math 1301)

Introduction to Statistics (Math 2305)

Linear Point Set Theory (Math 3321)

Calculus I, II, or III (Math 1404, 1411, or 2412)

The following courses fulfill the Fine Arts requirement:

History of Art and Architecture I, II or Art and Architecture of Rome (Art 1311, 1312, 2311)

Theater History (Drama 3310)

Music of the Western World: Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary (Music 1311. MUS 1312, MUS 3330)

History of Opera (Music 3335)

Survey of Sacred Music (Music 3340)

All students are required to take one laboratory science course in the life sciences and one in the physical sciences, either from the Basic Ideas offerings or courses that are introductory to the respective science disciplines or an approved substitute. Courses at the 1000 or 2000 level in the life sciences with their accompanying lab fulfill the life science core requirement. Courses such as Chemistry and Physics (including Astronomy) fulfill the physical science core requirement. (BIO 3112 Marine Field Ecology can satisfy the lab requirement for the life science core)

Nonmajors have several options to fulfill the core life science requirement:

General Biology I and II (BIO 1311/1111 or 1312/1112)
Basic Ideas of Biology (BIO 2301/2101)
Human Biology (BIO 2315/2115)
Disease and Society (BIO 2317/2117)
Forensic Biology (BIO 2318/2118)
Darwin (BIO 2348/2118)
Environmental Science (BIO 2360/2160)
Tropical Ecology and Ecopsychology (BIO 3317/3117)

The second-language component of the core curriculum is a sliding requirement of 0-12 credits. The Language Requirement may be met by mastery of a language at the second-year level (or advanced level for Greek) as shown by the placement test or by successful completion of the following:

1. Two courses in the same language at the second-year level. Students who place out of Second-Year I satisfy the core requirement by completing Second-Year II.
2. For Greek: Second-Year Greek (CLG 2315) and one advanced Greek course. Students who place out of Second-Year Greek satisfy the core requirement by completing one advanced Greek course.

Students unable to qualify for the second-year level must enroll in first-year language courses and proceed through the second-year level in the same language. Latin students unable to qualify for Second-Year Latin I may enroll in Grammar Review (CLL 1305) and proceed through Second-Year Latin II (CLL 2312).

Bachelor of Science Students and students earning B.A. degrees in Biology, Physics and Education: Math/Science can take either History 1311 or 1312. All other students take History 1311 and 1312.

History 2301 and 2302 are usually taken in the sophomore year.

A one-semester course, Principles of American Politics, Politics 1311, is ordinarily taken by the student in the freshman year.

Economics 1311, a one-semester course, is ordinarily taken in either the freshman or sophomore year.

All students must complete six credits in Theology for the undergraduate degree. Ordinarily, this requirement will be satisfied by Understanding the Bible, Theology 1310, and Western Theological Tradition, Theology 2311.