The Academic Core

The academic core at Saint Anselm College offers students a breadth of experience that will prepare them for life; an education that not only provides professional and career preparation, but also encourages a lifelong pursuit of truth that will sustain and enrich their lives. This education is facilitated through a core curriculum composed of a set of common courses and learning outcomes considered essential for the education of students in all majors.

The core curriculum is composed of courses and electives considered essential for the education of students in all majors, and includes three major elements:

• First-Year Experience - Enduring Questions
• Writing Across the Curriculum
• Core Perspectives
   

First-year Experience – Enduring Questions

Each student is welcomed into the academic community at Saint Anselm College through a year-long interdisciplinary program – Enduring Questions.In Enduring Questions part I, students engage in a shared learning experience that welcomes them to the Saint Anselm intellectual community and introduces them to some of the Benedictine hallmarks that make a Saint Anselm College education distinctive. During Enduring Questions part II, students continue to explore key liberal arts themes while also fulfilling one of the core perspectives listed below.
 

Writing Across the Curriculum

The College Writing Program provides students the opportunity to develop written and oral communication skills across and within disciplines. All first-year students enroll in a common, Foundational Written and Oral Communication course that provides basic skills, knowledge, and experience for effective communication. This foundational course is supplemented with two Writing Intensive courses that hone advanced writing skills across disciplines, emphasizing research, synthesis, and persuasion. These Writing Intensive electives are completed between the sophomore and senior year and are often taken within major or core perspectives courses.
 

Core Perspectives

Saint Anselm College ensures that each student is afforded the opportunity to explore the curriculum and experience a breadth of study through Core Perspectives. These core electives introduce students to diverse intellectual traditions from across the liberal arts curriculum: Arts and Literature, History, Laboratory Science, Modern or Classical Language, Philosophy, Quantitative, Social Science, and Theology. Students have a diversity of choice in completing their Core Perspectives requirements as they are able to select from among a variety of courses that fulfill each requirement.

See the Guide to the Core Curriculum for a checklist of core requirements.