A new core curriculum including a required multidisciplinary synthesis for all undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota will be introduced at the Faculty Senate meeting in March.
If approved, the curriculum would be implemented for the incoming class of 2027.
William Durfee, the co-chair of the committee in charge of reorganizing the curriculum, said the synthesis would be similar to a capstone but with less work.
“This proposed change is designed to enable students to seek connections in the things outside their major,” Durfee said. “Tie it all together into more integrated, rather than these disconnected pieces.”
The current liberal arts requirements include seven diversified core courses — arts and humanities, biological sciences, historical perspectives, literature, mathematical thinking, physical sciences and social sciences.
The new plan requires six foundational courses — scientific thinking, qualitative reasoning, the past and present, the search for meaning, societies, cultures and communities and creativity and imagination.
Students will select one focus area — civic life, environment, equity or well-being — and will take three courses in that subject. After completing that, students will take a final course with students who have chosen the same focus area.
The Multidisciplinary Synthesis is taken during a student’s final semester as the cumulation of the liberal education (LE) courses, Durfee said.
“This one is brand new,” Durfee said. “This boundary is quite exciting in my mind. Yeah, I mean, I’m excited about lots of points about this I think are interesting, impactful and hopefully fun.”
Durfee introduced a previous version of the core curriculum plan at the December senate meeting, but several changes have been made since. After the bill was discussed and feedback was received, an entry-level synthesis requirement for first-year students was removed.
“The Multidisciplinary Synthesis course expands learning because individual courses to some extent stand by themselves,” Durfee said. “And this provides an opportunity for students to do something with all that information and put it together.”
Durfee said students can reflect on their liberal education without the course, but making it a requirement in the future will enhance students’ education.
“The goal is to provide students with an opportunity to make connections,” Durfee said. “And all the things that they learned in their focus area, and the concept ideally is in this focus area, which could be ethics or. To apply your environment. If you are a student, you’re learning different angles.”
At the University senate meeting Feb. 6, faculty members expressed their discomfort with the wording and logistics of the proposed multidisciplinary synthesis.
Michael Gallope, professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature and vice-chair of the CLA Assembly, said he believes the plan is contrary to the spirit of liberal education.
“The undergraduate degree has two main parts, it has the major which is about depth in a specific field of study, and it has breath, which is what LE is,” Gallope said. “LE ensures that every student has a range of different topics and disciplines and ideas that they’re exposed to. We use it to foster critical thinking and ethical reasoning.”
Gallope said he is concerned the proposal creates a mandatory minor for students. He believes that students should be able to study ethics and civic life without it being a requirement.
Professors like Penny Edgell in the sociology department disagree with how the plan attempts to sort subjects. She said when speaking in support of the proposed curriculum, people will often say they are moving away from disciplines not engaging with other disciplines.
Disciplines are not silos and often work collaboratively, Edgell said. She added this work happens not because professors are required to, but helps to better understand a field study when engaging with experts in another field of study.
Edgell said she is worried the proposed framework connects to the broader culture of attacking academic expertise more generally.
“There are a lot of issues with this synthesis class,” Gallope said. “I’ve heard few faculty say that they are enthusiastic about teaching it because it’s very standardized and I think it would be quite challenging (to teach).”
Gallope said he was concerned the University would be forced to hire more adjunct faculty, which he said is a bad idea.
“It seems exciting on paper, but currently on the whole Twin Cities campus we do not have the classes to support this.” Gallope said. “And my worry is that there’s a mismatch between what the curriculum wants to require, and where faculty expertise actually are.”
Gallope said there are not enough professors to teach the multidisciplinary synthesis sections.
The new provost will be responsible for the curriculum if it passes the senate, Gallope said. It will be a difficult transition if the new provost is working on this at the beginning of their term.
Eva von Dassow, a professor of Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures, said the curriculum could drive students away. She said the changes would make courses voided of definable subject matter and disciplinary content.
The piece is expected to be voted on at the March 6 University Senate meeting. If it passes, an implementation taskforce will most likely be set up for the 2027 class, the first with the requirements, Durfee said.
