The FCLC Core Curriculum

Student Reading Outside

Fordham’s core curriculum adds breadth to your college experience, while allowing you to select classes of particular interest to you. For students who come to college with a clear sense of their intended major, the “core” allows them to begin study in their chosen field of interest in their very first semester. At the same time, it allows other students the chance to postpone deciding on a major until sophomore year and to spend their first year of college exploring areas of study which may open them to new horizons. The core curriculum introduces all students to a variety of college-level intellectual areas, including philosophy and theology, mathematical and scientific reasoning, the arts, literature and languages, history, and the social sciences. Often students discover their major field of study through these core courses that introduce them to areas of thought they have not yet encountered. The core also has opportunities for interdisciplinary studies in the student’s later years. All freshmen will be introduced to the core through the first of the Eloquentia Perfecta seminars, a series of courses that run through the four years.

Eloquentia Perfecta is a term at the heart of the Jesuit educational tradition: “right reason expressed effectively, responsibly, and gracefully.” In practical terms, these courses provide you with skills that will serve you well throughout college and in the years beyond.

Foreign Language

All students have a requirement in foreign language up to a certain level of competence. The only exceptions to this are students who major in natural science, major in neuroscience, major in psychology while also pursuing the pre-med track, or major in math or computer science while pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree rather than a Bachelor of Arts degree. If you have studied a foreign language in high school, it is important to consider whether you wish to continue to study this same language or to study another language from the beginning. If you start a new language, you can expect to take four semesters of that foreign language in order to fulfill your requirement for graduation, including an intensive introductory course which meets three times each week. Introductory courses are generally offered only in the fall semester, so if you are starting a new language it may be advisable to begin in the fall semester of your first year.

Language Requirements and Placement Tests

Are you planning to continue in French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Russian or Spanish in order to fulfill your language requirement? If so, you must take a brief online placement exam. The exam only takes 15-20 minutes, and you can take it on your home computer. Instructions on how to take the placement exam are located on the “New Student” tab at my.fordham.edu. You may also meet your core language requirement by studying other modern languages: Arabic, Hebrew, or Japanese. For placement questions, call the Department of Modern Languages at 212-636-6381.

Consider Classics

The department of Classical Languages and Civilizations is devoted to the study of the language, literature, history, and cultural legacy of the Greeks and Romans. This is another avenue to fulfill the Fordham language requirement. Students who pursue the study of Classics will encounter the art, thought, and legacy of the foundational cultures of the West. Language study instills a discipline and critical sensitivity that trains students to draw subtle linguistic distinctions as they hone their own rhetorical abilities. Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad in their junior year and Fordham participates in numerous programs centered in Greece and Italy. For further information, please contact Professor J. Andrew Foster at [email protected].

Musical Performance

FCLC offers the opportunity to participate in the chamber singers (part of the University choir), an a cappella vocal group, classical chamber ensembles, a fledgling chamber orchestra, jazz ensembles, and a jazz orchestra, so bring your musical instrument with you.

Meet the Deans

Office of the Dean Lowenstein, Room 821

  • Jim McCartin, Ph.D., Interim Dean
  • Robert K. Moniot, Ph.D., Associate Dean

Office of Academic Advising, Lowenstein, Room 804
212-636-6350 | facebook.com/fclc.deans

  • Conor L. O'Kane, M.A., Assistant Dean for First-Year Students
  • Mica McKnight, M.A., Assistant Dean for Sophomores
  • Rebecca Stark-Gendrano, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Juniors and Transfer Students
  • Josie Gregoire, J.D., Assistant Dean for Seniors
  • Tracyann Williams, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Student Support and Success