Integrative Core Curriculum
Chrystyna Dail, Director and Associate Professor
Amy Quan, Coordinator of Ithaca Seminar and Associate Professor
Mission and Program Outcomes
The Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC) is Ithaca College’s liberal education program, which contributes, along with students’ curricular experiences in the major, elective offerings, and out-of-class experiences, to achieving the College’s expectation that Ithaca College graduates should become integrative thinkers, critical and analytical problem solvers, and reflective learners. To achieve these expectations, students completing the ICC will:
- Address a topic, issue, problem area, or human challenge using a combination of concepts, theories, and/or methods from multiple perspectives or fields of study;
- Apply concepts, theories, methods, or skills to analyze new questions or complex problems; and
- Engage in and communicate self-reflection about their learning in the Integrative Core Curriculum, their chosen major discipline, and their overall Ithaca College experience.
The ICC is intentionally designed to be integrative. Students will be asked to reflect throughout the program on how the various courses in their ICC experience fit together and how they connect with other learning experiences.
The ICC is comprised of: The Ithaca Seminar; Themes and Perspectives courses; Academic Writing, Diversity, Quantitative Literacy, and Writing Intensive courses; and the culminating ICC capstone course. Student achievement of ICC program outcomes will be documented and demonstrated through submission and assessment of reflective artifacts throughout their ICC coursework.
Requirements of the ICC
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Ithaca Seminar | 4 | |
| Themes and Perspective Courses 1 | 9-16 | |
Creative Arts (CA) | ||
Humanities (HM) | ||
Natural Sciences (SC) | ||
Social Sciences (SO) | ||
| Additional Requirements 2 | 12 | |
Academic Writing (WRTG 10600 or ICSM 10800) | ||
Writing Intensive (WI) | ||
Diversity (DV) | ||
Quantitative Literacy (QL) | ||
| ICC Capstone (CP) | 0-6 | |
| Total Credits | 25-38 | |
- 1
Students must take a Themed course in each of the four Perspectives to meet the “Themes and Perspectives Courses” requirement. Students whose major designates one Perspective as being fulfilled by the major will be required to complete Themed Perspectives courses in the other three Perspectives and will have their degree evaluation reflect fulfillment of the major-designated Perspective. Please note that a change of major may result in changes to the Perspectives course requirements, so check with your advisor for details.
- 2
Additional requirements may be more than 12 credits depending on courses taken.
Ithaca Seminar (4 credits)
The Ithaca College student’s introduction into the ICC begins in the first semester with an Ithaca Seminar. These courses are interdisciplinary seminars that address a variety of transition to college issues while supporting students' ability to (1) develop and evaluate ideas and arguments; and (2) identify and articulate assumptions that underlie an idea, argument, or creative work.
Themes and Perspectives Courses (9-16 credits)
The Themes and Perspectives model is a central, distinctive component of the ICC. This coursework is based on the premise that an Ithaca College education prepares students to engage with key challenges of our time (“Themes”), and that these complex challenges are best approached and analyzed through a variety of conceptual approaches or “Perspectives.” The student selects a series of Themes and Perspectives-designated liberal arts courses that make the experience of this portion of their ICC study intentional, integrative, and relevant. A Theme in the Ithaca College Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC) is a topic, issue, problem area, or human challenge that captures core Ithaca College values and strengths and invites interdisciplinary, critical, or analytical investigation (e.g., Power and Justice—which focuses on the roots and redressing of societal inequities; The Quest for a Sustainable Future—which explores the causes and potential remedies of the global climate crisis; Inquiry, Imagination and Innovation—which plumbs the depths of creative response to the human condition). A Perspective is a disciplinary lens through which these salient Themes can productively be studied (e.g., Creative Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences). Students are required to complete a 9-16 credit Themes and Perspectives course experience. Students may choose to pursue a single Theme for exploration across the four Perspectives courses, or they may explore multiple Themes to integrate topics, issues, problem areas, or human challenges of their choice across their areas of curiosity. Students may not apply courses used to satisfy the Themes and Perspectives requirement to their primary major, unless their major has designated one Perspective as being fulfilled by completion of that major.
To complete the Themes and Perspectives sequence, students complete a series of Themed courses (choosing a single theme or multiple themes) addressing each of four Perspectives: Creative Arts, Humanities, Natural Science, and Social Science.
- At the decision of the department housing a major, some majors can fulfill up to one of the four Perspectives, as described above, but additional Perspectives cannot be fulfilled by primary major courses. Additionally, while an individual course may be designated with multiple Perspectives, any individual course may count toward only one Perspective in the student’s degree evaluation.
ICC Theme courses, designated in each of the Perspectives below, focus on ways humans interact with the world and provide students with multiple approaches to understand life on earth and the central issues of our time. For each perspective, one student outcome focuses on methods or processes used in the perspective. A second outcome addresses how examining the world contributes to the student's own life or intellectual development, and a third outcome concerns understanding how the perspective contributes to understanding broader social, cultural, and/or historical issues.
Creative Arts Perspective (CA) (minimum 3 credits from designated courses or major)
Courses taught from a creative arts perspective focus on the methods and materials used to create performances, literary texts, visual works, or built forms and the understanding of the aesthetic conventions and theoretical, social, historical, political, or economic contexts surrounding these works.
Humanities Perspective (HM) (minimum 3 credits from designated courses or major)
Courses taught from a humanities perspective seek to understand the human experience through analysis, interpretation, and reflection, engaging students in the particulars of individual experiences, texts, or other artifacts.
Natural Sciences Perspective (SC) (minimum 3 credits from designated courses or major)
Courses taught from a natural sciences perspective focus on scientific theories that explain experimentally verifiable physical or biological phenomena and the methodological processes used to conduct these observations as epitomized by scientific methods.
Social Sciences Perspective (SO) (minimum 3 credits from designated courses or major)
Courses taught from a social sciences perspective seek to understand how particular human experiences can be seen as general characteristics and patterns. The focus is on how social forces shape and determine human action. Courses in this perspective apply theoretical, analytical, and empirical tools in the study of individuals, groups, and institutions.
Additional Requirements
Academic Writing (minimum of 3 credits)
The Academic Writing requirement is designed to help students develop as writers and is typically fulfilled by completion of WRTG 10600. Students who score 4 or 5 on the AP examination in English Literature and Composition or English Language and Composition will receive credit for WRTG 10600 and will satisfy the Academic Writing requirement. Students who score a 4, 5, 6, or 7 on the IB English A (HL) exam will receive credit for WRTG 10600 and will satisfy the Academic Writing requirement. The Ithaca Seminar numbered ICSM 10800 also fulfills this requirement.
Diversity (DV) (minimum of 3 credits from designated courses)
Diversity goes beyond the mere acknowledgement of difference to address the systematic silencing of marginalized people as we work toward creating a more just world. Diversity encompasses multiple dimensions, including but not limited to race, ability, nationality, ethnicity, religion, geographic origin, class, sexual orientation and identities, gender, gender identities and expressions, and age, allowing us to learn about the world through these perspectives.
Courses with a diversity designation are designed with the understanding that diverse perspectives have been historically excluded from the core curriculum. These courses promote students’ critical engagement with issues arising from the historical exclusion of oppressed voices. As such, courses with a diversity designation enhance student awareness of current and past injustices, as well as the potential role of diversity in enriching society.
Quantitative Literacy (QL) (minimum of 3 credits from designated courses)
Quantitative Literacy (QL) is the ability to reason with quantitative concepts for the purpose of understanding the world. In a data and information-saturated world, citizens need quantitative skills to understand commonplace and complex issues, and to be able to formulate and ask intelligent questions of experts. Concepts related to quantitative literacy include, but are not limited to, measurement, logic, number sense including different magnitudes, the difference between percentage and percent change, sampling and error, and graphical representation of data and information.
Courses with a QL designation will draw their motivation for quantitative work from the personal, social, and scientific issues they seek to address. Such courses will help students to develop the ability and habits of mind to investigate and interpret quantitative information, critique it, reflect upon it, and apply it, all in the context of the issues that motivate the course.
Writing Intensive (WI) (minimum of 3 credits from designated courses)
All students must successfully complete one Writing Intensive (WI) course. The overarching goals of WI courses are to develop students’ abilities to use writing as a pathway of making meaning within a specific subject area and a means of participating in ongoing conversations within a particular academic or professional community. Students must fulfill the Academic Writing requirement before enrolling in a WI course.
ICC Capstone (CP) (0-6 credits from designated courses)
An ICC capstone experience is required for all students; this capstone may be a stand-alone course or integrated into a departmental capstone experience. As part of the capstone experience, students will complete a reflective artifact addressing the question, “What has my learning in the Integrative Core Curriculum contributed to my education and how is that learning related to my major and other learning experiences?”
Liberal Arts Coursework
The Integrative Core Curriculum is comprised principally of liberal arts courses. Students may, as part of their degree programs, be required to complete additional liberal arts courses as part of their major requirements and degree type. Students should refer to the degree requirements in their catalog and in DegreeWorks to confirm all liberal arts courses required as part of their programs.
Information specifically related to transfer may be found in this catalog in the Student Information section.
For additional information about the ICC, including specific courses that are part of the program, please visit the Ithaca College ICC Website.