Taking the Road Less Traveled: From Business to Theology

Union Theological Seminary

As a graduating senior in the Gabelli School of Business, I have to say that one of the aspects of the Fordham experience that I most appreciated was the required Liberal Arts Core. When I first arrived at Fordham, I had some vague ideas about what I wanted to do with my life, but going through the Liberal Arts Core definitely helped me to refine my interests and discover a new path that I am thrilled to say I am following after graduation in May. 

For business students, the Liberal Arts core includes classes in theology, philosophy, history, fine arts, English, math, economics, and statistics. All of these courses have challenged me to think critically, thinking in new ways and taking in different perspectives. Fordham students have very different interests and intended paths, which allows for vibrant discussion in the classroom, especially in these core classes that draw together students from all majors and backgrounds. 

As I went through my major classes and my core classes, I began to realize that the classes that I loved the most and most captured my fascination were my theology classes. Despite having no prior interest in pursuing anything related to theology, my theology core classes led me to declare a theology minor. However, this minor was not enough to satisfy my intellectual curiosity, so I took many courses past my minor requirements and ultimately decided to apply to Graduate programs. 

As I applied to top Graduate programs for theology, I will admit that I was very skeptical that I would be accepted or receive very much scholarship assistance because of my business background in undergrad. However, when I heard back from the schools to which I applied, I was thrilled to discover that I had been accepted to every program and that I received generous scholarships. When I expressed my surprise to one admissions counselor, she told me that it was my strong foundation in the Liberal Arts in conjunction with my business degree which made me such a fascinating and strong candidate for that school’s program. 

Vanderbilt Divinity School

Although I will be going to Grad School in the fall to study the Hebrew Bible, I am excited to use my business background as well. Whether I end up in a classroom or working for a non-profit, I am happy that I chose to study business, but extremely thankful that the Fordham Liberal Arts Core exposed me to courses that I likely would have never considered taking had they not been required.

Fun with the Fordham Core

It's hard to believe that I am already a senior here at Fordham.  With this being my final year, I thought I'd share some of my favorite classes that I have taken so far.  I really enjoyed having the liberal arts core because even though I am a double major in computer science and math, I was able to take classes in a variety of subjects that were interesting to me.  Here's a description of some of the classes I choose to take to fulfill the core requirements:

Latin American History: We studied the history of Latin America starting from about the 16th century with the indigenous, ancient civilizations, and we worked all the way up to the Bolivian Water Wars of the 21st century.  I enjoyed that this class utilized not only text books, but primary sources, documentaries, and films to discuss the material. 

Keating Hall, in addition to being the home of our radio
station (WFUV) and deans' offices, is an academic
building where many of my core classes were held.

New Yorker Tales: I was excited when I saw that the only material required for this class was a subscription to The New Yorker.  Each week we were assigned a short story from the fiction section of an old New Yorker magazine, and then we would discuss, analyze, and critique the selection during class.

Capives, Cannibals, and Rebels: This was another literature class formatted in the seminar style where we would read books related to the topics from the course title and then we would spend the class time discussing the texts.  Some of our readings included: primary sources of Puritans who were taken captive by Indians in the 15th century, Robinson Crusoe, Typee, and Benito Cereno.    

Dealy Hall is another academic building where I had my
literature and sociology courses.

Physics of Light and Color:  I was not looking forward to having to take a physical science class here because the subject had never really interested me, but learning about how our vision works was actually very fascinating for me.  The professor enjoyed teaching and was very good at engaging us in the material.

Religion and Public Life: I am actually enrolled in this course now.  We sit around a large conference table and use readings to drive discussions and debate about the role religion plays in daily life.  I never thought I'd willingly take a religion class in college, but I had a great experience with this professor when I took him before for an "Intro to the New Testament" course that was a part of the core.  In that class we got to go on a field trip to The Cloisters.

  

For one of my religion classes, out class
took a field trip to The Cloisters.

Gender, Class, and Race: This class was the first sociology course I ever took, and I wish I had to take more.  We read academic articles and watched documentaries to explore these social constructs.  My professor also incorporated pop culture into many of our lessons so we could discuss the topics from another perspective.  

Urbanism: My first assignment for this class was to walk three miles in Manhattan, starting from the base of Central Park all the way down to Union Square.  As we walked we had to note how space was being used at particular locations.  In this class it was cool to learn how cities were structured for particular purposes depending on the time periods in which they evolved.

This picture was part of my first assignment
for my Urbanism class.

These are just a few of my favorite classes I have taken as part of the liberal arts core in Fordham College at Rose Hill.  Although I love taking major classes such as Data Mining and Differential Equations, I enjoyed having these other courses that allowed me to explore new and exciting topics.   

Study Tours with Fordham!

On every campus tour I went on during my college search, I heard about the study abroad opportunities that the school offered. However, I knew that it was pointless to get excited about the study abroad options since my parents were completely against the idea of me leaving the country for a full semester. When I heard about Fordham's Study Tour options, however, I finally found my opportunity to study abroad! 

Fordham offers many Study Tours throughout the year for all different subject areas. The Study Tours vary in length, but they are shorter versions of studying abroad while still counting for course credit. These Study Tours usually take place over the Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks. Many of the Study Tours fulfill core and major requirements. This means that you get to see another part of the world while still staying on track with your studies!

The British Crown Jewels

I have participated in an International Business Study Tour to London and Paris, and I am participating in another one to Beijing next month! I absolutely loved my Study Tour to London and Paris. It was an amazing learning opportunity both about international business and the local cultures of London and Paris. I am really looking forward to experiencing Chinese culture and business in Beijing next month! I am taking some basic Mandarin classes to prepare...hopefully they help!

I also have friends who have participated in some other really fun Study Tours. 

One of my friends took an International Finance course in Turkey over Spring break. He actually loved it so much in Turkey that he is planning on spending all of next semester there on a semester-long study abroad opportunity. 
  
Another offering that my friends are taking advantage of is through the Theology department. In July, the Theology department is running a two-week Reformation Texts Study Tour to Italy, Germany, and Switzerland. This Study Tour also counts for a Sacred Texts & Traditions core requirement! 

We climbed the Eiffel Tower!

I have only highlighted a few of Fordham's many Study Tour options, but they are really great opportunities for students. For me, they allow me to study abroad on shorter trips so that my parents are willing to let me experience studying abroad. For my friend who participated in the International Finance Study Tour, he was able to decide whether or not Turkey was where he wanted to spend an entire semester. Many of my friends, however, just hear about an awesome Study Tour that is being offered and decide to take the course. 

I know that my experience with Study Tours has been amazing, and I would definitely recommend it to every student who comes to Fordham!