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.   

Weekend Update

Fun times hanging out with Roger Williams

Megan McLaughlin

This past weekend, I traveled to Rhode Island to present a paper at a history conference! I had a great time talking to other undergraduate and graduate history majors and finally found some other people as interested in early American trade as I am. Even better-- Fordham's undergraduate research program paid for my travel.

The University Orchestra is full of talented students

Kaitlyn McWha

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Fordham University Orchestra's winter concert. My friend is in the orchestra and plays the cello, so seeing her perform was a lot of fun. Fordham's music program has a lot of opportunities for anyone who sings or plays an instrument. I am so happy that I got to experience a part of Fordham's music program, and I will definitely continue to see more University concerts!

Claire McGonigle

This weekend, I mainly focused on finishing my schoolwork before Thanksgiving break. However, with the basketball season coming to a start, I took some time out of studying to go to the Women’s basketball game against Hofstra with some friends. Fordham won and it was a great night supporting our school and being with my friends!

The Rose Hill Gymnasium is a great place to catch a game

I Promise-- NY Really IS Your Campus

You’ve probably heard the slogan “Fordham is my school, New York is my campus.” It's simple and to the point, but it can be hard to understand what that phrase means in practice. I, for example, thought it meant that we went to a lot of museums and shows in the city for class and recreation. We do service in the city, explore the city, and figure out its secrets. This semester, however, I am gaining a deeper appreciation for what my "campus" can offer me.

The New-York Historical Society on Central Park West

The castle-like American Museum of Natural History is
just across from the NYHS (and Shake Shack!)

 My early American material culture class meets weekly at the New-York Historical Society. Founded in 1804, the impressive building sits on some great real estate. It is on the Upper West Side, facing Central Park and beside the American Museum of Natural History (do I have any secret Night at the Museum fans?). It is a block from Shake Shack (New York’s equivalent to In ‘n’ Out with even better shakes) and a short walk from bakeries, clothing stores, restaurants, and even a Trader Joe's (which will become more exciting when you are in college and cook for yourself).

At Fordham Lincoln Center to catch my
evening Ram Van back to Rose Hill

The NYHS is a museum and a library devoted to the history of New York, which is also the history of America. New York has been inhabited for over 450 years and is rich in the period my small seminar class is examining, early America. A material culture class focuses on objects as a way to understand the people who created them, traded them, bought them, and used them. You’d be surprised to know how little we actually know about colonists, including the number of female traders, the fact that we imported china in the 1700s, and a fashionably designed house was more important than a big house for more than a century. Our class is using items from the museum and our professor’s collection as a launching point for class discussion ranging from the quotidian (witch’s lantern, candle mold) to the refined (solid silver spoons, two-toned teacups).

Class is easy to get to from Rose Hill, with free Ram Van passes to and from Lincoln Center. In good weather, I can stroll through Central Park to class. In bad weather, I can hop on the subway, which the history department has been kind enough to subsidize for us. For me, it's a great excuse to get into the city in the middle of my school day. It might be the same for you, in a couple of years!

Haunted New York City

The New York Experience: Haunted New York City: "New York is a city of history. So many famous people have lived (and died) here; so many important events have taken place. With all of this..."

Luck O' the Irish

Junior Sarah Sullivan's passion for Irish Studies has taken her to Fordham, the Upper East Side and, well, Ireland! Follow her adventures here:

Fordham College Rose Hill: Luck O' the Irish: "In the spring semester of 2010, all my friends were lining up internships for the summer and fall. I immediately went into panic mode. I had..."