Scripps College has a long and distinguished tradition in teaching in the Humanities. New students must fulfill their general education requirement in the Humanities by taking the Core Curriculum in Interdisciplinary Humanities (Core). The Core is a sequence of two courses designed to encourage increasingly sophisticated and focused interdisciplinary investigation of a broad range of historical and contemporary issues. Core classes are taught by faculty members drawn from each of the college’s academic divisions (arts, letters, natural sciences, and social sciences).
During the first semester, all first-year students take Core A, in which students may select from a wide range of topics. Core A courses will be interdisciplinary, and students will be introduced to different kinds of materials and academic discussions of complex topics. Students will also develop skills in academic writing, including constructing, supporting, and revising arguments.
In the second semester of the first year, students choose from a range of Core B courses which will continue to develop skills form Core A. Core B courses will place greater emphasis on research methods and information literacy.
All sections will culminate in an end-of-semester project developed over the course of a significant portion of the semester. The culminating work for Core B sections will be showcased in an end of the semester event. Core B courses will be made available during registration for the Spring 2027 semester.
