Posts by: hjdion

The Devlin Award

March 5, 2020 at 11:03 am

Every year, the Core Curriculum awards two students with the James Patrick Devlin Memorial Award, in memory of one of the founding members of the Core who inspired students and colleagues alike. It is presented on the basis of the excellence of a first-year Core essay, as recommended to a committee of Core professors by […]

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A Paradigm Shift of his Own: Revisiting Thomas Kuhn

March 5, 2020 at 10:29 am

The great thing about science is that it’s not always right. For all the theories, equations, and experiments, scientists are just at the mercy of their subjective opinions as any other thinkers– In other words, science relies on subjective perspective and the consensus of the scientific community to establish what a culture views as an […]

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The Triumphs and Challenges of Chinese Students in American Universities

February 26, 2020 at 10:48 am

More often than not, American students entering college feel a sense of anxiety and anticipation as they confront a way of life that is seemingly novel to them. However, this anxiety is diminished by the things that are not novel, namely the language, culture, and mannerisms that remain consistent throughout America. Some students though take […]

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A Tour of Ancient Athens, or the Ups and Downs of Core

February 24, 2020 at 12:17 pm

As any student who’s been on our Summer Study in Greece program can testify, visiting Athens at any time is a life changing experience. But it would be a dream to see it at the height of its glory, and luckily artist Dimitris Tsalkanis made that dream come true. Tsalkanis spent 13 years making a […]

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Shakespeare Work Sold for a lot of Money! (clickbait)

January 29, 2020 at 11:57 am

Can you put a price on wisdom? Or is life-altering wisdom simply priceless? Recently, one of our alumna, Cat Dossett, sent us a video describing how Shakespeare’s first folio of comedies, histories, and tragedies was estimated to be worth between four and six million dollars. Enjoy: Beyond being a collectors item, how much is this […]

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This May Not End Well

January 27, 2020 at 12:00 pm

As scholars and human beings, we know that all good things must come to an end. That end may be triumphant, exciting, and incredibly satisfying, or… Not. In her recent BU Today article, our very own Director of the Core Kyna Hamill ponders what makes for a satisfying ending, and why it may matter so […]

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Meditation on Remediation

October 24, 2019 at 2:35 pm

An update from the front lines of the Core classrooms! This week, students are exploring Hamlet, and discovering what it means to remediate a text. Core students know better than anyone that some stories strike such a chord with the human experience that they continue to be told throughout history. Storytellers have always taken source […]

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Ho! A Postcard!

October 8, 2019 at 3:36 pm

We have received our first postcard of the semester from our good friend Priest. He writes us from California: “To those who have profoundly influenced me: Tis Autumn, yet California refuses to relinquish its summer-a high of 33 degrees celsius this week; woe to the republic. Elsewise, the season had me in many a mood, […]

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And So It Begins…

September 5, 2019 at 1:14 pm

At the start of every new year in the Core Curriculum, we like to begin at the very beginning, with the Epic of Gilgamesh. And while it technically remains the same story from year to year, we’re always delighted to watch how different students and professors bring their own views and interpretations to the text. […]

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“College Confusion” with Seth Godin

May 6, 2019 at 3:15 pm

From Seth Godin in his though-provoking blog, asking how we define the value of education. His thoughts below, and more here: While a high-status college admission confers a measure of status, it doesnt automatically grant a great education. Sometimes, a student gets both, but not always. Because learning is taken as much as given. Along […]

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