Virtues of the Unified Core Curriculum
The Baylor College of Arts & Sciences unified core curriculum, designed to be "taught within a community of Christian scholars, enables men and women to acquire the knowledge, skills, and virtues needed to uncover and recognize truth, to deepen their faith, to live virtuously, to strengthen their communities, and to affect the world in transformative ways." To that end, the core curriculum aims to "inspire moral, intellectual, and spiritual virtues".
What are the Virtues?
A virtue is an excellence of character that enables one to strive towards well-being and happiness—to flourish as a human person. Historically, the formation of moral, intellectual, and spiritual virtues has been integral to the purpose of a university education. To learn more about the virtues of Baylor’s unified core curriculum, click below.
Teaching Resources and Reading Bibliography
How can one’s classroom become a place that cultivates excellence of character? In short, what classroom practices are needed to fulfill the vision of the core curriculum— helping students acquire the knowledge, skills, and virtues needed to uncover and recognize truth, deepen their faith, live virtuously, strengthen their communities, and affect the world in transformative ways?
For resources on how to develop classroom practices—including syllabi, pedagogies, and assessment models—with character formation in mind, click below.
What Our Students Say
"In pursuit of an undergraduate degree, we learn how to form our minds with skills to aid us in our future careers; however, I think it is equally important for universities to emphasize character formation to help us leave college as better people than when we first enrolled. It's time for colleges to utilize this transformative season of young people's lives and teach the next generation of doctors, lawyers, teachers, and entrepreneurs how not to just live, but how to lead fruitful lives."
"Character formation as a part of my Baylor experience matters to me because I know that it will allow me to use my gifts to serve the future communities of which I will be a part with the highest level of virtue and integrity."
"The college experience encompasses more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. As students, we come to college to experience the world beyond the boundaries of our homes, to grow beyond the games of our imaginations, to be transformed, mind and soul. Character formation is an essential aspect of this journey, equipping us with the necessary virtue and conviction that shall rightfully guide our paths for years to come."