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I've got a love-frustration relationship with the Core (I'm currently frustrated because I'm writing a CC paper that I'm just sick of). On the one hand, I love the idea of the Core. I think Lit Hum and CC both take your education up a notch. Sure, you can be cynical about it and just say that those classes teach you how to BS through conversations at cocktail parties, but they're also enriching in that those texts are deeply ingrained in Western thought. And no matter how frustrated I get while reading some of these texts, I'm always grateful afterwards to have read them. I also honestly believe that both classes have improved my analytical reading skills.
But there's no denying that the Core takes up a huge chunk of the undergrad experience. So you might find it hard to balance among major/concentration requirements, Core classes, and electives. Certainly for me, it seems like I won't be taking anything besides science, lit, and Core classes for the next two and a half years that are left (wow, that sounds scarily short).
The way I think about it, though, is that many classes required by the Core are classes that I would have taken anyway had I gone to a different school. That is, I would've taken an art history course, history/anthropology courses (for Major Cultures/Global Core), and some class equivalent to Lit Hum (I'm still ambivalent about CC). This makes the Core more manageable in my mind, though it's certainly not true for everyone. In the end, I'd say it's worth it.
And yes, the Core focuses on Western civilization. At least, the core of the Core does (Art Hum, Music Hum, CC, Lit Hum).
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