Fourth-year offerings
The University plans to expand its offerings of senior-year courses and co-curricular experiences to help prospective graduates reflect on and evaluate their time at the Heights, and prepare them for life after Boston College.
The Office of the Provost recently sent BC faculty members a call for proposals, titled “Enhancing the Fourth-Year Experience,” requesting ideas for courses and co-curricular programs and initiatives that encourage seniors “to synthesize their intellectual, personal, and ethical growth by connecting their academic and co-curricular journeys.”
According to academic administrators, proposals will be reviewed and selected by the start of fall 2024 registration in April.
David Quigley (Lee Pellegrini)
Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley noted that during the process that led to the renewal of the undergraduate Core Curriculum, even as the working group focused on transformative academic experiences for first-year students, there was a sense that a complementary set of opportunities for seniors would be a long-term goal.
“I am pleased to invite colleagues on the faculty and across campus to imagine new formative opportunities for our fourth-year students,” said Quigley. “The moment seems right to take stock of how we might even more intentionally engage with our seniors around questions of meaning, purpose, and values.”
These new offerings are envisioned as building on the successes of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Capstone Program, which provides seniors and second-semester juniors an opportunity to review their undergraduate education and contemplate their upcoming long-term life commitments.
Akua Sarr (Lee Pellegrini)
“This new initiative is intended to meet students’ great desire for a Capstone-like experience in their senior year, one which asks ‘What did you learn about yourself?’” said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Akua Sarr. “There are numerous programs and experiences available for first-year students, such as the Undergraduate Core Curriculum, Cornerstone, Portico, and various retreats, that help them think about their intellectual, personal, spiritual, and vocational development—but we don’t have a similar array for seniors.
“Seniors should not be overlooked: Their transition out of college is at least as significant as their transition into college, and so BC needs to be more intentional about helping with that passage. Certainly, it would be great to expand Capstone, but we should think about what other opportunities we can create for seniors, whether it’s linked Core courses or more retreats, or other events and activities that take place outside the classroom.”
Sarr said the call for proposals grew out of ongoing discussions in the Provost Advisory Council, which includes faculty and undergraduates, that led to the formation of a working group to address the need for senior-year reflection/discussion opportunities.
“The sense was that the University should have a more extensive conversation about this,” said Sarr.
“This new initiative is intended to meet students’ great desire for a Capstone-like experience in their senior year, one which asks ‘What did you learn about yourself?’”
The letter from the Office of the Provost presented two options for proposals and guidelines for each. Option “A” focused on courses that, “grounded in core Jesuit values of intellectual inquiry, moral and ethical discernment, and service to others,” inspire students to “develop a holistic understanding of themselves, their chosen field, and their adult lives and careers”; proposals that encourage interdepartmental, interdisciplinary collaborations “are strongly encouraged,” the letter said.
Courses should meet at least three objectives: integration of knowledge; interdisciplinary perspective; reflective practice; ethical and moral discernment; collaboration for the common good; and personal and professional development. Among other criteria, proposals must explain how a course’s learning outcomes align with the University mission and reflect Jesuit principles and describe the methodology for assessing student learning and evaluating the course’s effectiveness.
Option “B” calls for co-curricular experiences and programs—especially those built on collaborative efforts among faculty, administrators, staff, and external experts—such as dinner and conversation series, guest speaker series, workshops on specific topics, and off-campus experiences and activities that prompt seniors’ reflection on “their intellectual, personal, and spiritual growth” and enable them to “make meaningful contributions to society.” Proposals should outline clear, measurable learning objectives, according to the document, including those related to faith and spiritual growth, leadership skills, community building, discernment and reflection, and applying knowledge to real-world challenges.
“We’re very interested in seeing how faculty and people in, for example, Student Affairs or Mission and Ministry might team up,” said Sarr. “Whether working in an academic or non-academic context, everyone here has their own unique perspective on BC, and these can be very useful in helping seniors process their experiences.”
Sarr noted that, depending on a proposal’s specific characteristics, funding or other resources will be available.