Dear Prospective Gustie:
"What are your plans for next fall?" At this point I bet you'd be happy if you were never asked that question again. As a senior in my last semester of college, I, too, have grown tired of people asking me about my plans for the future. You and I have something in common: we both have some important decisions to make about what lies ahead. I hope that the enclosed information about the Curriculum II program at Gustavus will help you to narrow your college search as you prepare to make those important decisions about the future.
My involvement with Curriculum II has been one of the most rewarding components of my Gustavus experience. You can learn more about Curriculum II in the other materials in this packet. But let me just give you some of the highlights:
- Each year, about 60 students are accepted into the Curriculum II program. Curriculum II students move through their general education courses together, and in the process they develop close relationships with their classmates that allow them to have lively and challenging discussions. I sometimes think that our professors are intimidated by the level of discussion in Curriculum II classes!
- Many of the benefits of Curriculum II are realized outside the classroom. Curriculum II sponsors, for example, a trip for first-year students to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Guthrie Theater. There are also opportunities for upperclassmen to attend fine arts events in the Twin Cities.
- Another favorite of Curriculum II students is the first-year/senior retreat. This is a chance for first-year students have to really get to know each other, for seniors to reconnect with each other and reminisce on their four years at Gustavus, and for everyone to share some fellowship away from the hustle and bustle of campus. Each year, Curriculum II also takes a group of upperclassmen to Blue Cloud Abbey. During this trip, students have an opportunity to participate in the daily activities of a group of Benedictine monks in their monastery. There is also plenty of time for rest and relaxation in the quiet South Dakota prairie.
- Curriculum II sponsors several barbecues and "study-break" parties at the beginning of the year and around finals time. I always love coming back in the fall and going to the beginning of the year Curriculum II party held at Chaplain Brian's house just down the hill from campus. It is a great opportunity to reconnect with Curriculum II friends - not just students, but faculty as well - after a summer apart.
At the heart of Curriculum II is its dedication to liberal arts and its record of academic excellence. The classes are certainly difficult, but Curriculum II students tend to love a good challenge. As you move through the classes together, you will be able to share in the ups and downs of college life and make a great group of friends (and study partners!) in the process.
Curriculum II professors will ask you to consider some important questions that may not come up anywhere else. Here are a few examples:
- How are we to interpret the Bible in a post-Enlightenment world?
- How did the Greeks and Romans lay the foundations for Western civilization?
- What constitutes moral behavior?
- What can we learn about a piece of literature, music, or art from its historical context?
- What is really at the heart of the debate between evolution and intelligent design?
- Who or what has impacted our sense of identity and our role in the world?
Here's what some other Curriculum II students have to say about the program:
- "There is a great sense of community. All of the CII students know each other - no one is anonymous in CII. The professors really get to know each and every student. They take an interest in us as people."
- "The trip to the Guthrie to see Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors was great!"
- "I like the variety and openness of discussion that can be hard to find in my classes outside of Curriculum II."
- "My closest friends are my CII friends."
Being just a few weeks into my final semester at Gustavus, and having just returned from the first-year/senior retreat this past weekend, I look back at all that I have done and learned through Curriculum II and know that it has been a great fit for me. The Curriculum II program was a huge part of what originally attracted me to Gustavus, and it has certainly lived up to my expectations. If any of this sounds like what you hope to get out of your college experience, I strongly encourage you to consider Curriculum II.
Javen Swanson, class of 2006
