COLLEGE OUT REACH EDUCATION (C.O.R.E.) Program

The CORE Program is an initiative of Cloverdale College, the undergraduate division of the Graduate Theological Foundation, to provide an opportunity for doctoral degree graduates of the Foundation to offer courses within their own faith communities which can be applied toward the Bachelor of Religious Education degree.

In order to establish a CORE Program relationship with Cloverdale College, individuals who hold a doctorate from the Foundation should send an email “letter of intent” with a list of course titles that will eventually be developed and offered within the venue of the applicant’s own faith community. This list will be reviewed by the Academic Affairs Committee of the Foundation and the CORE Program applicant will be notified of acceptance of the proposed list. At this point, the CORE Program faculty person (i.e., the applicant), and the hosting institution (i.e., the applicant’s faith community), must commence the development of a syllabus for each of the proposed courses. Each syllabus must be submitted to the AAC and receive final approval before the courses can be offered.

It is the responsibility of the CORE Program hosting institution to notify the relevant judicatory (if applicable) of its intention to offer religious education courses which will be accepted for credit towards the B.R.E. from Cloverdale College. It might be helpful to know that graduates of Cloverdale College have been admitted into graduate study at such institutions as the Angelicum and the Marianum in Rome, and that recipients of the B.R.E. from Cloverdale College qualify for admission into graduate programs at the Foundation.

We are pleased to share with our alumni this new opportunity to provide religious education within their own faith communities. It is our belief that participating communities will enjoy hosting college-level courses in religious education, and will benefit from developing a trained and credentialed religious education staff and congregation.

The components of the CORE Program include the following:

I. FACULTY CORE faculty are made up of doctoral degree graduates from the Foundation who apply and are approved to offer a range of courses in their home parish or faith community.

II. INSTITUTIONAL HOST The CORE faculty person’s faith community must agree to host the CORE Program courses on site. Hosting the CORE Program merely consists of providing access to an educational venue including classroom space and relevant facilities for accommodating the student participants.

III. CURRICULUM Each approved course must be 24 hours in length including required readings. Usually, there are 16 hours of classroom instruction and 8 hours of assigned readings for each course. Most commonly, the courses are offered one night a week for two hours for a period of eight weeks. Faculty must design and submit course syllabi relevant to the needs of their own faith community. The College approves of the curriculum for degree credit. If ten courses are offered on-site in the faculty person’s faith community, the entire degree may be completed there. If fewer than ten courses are offered, the balance of the courses needed to complete the B.R.E. degree may be taken directly through Cloverdale College or from any other approved venue. (A sample course syllabus is given below as a standard formula for course development.)*

IV. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Each CORE faculty person must employ a mechanism to assess student performance in each course taught. That mechanism may take a variety of forms, including (1) a series of weekly examinations, (2) mid-term and final examinations, (3) weekly response papers, or (4) a final paper written for CORE faculty evaluation and approval. The evaluation mechanism is left to the discretion of the faculty person teaching the course but a mechanism must be identified and employed.

Finally, each student must write a 10-15 page “senior paper” at the end of the program which is submitted by the CORE faculty directly to the College for review and approval. The senior paper is the final academic requirement of all undergraduate students. This paper should consist of the student’s personal reflections on his/her ministry or social service work to date. Students should address the nature and extent of their experience and current social service/ministry work, their plans for furthering their work, and how the CORE program and resulting degree from Cloverdale College will benefit them in their service to their community. The senior paper must be 10-15 pages, double-spaced, and typed in Times New Roman 12 point font. Papers are submitted by mail to the Office of the Registrar of Cloverdale College.

V. FEES The College charges no fees for courses taught by CORE faculty. However, CORE faculty are at liberty to assess a fee deemed appropriate for each course offered. It is a requirement of the College that a fee must be charged for each course but the amount is left to the discretion of the CORE faculty and the hosting institution. The College strongly recommends no less than $100.00 per course as a minimum fee, though scholarships may be offered by the hosting institution. These course fees may be made in the form of a donation to the faith community or any other mutually agreed upon arrangement between the faith community and the CORE faculty person. Under no circumstances are course fees to be paid to the College. Only the tuition for the degree itself is paid by the student directly to the College, and that fee is $4,750.00 for students beginning in 2009 or 2010.

VI. APPLICATION Students attending CORE courses may apply to Cloverdale College’s B.R.E. program at any time before or during the course of the CORE Program. The applicant must be approved by the CORE faculty person in the form of a letter of recommendation.

VII. CREDIT REPORTING As students in the CORE Program complete each of the required courses, the CORE faculty must notify the College (by email or mail) of student name, course title, date completed, and grade. The College does not accept any grade lower than “B” for credit. Coursework that is not deemed to be at “B” grade level must be revised by the student and approved by the CORE faculty before credit can be awarded. The senior paper is the only written assignment that must be submitted directly to the College.

VIII. PROMOTION Since these courses are to be venue-specific to CORE institutions, CORE faculty are responsible for handling the promotion of these courses. The relevance of a degree from Cloverdale College to members of the hosting institution’s religious education and administrative staff is determined by that community itself. The College places the CORE faculty and hosting institution on our website and requests that the hosting institution reciprocate. This greatly enhances visibility and marketing of the CORE Program.

A SAMPLE COURSE SYLLABUS IS PROVIDED HERE AS A MODEL

I. Course Instructor: (A doctorate alumnus of the Foundation)
(Rev.) John Smith, D.Min.

II. Course title: INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

III. Course description:
This course will explore the history of the canon of the New Testament, the categories within which the books of the New Testament fall, the situations which existed at the time each book was written, and the issues addressed by each book at the time and their relevance for the Christian community today.

IV. Outline of eight two-hour class sessions with topics covered in each session.

A. Introduction to the History of the New Testament Canon
B. The Synoptic Gospels
C. The Gospel of St. John
D. Acts of the Apostles and the Birth of the Church
E. The Epistles of Saint Paul
F. Paul Theology
G. The Minor Epistles and the Growth of the Church
H. Revelation and the Apocalyptic Literature of the New Testament

V. Eight hours of required reading (usually two texts amounting to 250-350 pages).

Introduction the New Testament by John Smith (175 pages)
The History of the Christian Scriptures by Tom Jones (175 pages)

VI. Evaluation Mechanism: Written examinations / written assignments

VII. Senior Paper: The senior paper is the final academic requirement of all undergraduate students. This paper should consist of the student’s personal reflections on his/her ministry or social service work to date. Students should address the nature and extent of their experience and current social service/ministry work, their plans for furthering their work, and how the CORE program and resulting degree from Cloverdale College will benefit them in their service to their community. The senior paper must be 10-15 pages, double-spaced, and typed in Times New Roman 12 point font. Papers are submitted by mail to the Office of the Registrar of Cloverdale College.

Links to CORE Program Venues

St. John Fisher parish website

Brochure and registration form for class at St. John Fisher