Freshmen will need to make sure their schedules include “What is the Good Life” in upcoming semesters.
The interdisciplinary humanities class will be required for the second year in a row. Andrew Wolpert, humanities common course director, said the first year went well.
“It’s been a huge success developing this core curriculum,” Wolpert said.
He said about 6,800 freshmen are expected to enroll in “What is the Good Life” in the next academic year.
The 2012 Summer B term marked the first time UF mandated the course for incoming freshmen. The class poses philosophical questions to students and zooms in on the arts, religion and sustainability.
Wolpert said that the student response was mixed, and most negative comments stemmed from the fact that the class is required.
John Maze, UF architecture professor and an instructor of “What is the Good Life,” said the course pushes students out of their comfort zones.
“We try to expose you to as many viewpoints as possible,” he said.
Jillian Briceno, a 19-year-old UF biology sophomore, said the class differed from her usual science-heavy schedule.
“It is a way to broaden perspectives, so I see why they have it,” Briceno said.
Lisa Paper, a 20-year-old UF journalism sophomore, said she enjoyed the class, but the workload was heavy.
“There was too much reading each week,” Paper said. “I think it just overwhelmed people, so they didn’t want to read it.”
The course was made mandatory by the University Curriculum Committee. About 6,300 students were enrolled in the class in Fall and Spring of the 2012-2013 school year.
Wolpert said he is looking to enhance the course by getting students more engaged and shrinking lecture class sizes. The goals of the requirement were to unite freshmen and educate students about the humanities.
“It’s been an enormous learning experience,” Wolpert said. “We’re very pleased with how things went.”
