Curriculum Development and Implementation

Beginning in 2022, the Trinity Curriculum Development Committee (TCDC) committed to reviewing the structure and content of the curriculum that governs much of undergraduate education at Duke and proposing changes that speak to the interests and needs of our students in the coming decades. In receiving its charge, the committee was asked to think big – setting no limit to what they can ask or explore, while creativity, purposeful dreaming and curiosity were strongly encouraged.

The Arts & Sciences Curriculum, adopted in April 2024, provides a foundation that prepares students for success in college and beyond, facilitates identification of pathways through Duke, and supports student agency in the pursuit of a liberal arts education.

Read the Charge Read the Approved Curriculum Recent and Upcoming Activities

Curriculum Implementation

Following a two-year process of development, the approved curriculum will go into effect for incoming students beginning in Fall 2025. As part of the implementation of the curriculum, faculty and staff from across Trinity are working to ensure the process is as smooth as possible for new students.

Implementation Committee

Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, Co-Chair, Statistical Science
Deb Reisinger, Trinity Undergraduate Education
Steve Craig, Chemistry
Hae-Young Kim, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Charmaine Royal, African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health, and Family Medicine & Community Health
Josh Sosin, Classical Studies
GR Samanez-Larkin, Psychology and Neuroscience
Eliana Schonberg, Thompson Writing Program
Mathavi Strasburger, Academic Advising Center
Elizabeth Thompson, Trinity Communications
Amanda Kelso, Global Education
Jennifer Hill, Office of Assessment
Frank Blalark, Registrar
Heather Raslan, Student representative
Tony Snipes, Support
Haley Warren, Trinity Communications
Andrea Maritt-Pabalate, Trinity College Undergraduate Education
Denise Comer, A&S Council Chair, Thompson Writing Program

Constellations Committee

Deb Reisinger, Ph.D., Trinity Undergraduate Education
Greg Samanez-Larkin, Chair, Psychology and Neuroscience
Andrea Marritt-Pabalate, Trinity Undergraduate Education
Michael S Domeracki, Ph.D., Advising
Edna Andrews, Ph.D., FOCUS
Denise Comer, Ph.D., Thompson Writing Program
Yue Jiang, Statistical Science
Jesse S. Summers, Philosophy
Frank Blalark, Ph.D., Registrar's Office
Jennifer L Hill, Ed.D., Office of Assessment
David Malone, Ph.D., Education
Ayana Arce, Ph.D., Physics
Elizabeth Thompson, Trinity Communications
Raquel Salvatella de Prada, Art, Art History and Visual Studies

Century Courses Committee

Stephen Craig, Ph.D., Chair, Chemistry
Jennifer L Hill, Ed.D., Office of Assessment
Andrea Marritt-Pabalate, Ph.D., Trinity Undergraduate Education
Charmaine D Royal, Ph.D., African & African American Studies, Biology, Global Health, and Family Medicine & Community Health
Victoria Szabo, Art, Art History and Visual Studies
Eileen Chow, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel, Statistical Science
Kristin Stephens-Martinez, Computer Science

Recent & Upcoming Activities

Spring 2025 – Constellations Review and Preparation

Thanks to the hard work of our DUSs, DUSAs and the Curriculum Committee, most Fall 2025 courses have been successfully recoded.

Beginning this fall, all incoming Trinity students will be required to participate in a first-year experience. Students will either apply to the FOCUS program or be matched with a Constellation. This semester, we're hosting a series of pedagogical workshops to provide faculty with practical strategies and opportunities to connect with colleagues across disciplines.

Graduate students can also join Constellations. In a new year-long fellowship, Constellations Fellows will participate in instructional design, collaborate with faculty and contribute to assessment efforts that enhance student engagement in experiential components.

We’re already thinking about Constellations 2026! Faculty interested in developing new constellations will have the opportunity to mingle with the inaugural cohort on May 1, following the A&S Council meeting. Please save the date!

Century Courses provide students with a broad yet rigorous introduction to the fundamental knowledge, methodologies and ways of thinking that define the field. Chairs will be contacting their faculty soon to host conversations related to the development of any new courses for Fall 2026. You can find a list of frequently asked questions on the Trinity Administrative site.

What’s next? Our team is focused on:

assessment efforts
faculty development opportunities
student engagement strategies

Office of University Assessment

In Spring 2024, the Curriculum Implementation Committee charged the Director of University Assessment and the A&S Council Committee on Assessment, in cooperation with campus partners, with designing and implementing an assessment strategy for the new general education curriculum. Learn more about assessment

Curriculum Development Process

Developing the Trinity curriculum is a core responsibility of its faculty. We will take advantage of the breadth of expertise and perspective among our faculty and will ensure that all faculty have opportunities to contribute to our discussions. The recommendations of the TCDC will also be subject to approval by the faculty at large, as represented by the Arts & Sciences Council.
Planning should be grounded in evidence. We will explore institutional research on how the current curriculum has shaped Duke students’ experiences and scholarly research on other curricular models.
Committee activities should be transparent. We will provide regular updates to stakeholders on committee activities.

Trinity Curriculum Development Committee

Scott Huettel, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Curriculum Development Committee Chair
Edna Andrews, Professor of Linguistics and Director of the FOCUS Program
Owen Astrachan, Professor of the Practice, Computer Science
David Berger, Associate Professor, Economics
Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel, Professor of the Practice, Statistical Science
Denise Comer, Professor of the Practice, Thompson Writing Program
Stephen Craig, Professor, Chemistry
Gustavo Furtado, Associate Professor, Romance Studies
Christina Gibson-Davis, Professor, Sanford School of Public Policy
Jennifer Hill, Office of Assessment
Hae-Young Kim, Professor of the Practice, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
David Malone, Professor of the Practice, Education
Jarvis McInnis, Assistant Professor, English
Lillian Pierce, Professor, Mathematics
Deborah Reisinger, Professor of the Practice, Romance Studies
Sophia Santillan, Associate Professor of the Practice, Pratt School of Engineering
Tom Schultz, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Nicholas School of the Environment
Josh Sosin, Associate Professor, Classical Studies
Sarah Wilbur, Associate Professor of the Practice, Dance
Chris Wildeman, Professor, Sociology
John Willis, Professor, Biology
Candis Watts Smith, Vice President for Undergraduate Education, Ex-Officio
Josh Socolar, Chair of Arts & Sciences Council, Ex-Officio

Curriculum Development and Implementation

Curriculum Implementation

Recent & Upcoming Activities

Spring 2025 – Constellations Review and Preparation

Office of University Assessment

Curriculum Development Process

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

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