The goal of the whole curriculum is to illuminate the idea that everything must be learned in a context - a discipline cannot be understood in a vacuum. The CLU general curriculum includes three key components designed to underscore relationships and lay open the connectedness between the traditional disciplines. Cluster is taken during the freshman year to set the tone for the curriculum and introduce themes that will be encountered in the subsequent years. Global Studies is generally taken in the sophomore year and continues to develop the themes of relatedness and connectedness that Cluster introduced.
Capstone is a requirement for nearly every major.
It is taken in the senior year and is designed to tie together all the themes and concepts from both the major program and the general currculum. It acts as the final segment of a four-year program of critical thinking and investigative insight.