Many freshmen in the College of Arts and Architecture began their first semester at Penn State differently from students in the past -- as part of a pioneer course called the Core Program.

Though students have been attending the class since the semester began, the program recently passed through Curricular Affairs, a section of the University Faculty Senate, and became official, said Chris Falzone, Faculty Senate's vice chairman of curricular affairs.

The program consists of Arts and Architecture 101 and 103 (Art and Design Theory I and II) and Arts and Architecture 102 and 104 (Art and Design Studio I and II) and is composed of theory and studio classes. Students in architecture, landscape architecture, integrative arts, graphic design, visual arts and art education take the classes over the span of two semesters.

Faculty members in the School of Theatre are currently revising their courses to make the Core part of their curriculum next year, said Yvonne Gaudelius, Arts and Architecture associate dean.

"The overall goal was to create an interdisciplinary program so that students in several majors can see a common thread in several subjects," Falzone said. "There are common elements in various disciplines and, thus, students will have a greater appreciation and knowledge of fields that are close to their own."

Three times a week, the 240 students meet for a theory lecture in Schwab Auditorium, which includes mini-symposia with faculty from other colleges within Penn State. Students then split into classes of 20 for the studio component of the course.

However, the students do not remain with those of the same major, an idea intricate in the vision of the dean of the College of Arts and Architecture, Richard Durst, Gaudelius said.

"One of the things we often force students to do is, at 18 years of age, ask them, 'What do you want to do with your life?' " Durst said. "Here, there is a range of disciplines ... it's opening people's eyes to the potentials of arts and design so they can make better career choices."

Two-and-a-half years ago, Durst said, he was chosen to lecture as part of an architecture lecture series for design and arts majors, and he addressed the idea of the Core program.

"I think some were skeptical at first about the time involved to redo the entire curriculum in seven of our majors," he said. "We had a faculty group that studied it for six months and also had a retreat with the department heads and administrators of the college. They all embraced the idea."

Chika Okeke-Agulu, one of the professors involved in the Core program, said it creates a wider platform than the separate disciplines can offer.

"Through this course, students are forced to think about what they see and hear, to reflect on philosophies," he said. "That is how to develop the intellectual mind."

This semester's course revolves around three themes: place, character and text. However, each studio professor is allowed to develop his own projects based on these themes, Simone Osthoff, studio professor for the Core, said.

Sarah McLaughlin (freshman-graphic design), a student in the Core program, said it is unlike any other college or major program.

"It's nice to sit in class and have an architecture student on one side and a fine arts student on the other," she said. "It just helps me to think outside the box and come up with better ideas."

Though the program considerably revises the college's setup, this semester is an important experiment, Durst said.

"We'll assess it next year, and we'll make some changes if we have to," he said. "The one thing I know we won't do is we won't fold it up. It is too important for our students."