CORE 100, NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION SEMINAR SERIES, 0 credit. A one-semester course required of all entering freshmen students. This course carries no credit; however, students must earn a grade of P (pass) to meet graduation requirements. The goal of this course is to assist students in their transition to Fisk University by addressing such topics as academic rules and regulations, study and test taking skills, financial management, health-related issues, faculty expectations and other topics that are pertinent to student success.

CORE 110, COMMUNICATION I: AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE, 4 credits. Teaches the reading skills that lead to critical thinking, fosters the student’s abilities in written communication, explores the traditions of African American heritage, and exposes students to the basic fundamentals of public speaking. A writing-intensive course; should be taken in the first semester.

CORE 130, MATHEMATICS, 4 credits. Aims to further the development of students’ critical and analytical skills through the study of various mathematical concepts. Topics to be covered include logic, concepts of algebra, equations and inequalities, concepts of functions with a study of their graphs and applications, systems of equations, matrices, and an introduction to probability and statistics. Should be taken in the first year.

CORE 140, COMMUNICATION II: AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE, 4 credits. Develops more fully the student's abilities in written communication, explores in more depth the traditions of African American heritage, and enhances the student’s abilities in oral communication. A writing-intensive course; should be taken in the second semester. Prerequisite: CORE 110.

CORE 210, THE VARIETIES OF LITERATURE, 4 credits. Aims to develop students' skill in the critical study of texts, including the areas of Psychology, Religion, Political Science, History, Dramatics, Philosophy, and other disciplines, in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. A writing-intensive course suggested for the second or third year student.

CORE 220, THE CREATIVE ARTS, 4 credits. Seeks to develop students' appreciation of the arts, reflecting an ability to recognize, articulate and record in a discriminating way an understanding of the characteristics common to the various forms of the visual and performing arts, and the creative process. Through class lectures, experiences, discussions, and demonstrations the course will encourage critical thinking in seeking answers to the question of the involvement of the arts through history in human, social, cultural, political, and economic evolution. Students should come to understand how artistic expression reflects the era in which it is created. Suggested for the second or the third year.

CORE 230, NATURAL SCIENCE, 4 credits. This course leads students to an understanding of the investigative approaches of the natural sciences, their historical development and the interrelationship of science and technology. Different course sections emphasize either the biological or physical sciences, but all provide an introduction to certain basic concepts or themes: the scientific method; the birth of modern astronomy; development of the biosphere, atmosphere, geosphere; forces of nature; energy, its sources and utilization; electromagnetic radiation and its interaction with matter; the structure, properties, reactivity and bonding of matter; evolution, characteristics and classification of life forms; the inheritance of genetic characteristics; and the relationships between an organism and its environment. Students utilize computer technology to analyze data, research topics and assist in the mastery of scientific concepts. Classroom demonstrations and laboratory experiments are conducted to illustrate concepts. Prerequisite: Core 130.

CORE 250, HUMANITIES: THOUGHT AND EXPERIENCE, 4 credits. Students debate humankind's perennial questions, with attention to the manner in which these questions have been understood in various times and cultures. Topics include the meaning of human life; ethics; the problem of knowledge; experience and reality; God and religious experience; and the individual's relationship to society. Most readings are drawn from primary sources in history, literature, philosophy, and the world's religious traditions. A writing-intensive course; suggested for the second or third year. Prerequisite: CORE 110.

CORE 360, THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLES, 4 credits. Aims to prepare students for life as informed citizens in a multicultural world. Course includes the study of humanity from our early origins through the present, emphasizing the unity of human experience; the diversity of peoples; the variety of civilizations and cultures; the effects of geography and technology on human life; and the changing patterns of social, political, economic, and cultural institutions, both within civilizations and globally. The first half of the course focuses on the patterns of major civilizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The second half focuses on the civilizational interactions during the past 500 years, which have created the world as it is today. Suggested for the third year. Prerequisites: CORE 110, 140, 220, and 250.