Learn in a discussion-oriented, great books-based liberal arts experience that complements your primary academic major.
Great Books & Ideas aims to shape students with the ability to…
- Examine the insights of the great works of history under the authority of God’s inerrant Word.
- Demonstrate the responsibility, discipline, and capacity to master new fields of knowledge through self-directed study.
- Cultivate tempered, genuine, and constructive discourse marked by intellectual clarity, humility, and patience.
- Engage complex cultural challenges with historical understanding, biblical wisdom, and Christian virtue.
- Exemplify godly, thoughtful, humble, and relational leadership in the home, church, community, and world.
- Demonstrate the truthfulness, coherence, and explanatory value of the Christian understanding of the world.
- Model a life of mature discipleship marked by a growing love for the triune God, his Word, and all nations.
Why Choose Classical?
The Honors College is a community of faculty and students deeply committed to ordering life and learning around the love of God. We exist to advance the great Christian intellectual tradition and its aim of glorifying the Triune God in all of life.
We do this by engaging in close reading and lively discussion of great books in the light of the Greatest book—the canon of Scripture (Psalm 119.130). We believe that this time-honored approach uncovers profound truths about reality and helps us understand and respond to the complex world in which we live.
Because Jesus the Messiah is the One in whom all things hold together (Col 1.18), we pursue truth wherever it leads. Alongside Augustine we confess that faith is essential to true understanding (crede ut intellegas), not in conflict with it. While common grace ensures that truth can be discovered by the unbelieving world, we affirm that all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are ultimately hidden in Christ (Col 2.3). Christians are therefore especially called to robust, humble, inquisitive intellectual discovery and eager, patient, winsome engagement with the world.
As a community, our mission is to grow in intellectual and relational wisdom, that we might be better prepared to live meaningful lives of service and leadership in an increasingly complex world.
Curriculum
The Great Books & Ideas program is a three-year, cohort-based, honors-level, 40-credit secondary major. This model enables students to engage in a robust, discussion-oriented, great books-based liberal arts experience that complements their primary academic major.
The program is offered as a sequence of six required courses—one six credit course each semester over three years—plus a four-credit topics honors experience course that will take place in New England, Oxford, Rome, or another setting of historical or natural significance. This summer course can be taken after the first year and may be taken more than once.
Honors Courses:
HNR1510
The Ancient World and the Hebrew Scriptures
The Ancient World and the Hebrew Scriptures introduces the student to Mediterranean and Ancient Near Eastern thought and literature including the Hebrew Old Testament and foundational texts from the ancient world.
HNR1520
The Classical World and Early Christianity
The Classical World and Early Christianity introduces the Gospels and early Christian literature in its Greco-Roman intellectual and cultural context. It considers the theological formation of the early church from the apostolic fathers to Augustine.
HNR2530
The Medieval World
The Medieval World explores the medieval synthesis of classical philosophy and Christian thought. Students will explore divine order, the purpose of human existence, and the relationship between faith and reason.
HNR2540
Renaissance, Reformation, and the Rise of Modern Thought
Renaissance, Reformation, and the Rise of Modern Thought explores the cultural and intellectual revival of the Renaissance, the theological challenges of the Reformation, and the dawn of scientific inquiry. Students examine humanism’s focus on the individual, waves of reformation in the church, and the relationship between science and faith.
HNR3550
The Enlightenment, American Founding, and Christian Responses
The Enlightenment, American Founding, and Christian Responses examines Enlightenment philosophy, its influence on the American founding, and Christian responses to rationalism. Students explore themes of natural rights, social contract theory, and the development of democratic ideals.
HNR3560
Modernity, American Identity, and Contemporary Christian Thought
Modernity, American Identity, and Contemporary Christian Thought addresses the challenges of modernity, American identity, global engagement, and the development of Christian social thought, focusing on existentialism, abolition, civil rights, global conflict, and contemporary issues from a Christian perspective.
HNR2550
Topics Honors Experience
Topics Honors Experience is an immersive exploration of the life and thought of influential thinkers in their historical, cultural, and religious context. Includes travel to significant historical and religious sites, cultural experiences, as well as readings, discussion, and relevant application to contemporary challenges.
Timeline:
| Year One | Fall | HNR1510 – The Ancient World and the Hebrew Scriptures |
| Spring | HNR1520 – The Classical World and Early Christianity | |
| Year Two | Fall | HNR2530 – The Medieval World |
| Spring | HNR2540 – Renaissance, Reformation, and the Rise of Modern Thought | |
| Year Three | Fall | HNR3550 – The Enlightenment, American Founding, and Christian Responses |
| Spring | HNR3560 – Modernity, American Identity, and Contemporary Christian Thought | |
| Any | Summer | HNR2550 – Topics Honors Experience |
Courses in the program are chronological and focused on the reading and discussion of texts in multiple genres. Students meet for two-and-a-half hours twice each week for seminar. Seminar is elenctic / Socratic discussion which prioritizes student discussion and is facilitated by faculty tutors.
Courses prioritize careful reading outside the classroom (notetaking) and thorough, meaningful, productive discussion during seminar. Writing requirements support analysis and integration of learning.
The Great Books & Ideas (GBI) program satisfies 36 of the 55–57 credits in the University of Northwestern’s core curriculum. This approach enables students to earn a second major alongside their primary major with minimal (oftentimes, no) additional credit hours.
Curriculum Requirements:
| Core Curriculum Category | Total Core Requirement | Great Books Courses | Remaining Core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biblical Thinking & Living: Required | 14 | 14 | 0 |
| Biblical Thinking & Living: Selectives | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Leadership & Professionalism | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Scientific & Quantitative Reasoning | 8 | 2 | 6 |
| Communication | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Critical Thinking & Information Literacy | 4-5 | 0 | 4-5 |
| Cultural & Global Engagement | 6-7 | 4 | 2-3 |
| Creative Expression | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 55-57 | 36 | 17-19 |
Careers with an Honors Education
A degree in Great Books & Ideas will benefit you in any career with skills in critical thinking,
What types of work are related to this degree?
- Lawyer*
- Legislator
- Entrepreneur
- Historian
- Educator
- Analyst
- Journalist
- Consultant
*Some careers require additional education/certification.
Still have questions about this program or how to apply?
Our team is ready with answers!
Discover the Classical Christian Honors College
Professors at Northwestern are focused on their students first. Our faculty include experts in their respective fields who want to help you grow in your faith while you earn your degree.
