This honors-level program prepares graduates to lead with courage, humility, and wisdom, to grapple with complex issues, and to excel in written and spoken communication. Graduates have a durable intellectual, relational, and spiritual foundation for a life of flourishing in every vocation.
Why Study Great Books?
The Honors College exists to advance the great Christian intellectual tradition and its aim of glorifying the Triune God in all of life.
We do this by studying the great books in the light of Scripture in small, faculty-led seminar discussions. Faculty also work closely with each student to hone the craft of writing, the art of speaking, and the practice of living well. As a community, faculty and students share meals, worship and pray together, and serve alongside one another. This time-honored approach rightly-orders our loves, matures our thinking, deepens our relationships, and equips us to glorify God in an increasingly complex world.
Great Books & Ideas secondary major will equip you 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.
How Does a Secondary Major Work?
The Great Books & Ideas program is a three-year, cohort-based, honors-level, 40-credit secondary major. This model requires fewer credits and complements any primary major by sharing credits from the core curriculum. By reading and discussing great books with a small group of peers and faculty mentor, you fulfill 36 of 53 general education credits in the core curriculum.
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.
Timeline:
| Year | Semester | Great Books & Ideas Courses | Courses Fulfilled – 36 of 53 credits |
| Year One | Fall | HNR1520 – The Classical World and Early Christianity (6 credits) | BIB2008 Survey of the New Testament (2 credits) PHI2055 Introduction to Theological Philosophy (2 credits) PHI3015 Early Philosophy (2 credits) |
| Spring | HNR1510 – The Ancient World and the Hebrew Scriptures (6 credits) | BIB2005 Survey of the Old Testament (4 credits) BIA1015 Interpreting Scripture (2 credits) [and courses in row above] | |
| Year Two | Fall | HNR2540 – Renaissance, Reformation, and the Rise of Modern Thought (6 credits) | LIT3136 Shakespeare (2 credits) SCI1008 Introduction to Scientific Thought (2 credits) BIB3115 Romans (2 credits) [and courses in row above] |
| Spring | HNR2530 – The Medieval World (6 credits) | BIB3223 Pauline Epistles (2 credits) LIT2045 Epic Literature (2 credits) LDR1011 Spiritual and Personal Formation for Leadership (2 credits) [and courses in row above] | |
| Year Three | Fall | HNR3560 – Modernity, American Identity, and Contemporary Christian Thought (6 credits) | BIB4365 Historical Theology (4 credits) HIS1005 Historical Perspectives on Culture, Belief, & Civilization (4 credits) |
| Spring | HNR3550 – The Enlightenment, American Founding, and Christian Responses (6 credits) | LDR2112 Relational and Cultural Awareness in Leadership (2 credits) BIA1007 Christian Thinking & Living (2 credits) [and courses in row above] | |
| Any | Summer | HNR2550 – Topics Honors Experience (4 credits) |
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.
Honors Courses:
HNR1510
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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!
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