Description

(3 credits, offered every term)

Foundations of Western Thought
This freshman course will explore the foundations of Western thought as a significant source of contemporary culture. The course provides a rigorous intellectual introduction to university life as well as a foundation for future learning. Each faculty member will select primary texts that elucidate profound challenges and enduring questions facing humankind. Faculty will meet to establish common themes, and cooperate in other ways (common texts, trips, guest lectures, and films). The faculty involved will select a common text to be sent to incoming freshman and read in advance of the course. The administration will allocate appropriate resources for these purposes. Must be taken for a letter grade. Prerequisites: EDUC 99, ENG 99.

Educational Objectives

Students who complete the general education courses in this area will be able to do the following:

Identify and recall assumptions, themes, and values informing the Western intellectual and cultural heritage.

Define and articulate intellectual themes within the Western tradition.

Relate the insights and methods of the Western tradition to other fields of knowledge and experience.

Elucidate the constituent parts of an argument or a theme of the Western tradition.

Express coherent arguments in writing or speaking by drawing from Western thought.

Evaluate critically lines of reasoning and historical and cultural expressions of the Western tradition.