G W Locke reat A voluntary core curriculum at Emory focused on great works of the Western Tradition in politics, philosophy, literature, and history. orks Courses Program in Democracy and Citizenship
Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. James Madison 1822 Emory University s Voluntary Core Curriculum Program An Initiative of the Program in Democracy and Citizenship The Voluntary Core Curriculum, a new initiative under the aegis of The Program in Democracy and Citizenship, offers a coherent and linked group of courses on the Western tradition and a series of major questions that have traditionally been at the center of a liberal arts education. The Benefits of a Voluntary Core Curriculum A voluntary core curriculum offers interested students guidance about a foundation for a liberal arts education. This group of courses will provide an example of a rigorous and coherent course of study and be attractive to a growing number of students who will appreciate its intellectual seriousness, the opportunity to study great works with enthusiastic teachers, the chance to participate in a vibrant intellectual community, and, at the same time, satisfy a significant portion of their general education requirements under the existing Emory curriculum. Jefferson
Great Works Courses: The Voluntary Core at Emory At its best, a liberal arts education liberates. By studying the great works of the Western intellectual tradition and the philosophical and historical foundations of the political community in which they live, students develop the knowledge and skills M achiavelli to think independently and to become the knowledgeable and responsible citizens liberal democracy needs to prosper. Courses focusing on the great works of the Western tradition in politics, philosophy, literature, and history teach critical thinking because the authors of these works disagree about the fundamental questions What is the best form of government? What is a good human life? What forces move history? What defines a great work of art? Studying these works involves participating in a great conversation or debate with the writers, thinkers, and political leaders who have shaped our world. The Great Works courses that form the voluntary core are a coherent group of courses designed to provide the foundation for a liberal arts education and a life of engaged citizenship. Together, these courses allow Emory freshmen the opportunity to take a traditional liberal arts core curriculum focused on the great works of the Western intellectual tradition, with all Great Works courses also satisfying a large portion of Emory s General Education Requirements. Classes are small, with a maximum enrollment of 25. While students are encouraged to take all four, they can take as many or as few as they choose. Students in the Great Works courses also benefit from the Emory Williams Lectures in the Liberal Arts, a series of guest lectures on works covered in the courses by distinguished outside experts and writers as well as Emory faculty.
Course Descriptions Political Science 150 Foundations of American Democracy A course on the foundational ideas that underlie American democracy and the major debates in American politics from the revolutionary era to the present, ranging from the reasons for revolution to the best constitution for a democracy, from how to achieve racial equality to the competing visions of American liberalism and conservatism. Readings include John Locke, The Federalist, Democracy in America, as well as writings and speeches by Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama. History 185 Great Works in Western Civilization Certain great books have been immensely influential across the centuries, and continue to influence the way we think, act, and understand ourselves today. Major themes include religion (sections from the Bible), history (Herodotus, Julius Caesar, the Venerable Bede), politics (Machiavelli), economics (Adam Smith, Karl Marx) biology (Charles Darwin) and psychology (Sigmund Freud). Students will be encouraged to read critically, not reverently, and to take these authors ideas as the starting point for debate. Philosophy 115 Introduction to Ethics This course in moral philosophy addresses one of the most important questions that philosophers and all thoughtful human beings ask themselves: What is the best way of life for a human being? We will examine the way in which Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Maimonides, Montaigne, Hume and Kant have answered this question. English 181 Writing and Literature, The Great Books A survey of great works of Western literature, with selections from the Bible, Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton, Swift, and Wordsworth. The goal is to introduce first-year students to poetry and fiction that has stood the test of time and has a shaping influence on the course of Western history and culture.
Faculty Randall Strahan is Professor of Political Science. A specialist on American political institutions, he has won the Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Emory Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching. He is the author of two books and numerous scholarly articles. Patrick Allitt is Cahoon Family Professor of American History. The author of six books, he has also recorded six lecture series for The Teaching Company on aspects of American and British history. His research has ranged from intellectual to environmental history. He also frequently interprets American life for British magazines and newspapers. Anne Hartle is Professor of Philosophy. A specialist on Montaigne and the nature of philosophy, she is the author of four books and numerous articles. She has been a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow and a Senior Fellow at the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry. Mark Bauerlein is Professor of English. In addition to scholarly works in American literature, he is the author of Negrophobia; A Race Riot in Atlanta, and the provocative and widely-reviewed The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future: Or, Don t Trust Anyone Under 30. He writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal and other publications. Smith
The Program in Democracy and Citizenship The Program in Democracy and Citizenship is a curricular initiative intended to increase undergraduates knowledge on topics necessary to become responsible, informed citizens of a democratic society. Started by Professor Mark Bauerlein of the Department of English, the program now resides in the Department of Political Science, and is under the direction of Professor Harvey Klehr. Emory s College of Arts and Sciences aims to prepare students for intellectual leadership of the nation and imbue them with a commitment to use knowledge to improve human wellbeing, among its missions. To fulfill these aspirations, Emory must make available opportunities for students to develop a sophisticated understanding of the principles and history of democracy and of the fundamental issues they will face as free individuals and citizens. The Program in Democracy and Citizenship was created in 2006 to address this challenge. For more information on the Voluntary Core Curriculum, please visit our Web Site at: http://polisci.emory.edu/home/undergraduate/special_programs/voluntarycore. The Program in Democracy and Citizenship is supported by the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America s Founding Principles and History. JACK MILLER CENTER For Teaching America s Founding Principles and History