 |
 |
| Freshman Year - Core I |
| COR 101. |
Narratives of the
Self I |
| COR 102. |
Narratives of the
Self II |
Sophomore Year - Core II |
| COR 201. |
Human Nature and the
Social Order I |
| COR 202.
|
Human Nature and the
Social Order II |
Junior Year - Core III |
| COR 301. |
Historical
Perspectives on the Social Order I |
| COR 302. |
Historical
Perspectives on the Social Order II |
Senior Year - Core IV - One of the
following: |
| COR 401. |
Science
and Human Nature: Biological Sciences |
| COR 402. |
Science and
Human Nature: Physical Sciences |
Fine Arts Requirement - One of the following: |
| COR 103. |
Music and Culture |
| COR 104.
|
Art and Culture |
| |
| Mathematics Requirement |
| COR 203.
|
Great Ideas of
Modern Mathematics |
|
|
|
Foreign Language Requirement |
|
All students undertaking and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree
will be required to take at least one semester of a foreign
language at the second-semester elementary-level or higher.
Students who graduated from a secondary school where the
language instruction was not English have satisfied the foreign
language requirement.
Note: Students
matriculating at Oglethorpe as freshmen may not substitute
courses taken at other institutions for any of the core
sequenced courses. The exception to this would be COR 103, COR
104, and foreign language courses. |
The following courses are offered for the Core Curriculum:
| COR 101,
COR 102. Narratives of the Self I, II |
4 plus 4 hours |
The
first-year course sequence investigates narratives of the self.
Among the topics that students will consider are a variety of
fictional and philosophical constructions of the self, the
relationships of memory to personal identity, and the
disjunction or harmony between public and private selves. The
authors considered in the courses may include Homer, Socrates,
St. Augustine, Montaigne, Shakespeare, Descartes, Cervantes,
Lao Tsu, Nietzsche, and Toni Morrison.
|
| COR 103.
Music and Culture |
4 hours |
The
appreciation of music begins with an understanding of the
creative process as a means of self-expression and the artist’s
relationship to the world. Using primary sources, guest
lecturers, and artists, this course examines the styles, trends,
and developments of Western and international music from early
civilizations through the 20th century. Study and discussion
begin to develop an understanding of how music and the cultural
arts reflect and affect societal trends and values.
|
| COR 104.
Art and Culture |
4 hours |
Through the
study of art this course will help students understand the basic
chronology of Western culture, lay the groundwork for broad
cultural literacy, and look at how art reflects the human
condition. The course explores content, formal elements, and
historical context of the art of Western and non-Western
cultures from ancient to modern times. Four basic themes will
prevail: Art and Religion, Art and Power, Art and Nature, and
Art and the Personal.
|
| COR 201,
COR 202. Human Nature and the Social Order I, II |
4 plus 4 hours |
The
sophomore course sequence focuses on the relationship between
individuals and communities, examining the extent to which the
"good life" can be pursued within the confines of any social
order. These courses investigate issues such as the nature of
human excellence and virtue, the character of justice, the
origins and sources of social order, and the status and
legitimacy of political power. How can we obtain an accurate
description of humans as social beings? What is the good
society, and how may it be realized? Students in this course are
invited to become more thoughtful, self-conscious, and
self-critical members and citizens of the society and polity in
which they live. Authors such as Aristotle, Locke, Smith,
Tocqueville, Marx, and Weber are read.
|
| COR 203.
Great Ideas of Modern Mathematics |
4 hours |
|
This course explores several major modern mathematical
developments and helps students to understand and appreciate the
unique approach to knowledge which characterizes mathematics.
The mode of inquiry employed is reason. This is not to be
confused with the approach used, for example, in the natural or
social sciences. It is, rather, reason divorced from anything
empirical. As T. H. Huxley remarked, "Mathematics is that study
which knows nothing of observation, nothing of experiment,
nothing of induction, nothing of causation." The course will be
organized around three or four major mathematical ideas that
have emerged since the time of Newton. These ideas will be drawn
from such fields as calculus, set theory, number theory,
probability theory, modern algebra, logic, topology, and
non-Euclidean geometry. Note: This course is taught by
faculty in mathematics, transfer credit is not awarded for this
course, and there is no placement examination since it has no
prerequisite.
|
| COR 301,
COR 302. Historical Perspectives on the Social Order I, II |
4 plus 4 hours |
The junior year sequence constitutes an historical examination
of human experience in response to some of the themes and issues
raised in the first two years of the core. Drawing on a variety
of perspectives from both the humanities and the social
sciences, the course strives to reconstruct the histories of
significant periods in human history. The first semester focuses
on the rise and fall of civilizations from antiquity through the
Renaissance. The second semester concentrates on the problems of
modernity, such as the rise of the modern state, nationalism,
revolution, and globalization. Both courses examine the ways in
which significant moments have become essential parts of our
historical consciousness, enshrined in myth, and religion,
tradition, culture, and institutions. Through careful analysis
of current scholarship and original sources, students are
invited to consider the complex relationship between history,
cultural traditions, and the social and political institutions
derived from them.
|
| COR 401.
Science and Human Nature: Biological Sciences |
4 hours |
The senior
year course deals with the way scientific methodologies inform
current thinking on the nature of the human organism. Starting
from basic genetic and psychological understandings, it
emphasizes how evolutionary mechanisms may be seen as
contributing to the origins of uniquely human behaviors.
Elements of DNA structure as it applies to information storage
and transmission, the regulation of gene expression and the
mechanics of protein synthesis, mutation and its centrality in
producing variation, sexual reproduction and how the laws of
probability apply to biological systems, sex determination,
"altruistic" behavior, and kin selection are among the topics
explored.
|
|
COR 402.
Science and Human Nature: Physical Sciences |
4 hours |
|
Modern
western society is largely science-dominated, and the consideration
of science and its role in society is essential for any educated
person. This core course investigates the practice of science by
focusing specifically on scientific revolutions. It is during such
periods of upheaval that we can most clearly see how science is
actually practiced. What causes a new idea to challenge the
scientific status quo? What determines whether the new idea will be
accepted, or not? When seeking new explanations for natural events,
what guides the scientist's search? The goal of this course is to
equip the student with the necessary tools and background to seek
answers to these questions, and others, for such questions are
increasingly a part of each of our lives if we live those lives
reflectively. |
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