Gateway to the Great Books: Modern

This three-credit integrated humanities course is a gentle introduction to the Great Books. Students will read historical, philosophical, and literary texts from the 1600-1900s in Gateway to the Great Books. These texts are shorter than those found in the Great Books of the Western World, yet still powerful. This course is designed to foster human flourishing by honoring what is Good, True, and Beautiful. The course will be divided into eight-week quarters. Students will be assigned weekly readings (about 60-100 pages per week), watch weekly lectures, develop and answer weekly questions for class discussions, and participate in weekly class discussions. Students will also be required to write one 1200-word essay per quarter.

Course Objectives:

1. To foster human flourishing by focusing on the Good, True, and Beautiful
2. To reflect the image of God by being active, rational, creative, moral, responsible, and faithful
3. To become familiar with the literature, history, and philosophy found in Gateway to the Great Books
4. To engage in critical thinking by practicing close reading of texts, developing interpretive questions, and participating in Socratic discussions
5. To demonstrate how to think critically, Christianly, and write persuasively

Texts:

• Gateway to the Great Books —PDF supplied by the instructor

You can also purchase used hard copies of the ten-volume set on Amazon for about $60 and you can also use the Gutenberg Project digital version for free: