THE CORE
We’ll change your mind.
The Core will challenge how you think about yourself, the world, and everything in it. It’s designed to provoke (sometimes heated) discussion. Our graduates say that it actually changes the way their minds work – a function that they can never turn off.
During all four years, you and your professors share an intellectual exchange that addresses life’s big questions across all disciplines. You learn about yourself, the global community, the historical perspectives that brought us here, and how all of these come together.
What you learn in the Oglethorpe Core will set you apart from the competition, not just in your first job, but every one after that.
“Oglethorpe University insists that the object is not to pass a subject; the object is to take and keep it.”
Job training… for every job you’ll ever have.
The Core is an intentionally designed sequence of courses, with each course building upon the body of knowledge in the previous course. It’s very likely that early in your academic career at Oglethorpe, you’ll find yourself wondering what the text you’re reading has to do with your major. But you’ll stick with it until that one day when you have that “aha!” moment. We call that the Core Moment.
Yours may come one day in class. It may come during your internship or while studying abroad. Or it may come to you while serving in the community. Whenever or wherever it happens, you will have your Core Moment, because it’s at this intersection of the Core and real-world experiences that the real “magic” of an Oglethorpe education happens.
That “magic” is simply learning – and we promise the type of learning that will send you into the world prepared for every job you’ll ever have.
- You emerge as a much better writer.
- You come to relate concepts and ideas, even when they are complex.
- You learn to analyze, synthesize and think on your feet.
- You are better prepared to lead initiatives and motivate people.
- You are able to hold your own in every conversation you have.
The Core is staffed by faculty from a wide variety of disciplines who collaborate towards the common goal of fostering in students a love of learning and a desire to learn, to think, and to act as reflective, responsible beings throughout their lives.
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES ONE HOUR AT A TIME
COR 201. Human Nature and the Social Order I
COR 202. Human Nature and the Social Order II
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 301. Historical Perspectives on the Social Order I
COR 302. Historical Perspectives on the Social Order II
The junior year sequence constitutes a 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 400. Science and Human Nature
An appreciation and understanding of scientific thought and its role in society is essential. This course examines feedbacks between science and society and cultivates informed consumers of science by considering the history, philosophy and practice of science. The scientific way of understanding is continually changing and evolving—it is provisional. The primary distinguishing characteristic of science is its reliance upon experimentation for the determination of scientific value, and the resolution of conflicts among the practitioners of science. With the use of selected historical and contemporary topics this course seeks to equip the student with the necessary tools to appreciate the interplay of scientific thought and society in our lives.
One of the following:
COR 103. Music and Culture
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
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 105. Theatre and Culture
Theatrical expression has been used to form and bind communities, to worship the gods and to explore and expose social norms. This course focuses on the ways in which theatre accomplishes these aims in a variety of ages, such as Greek, Renaissance and postmodern.
COR 314. Mathematics and Human Nature
Students in this course will explore the mathematical method through logical and quantitative reasoning. Through an in-depth study of the tools of abstraction, generalization, and axiomatization, students will learn to solve problems and communicate mathematics. A central theme is the difference between evidence-based and axiom-based argumentation, engendering a discussion of the commonalities and distinctions between mathematics and science.
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.
