That question sits at the heart of Oglethorpe’s Core Curriculum and it’s one I’ve been thinking about for years.
Back in April, I flew out to Tempe, Arizona to attend the annual meeting of the Association for Core Texts and Courses. The setting, adjacent to Arizona State University, was new for me. The conference was not. I’ve attended at least 20 ACTC meetings, starting in 2001 at Notre Dame.
It’s, hands down, my absolute favorite academic conference, bringing together faculty from around the world who care about the kinds of authors and books we teach in our Core Curriculum. I look forward to it every year.
What makes this gathering especially meaningful is not just the scholarship, but the shared commitment to teaching as a way of introducing students into the great conversation about profound questions conducted over the ages. Even those who don’t love “core texts” for their own sake have to concede that engaging with them develops the habits of mind that shape how we think, lead and engage with complex problems.
If you want to get a sense of why, listen to this podcast, sponsored by ACTC, hosted by Oglethorpe’s Judith Levy, and featuring, among others, emeritus professor Jay Lutz.
I’ve always presented papers, usually crafted from something that struck me in a classroom at Oglethorpe. The topics have ranged from “Locke and Aquinas on Property” (2001, Notre Dame) through “Tolkien on Bioethics” (2005, Vancouver, B.C.) and “Liberal Learning and the Marketplace: Thinking About Liberal Education with Adam Smith” (2014, Los Angeles) to “Franklin and Tocqueville on Education for Democracy” (2026, Tempe).
For about a decade, I was privileged to serve on ACTC’s Board, having just rolled off this year. The Board represents the institutional and international diversity of ACTC membership—large and small, public and private, colleges and universities, and locations as far-flung as Amsterdam, Halifax (Nova Scotia), and Navarra (Spain).
While in the Atlanta region, Oglethorpe is often overshadowed by our gargantuan public neighbors (the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State), as well as by the medical and professional prestige of Emory, at ACTC meetings I don’t have to refer to Oglethorpe as “Atlanta’s best-kept secret,” a phrase I first heard back in the late 80s. At this conference and in this organization, Oglethorpe is known and recognized for something quite specific. People around the country and around the world know who we are, and they often respect, or even envy, our Core Curriculum.
That reputation matters beyond the classrooms of our campus. It reflects the kind of education that shapes graduates who can wrestle with big questions, weigh competing ideas and make thoughtful decisions. Those are qualities essential in the leaders we need in our professional, civic and cultural communities.
ACTC provides an opportunity for OU faculty to raise their professional profiles and to connect with like-minded colleagues across the country and the world. It also offers opportunities for students to study abroad (there are, or have been, programs in England, Spain, and Taiwan) and to present their work at undergraduate conferences. Indeed, I just nominated two OU students for a conference to be held at Assumption University (Worcester, Mass.) this fall.
Some of my favorite OU students (you know who you are) have presented at these conferences in the past. And I have even had the pleasure, from time to time, of catching up with former students who are now teaching core texts at places like Rhodes College and UT-Austin.
Seeing former students go on to teach, lead, and contribute to their own communities is a powerful reminder of what this kind of education is ultimately about. Thucydides calls his history “a possession for all time.” These words also apply to an Oglethorpe education, which prepares students to engage thoughtfully with diverse ideas, concepts and arguments throughout their lives.
We love studying the “cerebral core text.” IYKYK.
But even for those who aren’t “in the know,” the impact is real. The Core is not just a set of courses. It’s a foundation for the kind of thinking, judgment and leadership that communities like Atlanta, the U.S. and the world depend on.
About Joseph M. Knippenberg
Joseph M. Knippenberg, Ph.D., is a Professor of Politics at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he also serves as the Politics Program Coordinator. Based in Atlanta, he is an experienced educator and scholar whose work focuses on political theory and the role of ideas in public life.
Dr. Knippenberg specializes in the history of political philosophy, religion and politics, and contemporary liberal theory. His teaching and research examine how foundational political thinkers and philosophical traditions continue to shape modern political systems and civic discourse.
