The humanities core grants students of all majors an enriched perspective on the good life and a deeper desire to know the God who reigns at the heart of it. By exploring Scripture and multiple facets of civilization and culture, you will gain a well-rounded understanding of the world and your place in it.
As you prepare for your vocation, the humanities core will cultivate empathy, sharpen your critical thinking, writing and communication skills, and inspire a deep-rooted appreciation for the dignity of all people. Regardless of your major, the following five courses are woven into your academic schedule throughout your time on campus:
This one credit course is an introduction to the Humanities core at Grove City College. It welcomes students into the biblical story of creation, fall, and redemption, and it reflects on the role that liberal arts education plays in this narrative.
This course explores the intellectual, cultural, political, and religious foundations of Western Civilization from the ancient Greeks to the modern world. In addition to learning the broad historical narratives of Western Civilization, the purpose of this class is also to understand how exceptional thinkers, politicians, writers, and artists perceived their times and how they drew meaning and pondered big ideas throughout key moments in history. Students will learn to read profound texts and to think about great ideas like a historian in service of further developing their own, biblically informed, worldview.
A study of great works of literature that represent the major periods in the history of Western civilization. The course explores the nature of God and humanity, the nature of good and evil, the meaning of moral choice, the purpose of life, and the meaning of salvation.
This course surveys the story of humanity in the West as recorded in visual art and music. The story is pleasant, for artists can teach us how to use our eyes, ears, and imagination to enjoy whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just. The story is important, for it tells us who we are and how we got here. If we hope to serve the cause of light in a dark world, we must try to understand how the lives around us are shaped by culture, and the arts are a particularly revealing window on culture—eloquently expressing how others have made sense of reality. Thoughtful Christians will pay as close attention to the eloquence as they will to what is expressed, because the two are, in a sense, inseparable.
This course builds on HUMA 100 by exploring the content of significant biblical texts, their theological themes, and their contributions to the Christian life in the contemporary world. The content of the course and its learning outcomes revolve around three key questions: Who is God? What does it mean to be human? More specifically, what does it mean to be the people of God? And what is God’s mission and my role within it?
This course builds on HUMA 261, exploring the content of significant biblical texts, their theological themes, and their contributions to the Christian life in the contemporary world. The content of the course and its learning outcomes revolve around three key questions: Who is Jesus? What is a Christian? And what is the shape of the Christian life in the world?
This course is the capstone to the Humanities core at Grove City College. It casts a Christian vision for ethics and the good life, offers critical responses to alternative ethical frameworks, and equips students to address some of the most pressing ethical issues of contemporary life. Focal ethical topics may vary.