Great Books/Liberal Studies

Director

Francine M. McCarthy, Earth Sciences

Participating Faculty

Alan G. Arthur (History), David W. Atkinson (English Language and Literature), Brian Crick (English Language and Literature), Michael Driedger (Great Books/Liberal Studies and History), Klay Dyer (English Language and Literature), Corrado J.A. Federici (French, Italian and Spanish), Peter Landey (Music), Ingrid Makus (Political Science), William Mathie (Political Science), Francine McCarthy (Earth Sciences), Thomas M.Mulligan (Management, Marketing and Human Resources), Mary Frances Richardson (Chemistry)

General Information

Administrative Assistant,

Barb Alexander

(905) 688-5550, extension 4752

MC C331

http://www.brocku.ca/greatbooks

The Centre for Great Books/Liberal Studies provides an opportunity for the exploration and discussion of those questions which arise when education is directed towards the freedom of the fully examined life.

Questions of human nature and purpose and of our relationship to the natural order, for example, are examined primarily through reading and discussion of the great works of human reason and imagination that constitute our cultural tradition.

The program seeks to develop the skills and habits of inquiry, analysis, argument and expression needed for a rigorous treatment of these questions.

The program is made up of a set of closely related core courses which are intended to provide an integrated liberal education, to be cumulative and to furnish the basis for an intellectual community of students and faculty. The Great Books/Liberal Studies Program must be either combined with a major in another discipline or as a minor. Students combining Great Books/Liberal Studies with a major concentration in Mathematics or Science will usually be exempted from the Science context requirement and may petition for exemption from the second language requirement.

The focus of the program is the Great Books Seminar which meets, under the guidance of two faculty leaders, twice weekly, throughout the entire program. Leaders for this seminar are drawn from a variety of disciplines and faculties of the University.

The other courses in the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program are intended both to provide for a kind of learning not possible in the seminar itself and also to enhance the quality and rigour of the inquiry and discussion which the seminar is intended to engender.

Students in year 4 are required to prepare a major essay on some aspect of Great Books/Liberal Studies, relating it to work in their other major, under the guidance of a faculty member.

A non-credit series of lectures supplements the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program. The lectures will illuminate the works and issues addressed in the program from a variety of perspectives. Students also attend concerts, art exhibitions and dramatic productions. Students are expected to attend the lectures and cultural events, since these constitute an integral part of the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program. Each student in the program is assigned a faculty adviser for regular and incidental consultation.

Great Books seminars

The Great Books Seminars (GBLS 1F90, 1P93, 2F90, 3P90, 3P91, 4P10, 4P11) are open to all students, but students majoring in and those taking a minor in Great Books/Liberal Studies will have first access. Students who complete GBLS 1F90, 2F90, 3P90, 3P91, 4P10, and 4P11 are deemed to have satisfied the Social Science context requirement.

Language Requirement for Humanities Majors

Great Books/Liberal Studies BA majors are required to complete one credit in a language other than English. Students completing the program to earn the Bachelor of Science degree are not required to do so but it is strongly recommended. Where one-half credit courses are used to satisfy this requirement, both half credits must be in the same language. Greek or Latin recommended.

Program Notes

Bachelor of Arts in Great Books/Liberal Studies

Year 1 of the Honours program as a single major is now closed.

Combined Honours

Combined pass

Great Books/Liberal Studies and Business (honours only)

In co-operation with the Faculty of Business, the Centre for Great Books/Liberal Studies offers a combined major leading to a BA (honours) in Great Books/Liberal Studies and Business. This program is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge demanded for successful leadership in business and a critical understanding of the intellectual forces that have shaped and still shape the world within which that leadership must be exercised. The program is intended for students with career interests involving business leadership and policy making, lifelong learning, social issue management or the management of creative organizations.

Year 1

	GBLS 1F90 and 1P91
	ACTG 1P91
	ECON 1P91 and 1P92
	MGMT 1P93
	MATH 1P98
	one language credit (see language requirement) or one Science context credit (Science 1F30 recommended)

Year 2

	GBLS 2F90
	one credit from GBLS 2F97, 2P90, 2P99, 3P00
	ACTG 2P12
	ECON 2P91
	FNCE 2P91
	MKTG 2P91
	OBHR 2P91
	the language credit or Science context credit not taken in year 1

Year 3

	GBLS 3P90 and 4P10 or GBLS 3P91 and 4P11 (not taken in year 3)
	FNCE 3P93
	MKTG 3P24
	OBHR 3P42
	OPER 2P91
	one GBLS credit numbered 2(alpha)90 level or above
	one elective credit

Year 4

	GBLS 3P90 and 4P10 or GBLS 3P91 and 4P11 (not taken in year 3)
	GBLS 4P99
	MGMT 4F87
	one-half GBLS credit numbered 3(alpha)90 level or above
	two credits from ACTG, ENTR, FNCE, MGMT, MKTG or OBHR (see program note 5)

Great Books/Liberal Studies and History (honours only)

In co-operation with the Department of History, the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program offers a combined major program in Great Books/Liberal Studies and History, especially for students wishing to combine a study of change over time with a focus on the literary and cultural achievements of the past. A variety of combinations are possible; the following program is suggested for students interested in cultural history.

	GBLS 1F90, 1P91, 2F90, 3P90, 3P91, 4P10, 4P11 and 4P99 (see program note 3)
	HIST 1F95, 1F96 or HIST 1P92 and 1P93
	HIST 2P30, 2P99, 3P00, 4F99
	one credit from GBLS 1P92, 1P93, 2P90, 3V90-3V94
	one credit from GBLS 1P92, 2F97, 2P90, 2P99, 3P00, 3P95, 3V90-3V94, 4P01, 4P02, 4P04, 4P06, 4P40, 4V00- 4V09, 4V70, 4V71
	two and one-half HIST credits
	one HIST credit numbered 4V00 to 4V69
	FREN 1F90 (or one credit in another language other than English)
	one Science context credit (SCIE 1F30 recommended)
	four elective credits

Great Books/Liberal Studies and Music (honours only)

In co-operation with the Department of Music, the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program offers a combined major program in Great Books/Liberal Studies and Music. This program is designed especially for students interested in the interdisciplinary study of music; students will have the opportunity to consider music within the context of the great philosophical, literary and scientific works of our cultural tradition.

	GBLS 1F90, 1P91, 2F90, 3P90, 3P91, 4P10, 4P11 and 4P99
	MUSI 1F50, 1F90, 1P83, 2F90, 2P83, 2Y05, 2Y06, 3Y05 and 3Y06
	one credit from GBLS 1P92, 1P93, 2P90, 3V90-3V94
	one credit from GBLS 1P92, 2F97, 2P90, 2P99, 3P00, 3P95, 3V90-3V94, 4P01, 4P02, 4P04, 4P40, 4P06, 4V00-4V09, 4V70, 4V71
	one credit from MUSI 2P51, 2P52, 3P96, 3P97, 4P51
	two MUSI credits
	one Science context credit (SCIE 1F30 recommended)
	one language credit (see language requirement)
	three elective credits

Great Books/Liberal Studies and Political Science (honours only)

In co-operation with the Department of Political Science, the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program offers a combined major program in Great Books/Liberal Studies and Political Science. The honours program is designed to furnish a liberal education especially for students with an interest in political philosophy, Canadian politics and law.

Year 1

	GBLS 1F90 and 1P91
	one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 (POLI 1P91 recommended)
	FREN 1F90 (or one credit in another language other than English)
	one-half elective credit (GBLS 1P92 recommended)
	one Science context credit (SCIE 1F30 recommended)

Year 2

	GBLS 2F90
	POLI 2F12 and 2P80
	one credit from GBLS 2F97, 2P90, 2P99, 3P00, 3P95
	one POLI credit
	one-half elective credit

Year 3

	GBLS 3P90 and 4P10 or 3P91 and 4P11
	POLI 3P18
	POLI 3P91 or 3P92
	one credit from GBLS 2P99, 3P00, 3P95, 3V90-3V94, 4P01, 4P02, 4P04, 4P06, 4V00-4V09, 4V70, 4V71
	one of POLI 2P93, 3P04, 3P07, 3P71
	one-half POLI credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
	one elective credit

Year 4

	GBLS 3P91 and 4P11 or 3P90 and 4P10 (not taken in year 3)
	GBLS 4P99 (see program note 2)
	POLI 4P14 or 4P19
	one credit from POLI 4P01 (recommended), 4P02, 4P04, 4P05, 4P06, 4V00-4V09
	two elective credits

Bachelor of Science in Great Books/Liberal Studies

Great Books/Liberal Studies can be combined with a concentration in Mathematics or Science. Students interested in this combination should consult the Program Director concerning their program and course selection.

Students who complete the combined honours program in Great Books/Liberal Studies and Physics may earn the BA or BSc degree depending upon whether the majority of their credits are in the Faculty of Mathematics and Science or the Faculty of Humanities. Students completing the program for the BA degree are deemed Humanities majors and are required to complete the language requirement as described above. Students completing the program to earn the BSc degree are not required to do so but it is strongly recommended.

Context requirements for Great Books/Liberal Studies majors are deemed satisfied by successful completion of the program.

Great Books/Liberal Studies and Physics (honours only)

In co-operation with the Department of Physics, the Great Books/Liberal Studies Program offers a combined major program in Great Books/Liberal Studies and Physics. The Program will be of interest to students wanting to understand the most important ideas in the physical sciences within the context furnished through the reading and discussion of the major works of reason and imagination that have animated our cultural tradition. The program is flexible enough to accommodate students with varying interests.

Year 1

	GBLS 1F90 and 1P91
	MATH 1P01 and 1P02
	one of PHYS 1F20, 1F25, 1F90
	one and one-half elective credits (see program notes 1 and 6)

Year 2

	GBLS 2F90
	MATH 2F05
	one of GBLS 2P90, 2P99, 3P00
	one credit from PHYS 2P20, 2P31, 2P50 (recommended)
	one and one-half elective credits

Year 3

	PHYS 3P20 (see program note 7)
	one of GBLS 2P99, 3P00, 3P95, 4P01, 4P02, 4P04, 4P06, 4V00-4V09, 4V70, 4V71
	two credits from PHYS 3P35, 3P36, 3P41, 3P70, 3P91
	GBLS 3P90 and 4P10 or GBLS 3P91 and 4P11
	one elective credit

Year 4

Certificate Program

The Centre for Great Books/Liberal Studies also offers a Certificate in Great Books/Liberal Studies. It provides an overview for persons who may be interested in taking an integrated set of courses exploring several major scientific, philosophic and literary works but already have a degree in a different field or who do not wish to proceed to a degree. The admission requirements are the same as for the degree program. Prospective students should consult with the Director before beginning the certificate program.

The Certificate is awarded upon completion of at least five credits in Great Books/Liberal Studies with a minimum overall average of 60 percent.

	Three credits from GBLS 1F90, 2F90, 3P90, 3P91, 4P10, 4P11
	two credits from GBLS 1F90, 1P91, 1P92, 1P93, 2F90, 2F97, 2P99, 3P00, 2P99, 3P90, 3P91, 3P00, 3P95, 4P02, 4P03, 4P04, 4P05, 4P06, 4P07, 4P10, 4P11, 4P40, 4V70, 4V71.

See "Certificate Requirements" under Academic Regulations.

Minor in Great Books/Liberal Studies

Students in other disciplines can obtain a minor in Great Books/Liberal Studies within their degree program by successfully completing the following courses listed below with a minimum 60 percent overall average.

	GBLS 1F90, 2F90, 3P90, 3P91, 4P10, 4P11
	one credit from GBLS 1P91, 1P92, 2P90, 2P91, 2F97, 2P99, 3P00, 3P95, 4P01, 4P02, 4P03, 4P04, 4P05, 4P06, 4P07, 4V70, 4V71