Great Texts
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Great Texts English Literature Major (BA and minor)

HCU boasts a newly designed major and minor designed for students who want to learn from the best and most influential thinkers and writers of the past. The program is for students who want to cross the boundaries of traditionally defined disciplines in the humanities. It’s for students who want flexibility both in course offerings and in career opportunities.

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Texts in HCU’s Great Texts English Literature Degree

All Great Texts majors and minors will take three common courses: Classical Mythology, Shakespeare and Great Texts in History. After that, the possibilities are many. You can select an optional concentration in Classical Studies, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, or Modern & Contemporary Studies. Your advisor will work with you to recommend courses that meet your educational and professional goals.

A Great Texts major or minor could be right for you if…

  • You don’t think it’s right to have to choose between studying The Federalist Papers and “The Lord of the Rings,” Herman Melville and the Wars of the Roses, an advanced Shakespeare class and a Classical Mythology course featuring Ovid’s Metamorphoses. It’s not that you don’t have focus; you just see the connections between history, literature, politics, and intellectual movements. You want to explore those connections.
  • You love the Middle Ages, and your dream is to go to graduate school for a degree in Medieval Studies. You want to take English, history, art, and politics courses that feature great works from your favorite era, and you want all those courses to count toward your degree. You want the breadth of a Great Texts program and the focused approach that comes with the optional concentration in Medieval & Renaissance Studies.
  • You want to be the next contemporary culture guru. You hope to impact your world through your writing. But first, you need some context. You realize that you can take a philosophy class on social justice, an upper-level creative writing course, and learn a new language, all under the Great Texts major. You could even choose a concentration in Modern & Contemporary Studies.
  • Your favorite Latin professor has convinced you to sign up for yet another upper-level translation course. Who knows? You might decide to pursue a graduate degree in Classical languages. It makes sense to take history and philosophy courses that would complement your coursework. You can do this with a Great Texts major with a concentration in Classical Studies.
  • You recently discovered a new academic interest, but you’re halfway through your required coursework for another major in the Humanities. Hey, it happens. Switching to a Great Texts major might enable you to explore your new interests and still graduate on time.
  • Your major and your career goals are in a field outside the Humanities, but you know it’s a tough job market out there. You’ve heard that developing your skills in writing, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and understanding human relationships could give you the edge you need in a job interview. You’ll add a distinctive dimension to your resume with a minor in Great Texts, which will allow you to choose from a wide range of courses in the humanities. (Need more evidence for how studying the humanities can help business and science majors? Google “STEM careers and the Liberal Arts,” or check out this website or a similar webpage.)
  • You love to learn. You’re sold on the liberal arts, and you loved the variety of introductory courses you took in the HCU Liberal Arts Core or in the Honors program. These courses challenged you to try new subjects and to expand your interests. You want to build on this foundation with a variety of upper-level courses.

Subjects in the Great Texts Degree

If you are interested in the serious study of literature, history, classics, government, philosophy, communication, languages and the arts, and if you want to take a more interdisciplinary approach to your education, or even if you just want to round out your resume, a Great Texts major or minor might be perfect for you.

For more information, please contact Dr. Emily Stelzer at estelzer@HC.edu.

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