Courses
Initiated in 1981-1982 with the support of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Great Conversation is a regular but optional part of the St. Olaf curriculum consisting of five sequential courses. A student takes one of the five courses during each semester and the interim of the first year and one course each semester of the sophomore year.
In addition to a Great Conversation course, a student chooses three other courses during each of the semesters in which she or he participates. These four courses comprise a normal course load. The regular college grading system is used for all courses in the program.
By successfully completing all five courses of The Great Conversation, a student fulfills the following General Education requirements:
- Biblical and Theological Study (one course)
- First-year Seminar (one course)
- Historical Studies in Western Culture (two courses)
- Artistic Studies (one course)
- Literary Studies (one course)
- Courses with Writing (three courses)
- Oral Communication (one 1/4 course)
Class Descriptions
GC 113: The Tradition Beginning: The Greeks and the Hebrews
First Year, Semester I
Examines and contrasts the world views of the ancient Greeks and Hebrews, the history, society, religion, and artistic expression of each. Explores the polytheism, heroic ideals, experience with and speculation about war and peace, beauty and justice of the Greeks; considers the monotheism, covenant community, and prophetic stance toward the past and future of the Hebrews. Materials include works by Homer, Thucydides, Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle, the artistry of the Acropolis, and the writers of the Hebrew Bible.
GC 115: The Tradition Continuing: The Romans and the Christians
First Year, Interim
Explores the Greek and Hebrew legacies in Roman society and in the New Testament. Considers various attempts to find personal fulfillment in the political life, in the moral approaches to life of stoicism and epicureanism, in the teachings of Christ, and in their interpretation by St. Paul. Materials include works by Virgil, Cicero, Tacitus, Epictetus, the writers of the New Testament and the artistry of Roman sculpture.
GC 116: The Tradition Redefined: The Medieval Synthesis
First Year, Semester II
Studies the expansion of Christianity throughout the Roman World and the synthesis of the Judeo-Christian and the Greco-Roman in the Middle Ages. Explores the development of a unified world view as expressed in religious and political arrangements of monasticism and feudalism, in Church and Empire. Materials include: works by Augustine, Benedict, Aquinas, Dante, and Chaucer; Gregorian chants, medieval drama, and the artistry of the Chartres Cathedral.
GC 217: The Tradition Renewed: New Forces of Secularization
Sophomore Year, Semester I
Examines the new elements of the tradition arising during the Renaissance and the Reformation which challenges the religious-based authority of the medieval synthesis. Traces the development of new sources of authority including the new science with its influence on art, politics, and philosophy. Materials include: readings from Machiavelli, Luther, Descartes, Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Jefferson, and Goethe; the artistry of Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Shakespeare, and Bach.
GC 218: The Tradition in Crisis: Dissenters and Defenders
Sophomore Year, Semester II
Surveys the revolutionary impact of industrialization and scientific inquiry in most areas of human activity at the beginning of the 19th century. Explores in detail the impact of Darwin, Marx, and Freud on the development of modern social and natural sciences. Considers various attempts to restate the traditional values of the Western tradition in the face of continuing intellectual and social transformations. Materials include: works by Darwin, Marx, Dostoyevsky, Freud, Nietzshe, Wollstonecraft; the artistry of Beethoven, Ibsen, David and Picasso.
GC 250: Theology and the Visual Arts: The Great Conversation in Italy (abroad)
Study of Christian theology and visual art in central and northern Italy (Rome, Florence, Milan and environs), ranging from ancient to modern times. Theological exploration of the significance of visual art and consideration of selected art works, in museums and on site, as expressions of theological meaning. Readings from traditional and contemporary Christian theology and art-historical interpretation. Subject treated in the broader sweep of intellectual history covered in The Great Conversation program. Prerequisite: Completion of Great Conversation 217 or permission of instructor. Last offered in Interim 2001.
GC 271: The Great Conversation on "The Grand Tour" in Greece and Italy (abroad)
From about 1600 to 1830, the Grand Tour to the natural and cultural wonders of continental Europe was widely considered to constitute the culmination of the best education. In this course, students will visit major archaeological sites and museums in Greece and Italy and study the actual works of art and architecture that were included as units of study in the Great Conversation. The idea of the Grand Tour will be employed to frame discussion, study and reflection on the roles of the Great Conversation and travel in a St. Olaf education. Prerequisite: completion of Great Conversation 217 or permission of the instructors. Last offered in Interim 2004.
GC 310: Ethical issues and Normative Perspectives: The Great Conversation Continued
This course examines ethical issues from perspectives that are contemporary expressions of or reactions to classic normative traditions covered in the two-year sequence of the Great Conversation program. Included among these perspectives will be one or more contemporary representatives of the Christian theological tradition. Among the possible ethical issues considered are political morality, sexuality, gender, matters of life and death (war, euthanasia, abortion), economic justice and environmental responsibility. Prerequisite: completion of Great Conversation 218 or permission of instructor required.
