Christendom College
Welcome Admissions Academics Alumni/Support Campus Life News and Events Athletics Library Graduate School


Course Catalog (Bulletin)
Faculty
Library
Departments
Liberal Arts
Core Curriculum
Junior Semester in Rome
Summer Study Abroad
List of Majors
Teacher Formation Program


   
The Core Curriculum

Christendom College's academic program is characterized by an exceptionally strong core curriculum. A publication of the National Association of Scholars, The Dissolution of General Education: 1914-1993, documents the loss of academic priorities and rigorous standards within our nation's top baccalaureate granting institutions, especially since the 1960s. "General education" requirements in the culturally foundational disciplines of history, language, literature, and philosophyBnot to mention theologyBhave all but disappeared. In stark contrast, Christendom College's core curriculum consists of 84 semester hours of carefully structured courses in Catholic theology and philosophy, the history and literature of Western civilization, classical and modern languages, political science and economics, and mathematics and science.

Christendom College's core curriculum, unlike the "smorgasbord" general education requirements common in most colleges and universities, is designed to provide the orderly, sequential presentation of fundamental principles of mathematics and natural science, philosophy, and theology in conjunction with the historical and literary knowledge which is foundational for an understanding of our civilization.

Academic Brochure (pdf)

27 Christendom College's exploration of truth conjoins natural and revealed truth, so that each can inform and benefit the other. The first year of study includes both a systematic exposition of the fundamentals of Catholic doctrine and philosophic study of the ancient philosophic wisdom of Plato and Aristotle and St. Thomas’ philosophic understanding of the nature of the human person. In the second year this understanding of God, the world, and the world’s and especially man’s relation to God is deepened and enriched by year-long study of Sacred Scripture in Theology and of ethics and metaphysics in Philosophy.

graduationAn indispensable element in any sound education is learning to distinguish truth from error or distortion, and then to communicate truth accurately, effectively, and convincingly to others. Therefore, Christendom College requires an introduction to the fundamental questions and methods of philosophy, the study of logic, mathematics and scientific thought, and training in the arts of discourse, along with at least four semesters of a foreign language.

The study of a foreign language, particularly of an inflected language such as Latin or Greek, leads the student to an understanding of the nature and structure of language as such, and hence to a true command of language. Furthermore, foreign language study both enhances linguistic skills and enables the student to gain a fuller appreciation of the European roots of American culture, a purpose which is also served by four courses each in the great heritage of Western literature and the history of Western civilization. For these reasons, Christendom College's Core Curriculum includes a foreign language requirement as an essential component of its B.A. educational program. A minimum of two years of college-level work in a single foreign language, classical or modern, is required for graduation from Christendom College. Language competence must be proven by college course work at or above the second-semester Intermediate level. Advanced proficiency in a language achieved through a medium other than college-level courses may exempt a student from lower level courses, although no college credits are granted without college course work. No substitutions for or exemptions from this requirement for proven competency in a foreign language are allowed for the B.A. degree. The language requirement for the A.A. degree is somewhat different from that of the B.A. degree, however. See Requirements for the Associate of Arts (A.A.) Degree below.

The transformation of all history by the Incarnation makes a truly Christ-centered study of the past indispensable to any who would understand the present and shape the future. At Christendom College such a study includes a four-semester chronological examination of the formation and disintegration of Christian culture from ancient times to the present. Moreover, to assist students going on to make history themselves, there are courses in political theory and the social teachings of the Church which provide a sound alternative to errors of modern economic systems and ideologies.

The Sequence of Core Curriculum Courses

The core curriculum sequence is an ordered, integrated program of study, and therefore deviations from the core sequence will be permitted only in special cases with the permission of the Academic Dean.

FRESHMAN YEAR

First Semester (18 credit hours)

  • English 101: Literature of Western Civilization I
  • History 101: Ancient and Biblical World
  • Mathematics 101: Introduction to Mathematical Thought or other college-level math
  • Language 101: Elementary Latin, French, or (Classical) Greek 201
  • Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy
  • Theology 101: Fundamentals of Catholic Doctrine I

Second Semester (18 credit hours)

  • English 102: Literature of Western Civilization II
  • History 102: Formation of Christendom
  • Science 102: Introduction to Scientific Thought or other college-level science
  • Language 102: Elementary Latin, French, or Greek 202
  • Philosophy 102: Philosophy of Human Nature
  • Theology 102: Fundamentals of Catholic Doctrine II

SOPHOMORE YEAR

First Semester (18 credit hours)

  • English 201: Literature of Western Civilization III
  • History 201: The Division of Christendom
  • Political Science 201: Principles of Political Theory
  • Language 201: Intermediate Latin, French, Spanish, or Greek 301
  • Philosophy 201: Ethics
  • Theology 201: Introduction to the Old Testament

Second Semester (18 credit hours)

  • English 202: The Literature of Western Civilization IV
  • History 202: Church and World in the Modern Age
  • Political Science 202: Social Teachings of the Church
  • Language 202: Intermediate Latin, French, Spanish, or Greek 302
  • Philosophy 202: Metaphysics
  • Theology 202: Introduction to the New Testament

JUNIOR YEAR

First Semester (6 credit hours)

  • Philosophy 301: History of Medieval Philosophy
  • Theology 301: Moral Theology

Second Semester (6 credit hours)

  • Philosophy 302: History of Modern Philosophy
  • Theology 302: Catholic Apologetics

EXTENDED JUNIOR YEAR
Rome Program

The purpose of the Junior Semester in Rome Program, inaugurated in Fall, 2002, is to enhance our academic program with the cultural and intellectual enrichment which living and studying in Rome "at the Heart of the Church" offers our students. Accommodations are in the heart of Rome within walking distance of the Vatican and Rome of the Seven Hills.

Almost all students elect to participate during either the Fall or Spring semesters in the Junior Semester in Rome, which is the spiritual, cultural, and educational culmination of Christendom's Core and an excellent preparation for the student's final year of study at Christendom. However, participation in the Junior Semester in Rome is not mandatory, and of course a student who chooses not to participate continues to benefit from the liturgical, educational, and social life of the Front Royal campus.

The Rome curriculum includes the Theology Junior-year core course and three courses designed specifically to take advantage of the historical and cultural riches of Roma aeterna. In addition to taking full advantage of the artistic, cultural, ecclesiastical, and spiritual riches and resources of the Eternal City, the program includes a week's visit to Florence, home of Michelangelo's David, Brunelleschi's dome of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and countless other artistic and architectural treasures, with side trips to Assisi and Siena.

Fall Semester (12 credit hours)

  • THEO 301: Moral Theology
  • HIST 301: Art and Architecture of Rome and Florence
  • CECS/ENGL/HIST/THEO 300: Roman Perspectives
  • ITAL 101: Elementary Italian

Spring Semester (12 credit hours)

  • THEO 302: Catholic Apologetics
  • HIST 301: Art and Architecture of Rome and Florence
  • CECS/ENGL/HIST/THEO 300: Roman Perspectives
  • ITAL 101: Elementary Italian

Click here for more information about Christendom's Junior Semester in Rome.

top of page


Chronicler Online
College Directory Apply Online
134 Christendom Drive, Front Royal, VA 22630, 800-877-5456, info@christendom.edu      Terms of Use