GWAC Requirements

Admission to the Program

There is no formal admissions process. To participate in the program, a student must be formally admitted to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and have a grade point average of at least 3.00. The program is open to undergraduates from any college.

Great Books List

Minor in Great Works

Total credits required: 18

Minor required courses:

  • ENG 231—World Literature I (or approved equivalent). Satisfies Second-Year Seminar requirement.
  • GWK 300—Great Works of Philosophy and Literature. Satisfies 3 of 6 credits of Distribution requirements in Humanities.
  • GWK 350—Theoretical Foundations of the United States Constitution. Satisfies United States Constitution requirement.

In addition students must take 9 credits of electives (see the notes below).

Great Works Academic Certificate. Track 1.

Total credits required: 12

Track 1 provides a way for students to satisfy most of the requirements in the General Education Core by taking courses featuring core texts and ideas. Students who complete this track will earn the certificate.

Track 1 required courses:

  • GWK 100—Introduction to Great Works of Philosophy and Literature (First-Year Seminar requirement)
  • ENG 231—World Literature I (Second-Year Seminar requirement)
  • GWK 300—Great Works of Philosophy and Literature (3 of 6 credits of Distribution requirement in Humanities)
  • GWK 350—Theoretical Foundations of the United States Constitution (United States Constitution requirement)

Great Works Academic Certificate. Track 2.

Total credits required: 12.

Track 2 offers more flexibility while requiring the same number of credits in the same kind of courses as track 1.Students who complete this track will earn the certificate.

Required courses:

ENG 231—World Literature I (also satisfies Second-Year Seminar requirement)

GWK 300—Great Works of Philosophy and Literature (also satisfies 3 of 6 credits of Distribution requirement in Humanities)

In addition students must take 6 credits of electives (see the notes below).

Notes for MINOR:

  1. A list of approved electives is available on the College of Liberal Arts website. Courses other than those electives, including independent studies, may be accepted with the approval of the director. The standard rule is that one-half or more of the readings on the syllabus should consist of works (studied in whole or in part) by authors on a revisable list approved by the Great Works Faculty Committee. The list of authors is also available at the website.
  2. Students may take 3 credits of electives in the history of art or music in 1 of the following courses: ART 260, 261, 266; MUS 341, 342, 343.
  3. Students may use 9 credits in a single foreign language as a substitute for 3 credits of electives.
  4. HON 110 will be accepted as a substitute for ENG 231. HON 111 or 112 will be accepted as a substitute for GWK 350.
  5. At least 12 of the 18 credits must be at the 300- or 400-level. Courses accepted as substitutes for requirements (see notes 3 and 4) may not reduce the number of 12 upper-division credits required by this rule.
  6. At least 9 credits must be completed at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, including GWK 300.
  7. Satisfactory completion requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the 18 credits and a minimum grade of C in each course that counts toward the 18 credits.
  8. Students may count courses taken to fulfill graduation requirements (university, college, and departmental) toward fulfillment of the requirements if the course is on the list of electives or otherwise meets the requirement for content.

Notes for TRACK 1:

  1. HON 110 will be accepted as a substitute for ENG 231. HON 111 or 112 will be accepted as a substitute for GWK 350.
  2. Appropriate courses taken at other institutions will be accepted as substitutes for GWK 100, ENG 231, and GWK 350, but not for GWK 300.
  3. Satisfactory completion requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the 4 courses and a minimum grade of B- in each of the 4 courses.

Notes for Track 2:

  1. A list of approved electives is available on the College of Liberal Arts website. Courses other than those electives, including independent studies, may be accepted with the approval of the director. The standard rule is that one-half or more of the readings on the syllabus should consist of works (studied in whole or in part) by authors on a revisable list approved by the Great Works Faculty Committee. The list of authors is also available at the website.
  2. Students may take 3 credits of electives in the history of art or music in 1 of the following courses: ART 260, 261, 266; MUS 341, 342, 343.
  3. Students may use 9 credits in a single foreign language as a substitute for 3 credits of electives.
  4. HON 110 will be accepted as a substitute for ENG 231.
  5. At least 6 credits must be completed at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, including GWK 300.
  6. Satisfactory completion requires a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in the 12 credits and a minimum grade of B- in each course that counts toward the 12 credits.
  7. Students may count courses taken to fulfill graduation requirements (university, college, and departmental) toward fulfillment of the requirements if the course is on the list of electives or otherwise meets the requirement for content.

Electives