Liberal Arts Course Descriptions

The trivium means the three ways and refers to the first three disciplines of the seven classical liberal arts. Consisting of grammar, logic, and rhetoric, these disciplines are fundamental to all rational disciplines. The trivium cumulatively fosters the practices of well ordered thinking and speaking. Students study these fundamental arts more fully and conceptually at the collegiate level by coming to understand the technical rigor of the trivium and its underlying philosophical principles. Study of the trivium cultivates in students the lifelong habits of reasoning, writing, and communication which are oriented toward truth in the service of Christ and the common good. 

The quadrivium, or the four ways, cover the last four of the seven classical liberal arts–arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy. The quadrivium reveals the fundamental connection between wonder and science as it leads students through the hierarchical progression of arts, which moves students toward a life of thought and worship. The principle of number serves as a stepping stone to the contemplation of the unity of the universe. Students study discrete units of quantification in mathematics, and discrete spatial units in geometry. Each of which expands to include harmony of the discrete units in music, and order in spatial relations of the universe in astronomy. Mathematics functions as the grammar and logic of numbers and provides the basis for contemplating the complex whole by means of a limit and discrete units. Music and Astronomy display the beauty, order, and creative design of the complex whole–ordered through God’s eternal Word. The quadrivium directs us to know and delight in the creation and the Creator. 

LBA 101  Composition 1:

Written communication is central to human interaction. Composition, then, is more than simply an introductory study of the basics of academic writing. Using the primary texts from the Great Text courses as examples of great writing, students will learn components of the writing process, including critical reading, hermeneutics, and creative composition. Additionally, students will learn to form written arguments using the classical form of invention, arrangement, and style. Discussion topics will include classical writing strategies of persuasion, organization, logical support, use of appropriate style, and everyday forms of communication such as memos, e-mails, presentations, and business reports. 

LBA 102  Composition 2:

Building on the knowledge of LBA 101, students will continue to develop skills in research and writing, which equips students to quickly access and use research tools in order to write summaries, arguments, annotations, and literary analyses efficiently and accurately. Particular attention will be given to the principles and practices of scholarly research, including forming effective research questions, critical analysis, and synthesis of ideas. Students will also focus on the presentation of ideas and classical strategies for rhetoric and communication. By the end of this course, students will be able to persuasively argue and debate their written works.

LBA 103  Mathematics:

As the basis of the quadrivium, mathematics explores the basic principles of quantification. In this course students learn one of the main ways humans have attempted to rationally structure and order human experience. Further, students will discover how the study of numbers has shaped philosophical pursuits of knowledge, such as the problem of the one and the many, and how numbers are foundational to scientific inquiry. In doing so, students confront the nature and limitations of human rationality. 

LBA 104  Geometry:

The liberal art of geometry expands the principles of quantification in mathematical reasoning. Euclid’s Elements has served as the formative text throughout the liberal arts tradition. This course trains students in the tradition of Euclidean geometry, which provides a framework for imaginative and systematic mathematical reasoning as students move from discovery to demonstration. This course also connects geometric reasoning to theories of beauty, and proportion serving as a reflection on the patterns of creation and the embodiment of abstract ideas.

LBA 201  Logic:

The second art of the trivium is frequently termed, dialectic, which is a compound of two Greek terms–dia and logos, or through words. In the liberal arts tradition, logic serves between grammar and rhetoric, and rationally orders thought in words. As such, this course focuses on the fundamentals of logic with particular focus on the three acts of the mind–understanding, judgment, and reasoning–and explores the original goals of logic, its terms and definition, logical syllogisms, fallacies, and forms of arguments. 

LBA 202  Rhetoric:

Rhetoric has traditionally been the crown of liberal arts education because it draws together the knowledge of the other arts for the sake of wisely guiding others with words. As Aristotle taught, rhetoric is as much about “seeing” the available means of persuasion as it is about persuasive discourse. Thus, rhetoric is about thinking wisely about matters and clearly articulating that wisdom.  This course introduces students to the history of classical rhetoric and the technical aspects of persuasive speech. Students learn and apply rhetorical skills in effective communication.

LBA 203  Music:

The third art of the quadrivium joins the parts of discrete quantities of mathematics into a whole, joining form and matter in melody, rhythm, harmony. Music is a powerful means of expressing and appreciating order in nature, both of the cosmos and human nature. This course introduces students to the nature of music, the historical aspects of music as it has developed over time and cultures, and fosters appreciation of music, helping students listen to music more knowledgeably. The goal of the course is to give students a broad understanding of music, helping students appreciate music's capacity to move humans to wonder and worship.

LBA 204  Astronomy:

In astronomy, the final art of the quadrivium, students learn to apply logic, precision, and appreciate beauty, harmony in the universe.  This course will cover the earth-centered model of Ptolemy, the shifts occurring in the Renaissance, the revolution of Copernicus, and discoveries of Isaac Newton. Students will read primary texts from Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton. Students will also gain practical experience by providing logical demonstrations of scientific systems revealing how these great thinkers envision the universe. Particular emphasis will be given to considering the unified whole of the cosmos and the unity involved in the universe.  

LBA 301  Art:

This course focuses on the experience of art, of the challenge of putting ideas into form. Students will discuss various readings on art by artists and art scholars, engage with works of art in various media to understand the nature and practice of art. Students will be challenged to create an original work of art in the students chosen media to not only study art, but to experience the making of art. 

LBA 302  Poetry:

This course studies the history and art of poetry. Poetic expression not only allows people to “see” ideas embodied, but to feel them. Students will read a variety of great poets, including the psalms of David and Asaph, and be challenged to write poetry as a discipline.