2026-089
2026-89
Motion Introduced by: Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee
Date of First Reading: March 2, 2026
Date of Second Reading: March 30, 2026
Title of Motion: Request from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences – School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership – for the establishment of an undergraduate certificate –Great Books in Political Thought
Action Requested: This curricular proposal has received all college, school, unit and university administrative approvals, and is being presented to the Senate for review and voting decision.
Rationale: This certificate program in great books in political thought teaches students the foundational great books, focusing on political thought and the Western civic tradition. Beginning with the classics like Plato, Aristotle and the Bible; moving to medieval thought with Augustine and Aquinas; and then to early and late modern authors such as Machiavelli, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Burke and Marx with other great writers like Tocqueville and Hawthorne, this program helps students engage with impactful texts that have been thought and debated through recorded history and were instrumental in shaping political ideas and institutions today.