A Message from the Directors
Welcome to the Jefferson Scholars Program! Our program is new, but what it contains is
something that has provoked, challenged, and inspired many generations of young men and
women seeking a liberal education: a first-hand, rigorous encounter with the great books that
helped to make our world what it is, and that can equip you to face new challenges well.
The Jefferson Scholars Program will educate you as leaders and as citizens, but first of all, as
human beings. Prepare to be startled, puzzled, and disturbed. Prepare to question what you
think you know, but, also perhaps, to discover in your own minds the first stirrings of wisdom
about things you may have thought no one could know. Prepare to listen, to take risks, and to
enter into debates with your classmates, your professors, your books, and, not least of all, with
yourselves.
There is a great deal of talk these days about the economic value of an education. You have
perhaps also heard that UT Austin is a great party school. Learning how to think is always
useful, and college should certainly be fun. But most of all, college should be a time to enjoy a
precious kind of freedom, rare in human history, rare even or especially in modern day
America, with all of our incredible busy-ness and networking and multi-tasking and start-ups
and connectivity—and that is the freedom of true leisure. The ancient Greeks asked
themselves what was most worthwhile in life, after we set aside the work we must do out of
necessity and the play we need to relax from work, and their answer was: serious leisure, at the
heart of which they put the pursuit of learning.
You will soon be arriving on the campus of a great university, a place where you can follow
your curiosity about almost anything in the world, study it at the highest level, and discuss
with like minded students. You have probably never been so free as you soon will find
yourselves. Once all life’s responsibilities begin to crowd in on you after graduation, you may
never be so free again. Make the most of it!
Our best,
Lorraine Pangle
Professor of Government
Co-director, Thomas Jefferson Center
Thomas Pangle
Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies
Co-director, Thomas Jefferson Center
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Jefferson Scholars Program Fall Activities and Events
Jefferson Scholars Program Fall Opening Lecture
"The Meaning of Liberal Education."
Thomas Pangle, Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies, Department of Government
Monday, August 22, 5-6:30 pm, Avaya Auditorium (POB 2.302)
Pizza and pool party to follow for the freshmen and their peer mentors.
Thursday Lunch Seminar Series
Throughout the year we will have professors give short, informal talks over sandwiches and
cookies on topics related to your coursework in the program. These will all be on Thursdays
from 12:30 to 2, so please keep that time free in your schedule if possible.
Peer Mentor Groups
As part of our effort to create a small-college learning experience within the large university
that is UT, we would like to encourage all JSP freshmen to take advantage of the opportunity
to be paired with a peer mentor. Mentors are current Jefferson Scholars who will each have a
group of up to 6 mentees and a fund that they can draw on to take you to lunch, coffee,
recreational events like bowling, and cultural events on and off campus.
Jefferson Book Club
The Jefferson Book Club meets approximately every 3 weeks for an informal discussion of a
classic movie or a short work or selection from a great book. Opening movie night will be
Thursday, August 25 at 5 PM in Batts 5.108. Movie is TBD.
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Overview of JSP Coursework
The Jefferson Scholars Program consists of six related courses that can be taken in your first
three semesters or spread out over as many semesters as necessary to accommodate the needs
of your major and other programs. Through these courses you will become acquainted with
ancient Greek philosophy and literature, the Bible and its various interpreters, the history of
political philosophy, the founding principles of the United States and their subsequent
development, major works of drama from antiquity to the present, and issues in American
history. As needed, you may use these courses to satisfy the following UT core requirements:
Signature Course, Social Science, Visual and Performing Arts, US History, and US
Government, as well as the following flags: Writing, Global Cultures, Ethics and Leadership,
and Cultural Diversity.
First Semester: Athens and Jerusalem
Greece: CTI 310 Introduction to Ancient Greece (satisfies UT Visual and Performing Arts
requirement), or
UGS 303 The Challenge of the Greeks (Signature Course), or
UGS 302 Discovery of Freedom (Signature Course);
and
Bible: CTI 304 The Bible and Its Interpreters (carries UT Writing and Global Cultures flags)
Second Semester: The Quest for Justice
Political Philosophy: UGS 303 Justice Liberty Happiness (Signature Course), or
CTI 302 Classics of Social and Political Thought (meets UT Social Science Requirement);
and
US Government: GOV 312P America's Constitutional Principles (partially satisfies UT US
Government requirement, carries UT Cultural Diversity flag)
Third Semester: Leaders and Leadership
Drama: CTI 350 Masterworks of World Drama (satisfies UT Visual and Performing Arts
Requirement)
and
History: HIS 334L American Revolution and Founding of the US, or
HIS 365G History of the Presidency (both partially satisfy UT American History requirement
and carry the UT Ethics and Leadership flag)
Notes: Unless you are in a special freshman program that has its own UGS signature course,
you should take one of ours in either fall or spring of your first year. Many of you will have
met your UT Social Science Requirement either through AP credit or through a requirement
in your major, but if not, you may wish to take your signature course this fall so that you can
take CTI 302, which meets the Social Science requirement, next spring.
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Fall 2016 JSP Course Information
for the Class of 2020
The freshman program for Jefferson Scholars consists in two fall courses, one on the ancient
Greeks and one on the Bible. These courses are designed to work as a pair and to address
common themes from different perspectives, so you are encouraged to take both JSP courses
if you have room in your schedule.
All students should take one course on Ancient Greece from the following options:
CTI 310 Introduction to Ancient Greece
Unique Number
33755
33760
Day/Time
MWF 2-3 PM
TTH 330-5 PM
Professor
Dempsey
Rabinowitz
UGS 303 The Challenge of the Greeks
Unique Number
63845
63850
Day/Time
MW Noon-1 PM
F 9-10 AM
MW Noon-1 PM
F 11-Noon
Professor
Pangle
Day/Time
TTH 330-5 PM
Professor
Woodruff
Pangle
UGS 302 Discovery of Freedom
Unique Number
61900
If your schedule permits a second course, you are encouraged to enroll in one of the following
sections of CTI 304 The Bible and Its Interpreters.
Unique Number
33720
Day/Time
MWF 9-11 AM
MWF 10-11 AM
TTH 2-330 PM
MWF 11-Noon
Professor
TBD
Landau
TBD
Kaplan
33725
33730
33735
Students in the College of Natural Sciences, not already enrolled in one of their special
programs, will be enrolled in the Jefferson Scholars First-Year Interest Group (FIG). The list
of courses for this FIG is on page 6.
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Descriptions for Jefferson Scholars Program Fall Courses
CTI 310 Introduction to Ancient Greece, Rabinowitz
This course is meant to introduce students to this complex and intriguing culture and to its
legacy in our own society. We will look at ancient Greece on its own terms through the
examination of primary sources of all types—literary, artistic, archaeological—in an attempt to
develop a more detailed and nuanced understanding of Ancient Greek society and culture
between the Bronze Age and the Hellenistic period. We will also place the discussion of these
sources in the context of the shifting meaning of Ancient Greece in the modern world, from
the Homeric romanticism of Heinrich Schliemann to the meaning of democracy in the 21st
century. Within a roughly chronological framework, lectures will examine Greek literature to
discover what the Greeks said about themselves; Greek art and archaeology to understand
how people lived and to hear the voices of those—women, children, slaves, foreigners and
outsiders—who left no written testimony; and modern controversies to see what the Greeks
say about us. This course carries a Global Cultures flag and fulfills the Visual and Performing
Arts requirement.
CTI 310 Introduction to Ancient Greece, Dempsey
This course introduces students to the history, the culture, the religion, and above all the
thought of the ancient Greeks. The material for this course will consist almost entirely of
primary sources. We will begin with a unit on Greek history in which we will use passages
from Thucydides and Herodotus to try to see what was unique about the Greeks, and what
they saw as unique about themselves. We will then study closely some of the chief literary and
philosophic works of ancient Greece, including Homer’s Odyssey, Sophocles’ Antigone, and
Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Gorgias, and Symposium.
UGS 303 The Challenge of the Greeks
Examines debates about the meaning of justice, virtue, responsible leadership, and the good
life that began in ancient Greece and are still relevant today. Discusses different views on what
a healthy society looks like and the extent to which reason can give guidance for life,
individually and collectively.
UGS 302 The Discovery of Freedom
Investigates the cradle of democracy through drama and wisdom of the ancient Greek world
by studying great works of theater and philosophy. Explores how freedom may be shaped by
good leaders in order to survive and how tyranny can be spotted and can be put to flight. May
be counted toward the writing flag requirement. May be counted toward the ethics and
leadership flag requirement.
CTI 304 The Bible and Its Interpreters
A study of basic religious texts, including both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament,
examined from various perspectives (including comparative, historical, philosophical, and
literary), with emphasis on the fundamental questions and ideas raised in those texts. Seeks to
develop a wide-ranging familiarity with the Jewish and Christian Bibles and with the dominant
modes of ancient, medieval, and early modern biblical interpretation. Readings include an
extensive range of primary sources, including both the Scriptures themselves and some of
their most influential exegetes. May be counted toward the writing flag requirement. May be
counted toward the global cultures flag requirement.
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A Message from Academic Advisor Nathan Vickers
on Registering for Your Fall Jefferson Scholars Program Courses
Hello Jefferson Scholars!! Congratulations on being chosen for this wonderful opportunity. I
write to share some information with you about how registration will work for Fall 2016 while
you are here at New Student Orientation.
We have reserved seats for you in Jefferson Scholars Program classes, as described below:
CTI 310 Introduction to Ancient Greece
All seats in all sections listed above are reserved for Jefferson Scholars.
UGS 303 The Challenge of the Greeks
All seats in all sections listed above are reserved for Jefferson Scholars.
UGS 302 The Discovery of Freedom
We only have 9 seats reserved for Jefferson Scholars in this section, so they may go quickly.
CTI 304 The Bible and Its Interpreters
All seats in all sections listed above are reserved for Jefferson Scholars.
I will make all Jefferson Scholars eligible to take all sections of CTI 304 and 310 so you can
register for the section that best fits your schedule. Please mention this when you meet with
your Academic Advisor. For both UGS 303 sections, though, I will need you to email me
before your registration time so that another office can make you eligible for the section you
need. Please provide me with your EID and the unique number you need.
CNS FIG
Your Advisor in Natural Sciences should enroll you in this and will have more information
about how this enrollment is done.
Jefferson Scholars FIG Courses:
Course Number
Unique Number
UGS 018
65125
UGS 303
63840
CH 301
49945
Day/Time
W 1-2 PM
MW Noon-1 PM
F 8-9 AM
MWF 10-11 AM
Professor
Vickers
Pangle
TBD
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Registration Instructions for all JSP Freshmen
1. Read the Jefferson Scholars Course Information page.
2. Select your courses. Keep Thursdays from 12:30-2 free if at all possible.
3. If you wish to take UGS 303 The Challenge of the Greeks or UGS 303 Discovery of
Freedom, email me with the unique number of the section you want, along with your EID,
before 11:00 AM on Day Three.
4. Register for courses.
I will be available to answer questions for you on Day Three from 11 AM to Noon in BAT
2.102, which is the Government and CTI Undergraduate Advising Office.
We are very much looking forward to having you this fall, and if you need anything, please feel
free to contact me. My information is listed below. We have sent this information to your
Academic Advisor as well, so you both should be able to work the classes into your schedule.
Take care, and see you soon!!!
Nathan Vickers, Academic Advising Coordinator
Department of Government and
The Thomas Jefferson Center for the
Study of Core Texts and Ideas
1 University Station A1800, BAT 2.102
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas, 78712
512.232.7283
nvickers@austin.utexas.edu