Goals of the Saint Joseph's College Core Program
1. To develop cognitive and communication skills.
From Core segment to Core segment, we will expect students to master progressively
more challenging exercises in cognitive (analysis, critique, synthesis, reasoning)
skills, involving all forms of discourse and all types of skills (speaking, listening,
writing, reading).
2. To build a community of seekers of truth.
In keeping with the Vatican II basis for the Core Curriculum and the value stance of
the College, students will be exposed to and encouraged to develop strong
convictions about the corporate nature of human existence and the unity of the
family of humankind, both in intellectual (science, philosophy, theology) and in
affective ways (commitment to the common good, even on a global scale).
3. To expand awareness to the many dimensions of reality.
Over the eight semesters of Core, students will be expected to expand their
interdisciplinary skills – the ability to make use of materials from outside their
field(s) of specialization, but in a manner that is faithful to the methodologies of
those other fields - and be able to analyze and to critique disciplinary readings at the
level of a broadly educated generalist. They will be expected to discuss the readings
in a way that respects the differences in various methodological approaches.
4. To cultivate the integrative habit of mind.
Students will be expected to pay almost constant attention to and learn how to
correlate and synthesize materials from a notable multiplicity of modes of inquiry.
5. To evoke formulation of, enthusiasm for, and commitment to values.
Students will be challenged over the eight semesters of Core, to develop awareness of
personal and communal values commitments (including conflicts and ambiguities),
to understand the complex and demanding relationship between choice and
consequence, to appreciate the value of liberal arts as a means of confronting current
and future issues, and to cultivate practices and attitudes which reflect values
consistent with a democratic society.
6. To witness to specific Christian values.
Graduates will be expected to formulate a synthesis of their faith by means of the
witness of many persons and will be encouraged to bear witness to that faith in their
profession and all of their endeavors.
Core 3: Mission Statement
Core 3 examines ancient groups which form the foundations of western civilization,
including their community structures, relationship to deities, codes of ethics, and
their definitions of what it means to be a human being and understanding of human
purpose. By examining these issues, and using them as a mirror, the student will
evaluate their own value systems and engage the question of what it means to live a
virtuous life. Studying how the ancients approached these issues and the answers
they arrived at will help students re-examine their values in the face of the
challenges they encounter in today’s society in their professional and personal lives.
Core 3: Course Objectives
Students in Core 3 study the foundations of western civilization by examining the
ancient worlds of the Mesopotamians, the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans.
At the end of the Core students should be able to:
1. Understand the relationship between the individual and the community in
the ancient world;
2. Understand the religious worldviews of the ancients;
3. Understand how ancient peoples approached issues such as what it means to
be a human being and what it means to live a virtuous life;
4. Evaluate and re-examine their own value systems in light of the answers
arrived at by the ancients.
Core 3 Required Texts and Readings

Core 3 Master Syllabus. Rensselaer, IN: Saint Joseph's College, 2015.

Gavin Lewis, WCIV Volume 1: To 1700. Wadsworth Cengage, 2012.

Gilgamesh: A New English Translation. Translation by Stephen Mitchell. Free
Press, 2006.

The New American Bible. Saint Joseph’s Edition (Large Type – Illustrated).
Catholic Book Publishing Company, n.d.

Homer, The Odyssey. Translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics Deluxe
Edition. 1996.

Sophocles, Antigone. Dover Publications, 1993.

Plato, “Allegory of the Cave,” from The Republic
(http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/platoscave.html) (Access 4.5.2015). In
the Core 3 Master Syllabus (2015).

A Guided Tour of Selections from Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. Christopher
Biffle. Excerpts with copyright permission found in the Core 3 Master
Syllabus (2015).

Aristotle on Rhetoric: A Theory of Civil Discourse. Newly translated with
Introduction, Notes and Appendixes by George Kennedy, New York: Oxford
UP, 1991. Excerpts with copyright permission found in the Core 3 Master
Syllabus (2015).

Virgil, The Aeneid. Translated by Robert Fagles. Excerpts with copyright
permission found in the Core 3 Master Syllabus (2015).

Seneca, “On the Shortness of Life.” Translated by John W. Basore.
(http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/seneca_younger/brev_e.html#2
0) (Access 4.5.2015). In the Core 3 Master Syllabus (2015).

Lionel Casson, Everyday Life in Ancient Rome. Revised and Expanded edition.
Johns Hopkins UP, 1998.
Core 3 Faculty
Josh Cole, Mathematics
Angela Elrod-Sadler, Core
Paul Geraci, Music
Edward Habrowski, Core
Christopher La Cross, Foreign Languages and Core
Jonathan Nichols, English-Writing and Core
Michael Nichols, Religion and Philosophy
John Rahe, Theatre
Courtney Stewart, Core
Chad Turner, History
Jody Taylor Watkins, Anthropology and Sociology
Peter Watkins, Political Science
Guest Lecturers
Maia Hawthorne, English
Michael Malone, Philosophy
Tim McFarland, C.PP.S., Religion
John Nichols, Emeritus, Philosophy
Rob Pfaff, Chemistry
Mark Seely, Psychology
Collegial Agreements
1. Each student will sit with his or her discussion section in its assigned area of
the Shen Auditorium during lecture.
2. There will be a minimum of 20 pages of written work required of all Core 3
students during the semester.
3. All students are required to complete a research and reflection paper. This
paper is to be a minimum of 6 pages, or the equivalent word count, in length.
4. Your instructor will determine the nature of other writing assignments. He or
she may assign summary papers, compare and contrast papers, creative
writing papers, research papers, or other writing assignments appropriate to
the content and intent of Core 3. The instructor is encouraged to assign at
least one paper on ethics or values to course material.
5. Each student will complete a final exam that contains at least one
comprehensive essay question.
Reminder to the Student: Unlike Cores 1 and 2, there is no separate grade issued for
writing. A single 6-credit grade will be assigned for all your work in Core 3 based on
the grading rubric contained in your discussion section’s syllabus and given to the
student at the start of the semester.
Saint Joseph's College Policy on Plagiarism
The faculty of Saint Joseph's College always has and will condemn plagiarism for its
blatant abuse of the academic integrity that should permeate the scholarly work of
its students. In order to clarify the meaning and scope of its position on this issue,
the faculty of the College approved the following statement at its April 16, 1986
meeting and continues to hold to this standard today.
The penalty for plagiarism or cheating will be an “F”
for the test, paper, or assignment involved. (The
infraction may well result in an “F” for the course.)
Multiple infractions as reported to the Office of
Academic Affairs will further result in dismissal from
the College.
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:
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
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Not acknowledging sources of information contained in papers
Not using quotation marks and/or attribution with direct quotations
Using almost word-for-word paraphrasing
Using the ideas of others without acknowledging the original authors of
those ideas
Submitting as your own work a paper written by another person, and/or
Collusion with others (whether SJC students or other persons) in the writing
and/or revision of papers
Note to the Student: Students are not allowed to submit a paper for Core 3 that has
been submitted for another class. Doing so will result in an “F” being assigned for
the paper.
Saint Joseph's College Policy on Class Attendance
1. Students are expected to attend all officially scheduled lectures, discussions,
laboratory exercises, and examinations as scheduled. Absences may be
excused for reasonable causes, as outlined in the College Catalog.
2. The following are examples of reasonable causes for excused absences:
sickness of student, death or serious illness in the student’s immediate
family, a wedding in the immediate family, intercollegiate sports or other
college activities (such as field trips), circumstances beyond the student’s
control such as government summons, bad weather, etc. The judge of the
reasonableness in case of absence is the instructor, who is always to keep in
mind the content of the College Catalog as it relates to absences.
3. Sanctions for unexcused absences from class are the prerogative of the
individual instructor and must be outlined in the syllabus that each
instructor gives to their students at the start of each semester. Sanctions
may include: a failing grade on work due on the date of the absences, a
reduction of the final grade for the course, or a failure in the course if
appropriate due to an unreasonable number of unexcused absences. Only
those sanctions published in an individual instructor’s syllabus are to be used
by that instructor. Complaints of unfair sanctions will be considered by the
Academic Cabinet or a subcommittee appointed by the Vice-President of
Academic Affairs.
Core 3 Lecture and Reading Schedule
Date
Lecture and Presenter
Reading/Assignment
I. Introduction to the Mesopotamians and the Hebrews
8/18
Introduction to Core 3
No Reading
8/20
Peter Watkins
Settling Down in Mesopotamia
8/25
Angela Elrod-Sadler
The Oldest Story Ever Told
Gilgamesh, Books VI-XI
8/27
Michael Nichols
Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures
Book of Genesis, chapters 1-11
9/1
John Nichols
Go Forth: From Creation to Abraham
Book of Genesis, chapters 12-24
9/3
Documentary Film
Exodus and Covenant
9/8
Tim McFarland
Message of the Prophets: Amos
9/10
Michael Malone
The Wisdom Books: Ecclesiastes
Lewis, 5-20 and Gilgamesh,
Prologue and Books I-V
Book of Exodus, chapters 1-6, 1214, and 19-23
Book of Amos
Book of Ecclesiastes
Jonathan Nichols
II. The Greeks
9/15
9/17
9/22
9/24
Introduction to the Greeks: Society
and Culture
Peter Watkins
Introduction to Homer’s Odyssey
Peter Watkins
The Odyssey: “Carry on my wayward
son”
Mark Seely
The Odyssey in Film
Jody Taylor Watkins
Lewis, 45-63, 67-8
Odyssey, Books 1, 2, 5
Odyssey, Books 6, 9-11
Odyssey, Books 12-13, 16
9/29
The Odyssey: Its Meaning and Value
Then and Now
Odyssey, Books 12-24
10/1
Courtney Stewart
Greece: Engineering an Empire
Lewis, 63-7, 68-71
10/6
Documentary Film
Greek Tragedy: Antigone
Antigone
10/8
John Rahe
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”
Michael Nichols
10/13 “What if I told you…”: Aristotle,
Rhetoric, and the Meaning of
Persuasion”
Jonathan Nichols
10/15 Aristotle: Happiness is Found in the
Middle
Michael Nichols
10/20 “#What Kind of Friend RU?”
Angela Elrod-Sadler
10/22 The Rise and Fall of Greece: From
Salamis, to Empire, to Corinth
Plato, “Allegory of the Cave” (Core
3 Master Syllabus 2015)
Aristotle, On Rhetoric, Book I,
chapters 2-3 (Core 3 Master
Syllabus 2015)
Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics,
Book II (Core 3 Master Syllabus
2015)
Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics,
Books VIII-IX (Core 3 Master
Syllabus)
Lewis, 53-56 (reprise), 79-86
Chris La Cross
III. Romans
10/27 Introduction to the Romans
Peter Watkins
10/29 Dido and the Cost of Rome
11/3
Maia Hawthorne
Living a Life of Purpose in the Roman
World
John Rahe
Lewis, 89-100 and Aeneid, Book 2
(Core 3 Master Syllabus)
Aeneid, Books 4, 6 (Core 3 Master
Syllabus)
Seneca, “On the Shortness of Life”
(Core 3 Master Syllabus 2015)
11/5
Science and Architecture
Lewis, 110-116 and Casson,
chapters I, IV, XII
Rob Pfaff
11/10 The Roman Military
Casson, chapter VIII
Paul Geraci
11/12 The Roman Family and Daily Life
Casson, chapters II, III, VI, X
Courtney Stewart
11/17 Political Collapse: The Decline of the
Republic
Lewis, 101-109
Jonathan Nichols
11/19 The Roman Empire in the First Century: Lewis, 116-120
Order from Chaos
Documentary Film
11/23 Thanksgiving Break – no classes
11/27
12/1 Religion in Roman Civilization and
Lewis, 123-127 and Casson,
Society
chapter IX
12/3
Michael Nichols
The Decline of the Roman Empire
Michael Malone
No Reading