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The Concordia Core Value

The Concordia Core Curriculum is centered upon the liberal arts, the foundation and hallmark of Lutheran education. At its heart, an education in the liberal arts was designed to prepare citizens for an active life of Christian public service by providing a set of disciplines that work together to educate the whole person, leading to lives of virtue and strong character. A liberal arts education prepares you for citizenship and, when paired with your major, gives you the skills necessary to live your vocation and be successful in today’s dynamic society.

The promise

The Concordia Core Curriculum is a distinctive undergraduate experience that is at the heart of our Christ-centered intellectual community. We talk about values and Truth, beauty and goodness, mercy and justice as we develop mature Christian students who will become responsible citizens, faithful neighbors, and talented employees. This is accomplished through an intentional emphasis on foundational texts in literature and philosophy, an engagement with history and art, an exploration of the possibilities and limitations of science, and a knowledge of the Christian faith. In addition to these key foundations, students will acquire tools of analysis and persuasion, an understanding of the promises and shortcomings of humanity, learn about other cultures, and grapple with the necessities of self-government. Using the liberal arts (which can be loosely translated educating for freedom) as the foundation, Concordia’s Core Curriculum promises to provide students the knowledge, skills, and habits that will empower them to be successful not only in their years at Concordia and in their chosen major, but into their vocations after graduation as well.

This class excels at opening new students up to the act of critical thinking, analyzing information, problem solving, and most importantly how to DISCUSS all of these former points respectfully with the goal of bettering humanity.

/ Concordia Student

The six themes of the Concordia Core

The Concordia Core Curriculum is organized around six Core Themes. In taking this thematic instead of a more departmental approach, the core seeks to stress the connections or bridges across disciplines while valuing the knowledge within the disciplines. The six themes (and their descriptions) are:

Experience the Concordia Core

In addressing these interdisciplinary themes, the Concordia Core is divided into two parts: the Concordia Common Core (18 credits) and the Liberal Arts Dimensions (27 credits).

The Concordia Common Core

The Concordia Common Core includes six classes unique to our University; two that focus on our relationship with God; two that focus on our relationship and understanding of the past; and two that focus on our relationship to the present and the future, as expressed to others and our world. The courses are:

Liberal Arts Dimensions

The Liberal Arts Dimensions are comprised of three credits from the Theology department that must be completed at Concordia University, while the remaining eight classes are spread among the interdisciplinary core themes: Society and Culture, Human Creativity and Expression, the Natural World, Human Beings and Being Human, and Communication and Language. Students can choose courses relevant to their majors or based on their interests. These classes can potentially be satisfied through transfer credit, AP or CLEP exams, or through high school dual credit courses.

A selection of books read in the Common Core over the last few years:

  • Evicted
  • What the Eyes Can’t See
  • Frankenstein
  • Structure of Scientific Revolutions – selections
  • Philosophy of Science – selections
  • The Apology; The Crito – Plato
  • Confessions – Book II
  • City of God – selections
  • Two Treatises of Government – selections
  • The Idea of a University – selection
  • Democracy in America - selections

I liked this class the most because it was able to make a good connection between my faith and worldly scientific concepts. It allowed me to think deeper about how Christians should handle talking about science and what has/hasn’t been proven to be true.

/ Concordia Student