Great Works Academic Certificate
Statement of Requirements
This program
(abbreviated GWAC) provides students with an opportunity to take part in a
conversation with some of the best thinkers of all time. The study of great
works in philosophy, politics, literature, sciences, and the fine arts
encourages critical thinking. Such study confronts what it means to be human and
thus immeasurably enhances a person’s daily life. There is a growing
acknowledgement among employers in business and the professions that this sort
of education develops lifelong learners and future leaders. This program also
gives students who want to pursue graduate education early experience in
grappling with original works of theory and literature such as they will
inevitably encounter in graduate school.
GWAC requires either 22 or 25 credits,
which students can tailor to their needs and interests. All students must
complete History 105 (European Civilization to 1648) and 106 (European
Civilization to Present), with the exception that honors students may substitute
appropriate honors courses. In addition, students have the choice of completing
either (a) 15 credits of courses in great works or (b) 12 credits of courses in
great works and 6 credits of a single foreign language. At least 6 credits of
courses in great works must be at the 300- or 400-level. Every student in the
program must take at least one course with readings from before 1648 and at
least one course with readings from after 1648; but those courses need not have
all of their readings within only one of those two periods.
GWAC relies almost entirely on existing
courses in departments. A course in great works is one that falls into
either of the following categories: (a) Two-thirds or more of the readings on
the syllabus consist of works (studied in whole or in part) on a list approved
by the GWAC Committee. (b) The course is one of the following courses in art or
music: ART 260, 261, 266, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 472,
473, 474, 475, 477, 479, 480, 481; MUS 121, 331, 332, 341, 342, 343. Students
may count only 3 credits of art or music (not both) toward the program, and any
course counted in art or music must cover a historical period that overlaps with
one of a student's other GWAC courses.
Click here to see the
readings on the list of great works. Not all works by an author are listed; the
committee will likely accept all works by authors on the list. The list is not
an unalterable canon. The committee may modify the list at its discretion; it
will consider suggestions for authors and works made by students and
others. Intellectual diversity is inherent in the list; it reflects radical
disagreements in philosophy, religion, politics, science, and
literature.
The program has no admissions
process of its own. To participate, a student must be formally admitted to UNLV
and have a grade point average of at least 3.00. A student must submit to the committee a syllabus of a
course in order to ascertain definitely whether the course will count toward
GWAC. In order to receive the certificate a student must have a minimum grade
point average of 3.00 for courses taken within GWAC. No course in which a
student receives below a B- may be accepted for GWAC. There is no required
order in which courses must be taken, but students are urged to take European
Civilization as early as possible. A student may count independent studies, as
well as courses taken to fulfill graduation requirements (university, college,
and departmental), toward fulfillment of GWAC requirements if they meet the
requirement for content. Transfer courses that meet that requirement may be
accepted for GWAC, but at least one-half of the courses must be completed at
UNLV.
Upon completion of the course
requirements, a student will be required to submit a portfolio of papers or
other written work from courses taken within GWAC. The committee will review the
portfolio as a means of assessing what the student has learned. No grade will be
given, but the committee reserves the power to decide not to grant the
certificate. It is expected that such a decision will rarely, if ever, be made.
Students who fulfill the requirements will receive a notation on their
transcript, in addition to the certificate.
Students should notify the director of
their interest in the program as soon as possible in their college
career. Students who think they have already fulfilled some of the
requirements are urged to contact the director.
Seniors in the program are required to
take a one-credit seminar, the
purpose of which is to provide an opportunity for students to discuss one or
more great works in a common reading list and at the same time synthesize the
material in that list with what they have studied in their other GWAC courses.
Writing assignments for the seminar may encourage students to compare and
contrast the material read in the seminar with material read outside the
seminar.
Great Works Academic Certificate Committee
David Fott,
Political Science, Director
Andrew Bell,
History
Ralph Buechler, Foreign Languages
Richard Harp,
English
Mark Lutz, Political Science
Stephen Rosenbaum,
Philosophy
Great Works Academic Certificate
Goals
1. To
improve students’ ability to read and analyze carefully.
The challenge of great works summons
careful attention and thoughtful critique because such works are impossible to
categorize easily. Students will leave the program as better critical thinkers
in all aspects of their lives.
2. To
promote students’ facility with the written word.
Most classes within
the program have a writing component that involves the development of good
skills in research and analysis. In addition, exposure to excellent writing and
thought helps to promote better writing. Careful reading is a prerequisite of
good writing.
3. To engage students in a conversation on fundamental questions of human life.
Works on the list for the program treat questions of what it means to be human, such as: What is the structure of the universe? What is human nature? What is love? What is justice, and what does it require of us? Even if students do not find answers to those questions and learn only how to ask the questions more cogently, they will have accomplished a great deal.
4. To
enrich students’ university experience and encourage lifelong
learning.
Reading primary texts allows students to experience more
continuity across subject matters. This experience encourages a lifelong
curiosity–an eagerness and an ability to continue learning independently after
college.
5. To
provide students with a superior background for graduate
school.
Graduate programs want students who have knowledge of key
primary texts in areas such as philosophy, literature, and the sciences. Those
texts are the foundation of all disciplines in the liberal
arts.
6. To
prepare students better for today’s careers.
Specific skills learned
in college often become less useful within several years of graduation, and
people may change jobs or professions several times in the course of their
lives. The program will help students to develop an intellectual strength that
will allow them to maintain a variety of jobs more
successfully.
7. To
reward students’ achievements with scholarships and other
honors.
Students who excel in the program should be more competitive
for national scholarships and honors.
8. To
encourage integration of students’ academic and social
activities.
Activities such as a lecture series and on- and off-campus
reading groups will encourage shared experiences in learning.