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Topics / Heritage
Four courses in the Millsaps Core Curriculum are taught by faculty
from the Division of Arts and Letters. These courses are all multidisciplinary
courses - combining history, literature, philosophy, religion and
fine arts. You have a choice of two different ways of meeting this
requirement. You may choose the Topics program, taking a Topics course each semester beginning
in the fall of the freshman year and continuing through the spring
of the sophomore year, or you may enroll in the Heritage program
and complete the requirement in a single year. Heritage is an intensive
course that is equivalent to two courses each semester. It can only
be taken by freshmen, so the decision whether to follow the Topics
or the Heritage path must be made at the time of your initial registration.
Topics Courses
Core 2: Topics of the Ancient World
This course is the first in a sequence of courses designed to engage
your thinking about a particular historical period from multiple
perspectives. Topics are selected for their appropriateness in bringing
together various strands of thought from that period. Each course
has a distinct focus - history, literature, philosophy, religion
or fine arts. To insure a broad exposure to the liberal arts, students
taking this approach must include at least three different focuses
in their choice of Topics courses.
The first course in the Topics sequence
covers the Ancient World, which for purposes of the Millsaps core
extends from the beginning of recorded history to the fall of the
Roman Empire, the birth of Mohammed, and the classical age in India.
You will be given a broad range of topics from which to choose.
These topics have included "Classical Drama," "Dawn of Reason,"
"Christians, Pagans and Jews," and "Ideas of Sacrifice." Multidisciplinary
Topics courses do not attempt to survey an entire period, but rather
to provide a window in the culture of an earlier time. In a course
on the ancient world you may expect to learn about the rise of civilization,
mythical worldviews, social hierarchies, and early forms of technology.
Core 3: Topics of the Premodern World
The next course in this historical sequence centers on the Pre-modern
World. It encompasses the period commonly know in the West as the
Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Topics from this period have included
"Celt, Saxon & Viking," "Love and Knowledge," and "The Quest for
the Holy Grail." In a Pre-modern World course, you may expect to
learn about institutionalization of group identity, expansion of
mythical worldviews, and further developments of agricultural systems
and social hierarchies. Since this period includes the Crusades
and the beginnings of global exploration, there will be ample opportunity
to observe the effects of contact with other cultures, including
the Americas, India, China, and Japan, on the development of Western
civilization.
Core 4: Topics of the Modern World
The historical sequence which begins in the freshman year extends
through the sophomore year starting with a course on the Modern
World in the fall and concluding with a course on the Contemporary
World in the spring. The modern period is characterized by the rise
of science and the influence of thinkers such as Galileo, Newton,
and Descartes, but it also includes writers, artists, inventors,
statesmen, and religious leaders of various nationalities. Topics
of the Modern World have included: "Passion and Persuasion in Nineteenth
Century America," "The Age of Revolution," and "Religion and Cultural
Encounter." Courses in the modern period introduce you to developments
such as individualism, nationalism, industrialization, and colonialism.
Because they are taught at the sophomore level, these courses present
students with more complex thinking and writing assignments.
Core 5: Topics of the Contemporary World
The concluding course in this sequence takes you into the twentieth
century. It is the most difficult period to characterize because
we are still living through it, but it is also one that particularly
challenges us to look critically at ourselves. Topics of the Contemporary
World have included "Ritual Masks: Religious Meaning, Social Function,"
"Advertising and the Rise of Consumer Culture," and "French Film:
The French (Out) Look." Typically these courses include films and
videos as well as more traditional sources of information. The cross-cultural
dimension present in all of the courses in this sequence is particularly
prominent in the contemporary period.
Heritage
Core 2—5: Heritage of the West
in World Perspective
Heritage provides an alternative to the sequence of Topics courses.
It is a full-year multidisciplinary course extending from prehistory
to the present. Team-taught by faculty from several departments,
Heritage focuses on major developments in Western culture while
incorporating pivotal events and seminal ideas from other cultures.
Comparisons with Eurasia, Africa and the Americas help to define
the origin and nature of Western civilization while fostering an
appreciation for cultural diversity and global interdependence.
If you choose the Heritage option,
you will attend four large group sessions and three small group
sessions per week. The entire class meets together for the large
group sessions, which consist of lectures or visual and musical
presentations by members of the Heritage staff. These sessions help
you organize, interpret, and gain perspective on the readings. The
small group sessions are devoted primarily to discussion. The purpose
is to give you an opportunity to express opinions, challenge judgments,
debate issues, and pursue questions raised by the readings and the
lectures. In addition to discussion, there is a substantial amount
of writing associated with this course.
The first semester of Heritage covers
the same historical period as the first two courses in the Topics
sequence, while the second semester is equivalent to the sophomore
Topics courses. These two approaches to the study of culture, Heritage
and Topics, are academically equivalent. Heritage has the advantage
of providing a connected narrative for the entire period from prehistory
to the present, while each Topics courses is limited to a single
subject explored in greater depth. Students who choose Heritage
will have fewer electives in their freshman year, but more electives
in their sophomore year. Whichever option you select, you are assured
a rich intellectual experience covering a broad expanse of history
and incorporating many different perspectives.
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