Master of Arts (Christian and Classical Studies)

Steve Jeck-Program Director Introduction Watch Introduction

MASTER OF ARTS
(CHRISTIAN AND CLASSICAL STUDIES)

The Master of Arts (Christian and Classical Studies) is an academic degree program designed for persons who intend to be teachers or headmasters in Christian schools, to pursue further graduate theological studies, or to become conversant on the dialogue between the Bible and the “Great Tradition” of literature. The coursework provides a solid foundation in two areas: the Bible and selected great texts of the classical Christian (Western) tradition.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or the educational equivalent is required.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION

The Master of Arts (Christian and Classical Studies) program requires completion of a total of 48 credit hours and a comprehensive paper. To graduate, a student must earn at least a grade of C- (1.7) in each course, and must have a cumulative grade point average of at east 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale).

Upon successful completion, the student is awarded the Master of Arts (Christian and Classical Studies) degree.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

A graduate of the MACCS program will:

• See Christ effectively in his suffering and glory throughout the entirety of Scripture.

• Knowledgeably work with and understand the great literary and philosophical books that constitute the Western Tradition.

• Articulate the development of Christian doctrinal reflection through the ancient, medieval, and modern periods.

• Articulate the Christian and non-Christian worldviews and engage the culture both poetically and philosophically.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Total Semester Hours: 48

CHRISTIAN AND CLASSICAL STUDIES 18 Hours / Credits:

• CC502 Plato and Augustine3
• CC504 Aeschylus and Aristotle3
• CC602 Aquinas and Machiavelli3
• CC604 Dante and Milton3
• CC702Thucydides and Tocqueville3
• CC704 Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky3

NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES 9 Hours / Credits:

• NT502 New Testament 1 – Gospels and Acts3
• NT504 New Testament 2 – Epistles and Revelation3
• NT712 Biblical Hermeneutics3

OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES 6 Hours / Credits:

• OT602 Old Testament 1 – Genesis to 2 Samuel3
• OT604 Old Testament 2 — 2 Samuel to Malachi3

HISTORICAL STUDIES6 Hours / Credits:

• CH502 History of Christianity 1 – Ancient and Medieval Church History3
• CH504 History of Christianity 2 – Reformation to Modern Era3

THEOLOGICAL STUDIES 3 Hours / Credits:

• ST502 Biblical Theology3

ELECTIVES6 Hours / Credits:

Works Read in the Christian and Classical Studies Program

• The Holy Bible
• The Epic of Gilgamesh
• HesiodTheogony, Works and Days
• HomerThe Iliad, The Odyssey
• VirgilThe Aeneid
• PlatoThe Republic, Apology of Socrates, Symposium, Phaedo
• ThucydidesPeloponnesian War
• AugustineCity of God (selections), Confessions
• AristophanesClouds, Frogs, Peace, Birds
• AeschylusPrometheus, The Oresteia
• SophoclesOedipus the King
• EuripidesThe Bacchae, Hippolytus
• AristotleNichomachean Ethics, Politics, Rhetoric, Poetics
• Bernard of ClairveauxOn the Necessity of Loving God
• BoethiusThe Consolation of Philosophy
• AquinasSumma Theologica (selections)
• MachiavelliMandragola, The Prince
• ShakespeareHenry V, King Lear, Tempest, Merchant of Venice
• LutherThe Freedom of the Christian
• DanteThe Divine Comedy
• HobbesThe Leviathan
• MiltonParadise Lost
• BunyanThe Pilgrim’s Progress
• TocquevilleDemocracy in America
• Madison, Hamilton, and JayThe Federalist Papers
• HawthorneThe Scarlet Letter
• LincolnSpeeches and Writings
• NietzscheBeyond Good and Evil, Genealogy of Morals, Twilight of the Idols
• DostoyevskyThe Brothers Karamazov
• C. S. LewisThe Four Loves