Perspectives Program
The Perspectives Program is a multi-year core program that offers courses for students who want to develop integrated answers to life’s enduring questions. Inspired by the Jesuit tradition of providing a humanist context for professional and scientific education, Perspectives courses seek to educate the whole person, and to help students develop skills in critical thinking and practical living. The Perspectives Program currently offers core courses that fulfill core philosophy and another core area of study: theology, arts and literature, social science or natural science.
All Perspectives courses are year-long, 12-credit courses that study core and foundational texts. All sections are limited to 25 or fewer students. Class meetings often require small and large group discussions. Course assignments and requirements are tailored and assessed according to the traditional liberal arts of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric: students will be expected to read closely, think critically, and write and speak clearly and persuasively.
Most of the students in the program are first year students from across the colleges who take Perspectives on Western Culture, the course that pairs philosophy and theology. The other three Perspectives Program courses are Modernism and the Arts (philosophy, art and literature cores), Horizon of the New Social Sciences (philosophy and social science cores), and New Scientific Visions (philosophy and natural science cores). Full details for each course can be found by consulting the menu above.
Questions about Perspectives can be directed to Prof. Chris Constas, Director of Perspectives.
Living & Learning
Interested in a more immersive experience? The Perspectives Living & Learning Community gives first year students an opportunity to participate in specialized programming which links to the Perspectives curriculum. We aim to create deeper relationships between students, faculty, and administrators, to develop a strong peer cohort.
The Perspectives Concentration in Philosophy
By taking more than one Perspectives course, students can pursue a Perspectives Concentration towards either a major or a minor in Philosophy.
Students who complete any three Perspectives courses will, in addition to fulfilling various core requirements, fulfill the requirements for a minor in Philosophy.
Students who complete all four Perspectives courses, plus two philosophy elective courses, fulfill the requirements for a major in Philosophy.
Admission to the Perspectives concentration in philosophy comes at the end of the sophomore year. A minimum GPA of 3.50 will be required for admission. Any questions concerning the requirements for the concentration, or other opportunities and possibilities within the Perspectives Program, should contact Professor Kerry Cronin, Associate Director of Perspectives.
Contact
Director of the Perspectives Program
Associate Director of the Perspectives Program
Kerry Cronin
croninki@bc.edu