Classical Education at Concordia embraces a traditional engagement with the Liberal Arts anchored in Christian thought and tailored to the modern world. Classical Education emphasizes not only the holistic development of students—mind, body, spirit—but also the development of content knowledge in the various areas of the Liberal Arts, including language arts, history, philosophy, theology, the fine arts, mathematics and science. Students are encouraged to see the interconnections between these discrete disciplines and to pursue not simply an accumulation of knowledge, but to embark upon a life-long pursuit of Truth. With this solid foundation students are prepared to follow vocations as teachers, in their turn helping develop young people to their fullest potential.

The Classical Education program is intended to prepare students to teach in schools and academies that have adopted a classical paradigm for their curricula and principles of pedagogy. Graduates of the program may be called to positions in schools of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and are eligible to be rostered in the LCMS with the designation “Minister of Religion—Commissioned, Teacher.” Nevertheless, admission to the program is open to members of any Christian denomination.

All students are required to have a minimum of 12 hours in Latin (or Greek), 15 hours in Bible and Doctrine, and a distribution of courses in the Humanities and Arts disciplines that make up the traditional education of a “free” citizen, as defined in the Classical world.

Students can fulfill the requirements of the Classical Education program in two ways:  by completing the Classical Studies major and the Classical Pedagogy minor; OR students may complete an Arts & Sciences major (such as Mathematics, History, English, etc.), the Classical Pedagogy minor, and an individualized minor in Classical Studies.

In order to be eligible to receive a call from a LCMS congregation, the student must also complete successfully all theology courses required of a candidate qualified for a first call as a Minister of Religion—Commissioned.

Classical Studies Major

The Classical Studies major is designed to give students a thorough grounding in Classical culture and the Christian intellectual tradition through a broad engagement with the Liberal Arts.

The Classical Studies major can be taken either as a stand alone major or as part of the Classical Education Program.

The Classical Pedagogy minor provides training in distinctively classical principles of instruction and learning.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will: 

• Demonstrate knowledge of the major historical figures and events, ideas and themes, texts and artifacts, and worldviews of Western culture and civilization and in particular will be able to describe the influence of Christianity upon and within the Western tradition.
• Articulate an understanding of the philosophy of Classical Lutheran education, demonstrate the ability to distinguish between various educational philosophies and to assess them in light of Christian and/or Lutheran theology.
• Develop familiarity and facility with the methods distinctive of Classical Lutheran education, including content-driven pedagogy, rhetoric, and the Socratic method/shared inquiry model.
• Engage with Classical education curricula, textbooks, standards, rubrics, case studies, and classroom management techniques.
• Demonstrate competency in the principles and methods of Lutheran catechesis, including a knowledge of foundational Lutheran educational documents and a command of Luther’s Small Catechism.
• Manifest proficiency in at least one of the classical languages (i.e., Latin or Greek or music theory).
• Develop pedagogical competency through practical experience in a classical education setting, by means of field work and/or internship and will cultivate a sense of vocation and an attitude of service as future Classical educators.

Curriculum

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Requirements		45
Major Requirements		36
Electives		39
Minor: Required
Total Hours		120

Major Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Core Courses
Latin Proficiency Course (3 credits) 1
REL 2010	Old Testament
REL 2030	Biblical Theology
REL 3500	A Survey of Christian Thought
Required Courses
Latin		6
History		6
English/Literature		6
Philosophy		6
Fine Arts		6
Theology		6
REL 2020	New Testament
REL 4000	Lutheran Confessions
Total Hours		36

¹

For Latin proficiency requirement please speak with your advisor.

²

For non Lutheran students, this course is strongly recommended; however, any 3000 or 4000 level course is allowed.