“My work is to seek after truth.”
– Algernon Sidney
The ability to think independently,
recognize patterns, communicate one’s ideas
effectively and clearly are skills that we practice
every day and that will no doubt serve us
very well in the future. Our goal is to be versatile
and effective members of society, leaving the world
behind with all the good that we have to offer.
~ Ariella N.
A Curriculum for Civilization-Builders
The John Adams College Classical Liberal Arts curriculum is not organized around academic disciplines as they exist today, but around the enduring questions that gave rise to those disciplines in the first place.
Students study the foundational texts of philosophy, politics, economics, literature, science, and history — not to memorize conclusions, but to understand how great minds confronted the unknown.
Entrepreneurship Emphasis
In the modern world, entrepreneurship has become one of the primary outlets for pioneering energy. As a result, many JAC graduates will apply their education by founding companies and ventures. Some of our undergrads have already begun.
But the same habits of mind cultivated here — independence, judgment, moral reasoning, and intellectual courage — are equally suited to statesmanship, the arts, scholarship, and leadership wherever new paths must be forged.
Crucial Clarification
This program is not optimized for efficiency. It is optimized for depth.
Students read more, write more, and engage in more sustained argument than at most institutions. This rigor is not a hurdle; it is the method.
John Adams College offers one undergraduate degree, a BA in Classical Liberal Arts: Ethics, Government, and Economics.
A Descriptive List of Our Courses
Freshman Year
Development of Civilization I and II (6 credits each)
CLA 1010. This course is the first of a four-semester exploration of the events, ideas, and documents that have shaped our worldwide civilization from prehistory up to the present day. CLA 1010 will survey this development up to approximately the Fall of Rome in 476 AD. Students will read and discuss original documents. Throughout the semester, students will analyze the issues of family, social class, political legitimacy, and beauty in light of the works read. Authors include Homer, Dante, Chaucer, and many ancient texts with unknown origins.
CLA 1020. In the second semester, the course will cover the period from the Fall of Rome to the discovery of the New World, looking at the medieval struggle between secular and religious authority, the beginnings of capitalism, and the geopolitical events resulting in the shift in the center of cultural gravity from East to West. Throughout the semester, students will continue to track and analyze the issues of family, social class, political legitimacy, and beauty in light of the works read. Authors include Caesar, Cicero, Abelard, Maimonides, and many ancient texts with unknown origins.
Outline of Philosophy (3 credits)
PHIL 1010. From ethics to epistemology and empiricism to rationalism, this philosophical survey course will take you from the Pre-Socratics up through postmodernism. Who was Socrates? How did we get from there to Kant and even Derrida, and what can we learn from them? Understanding philosophy and how it has evolved will help you have a better grasp of the world today. Authors include Plato, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine, Burke, and Descartes.
Principles of American Founding I and II (3 credits each)
CON 1010. This course is an in-depth look at the founding and development of the American Republic with an appreciation of the uniqueness of that founding. Students will begin a study of the Constitution using the method advocated by Thomas Jefferson, which includes a study of such authors as Locke and Sidney, not overlooking their classical antecedents. Authors include Sidney, Locke, Montesquieu, Jay, Madison, Hamilton, Washington, and Franklin, among many other Founders.
CON 1020. A continuation of CON 1010, this course will explore the structure raised by Washington, Madison, Jay, Hamilton, and other Founders, including the Anti-Federalists, and will also explore the principles from which they drew. Authors include Tocqueville, Kirk, Wister, and Levin.
Logic, Rhetoric, and Poetics I and II (3 credits each)
ELA 1010. This is the first course in a two-part series applying classical principles to modern society. It will feature close examination of the thinking of influential figures in world history and explore the connection between their modes of written expression and that influence. A significant aspect of the class will be the cultivation of the great writing skills that are a critical aspect of relationships. Authors include Aristotle, Lewis, Cato, and Cicero.
ELA 1040. This is the second course in a two-part series applying classical principles to the modern managerial society. Following ELA 1010, this course will examine the thinking of influential figures in world history and explore the connection between their modes of oral expression and that influence. A significant aspect of the class will be an emphasis on great speaking and will include discussing great historical speeches by Lincoln, Churchill, Demosthenes, Socrates, Washington, Cicero, Gandhi, and many others.
Science or Science Fiction (3 credits)
MR 1030. This class will focus on applying research methodology to real-world issues and how knowledge and understanding are gained and defined. Topics will include the scientific method, reason, facts vs. feelings, empiricism vs. a priori reasoning, relativism, and universal truth vs. the idea of individual truth in postmodernism. Authors include Descartes, Locke, Hume, Hugo, Popper, Lewis, Milne, and Ridley.
Sophomore Year
Development of Civilization III and IV (6 credits each)
CLA 2030. This course is the third semester of a four-semester exploration of the events, ideas, and documents that have shaped our worldwide civilization from prehistory up to the present day. CLA III will take up the period from the discovery of the New World to the establishment of the American Republic (1800). Writings from this period will be drawn from the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the Enlightenment, the emergence of modern mathematics and science, the rediscovery of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome, and the shift from feudal arrangements to the modern nation-state. Authors include Machiavelli, Erasmus, Descartes, Milton, More, and Pascal.
CLA 2040. The second semester will take us to the modern day, covering the invention of the modern world, industrialization, radical individualism, secularization, and the impact of ideology on human society. As before, students will continue to track and analyze the issues of family, social class, political legitimacy, and beauty in light of the works read.
Language I and II (3 credits each)
A knowledge of languages is a critical part of a classical education. To achieve the Bachelor’s degree, students must demonstrate proficiency in at least one language. We offer Latin.
LANG 2010, 2020. Latin is the basis of many languages today. Learning a language, especially Latin, helps students to understand and gain a deeper appreciation for how we communicate with each other. These courses are designed to prepare a student to read authentic Latin texts with help. A discussion of culture and the age when Latin was spoken will also be part of the discussion.
Political Economy I and II (3 credits each)
ECON 2010. Political Economy, much more than just economics, is an interdisciplinary course which focuses on the interrelationships among individuals, the community, the nation, and even the world. In short, it is the study of human action in all levels of society. This first course combines basic principles of economics with the works of the great economic thinkers from the 1770s through the mid-1800s. It includes micro- and macroeconomics discussed in their historical context. Authors include Locke, Smith, Bastiat, Mill, Marx, and Engels.
ECON 2030. A continuation of our study of political economy through the split into factions still here today. We will read from the writings of economists such as Mises, Keynes, Rothbard, Friedman, and Hayek, as well as others whose writings continue to play a role in our economy today.
Utopia/Dystopia (3 credits)
MR 2040. An overarching look at utopian and dystopian novels written throughout history, while learning to understand the different worldviews which led to these writings and how they helped to create our world today. A look at utopian thought and its power and persuasion. Some of the authors we will read in this class are Lewis, Huxley, More, Orwell, Rand, Bellamy, and Plato.
Classical Liberal Arts Applied (3 credits)
CLA 2060. This course bridges the gap between a liberal arts education and career development. We will explore the competitive advantage of broad and deep educational training in the marketplace today, how it prepares students for the coming social landscape, and what desirable and profitable solutions it provides for companies today. Each student will develop the mindset, skill set, and tool set to leverage their training and create a unique career plan. We will interact with individuals who have successful careers and who provide unique value through their focus on the humanities. Authors include Covey, Epstein, Miller, Hartley, and Christensen.
Junior Year
Development of (American) Civilization V and VI (6 credits each)
CLA 3050, 3060. Our core classical liberal arts classes for junior year. An in-depth overview of American history, along with period literature and art characterizing the Colonial, Revolutionary, pro and anti-slavery, westward expansion, industrialization, alienation, wartime (pro and anti), sexual revolution, and modernist periods. Extensive reading, dissection, and analysis of original sources: speeches, proclamations, sermons, congressional testimony and findings, Supreme Court cases, scientific reports, etc.
Language III and IV (3 credits each)
LANG 3030, 3040. Latin is the basis of many languages today. Learning a language, especially Latin, helps students to understand and gain a deeper appreciation for how we communicate with each other. These courses are designed to prepare a student to read authentic Latin texts with help. A discussion of culture and the age when Latin was spoken will also be part of the discussion.
Philosophy of Mathematics I and II (3 credits each)
MATH 3010, 3020. Throughout the two years of math classics, A study of the different areas of mathematics through history. Students will read and grapple with the proofs of some of the great mathematicians, beginning with Euclid, Apollonius, and Galileo, and leading to Einstein and finally Newton.
Moral Reasoning and a Conflict of Visions (3 credits)
MR 3060. A look at the deep philosophical beliefs and moral rationale inherent in human nature leading to Libertarian, Progressive, and Conservative thought. Readings will include Sowell and Haidt as well as representative writings such as Rawls, Kirk, Rand, Godwin, Shelley, etc. Understanding these differences brings a depth of knowledge necessary to comprehend today’s world with all its implications.
America’s Judeo-Christian Tradition (3 credits)
CON 3010. An in-depth study into the Biblical/Judeo-Christian tradition which has shaped America and its past as well as how it is still shaping the West today. Besides the Bible, the basis of the Judeo-Christian tradition, we will also study Bunyan, Potok, Maimonides, Telushkin, Aquinas, Chesterton, and Lewis among others.
Senior Year
Science or Science Fiction II (3 credits)
MR 4050. Science or Science Fiction I taught how emotion rules the day if social media is any guide! The whole object of a classical liberal education is to broaden the mind, allowing the student to view an issue from a wider viewpoint and seek solutions based on fact, not fiction; logical determination based on evidence, not emotion. Science or Science Fiction II goes deeper by looking at the writings of three key figures in history: Dewey, Darwin, and Freud, as well as writings opposing their viewpoints. The course will remind students of the methods taught in S. or S.F. I as they read these differing viewpoints to decide for themselves what they should believe.
Political Philosophy I and II (3 credits each)
PHIL 4010. This course is the first of two covering the history of political philosophy–the philosophy of government. Philosophers have been discussing government with all its varied aspects for thousands of years. We will learn what the great thinkers from Plato and Aristotle to Montesquieu and Machiavelli, and even present-day philosophers, teach about it. We will study government, its inner workings, the different forms it takes, and how it has functioned throughout history. This first course begins with the writings of Plato and Aristotle and continues through early philosophers such as Polybius, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas, and Machiavelli. Arguments concerning the definition and role of government, whether government is necessary and why, and how it has changed over time are all just as relevant today as when they were written.
PHIL 4020. A continuation of our study of the history of political philosophy as we read Locke, Kant, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Montesquieu, Arendt, and many others. We will learn how their ideas affect the way we think and act today.
Constitutional Law: Original Intent, Principles, and Cases (3 credits)
CON 4090. We expect our students at John Adams College to obtain a much deeper understanding of constitutional law issues in this course. While law students learn both the substantive and procedural aspects of the law and how to pick apart issues in constitutional law, our primary objective at JAC lies in the students gaining a deeper understanding of how the courts’ interpretations of law affect so many aspects of U.S. citizens’ lives. The class will explore the difference between the actual ruling of a case versus dicta, and how dicta somehow inadvertently (or perhaps purposely) becomes part of the law. We will dive into the relevance of majority and dissenting opinions. We will even attempt to understand how various personalities in a court may carry more weight in their opinions than others. Coursework will include seminal cases in thematic subjects such as public education; civil rights; and church and state.
Creativity and Senior Project I and II (3 credits each)
CLA 4070, 4080. This two-semester course is an opportunity for each student to harness their creative energy in order to produce a unique, thoughtful, and valuable work. In the first semester, students will explore the intellectual history of creativity from its origins in Ancient Greece through the Renaissance. We will identify the recurring themes, the underlying concepts, and the practical applications in the creation and production of a new work. In the second semester, we will explore the change in these foundational concepts that began in the enlightenment as the definition and role of artists and artisans changed from makers to creators. Throughout both semesters, students will make gradual progress on a capstone project that will simultaneously represent the crowning achievement of their students and introduce them into the larger discourse of ideas.
Senior Literature (3 credits)
ELA 4080. In this course, students will build on the concepts they have learned in their education thus far, specifically in their understanding of human nature and natural law, and see how these principles play out in some of the great literature of the past. Examples bring lessons to life and will help give students greater recognition of and deeper insight into these concepts as they learn how true principles work for good and for bad. Students will gain a deeper understanding of how these ideas and their consequences will work in their own lives and the lives of those around them.
Scientific Reasoning I and II (3 credits each)
SCI 4030, 4040. This is a two-semester course that explores the nature and history of scientific thought. Science has an immense influence on our society today and affects almost every aspect of our lives. An understanding of scientific thought is important to maintain personal liberty and to understand our world and the human interactions within it. Our current scientific understanding is the product of all that has gone before us, and we have not reached the culmination of all human thought and experience. Instead, we are still in the flow of the dynamic and always shifting understanding of our world. There is truth, but how we understand that truth is significant as well. Creativity, curiosity, discovery, and the desire to understand what God and nature are telling us are more important than a mere catalog of facts.
In development with a new class for next year. (3 credits)
During a student’s four years,
usually between their sophomore and senior year:
Practica I and II (2 credits each)
PRA 3001 and PRA 3002. MLC requires all students to experience aspects of life where the integration of classical education meets life as it is lived by people in the community. These practica should serve as a bridge between the abstraction of a classical education and the reality of necessary gainful employment. The following are areas in which students can fulfill the practicum requirement:
- Entrepreneurial pursuits. Many students choose to start a business, and this is the perfect time, with mentors there to coach and guide.
- Job Training. This could include any number of certifications, job training, or entrepreneurial education, which will help prepare a student for future employment opportunities.
- Business. This could include paid or unpaid internships working for a private company, large or small.
- Humanitarian. This could include participation in a journey to a foreign country to provide medical or other humanitarian services to underserved communities.
- Community service. This could include service at a local public or private agency providing medical or humanitarian services, education or tutoring services, reading to the blind, etc.
- Politics. This could include volunteer or paid services in a political campaign or in the office operations of an elected official.
- Policy. There are many organizations working to shape public policy at the local, national, and even international levels. Participation with one of these groups would satisfy the practicum requirement.