Do Core Texts Have a Purpose?

Greetings!

Currently, I'm sitting at my desk in room 153, my legs folded underneath me as I type these very words. For the past hour, I've been studying for my Core Text final exam tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., and I decided this would be a good idea for a blog post. 

Do classes like Core Text even have real meaning or purpose? 

To many Samford students, Core Texts I and II are just another bothersome part of the university's core curriculum. It's the kind of class that can feel rather pointless. Tasked with reading extensively through the overpriced Core Text Reader from the bookstore, along with other assigned books, it often feels like just another stressor added to the already heavy load college students carry. 

This semester, we read 24 great works by incredible thinkers, including Macbeth by Shakespeare and the entirety of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. These works pushed me to think deeply about a wide range of ideas. At the beginning of the semester, much of our discussion was focused on epistemology—human nature, the origin of knowledge, and what different thinkers believed about God. As the semester continued, we shifted toward topics like natural rights, the role of authority, and other foundational concepts. 

Josef Pieper is right in saying that today, people tend to value work only for its immediate usefulness. Philosophy isn't valued the way it once was, as much of society is made up of "functionaries," which are people who work only for a specific purpose. 

If we only value work for what it produces, we enter a dangerous way of thinking that can lead us to see people the same way. 

Hannah Arendt connects to this idea in The Origins of Totalitarianism. Of all the thinkers we studied, she would understand this danger most personally, having been imprisoned in a concentration camp twice in her life.

In the end, classes like Core Text I and II are incredibly valuable because they teach students how to think. They also remind us of the dangers that arise when people stop thinking critically and systems go unchecked. While the class was demanding—and at times stressful, especially when preparing for and leading two class discussions (which I will not miss)—I will miss the growth that came with it. 

I will definitely miss walking out of Brooks Hall and taking in that view but am looking forward to being in the nursing building next semester!

Until next time, 
Alexa :)