Integral Program Curriculum

Primary Texts

First-year and sophomore students begin with readings from the Greco-Roman, ancient Mediterranean, and Christian traditions. These include texts by Homer, Sappho, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Ptolemy, the Bible, St. Augustine, and Dante. In their junior and senior years, students read Cervantes, Descartes, Austen, Hegel, Dostoevsky, and more. Texts from Asian traditions, such as Confucius’ Analects and the Upanishads are introduced at that time. Instead of reading these texts as parts of separate fields, the Integral Program reads them as parts of coherent traditions of thought that allow us to see more clearly how these texts and traditions illuminate each other.

Learning Based on Conversational Inquiry

Students ask their own questions and work out their own thoughts in a supportive environment. Faculty mentors, called “tutors,” question, coach, challenge, and encourage students’ wonder. There are no lectures and no exams. Students are invited to join the company of their peers, tutors, and the texts they read in a genuine and lively intellectual exchange.

Courses

The Integral Program’s curriculum is arranged chronologically, and all the courses build on each other. The texts we read are primary texts, not textbooks. These texts and courses are part of 74 unit sequence of courses. Three types of classes are required for all students in the Integral Program.

Seminars
Students read and discuss primary texts in seminars. Integral students take six seminars. Check Out The Full Seminar Reading List

Tutorials
Students focus on specific liberal arts and actively work out their own understandings. In the mathematics tutorial, students work through proofs. In the language tutorial, students translate and explicate texts. Integral students take six semesters of mathematics, and five semesters of language. 

Laboratories and Music
Students conduct hands-on experiments in astronomy, biology, and physics. In the music tutorial, students learn to read, analyze, and perform pieces of music. Integral students take three semesters of laboratory and one semester of music. 

Electives

Integral students may take elective courses outside of the Integral curriculum over the course of four years, including JanTerm courses.

Double-Majors and Minors

Many minors and double-majors are possible for Integral students. Consult with the Director or your advisor to inquire about specific double-majors or minors that are compatible with a degree in Integral.