Core Curriculum

As logic and rhetoric are classically viewed as sister arts, fundamental to the studies of the Trivium as well as the more generally conceived liberal arts, their inclusion in the core curriculum at Hillsdale College is of inherent import. The study of logic, both formal and practical, underlies the study of any field, engaging the student in the preparation and analysis of argument, the practice of decision-making, and the development of critical thinking about matters of certainty as well as probability. Logic is of particular importance to the practice of rhetoric. This course will situate the student's understanding of the material of logic and rhetoric within its intellectual and practical constructions, as well as provide a relational understanding of these arts within the greater scope of the liberal arts and sciences.

This course, required during the senior year, will entail an overview of critical concepts across the core curriculum and will explore the relations and connections between these concepts. Special attention will be dedicated to the relation of liberal learning to a life in pursuit of the good.