2023-2024 Traditional Undergraduate Catalog

Christian Thought in the Humanities (BA)

Credential: Bachelor of Arts

Majors: Christian Thought in the Humanities, Biblical Studies

Certification/Licensure: This program is not intended to lead to licensure.

Location: Lancaster

Program Director:  Dr. Geoffrey Reiter

Program Mission Statement: The Christian Thought in the Humanities program seeks to cultivate wisdom in students through the study of human thought, culture, and artifacts. Students will learn to see God as the author of human creation and the love of God as the ultimate purpose for studying human creation.

Program Description: The Arts and Sciences Department designed the Christian Thought in the Humanities program to provide LBC students with a degree that deepens their understanding of God and broadens their understanding of humanity. The major takes advantage of the disciplines already part of the Arts and Sciences core curriculum while it offers students the opportunity to dig deeper into courses that help students see the world, its cultures, its societies, and its people according to the light of Scripture. This program will prepare students to move into humanities graduate degree programs after graduation as well as serve as teachers in Christian schools, classical schools, and homeschool environments. The end of all education is to know God through the study of his creation. This program was created to give students that kind of education.

The Christian Thought in the Humanities program provides three specializations of 18 credits while all three specializations share a core of 24 credits. The specializations are in Literature, Writing and Rhetoric, and History. The core credits provide opportunities for all students in the Christian Thought in the Humanities program to interact across disciplines, while the specialization credits allow students to focus in on the discipline that suits them.

Program Learning Outcomes: As a result of this degree, students will do the following:

1. Employ reasonable thought and argumentation in evaluating human culture.
2. Articulate an understanding of how and why God is the final object of human thought, expression, and creativity.
3. Develop a biblical framework for understanding and evaluating the virtues of human culture.
4. Cultivate an appreciation of the diversity and dignity of human beings as well as their weaknesses and flaws.
5. Understand the self and others in light of cultural artifacts and masterpieces.

Experiential Learning: HUM 450 Humanities Practicum I and HUM 451 Humanities Practicum II.  A total of 80 hours of practicum work is required.  These hours can be arranged in work relevant to students’ area of study and could include writing work, editing work, teaching, librarianship, or curatorship.  Practica will be arranged between students and advisors; they should be in-person unless virtual placement is relevant for the context.

 

Curricular Structure and Degree Requirements

Curricular Structure

Credits

Bible & Theology Courses

42

Arts & Sciences Courses

37

Christian Thought in the Humanities Courses

44

LBC 100 Foundations Seminar

1

Christian Service CSV 201, CSV 202

0

Program Total

124

 

 

Bible & Theology Courses (42 credits)

BIB 103Creation & Covenants: OT I

3

BIB 104Israel's Life & Literature: OT II

3

BIB 106Interpreting the Bible

3

THE 105Prelude to Biblical & Theological Studies

3

BIB 203Life of Christ: NT I

3

BIB 204Early Church: NT II

3

THE 223Christian Narrative I: Creation & Fall

3

THE 224Christian Narrative II: Redemption

3

BNT
New Testament Elective

3

BOT
Old Testament Elective

3

THE 320Christianity and Culture

3

THE
Theology Elective

3

THE
Theology Elective

3

THE
Theology Elective

3

 

 

Arts & Sciences Courses (37 credits)

LAN 101Academic Writing, Research, and Rhetoric

3

LAN 104Public Speaking

3

LIT
Literature Core (100/200 Level)

3

HIS
History Core (100/200 Level)

3

SCI
Science Core (100/200 Level)

3

SCI
SCI Lab

1

MAT
Math Core (100/200 Level)

3

PHI 301Philosophy of Religion

3

Arts & Sciences Course (300 level)

3

Arts & Sciences Course (400 level)

3

Arts & Sciences Elective

3

Arts & Sciences Elective

3

Arts & Sciences Elective

3

 

 

Christian Thought in the Humanities Courses (44 credits)

LAN 230Survey of Classical Rhetoric to Modern Contexts

3

EDU 204Instructional Design

3

LIT
LIT Elective 300 level or above

3

HIS
HIS Elective 300 Level

3

PHI 301Philosophy of Religion

3

POL
POL 200/300 Elective

3

SCI 351Evolution/Creation - Chance or Design

3

HUM 430Cultivating Christian Thought in the Humanities Capstone

3

HUM 450Humanities Practicum I

1

HUM 451Humanities Practicum II

1

Specialization 1

3

Specialization 2

3

Specialization 3

3

Specialization 4

3

Specialization 5

3

Specialization 6

3

 

 

History Specialization Courses

HIS 310 History and the Christian Imagination is required.  Also choose five electives from the following list.
HIS 310History and the Christian Imagination

3

HIS 201U.S. History I (1600-1877)

3

HIS 202U.S. History II (1877-Present)

3

HIS 203Ancient History

3

HIS 204The Modern World: WWI to the Present

3

HIS 205Greece, Rome, and the Early Church

3

HIS 210Origins & Legacies of 1960s

HIS 280World Wars

3

HIS 301Arab-Israeli Conflict

3

HIS 302American & French Revolutions: The Birth of the Modern Era

3

HIS 303The American Civil War

3

HIS 304American Religious History

3

HIS 305Renaissance & Reformation

3

HIS 480Selected Topics in History

3

 

 

Rhetoric and Writing Specialization Courses

Choose six electives from the following list.
LAN 202Creative Writing

3

LAN 204Advanced Public Speaking

3

LAN 235Writing in Service to Others

3

LAN 265/SWK 265Professional Writing for the Helping Professions

3

LAN 311/COM 311Writing for News Media

3

LAN 316/COM 316Scriptwriting for Stage and Screen

3

LAN 317/COM 317Grant Writing Essentials

3

LAN 335/COM 335Freelance Writing

3

LAN 340Business Writing

3

LAN 342/COM 340Writing on Social Issues

3

LAN 350/COM 350Writing for Publication

3

 

 

Literature Specialization Courses

LIT 340 Literature and the Christian Imagination is required.  Also choose two 100/200-level courses and three 300-level courses (six LIT courses total for the Literature Specialization).
LIT 340Literature and the Christian Imagination

3

 

LIT 101Poetry, Fiction & Drama

3

LIT 202World Literature

3

LIT 205Contemporary American Literature

3

LIT 222Nonfiction: Essays & Memoirs

3

LIT 229The Short Story & Novella

3

LIT 230Dramatic Literature

3

LIT 240Literature for Children and Young Adults

3

 

LIT 305Science Fiction

3

LIT 307African American Women Writers

3

LIT 321C.S. Lewis

3

LIT 325American Literature before 1865

3

LIT 326American Literature 1865 to Present

3

LIT 327Major British Writers

3

LIT 328Shakespeare

3

LIT 330Women Writers

3

 

 

LBC 100 (1 credit)

LBC 100Foundations Seminar

1

 

Christian Service (0 credit)

Christian Service provides an important part of the overall education program of the college. Its function is to assist students in experiencing various forms of practical ministry, proclaiming Christ by serving Him in the Church and society. CSV 201 and CSV 202
CSV 201Christian Service I

0

CSV 202Christian Service II

0

 

 

Program Director:  Geoffrey Reiter, PhD

Dr. Reiter is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Literature at Lancaster. He holds an MA in Church History from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a PhD in English from Baylor University. Prior to his time at LBC, he was Associate Professor and English Program Coordinator at The Baptist College of Florida. Dr. Reiter is also a writer and associate editor at the website Christ and Pop Culture. He is the author of over a dozen academic articles on theology and genre fiction, and he has published several poems and short stories in the horror, fantasy, and science fiction genres. He loves discovering ways in which the Bible helps us “read” culture and the ways in which cultural products like literature, film, or television may help us “defamiliarize” Scripture to see old truths from new and surprising angles.