Abstract

Increasing specialization and the fragmentation of knowledge have become the hallmarks of contemporary higher education. The general education or core curriculum at American colleges and universities has gradually also lost its useful original purpose to help each student become an educated person with a clear set of beliefs and values, a citizen capable of leading a moral, compassionate, and committed life. Christian hitter education has followed this general trend, despite the fact that most Christian colleges and universities have a core identity which they want to pass on to their students. The Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University offers a way for Protestant Christian colleges to revitalize their liberal arts education. Its curriculum uses the Great Books of the West to combine the study of theology and the Bible with the study of the humanities and social sciences. Its pedagogy uses elements of active learning as well as mentoring and technical innovations, to enhance the classroom experience.