Freedom and Authority

Colorado College

The Course

"Freedom and Authority" is the oldest interdisciplinary course at Colorado College, having been taught here for over 40 years. Originally a senior capstone course, it is now a two-block course and a regular part of the First-Year Experience Program. The course has always focused on the conflict between the freedom of the individual and the limits imposed on this freedom by the state and its laws, by religious institutions and scriptures, and by attitudes of the society in which we live. As an interdisciplinary course, it studies literary, philosophical, religious, historical, and scientific texts in a thematic context. It focuses on four main themes: personal authority, social authority, political authority, and religious authority. Behind all of these are questions such as: What constitutes personal identity? What are the sources of our individual values and commitments? How much of what we are can be traced to ethnic and cultural background? What should one do when conscience and laws conflict? How does the individual relate to the group? How do authority and power work to constrain and mold individuals? How do sources of authority legitimate themselves? Through reading, writing, discussion, and critical thinking students and faculty grapple with these and other questions surrounding the human condition.