The program consists of a set of 21 courses, of which students must choose 17, offered in nine departments. Students must take the courses in a set order, beginning in the freshman year and extending through the junior year. A capstone course in the senior year rounds off the program. Sophomores take world literature, political science, American history and foreign language.
Juniors take ethics and psychology.
Faculty meet monthly and for two weeks during the summer to coordinate syllabi and reading lists so that courses can make use of readings and ideas that students have worked with or are currently studying in other CLC courses. Faculty incorporate these linkages not only in classroom discussion but in writing assignments and examinations. Approximately 400 students each year elect the Classic Learning Core, of whom perhaps two-thirds persist to completion. Students who drop out of the Core but remain at the University lose no time, since all CLC courses satisfy requirements in the regular general education program. The innovation lies in the linkages.