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The University of Chicago Master of Liberal Arts program brought Mary Jo the means to continue expanding her horizons by analyzing great works of literature and philosophy. Motivated by her appreciation for timeless wisdom from the ancient world, she enjoyed taking rigorous courses from UChicago faculty at a pace that fit into her schedule.
“I’m deeply grateful for the program and the great professors I had,” Mary Jo said. “They were excellent, and not just because they knew their subject. They were warm and friendly and funny. They made learning so fun, so inquisitive.”
When it was time to propose her MLA thesis or special project, Mary Jo wanted to dig deeper into ideas from the Classical world while advocating for her belief in the compatibility of spiritual faith and reason. Rather than a traditional academic paper, she developed a multidisciplinary educational curriculum focused on Greek literature and philosophy for Catholic high school students.
Discovering insights through the MLA thesis process
For many MLA students like Mary Jo, their thesis is the first time they have tackled an in-depth academic project in years. According to MLA Program Director Tim Murphy, this undertaking is valuable precisely because it gives students a platform to grapple with ideas and the freedom to pursue their own paths of curiosity.
“The MLA’s curriculum exposes students to different forms of scholarly inquiry, helping them to become conversant with the methodologies that underpin a variety of academic disciplines,” Tim said. “The thesis project is an important capstone to this experience; students spent eight courses honing the tools for interdisciplinary inquiry, and the thesis requires them to put those tools to work pursuing an original research project of their own design.”
For Mary Jo, developing her project required engaging with concepts that had long been fundamental to her identity and worldview. As an undergraduate at Miami University in Ohio, she earned her bachelor of science degree in finance, but she minored in philosophy. Later, she became involved in organizations like the Institute for the Study of Western Civilization in Cupertino, Calif and the Chicago-based Lumen Christi Institute, an educational institution devoted to the Catholic intellectual tradition.
Passionate about both Catholicism and the great writings of Classical antiquity, Mary Jo recognized both the value and the challenge of weaving these perspectives together. She was keenly aware of how participation in organized religion has declined in an increasingly secular and technology-driven U.S. society.
Mary Jo wanted to help young Catholics reconnect to their religion’s philosophical underpinnings. She found inspiration in the rhetorical question posed by the early Christian theologian Tertullian: “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” In other words, can religious faith coexist with the kind of rational inquiry pursued by the great Greek philosophers?
“We have this beautiful intellectual tradition of the Hebrew Bible, the Gospels, St. Augustine, St. Clement, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Henry Newman, and Pope Benedict,” she said. “All of them believed in faith and reason being compatible.”
An intellectual journey
In her thesis, Mary Jo set out to reinvigorate the connection between belief and rationality with a multidisciplinary Catholic school curriculum that tapped into the Classical roots of Western thought and literature.
“In retrospect, it seems inevitable that Mary Jo would have finished her MLA career with a thesis advocating for teaching classic Greek texts in high schools,” Tim said. “When applying to the program, Mary Jo’s candidate statement talked about her passion for teaching and lifelong interest in the Western intellectual tradition.”
Arriving at this seemingly inevitable decision required careful thought, in-depth research, and collaboration. Along the way, Mary Jo received support from peers, faculty, and staff, such as writing advisor Millie Rey. Millie helped Mary Jo hone her project’s focus as she embraced big ideas and an unconventional format.
“What’s beautiful about the MLA is it’s increasingly becoming a launching pad,” Millie said. “Tim and I really emphasize the flexibility of it, and what we’re after is rigor, not conforming to a predetermined format of academic work.”
Mary Jo and Millie discussed the most effective ways to address an audience that included teachers and administrators. As Mary Jo developed her thesis proposal, Millie helped her make arguments about the importance of Ancient Greek culture and Catholic education that could be engaging even for readers with different religious, political, and philosophical backgrounds.
Serving as Mary Jo’s advisor, David Wray, an associate professor in the Department of Classics, helped her to incorporate a high level of academic rigor into her project. With his guidance, Mary Jo investigated the scholarly literature on critical thinking and added nuance to her understanding of educational issues by examining the research in K-12 pedagogy as well as strategies from the homeschooling movement.
Finding support in a community of inquiry
Throughout her time in the MLA program, Mary Jo felt supported by a community of faculty and peers who share her love for learning and critical analysis. As a result, she has stayed involved in the Graham School, continuing to investigate complex ideas in ancient texts. Next, she plans to enroll in the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults to read and discuss even more great works of literature, philosophy, history, and social thought.
Mary Jo’s experience demonstrates how the UChicago MLA program provides students from diverse educational and professional backgrounds with the resources to express their unique perspectives and take what they learn in new directions. Take a short quiz to find out if the MLA program is the right choice for you.
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