Jefferson students work towards careers in a wide variety of specific professional fields, but they are united by their shared experience in the Hallmarks Core. In some of the 14 requirements, students choose from a rich menu of course options, but they also take 5 courses in common, where they interact with students from all of our majors: Writing Seminar I, American Visions, Writing Seminar II, Contemporary Global Issues, and Philosophies of the Good Life. These “touchstone” courses are a key feature of the Hallmarks Core, and they offer rigorous training in writing, research, and analytical skills.

The touchstone courses at the beginning and the conclusion of the Hallmarks Core (“American Visions” and “Philosophies of the Good Life”) bring students together around key “transformative texts” which are chosen to illuminate the course themes and to develop the deep-thinking skills expected from a Jefferson graduate. 

The development of Jefferson’s “Transformative Texts” courses was made possible by the Cornerstone: Learning for Living grant from the Teagle Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities and the College of Humanities and Sciences.