St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, is, I believe, unique in the academic world. They operate on what
they call the "Great Books" method. The students spend 4 years reading 100 books, which the College thinks
are the indispensible books for an educated person. (The list is revised periodically -- it's not always the same
100). It covers such diverse writers as Euclid, Freud, Isaac Newton, and, of course, "literary" authors. Science
and math[s] are learned from original writers. Also, there are no professors, no lectures and no exams. The
students are taught by tutors, as at Oxford & Cambridge. [Actually they teach themselves, guided by tutors.]
Strange as this may sound, it actually produces graduates who are in great demand by corporations and other
employers. I imagine they have a website where you can learn more about this program and the reading list.
It's not a real old idea; although St. Johns is an old institution, it used traditional methods until the 1930's,
when it was on the verge of going out of business and the Great Books program was invented to keep it going.
Wow, Bob. That is so unorthodox but a brilliant idea. I'll check it out sometime. Two things. How do they know that a)All of the students have read the books? and b)How do they know that, having read the books, the students have digested the full meaning of the books? Do the tutors keep records of continous assessment?
I can only presume that the entrance exam to St. John's is based upon an already established passion for reading on the part of the student.
