Great Books is Off to a Great Start

On Monday, February 6, the first Great Books Faculty Curriculum Meeting was held at 2:00 pm in room S-243.

During a Great Books faculty meeting, Wright College professors talk about upcoming events at Wright College and how they can get people involved. They also talk about specific texts they will be using in their classes, the themes of their classes, and the different types of teaching approaches that work best when teaching a Great Books course.

Great Books courses are available in biology, english, history, humanities, literature, philosophy, and theater. There is a list of over 200 authors that have shaped the way we think about the world around us. The faculty chooses works created by these authors and then go on to help students understand these writings. These courses are considered Great Books Courses.

Wright College also has a Great Books Student Society with the purpose of getting students familiar with more Great Books authors and readings, which is accomplished by having club meetings where they read, discuss and interact with one another.

Professor Michael Petersen, advisor of The Great Books Student Society, said, “This club gives students a great opportunity to expose themselves to great works of literature that they may have not read or even known existed.”

The Great Books Student Society is opened to all Wright College students. Miguel Orozco, president of the Great Books Student Society, joined the club because of his enjoyment of reading.

“When I leave Wright College, I want this club to grow. I hope to eventually do projects with the club outside of school. I enjoy helping students get engaged in what they’re reading and seeing their passion create new ideas for the club,” said Orozco.

“I first heard about the society from Professor Petersen, and I was interested in the idea of studying the literature that has changed people’s ideas and thoughts. I hope this club continues when I leave Wright College and that more students get involved,” said Allen Loomis, secretary of the Great Books Student Society.

Amanda Jiang, vice president of the Great Books Student Society, is very passionate about her love for literature. “This club inspires students to come in and share their ideas, which broadens my perspective on life in the process. It is like an embodiment of voices… voices of wisdom, voices from different cultures coming together to share their love for literature,” said Jiang.

The Great Books Student Society is hosting a number of events this year at Wright College including field trips. For more information on specific events, dates, and times contact Professor Petersen at mpetersen@ccc.edu.