In business, where I worked for years, I came to realize that nothing really changes very much. St. John's, on the other hand, has enabled me to experience whole new worlds of ideas. I've been profoundly affected by books such as the Iliad and Plato's Republic , not just by learning about new topics, but by gaining new insights into myself and the world in which I live. The aim of the program is to help students to formulate and respond to fundamental questions about themselves and their world by reading and discussing with others the great books of the Western tradition. These segments taken together constitute a closely integrated program of study.
All classes are small and based on discussion of classic texts, but differ in significant ways.
The heart of the curriculum is the seminar in which 17-21 students engage in a discussion initiated by a tutor's question about the assigned reading. At least two segments are offered in the 16 week fall and spring terms, and usually four are offered in the 8 week summer term. During the fall and spring term, classes meet only two days a week, in the late afternoons and evenings, making it possible for students who work to participate. During the summer, classes meet twice as often. Schedules vary somewhat between the two campuses.