St. John’s College has announced that registration is open for the Year of Classics seminar series. Year of Classics is a nine-month journey with fellow lovers of intellectual inquiry who examine together great works inspired by the ideals and curriculum of the St. John’s College program, based on the premise that the “books are the most important teachers.” The seminars, led by faculty, begin with an opening question and move into a respectful, cooperative dialogue among participants. Participants invariably find that discussion with others offers surprising new insights and deepens the reading they did on their own.
“Year of Classics is an opportunity for anyone to explore the fundamental and perennial questions we ponder daily at St. John’s,” says St. John’s College faculty member Michael Dink, who will lead the sessions in Washington, D.C. “In times where it can feel hard to have a real conversation, these seminars offer a space for us to come together and explore the meaning, cost, limits, and possibilities of human freedom.”
Seminars will explore the theme of “Freedom and Bondage,” including readings from Homer, Aristotle, Epictetus, William Shakespeare, Martin Luther, Jean-JacquesRousseau, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, and Rita Dove.
Year of Classics seminars meet monthly from September through May online, at times convenient for those across various time zones, or in person on the St. John’s College Annapolis campus or at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. Tuition ranges from $820 to $1,400 for nine seminars, and generous tuition discounts are available for educators. For more information and to register, visit sjc.edu/year-classics.
In addition to Year of Classics, St. John’s offers a slate of non-degreed seminars that are open to the public. Each July, participants come together online or in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for weeklong seminars at Summer Classics. To learn more or to register for one of the remaining spaces, visit sjc.edu/summer-classics. Later in the year, Winter Classics provides an opportunity for weeklong seminars online. Registration for Winter Classics will open in November 2023.
