The Great Books Program builds on the renowned Great Books Movement. The Program was founded in 2000 AD to provide opportunities for young Americans high school age and older to participate in the enduring "great conversation" about the most influential ideas contained in Western civilization's best masterpieces of literature, history, philosophy and science. 37 colleges and universities offer great books programs ranging from one to four years.
The Great Books Program is a purely distance education program with only minimal technical support staff needed to assist its professors who moderate our weekly, online, live-audio (i.e., not recorded, no delayed "chat" rooms) classes from their homes or offices around the country. This enables more students to attend and complete these high school/college level courses who would otherwise not be able to do so.
Our method of teaching by conversationally discussing questions and answers in a spirit of mutual inquiry and discovery dates back to Socrates and is at the heart of the Great Books and classical traditions. It leads students to develop and practice the liberal arts of listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as the habits of reflective, critical thinking. In this environment students begin to develop their thoughts and insights with care and confidence and learn how to express those ideas in the naturally delightful and liberating experience of genuine learning. In this way students gain understanding of their own natures and the nature of the world in which we all live. This makes for a better life, a point on which all the sages who wrote the great books agree.
If anyone would like further information on this program then please see David Hopcroft