The School Where They Read Good Books

                               Facio liberos ex liberis libris libraque.

"I make free adults out of children by means of books and a balance."

      

         This is the motto for St. John's College, a liberal arts school that is dedicated to teaching students habits of thinking that will last a lifetime. They do this by requiring students to study the works of some of the greatest minds in history, including Homer, Galileo, Austen, Freud, Tolstoy, Mozart, and Augustine, to name a few. Basically, it's a college known for reading good books.

       The program differs from John Brown in the fact that it is not a Christian university. It's focus is on providing a good liberal arts education, whereas John Brown is concerned with connecting the biblical idea of redemption with a liberal arts education. At the same time, it promotes a small, concentrated learning environment, something that John Brown also encourages.

       Their educational program is also very different from John Brown. Here at JBU we have required classes which make up what is called "the core." This doesn't mean that every freshman will take the same core classes their first year, though. My roommate and I both have to take a Gateway class, but we're not in the same one. At St. John's, everyone takes the same classes in the same order. Your freshman year you read Plato, your sophomore year you read Kepler, etc., and everyone in your year is reading the same thing.

       Another big difference is that at John Brown we have textbooks and other books our teachers may recommend as supplemental reading. At St. John's they don't use textbooks, only the books that are required on the reading list. For class, they gather and discuss what they've been reading. Then they write about what they're learning and how it all connects.

      A student at St. John's commented that "People will sit around discussing books together because we're all reading or have read the same thing." This sounds absolutely wonderful to someone like me who loves reading good books and discussing them. One of my frustrations since moving to the States has been how little the people around me read good literature. Because of my love for learning I think would do well in this program.

     Another thing I find intriguing about St. John's is that they seek to connect all subjects. When they're studying physics, someone might mention something they are all reading in Plato, and it will be relevant to the discussion. One of my strengths is Strategic, which means I like seeing how everything fits together. When I'm studying music, I want to study the note patterns, the chord progressions, and the dynamics. At the same time, I want to know the history of the composer, what the fashions of the time were, what major historical events were taking place, and what the composer's belief system was. Even more, I want to know if this music has influenced any other spheres of learning, like literature, art, or maybe even philosophy. I think St. John's would help me grow by teaching me how to make those connections.

       I like the idea of St. John's, but I think John Brown is a better fit for me. Here I am encouraged to pursue my love for learning alongside my love for God. I think it would be good if John Brown had a core class where students were required to read several good books over a semester or a year. Until we get something like that, though, I think I'll be borrowing some of the titles from St. John's curriculum for my summer reading list.