Video: Jane Shaw on Great Books

Jane Shaw, president of the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, is this week's guest on Inside Academia. She talked about the importance of studying the 'Great Books' in college, commended Monterey Peninsula College and NAS blogger David Clemens for his course on how to read the Great Books, and encouraged the National Association of Scholars and other higher education reform groups to pay attention to the Association for Core Texts and Courses (ACTC).

Click on the video below to watch the 15-minute interview. 

From InsideAcademia.tv:

 

Key Take-Aways

  • 1:00 – Purpose of “Great Books” is to introduce students to the past (1 min)
  • 1:56 – Are today’s students reading “great books” as in the past? (2 mins)
  • 3:38 – Great Books present Christian/Greek ideals on destiny, order (2 mins)
  • 5:13 – But freshman comp is mortally wounded; basics need fixed (2 mins)
  • 7:42 – Core texts push is good; it’s education without ideology (4 mins)
  • 12:55 – ACTC is reluctant to align w/ left or right; it would limit impact (2 mins)

 

 

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