BASC70100 - How to Read Classic Texts: 75th Anniversary Edition

Course Description

This course is a special extended edition of the Basic Program methods course offered as part of our celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the program. One of the foundational premises of the Basic Program is that reading is a skill. And that like many skills, one can get better at reading through theoretically-informed practice. In this short course, we will examine the theoretical perspective on good reading contained in Mortimer Adler's famous How to Read a Book, which we will practice through a close examination of the beginnings of a range of classic texts. After all, if we don't understand the beginning of a work, how can we hope to understand the ending?

Course Outline

Required Texts

• Adler, Mortimer and Van Doren, Charles, How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent; Reading. ISBN: 978-0671212094
• Other short texts will be provided as handouts on Canvas.

Students can purchase books at the Gleacher Center Bookstore online using the Textbook order form, or by using the ISBN number to order the correct edition elsewhere.

Notes

Remote courses require you to login to Canvas to access the Zoom Classroom. You will receive an invitation to join Canvas about a week before your course begins. Please visit the Liberal Arts Student Resources page to sign up for Student Remote Learning Training session and to find step by step instructions for Canvas and Zoom: Online Learning Resources