the Idea

Why Great Books?

Great Books challenges us to face life’s important questions boldly.

The books that we read, discuss, and write about in the Great Books Program are among the most important books ever written. From the first course, in which students read epics, plays, and philosophy, to the last course, in which students read some of the great 20th-century novels, philosophy, and scientific treatises, students are challenged to ask, debate, and ultimately come to their own conclusions about some of the most enduring questions of humanity: “What is morality?”; “Do we have free will?”; “What is the purpose of government?”; “What is justice?”; “What is the ‘Good Life,’ and how do I achieve it?”

Great Books is instructor-led but student-centered.

Great Books courses are seminars, typically with fewer than twenty students per instructor. Classroom discussion is the heart of the Program (click here to read a lecture about discussion), although careful reading and reflective writing are expected of students before and after class, respectively. Great Books instructors are passionate about the pedagogy and volunteer to teach in the Program. Every new Great Books instructor is required to observe a section of the course with a veteran teacher in order to learn how to lead a class with the distinctive pedagogy.

Great Books helps students succeed in our rapidly changing world.

Through reading and discussing foundational global political, religious, philosophical, and scientific texts, Great Books courses guide students to develop essential professional and social skills. The text-centered approach trusts in the power of classic texts to communicate and in the power of active discussion to build intellectual curiosity, ownership of learning, and critical thinking. Through regular debate with their peers, Great Books students develop active listening, direct oral communication, collective problem-solving, and productive interpersonal dynamics.

Approximately a tenth of the Mercer student body chooses to participate in the Great Books Program. Mercer Great Books graduates are notably successful in graduate and professional studies and major in every discipline, including the natural and physical sciences.