Listservs and Electronic Discussions Related to the Great Books
Here is a list of "great books" related listservs and electronic discussion groups. Wherever possible I have tried to add a brief description for each.
Interactive Chats That Discuss the Great Books
- JollyRoger.com's The Great Books Live Lighthouse Chat
- Every day fans of the Great Books from around the world gather here to participate in a live chat centered about the Great Books of The Western Canon and American Classics. The chatroom is generally most active between 6:00 PM and 12:00 PM EST every night, but literary wayfarers can be found passing on through at all moments throughout the day.
- Malaspina "Great Books" Chat Room
- Are you interested in letting off some "Great Books" steam? These chat sessions are entirely live, unmoderated, and unregulated. No formal records of the conversations at the chat room are kept so you need not be worried about gaffs or mistakes. The only "rule" -- keep the discussions on books -- you can interpret that in any way you wish. The Chat Room is open 24 hours a day and may accomodate any number of simultaneous conversations. It could be a neat place to refine your arguments for more formal postings to the Malaspina Great Ideas Forum.
- Escondido Tutorial Service's Great Books Tutorial (Requires a registration fee)
- The Great Books Tutorial has been designed to develop Christian minds
that will understand and discern the influences that have shaped our
culture. Western history is a tremendously rich saga. Studying the great
books gives us the opportunity to see first hand the ideas that have
directed our cultural history. The reading of the great books culminates a
good classical education as it requires all the skills that classical
education aims to develop in a child.
The Great Books Tutorial is offered through the Internet. The tutorial
meets for two hours a week and we discuss the readings listed in the
curriculum guide. I will act as tutor and guide the discussion so that the
necessary fundamentals are understood from each work. It is expected that
the students will have done their readings with enough care that they are
ready to articulate and discuss their understanding of the texts.
Listservs and Mailing Lists That Discuss the Great Books
- GB-BookClub
- GB-BookClub is dedicated to a scholarly discussion of some of the
most important books in Western literature. Subscribers to the list
follow a reading list from Encyclopedia Britannica's Great Books of the
Western World. Anyone interested in this discussion is welcome to join.
Subscribers to GB-BookClub are asked to read in a scheduled manner. A
period of three to six weeks will be given to each selection. During
this time subscribers are invited to participate in a discussion of the
featured work. Questions, insights, and responses to other's postings
may be posted to the list via e-mail. A posted message is sent to each
subscriber of the list.
- The
Western Canon Mailing List
- The Western Canon Mailing List is a mailing list for those interested
in discussing the great books and topics related to the great books.
Each month a work will be selected for discussion, and this will be
the primary focus of the list. Consideration of topics related to
the great books in general is also encouraged.
Web-based Bulletin Boards That Discuss the Great Books
- The Discovery Channel's Great Books Forum
- Ken Zelasko is the Subject Area Manager for the Great Books theme
within the Discovery Channel School Forum. This forum encourages
participation in this discussion group from a wide variety of education
professionals, and also the sharing some of favorite resources about
this theme. This forum work best with many active participants, so please
take a moment to leave a message or review contributions by other
educators.
- Ethics
Updates Discussion Forums
- The Ethics Updates Discussion Forum is a WWWBoard-based discussion group. There are a few basic rules of conduct for participating on this board. These forums are provided in order to facilitate serious and reflective dialogue on difficult moral issues. Please be respectful in your comments. Profanity, hate speech, abusive language, and the like are not welcome in these forums.
- The Great
Books of Western Civilization Café
- Stop by for a cup of coffee and stay for the stimulating conversation. This area is for dissemination of information
concerning the Great Books. Topics can include discussions of the "canon," individual "great books," various Great
Books Programs, etc.. This is a web-based discussion area using a modified version of the WebBBS script.
- JollyRoger.com's Great Books Campfire
- Avast! Report all sightings of the White Whale on your contemporary Odyssey. Post a poem, a link to a your favorite Great Books site, or an opinion inspired by masterpieces ranging from The Odyssey to Antigone to The Catcher in The Rye.
- Malaspina Great Ideas Forum
- Welcome to the Liberal Studies Great Ideas Forum at Malaspina University-College. This forum is designed for students and other first time readers of Great Books from around the world. This forum is a place where you can share your reactions and questions about these books. There are no "right" or "wrong" responses. Completely fresh interpretations of Great Books emerge every day -- that is one of the reasons Great Books are "Great." They are alive! Your contribution here can take the form of a one line response, a simple question, or a thoughtful argument -- that's up to you.
- Senior Net's Great
Books Roundtable
- Whether you are reading our selections for the first time or the
hundredth, we hope you'll join us in our exciting new attempt to immerse
ourselves in, and to really understand and appreciate, some of the
world's greatest literature. Everyone is Welcome!
- Triple Point: Web Discussion Board
- "Triple Point" originated as a FidoNet conference dedicated to the
critical examination of belief systems. The Fido conference is currently
local to the Omaha area, though the newer Web version obviously has a much
wider potential audience.
- Western Canon University
- At www.westerncanon.com you'll find the world's largest collection of Lecture Halls and Live Recitation Chats devoted to the Greats. Books, like life, gain their fullest glory as a shared experience, and the founders hope that the lecture halls of Western Canon University will foster the world's greatest conversation. Many of the over one hundred and fifty authors at westerncanon.com possessed diametrically opposing views, and the prudent student shall seek to acquaint their minds with all philosophies, while arguing for the good and refuting the bad. So welcome to Western Canon University, where the professors are the Great Books of the Western Heritage, the lecture halls extend throughout the watery globe, and the daily homework assignment is to live one's life in the context of the Greats. All students will be expected to adhere to gentlemanly standards of conduct while ruggedly pursuing the Truth with a sense of honor equalled by a sense of humor.
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©Copyright March 18, 1997--Mercer
University.
All rights reserved.
Revised: October 13, 1998
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