wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

I am tutoring a young man in the juvenile justice system who would really benefit from a junior great books discussion group.

I wonder if anyone in the world is doing this by radio, or on the web.

Thanks for any info.

Judy

Argumentum ad Hominem

The subtitle should have read, Every Negative Fact and Innuendo I Could Dredge Up

Although he was not particularly unkind to me in the book, I found virtually every page to be a smart-alecky and snide diatribe of the worst order against the Great Books, Adler, Hutchins, et al. Plus the book is replete with errors of commission and omission.

As an effective antidote, I prescribe Robert Hutchins' pithy essay, The Great Conversation.

If the Great Books crusade is as bleak as Beam purports, then happily, not many will read his invective book.

Max Weismann,
President and co-founder with Mortimer Adler, Center for the Study of The Great Ideas
Chairman, The Great Books Academy (3,000+ students)

Please be sure that the facts are reported accurately. The Great Books Foundation is a 501(c)(3)non-profit organization that was established in 1947. Our mission is to encourage people to read outstanding literature from all time periods, cultures and fields of study and to help people learn to think and share ideas through our Shared Inquiry method of reading and discussing literature. Nearly one million students in grades K-12 participate in Junior Great Books programs and over twenty thousand adults are members of Great Books discussion groups. The Foundation derives its income from the sale of its books and other materials, its professional development offerings, special events, contributions, and educational grants. You can find out more about the non-profit Foundation at www.greatbooks.org.

I'm impressed that you put that on the air; thanks!

I am an alumnae of The College at The University of Chicago, having graduated in 1994. It's so wonderful to hear someone talk about the curriculum that made such a great impression on so many of us. Plato's Republic, Antigone, Locke and Hume, opened up doors of intellect I don't believe I would have experienced elsewhere.

The part of Mark van Doren in the movie "Quiz Show" was played by Paul Scofield, not Christopher Plummer.

I am a Senior Training Consultant for the Great Books Foundation (a not-for-profit educational organization whose mission it is to help people to learn how to think and share ideas established in 1947). Today, I provide training and classroom support for teachers in schools in NYC and surrounding areas (my colleagues, nationally and internationally)to implement the Great Books Shared Inquiry method of Learning. Our success can be partly measured by the fact that NYC public schools listed us as one of the providers for the federally funded Comprehensive School Reform projects. Our training is nationally recognized by the major Staff Development associations such as the National Staff Development Council as "increasing student achievement in elementary, middle and high schools."