This Public Series is Sponsored by the Department of Humanistic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and the Brown County Library
History
Since 2006 Humanistic Studies has been organizing and leading a monthly Great Books discussion group at the downtown branch of the Brown County Public Library, modeled after the very successful Great Books project developed by Prof. Mortimer Adler for Encyclopedia Britannica in the 1950s. The original idea was to (re)publish works which contributed to “the great conversation about the great ideas” as reflected in literary works that were both historically important and relevant to contemporary issues. Adler’s idea later formed the center piece of the University of Chicago’s Core Curriculum and for a time, became a model for liberal arts education.
Our Great Books discussions are led be faculty members in Humanistic Studies and the selections range widely both geographically and temporally. Whereas Adler’s project was entitled “Great Books of the Western World,” our focus is on world literature defined quite broadly. We have also held discussion of non-fiction works which, in the spirit of the original program, nonetheless contribute to the great conversation about important ideas of our time.
All discussions are free and open to the public and take place in the board room of the library. We encourage students, faculty and community members to attend and participate even if they haven’t read the book, as the conversations and discussions around them are wide-ranging and engaging.
Schedule for Spring 2015
Board Room–Brown County Library
515 Pine Street, Green Bay, WI
6:30 PM
Date |
Book |
Presenter |
| Jan 13 | The Gospels | Prof. Brian Sutton |
| Feb 10 | Frankenstein, Mary Shelley | Prof. Rebecca Nesvet |
| March 10 | Benito Cereno, Herman Melville | Todd Dresser |
| April 14 | The Savage Detectives, Roberto Bolaño | Prof. Gabriel Saxton-Ruiz |
| May 13 | Beloved, Toni Morriso(re-scheduled) | Prof. Rebecca Meacham |