Saint Socrates Society

Ever wonder what you should be doing here at college?  What is college for?  Are you here for job training or to be educated?  What is the difference?  What does it mean to be educated, anyway?

If you are interesting in exploring these questions, you are invited to apply to a  College of Humanities and Social Sciences reading group called “What is an Educated Person? – a CHASS Reading Group” which will meet every Tuesday (fall term 2013) from 3:00 to 4:30 in ANSC 314.

Expectations: Each week students will read selections from classic and contemporary seminal works on education and the meaning of life, post a brief reading reflection on a blog, and participate in the weekly discussion.  Discussions will be moderated by Dr. Harrison Kleiner and Dr. Susan Shapiro.  While the reading group does not count for USU credit, students may get Honors credit through an Honors Contract.

Thanks to the generous support of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the USU Honors Program, students will receive their program books for free.

Fall 2013 readings:
William Shakespeare, The Tempest
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (selections)
Plato, The Republic (selections)
John Henry Newman, The Idea of a University (selections)
Allan Bloom, The Closing of the American Mind (selections)
Anthony Kronman, Educations End

Students of sufficient intellectual maturity who are eager to read, think, and discuss the purposes and meaning of higher education can apply.  We welcome applications from freshman to seniors and from every discipline and college.  Application information can be found at saintsocratessociety.com or email harrison.kleiner@usu.edu.

Application process:

Submit applications to harrison.kleiner@usu.edu.  Include as attachments to the email:
- A resume.  Your resume must include the following items: your contact information (phone, email, address); academic year; major; GPA; academic achievements; extra-curricular activities; the name and email address of a USU faculty member who can be contacted for a reference.
- Submit a list of at least 3 books that have helped to shape your self-understanding.

Candidates may be interviewed by a team composed of Drs. Kleiner and Shapiro.

Priority deadline for applications: Monday May 5, 5pm.  After that date, a rolling deadline for applications.

This week the CHASS Reading Group will discuss William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

This week the CHASS Reading Group will discuss selections from Anthony Kronman’s Education’s End.  In particular we will focus on chapters 3 and 4.

This week the CHASS Reading Group will discuss selections from Anthony Kronman’s Education’s End.  In particular we will focus on chapters 1 and 2.

“What is an Educated Person?” CHASS Reading Group participants are required to submit a 300-400 word reflection each week prior to our meeting.  They will do so as comments on this post.  Others are more than welcome to chime in!

This week the CHASS Reading Group will discuss selections from Martha Nussbaum’s Cultivating Humanity.  In particular we will focus on pages 1-84.

“What is an Educated Person?” CHASS Reading Group participants are required to submit a 300-400 word reflection each week prior to our meeting.  They will do so as comments on this post.  Others are more than welcome to chime in!

Calling all students:

A funding request for more Undergraduate Teaching Assistants for my USU 1320 Humanities class has been approved so my need for “UTFs” has gone up greatly.  I will have a team of 5 UTFs for my 1320 class.  If you are interested in being a UTF for me, please contact me as soon as possible.

Some general information:

The Undergraduate Teaching Fellow is a program that pays students to assist in teaching a university class.  Students will run “recitation sections” (getting the opportunity to teach), will help correct (though not “grade”) assignments, and in general get a “behind the lectern” view of a university class.  It is a great opportunity for everyone, no matter what you career goals may be.  It is no accident that UTFs tend to be among the best students at the university.

UTFs are paid $750 in the form of a scholarship for the term, with the expectation that they will work 100 hours over the term.  That means attending every class (3 hours a week) along with 3 other hours a week of work.  Schedule is flexible, and some weeks you’ll work more and others less.

You do not need to be a philosophy major, you need not have taken this class from me, and while upperclass students are preferred that is not required.

More information on the Undergraduate Teaching Fellow program can be found here.

Please contact me ASAP if you are interested!  harrison.kleiner@usu.edu

This week the CHASS Reading Group will discuss selections from Allan Bloom’s The Closing of the American Mind.  In particular we will focus on pages 2313-382.

“What is an Educated Person?” CHASS Reading Group participants are required to submit a 300-400 word reflection each week prior to our meeting.  They will do so as comments on this post.  Others are more than welcome to chime in!