Talisker Tutorial's Guidelines for doing the Great Books Assignments

Guidelines for doing the Great Books Assignments

General tips for all studying

A. Study at the same time every day, if possible. This will help your self-discipline.

B. Make yourself a schedule for your daily routines and put your Great Books reading at a good time of day; that is, when you are not too tired or hungry, etc.

C. Remember that your body's condition affects your mind. Be comfortable, but not in a position where you'll fall asleep! Have good light, fresh air, have a snack and a water bottle handy, etc.

D. Keep your mind active by studying with a pencil in your hand. Mark your Book when something interests you, puzzles you, or reminds you of something else.

Specific Guidelines for Great Books assignments

These do not all have to be done the same day, of course, because the reading assignment may take the whole week. Adjust your schedule so that all these things get done in the course of your week's study and you will benefit much more than if you simply read the assignment and come to class. The times in parentheses are only suggestions. Do what works best.

A. Review the last week's assignment first. Look over the study questions for the last week, review any notes you took on the class discussion, re-read or skim the summaries of the last discussion on the class forum. (about 5-10 minutes.)

B. Preview the study questions for the new assignment. Notice what kinds of questions are being asked and think about what kind of things you might be reading that would answer such questions. (about 5 minutes)

C. Read the assignment. For all poetry that we study, you should read it aloud as much as possible. If you find you can't do that for the entire thing, at least read some very large sections aloud. Poetry must be heard with the ear.

D. Review the study questions again and answer them, writing your answers down.Writing them in Word and then pasting them into your Class Forum message box when posting is one way of doing this. Try to summarize your week's reading to someone before you come to class. (10-30 minutes)