Classics for Classics 

A Brief History…  

The idea of Classics for Classics has been to provide a week of serious study of some work of philosophy, theology, or literature - a work that is great and that could be meaningfully discussed in a week of class sessions. We study the classics from Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Boethius, and so on; see the list below. And we intend this for our classics, that is, our alumni and friends of the University who, like the books themselves, only improve with age. The word "serious" in the first sentence needs a comment. CFC is intended for anyone who seriously wants to learn what the great classical authors have to offer and is willing to put some effort (by reading) into this, but "serious" might be misleading for the mood of our annual sessions, which are friendly, humorous, and easy-going. (I do my best each year to repress the humour by providing frequent examples of bad jokes, but the cheerful good nature of the participants always prevails against me.) 

The format each year is the same. In the mornings I lecture for two hours on an assigned reading from the text. The lectures are informal, and questions are always encouraged. I do have a set agenda, and I stick to it. Participants every year are respectful and consulent, and the questions are always excellent and help us all to understand the common text. We allow a civilized two hours for lunch, and participants generally extend the morning's discussion over their meals. In the afternoons, my university colleagues provide lectures on related topics. These lectures might be on philosophical antecedents or developments of our work, on a related theological problem, on the historical context, on contemporaneous literary works, on relevant art history, and so forth. The afternoon lectures are 45-50 minutes, followed by questions. See the links below for details on what we have done each year. 

There are concerts and plays every year that we can attend on some evenings of the week (in order to keep us from preparing too much), and we have a banquet on Thursday evening of the week to celebrate our accomplishments. 

The academic arrangements are made autocratically, even despotically, by me every year, and my colleagues (and even some from other universities) have been extremely generous contributors. The Alumni Office (especially Shanna Hopkins and Rita Myatt) do everything else, and that is a lot. 

Classics for Classics is an instance each year of the joy of learning. There are no exams, essays, credits, or marking; such academic devices exist in order to force students to learn. That sort of coercion is completely foreign to CFC, where everyone comes out of a desire to learn, a shared desire that becomes obvious within five minutes of any of our sessions. From my point of view, and from that of my colleagues (who ask me every year whether they might give lectures), Classics for Classics is all the pleasure of teaching and none of the pain. 

- Steven Baldner  

What's Happening This Year?

Classics for Classics: 2023 

Classics for Classics will be meeting in-person on the St. F.X. campus this summer, 3-7 July. We will be reading selections from the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes in his classic, Leviathan. The format will be the same as in previous years: lectures and discussion of assigned readings in the mornings led by Steve Baldner, and afternoon lectures by members of the faculty on various related topics. All sessions will be held in Schwartz 156, 9:30-11:30 am and 1:30-3:00 pm. The recommended text for this year is: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan Parts I & II. Edited by A.P. Martinich & Brian Battiste. Peterborough, ON: Broadview, 2011. ISBN 978-1-55481-040-6. 

If you have questions about Classics for Classics, get in touch with Steve Baldner.

To reserve a place in this year's Classics for Classics, send a message to the Alumni Office.

Hope to see you there!