“It is now 51 years since I began my freshman year at St. John’s College. The older I get, the more I realize what a life-shaping experience I was beginning. I have written frequently on this blog about how the Great Books program shaped me as a teacher and how it stirred my soul in lasting ways. But one of the most memorable regular occurrences during my years in Santa Fe had nothing to do with tutors, books, labs or seminars.
The heart of the St. John’s curriculum is the seminar, which occurs every Monday and Thursday night from 8-10. Actually I don’t remember a seminar ever ending at 10:00. They always went at least until 10:30, then continued informally in the coffee shop until midnight. What was happening in the hour before seminar on Thursday nights? Students rushing to finish the reading? Checking notes and annotations one more time? Grabbing a quick forty winks? None of the above, because at 7:00 PM every Thursday night in the lower dorms common room everyone—and I mean everyone, tutors included—gathered to watch “The Muppet Show.””
This website is independent from St. John’s College as the Graduate Institute Chapter of the St. John’s College Alumni Association. This passion project published by students & alumni of the Graduate Institute program and is not published or edited by St. John’s College. This website was created to share insights and moments beyond the text. We’d love to hear from you and hear about your experiences. Feel free to reach out – Stafford Wood, GI MALA 2025 – 225-205-0090 or swood@sjc.edu.