Mercer University - Cauldron Yearbook (Macon, GA)

Page 22 text:

STUDENT ACTIVITIES PRESENTS .yet an- other year of diverse entertainment! The list in- cludes returning guests, and new additions as well.' The catalogue of “stars” for the 1984-85 school year is as follows: TOP LEFT, Tom DeLu- cus— Hypnotist; TOP RIGHT, Edward Jackman — Juggler; CENTER RIGHT, Dan Seals — For- merly of England Dan and John Ford Coley, now country singer; CENTER LEFT, Barry Drake — folk singer; LEFT, Taste — a pop group being featured at the Homecoming Dance. TOP NEXT PAGE, Tom Parks -— Commedian; and BOTTOM NEXT PAGE, The Rare — a two-woman band. 16 STUDENT ACTIVITIES

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TRACKS OF GREAT BOOKS: . V Although the Great Books program is new to Mercer,, the idea behind it is not. This is the idea that the “Great books ol all time are still relevant to os, and that we can directly be con iron ted with them, wrestfe with them if necessary, and finally come to terms with the ideas that have shaped Western thought. The program is designed to be an alternative to the Distributional Track. It follows a sequence of eight courses and is somewhat modeled after St. John's College. The Classes are small. This provides the opportunity for intense discussion about the books. Students involved not only improve problem-solving skills, but they also expand communication skills. Furthermore, these kinds of “skills ' along with insight gained from reading the material are life-time possessions. Great Books, therefore, is not merely a list of classes to lake just to fill a block. In Great Books, each day is a challenge —a challenge to think, but the thinking one does extends beyond the classroom, tt is quite common that classroom discussions are left “unfinished until the next day. How- ever, what is important is this tact; the texts are never obsolete, and with each turning-back into them, a new question arises. Mercer's Great Books program does provide supple- mentary material to these texts. These are usually other texts for historical and background references, lectures by professors or other enlightened speakers, and “outings'1 to get to know one another better. However, after a few weeks of sharing in class discussions, students got to know one another pretty well! This spring 1985 will begin Great Books’ second year. Already, though, the pio- neers of the program feel a sense of unity and purpose. Thus, along with the other qualities that Great Books de- velops, there is also the development of one’s ability to deal with people who have very different opinions, values, and backgrounds than one's own. Also, since the classes are smaller and the communica- tion is more direct, the professors and students are more involved. In fact, the professors are not the monopolizers Of the discussions. Rather, they prompt discussion, keep it on the subject, and are more the mediator than the teach- er. To break the habit of depending on the professor to lecture, students sit in a circle and are encouraged to talk to one another, not to the teacher alone. Furthermore, the Great Books professors are from various departments. Since Great Books does replace the Distributional Track, the program must cover varied areas to provide a liberal arts education, Therefore, Great Books students are not just English and Philosophy majors. They form an assort- ment of interests, which in turn, enhances the overall effec- tiveness of the program. 20 GBlK