Starting a Group

The Great Books approach makes starting a group straightforward. What sets Great Books apart is the Shared Inquiry method that lays out ground rules for group interaction.

Background on starting a group is found here. Sample readings to demonstrate a discussion are found here.

If you are interested in starting a group, contact Steve Burdick (253-850-3514) to connect you with the name of a mentor, or to talk with you about how to get a group going.

Remember the 4 Rules of a Great Books group. It may seem easy to bend or discard them, but don’t!

If you do, it will be much harder to find those nuggets of ideas in the text and encourage the group to build upon them

– and it’s exactly this kind of experience that will keep people coming back.

• Only those who have read the selection may take part in the discussion.
• Discussion is restricted to the selection that everyone has read.
• All opinions should be supported with evidence from the selection.
• Leaders may only ask questions – they may not answer them.

The best way to get a group started is to get into a discussion right away. Sample readings to get you going are here.

Modify this sample flyer (PDF or Word) to use in either email or in postings around your area (libraries, book stores, coffee shops, work or school campuses, lunchrooms).