Upon graduating from one of the world’s most renowned liberal arts colleges, Michael Connors reflects on the life-changing Great Books education he received at St John’s College, Annapolis in the US; a ‘truly wonderful experience’ made possible by the Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship.

Reflections on a St. John’s Education

The M.A. in Liberal Arts

By Michael Connors – 2024 Graduate Institute Alumnus

For the past two years I have read the masterworks of the Western Canon at the most unique liberal arts college in the United States. What have I learnt?

As I reach the end of my Master of Arts in Liberal Arts studies at the Graduate Institute at St. John’s College in Annapolis, I reflect on what I have gained from my education. My experience can be somewhat encapsulated in one statement, which I am unashamedly stealing from my first semester literature tutor (professors at St. John’s are called tutors). When I asked him to articulate the essence of a liberal arts education, my tutor responded, ‘I think it makes us more human’. Bingo. To me this statement perfectly articulates the outcome of my education from St. John’s. It strengthened my connection to humanity. How did this happen?

Before expounding on the benefits of my education in the U.S., I must first acknowledge the education I received in Australia. As a primarily public-school boy from Brisbane in Queensland, I was mentored by wonderful teachers who helped guide my enthusiasm and passion for music performance toward university study and career options which allowed me to achieve my goals. After receiving my B.A. in music performance from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and Grad. Dip. Ed. from Griffith University, I enjoyed a career as music teacher, band conductor, with performance experiences like tours on cruise ships throughout the world.  

Then one day I discovered the liberal arts Great Books program at St. John’s College in the U.S., and was struck by both its comprehensive curriculum, which includes only primary masterworks of the Western canon, and its unique mode of instruction centred on the seminar method. Having never really studied any classical literature or great works, I found myself struck by my lack of knowledge of the great authors in the St. John’s curriculum, and therefore, also, the great ideas they had illuminated for mankind. I was so inspired by the idea of learning about these great texts and knew that exploring them held the key to the next chapter of my life and career.  

After learning of St. John’s Master of Arts in the Liberal Arts, I searched for similar programs within Australian institutions. Unfortunately, besides the Ramsay Centre-sponsored degrees at the undergraduate level, there were not yet any similar opportunities for study here. So, I endeavoured to head to St. John’s, provided I was lucky enough to secure a postgraduate scholarship from the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation. The Ramsay Centre not only provides two-year postgraduate scholarships to St. John’s, but also designed the scholarship to facilitate internship opportunities in nearby Washington D.C. Very fortunately, I was granted this outstanding scholarship and can now report on what I have learnt from this truly wonderful experience. So, what did I learn from my St. John’s education?     

The Great Books

St. John’s is unique, in part, due to its curriculum, which is centred solely on the Great Books of Western civilisation. I spent several hours most days of the week reading the masterworks of the Western intellectual tradition, what poet Matthew Arnold described as ‘the best that has been thought and said’.

Reading the Great Books was for me an exercise in understanding humanity and the ideas which most clearly address those enduring questions about the human experience: What is the good? How should I live? How can societies flourish? What is love? What is virtue? What is moral? Is there a God?

So, how did these great works affect me?

Connection to Humanity

Reading the Great Books allowed me to connect with the human experience in unique ways. They allowed me to experience scenarios and emotions not regularly encountered in real life. By connecting with the characters in the great works of literature we assume their emotions, share their sentiments, consider the ethical implications of their stories, and weigh them against our own sense of right. The Great Books are great due to the timelessness and universality of their themes, which speak to aspects of our humanity in original, uniquely beautiful ways.

Aristotle, in his Poetics, describes a process of catharsis involved in encountering great art that allows us to experience emotions in a controlled way. This seems to facilitate a kind of purging of excess emotions, while at the same time bringing to fruition the fullness of our nature through a kind of controlled expression. We don’t regularly experience the type of courage needed for the battlefield, or the sorrow of heartbreak, the sadness of the loss of a loved-one, or the hilarity of our fallibility. But to experience these emotions seems to be a sort of fulfillment of the human experience for Aristotle. I think he is right, that we may need to experience these emotions to exercise the fullness of our humanity.

Connecting with the characters in great literature helped enhance my connection to human nature in general. I think we all recognize our shared humanity in the characters we encounter in the great works. We share similar hopes, desires, and flaws, and we realize aspects of our humanity persists throughout history. This connection affirms our nature and gives us a sense of being at home in the world.

I read thrilling stories such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, and the tragic plays of Sophocles and Aeschylus, which present themes of courage, honor, duty, love, heroism, and hospitality, as central to the ancient Greek ethic. These stories captivated my imagination and encouraged me to interrogate my own views of morality and justice.

Historical Understanding

The Great Books also increased my understanding of the human condition and the principles which underpin flourishing societies.

The Great Books are the storehouses of our cultural inheritance. Through them we learn how our civilisation came to be the way it is. It is through understanding our past that we gain a sense of our own place within the story of Western civilisation.

I think this type of education in cultural heritage frees us from the arrogance of a postmodern narrative, which presumes that we, moderns, know better than our forebears. From the Great Books, we come to learn that the most important questions of life are nothing new. We start to incorporate the wisdom of the past into our own thinking. We moderate our enthusiasm for societal alteration through reference to, or adoption of, the more prudent and temperate dispositions of the great minds. 

Aristotle’s Ethics and Plato’s Republic helped define my understanding of virtue, justice, and the good. Aristotle particularly helped me to explore all aspects of ethics, providing many categorical definitions which still underpin much of ethical philosophy. I have explored those ideas linked to the integrity of the state, such as law, liberty, and equality, through the writings of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. Through Aristotle’s Politics and de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, I gained a clearer understanding of political structures, their benefits, and how they can evolve. Exploring different ways of understanding the natural world, I studied ideas such as Bacon’s introduction of the scientific method, Darwin’s theory of evolution, and Descartes’ exploration of the self. I have interrogated the deep meaning in the parables and gospels of the Bible, and the meaning attributed to dreams by the psychoanalyst Carl Jung. I have studied the Christian theological arguments of Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint Augustine’s spiritual journey through his Confessions. Exploring many competing concepts of morality, I studied ideas such as the ‘shared sentiment’ offered by Adam Smith in his Theory of Moral Sentiments, and the ‘categorical imperative’ in Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant. Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations expounded for me the principle of the division of labour, while The German Ideology by Marx and Engels exposed me to the idea of communism and revolutionary equality.

Engaging with these and many more of the perennial themes in the Great Books has given me a richer understanding of social structures and institutions, and how they came to be. I have a better understanding of the world and will undoubtedly contribute more prudently as a citizen to all levels of the communities I am a part of.

Thinking and Writing

The Great Books certainly taught me to think clearly, which in turn strengthened my writing and communication skills in general. 

Until my studies at St. John’s, I rarely read works which articulated ideas so thoroughly. The masterful communication styles of the great minds began to rub off on me. Reading these texts resulted in a significant improvement in my communication skills, especially in the case of my writing ability. This change was the result of my attempt to replicate the clarity and style of the masterworks I was reading.

St. John’s essay writing involves a rigorous exploration of the great texts. The essay writing process required an interrogation of my own opinions while considering those offered by the great minds I was reading. These essays were an attempt to understand and amplify the essence of the ideas explored these great texts, while honing my opinions regarding them. Through the formalization of my textual investigations into coherent essays I am now better equipped to articulate my ideas and opinions about these topics. My opinions gained structure and clarity, which assisted in the dialogue component of my St. John’s education during small group seminars.

Small Group Seminars

As there are no curriculum lectures at St. John’s, the learning method centers on reading primary texts (no secondary sources are used) then discussing them in small seminars led by tutors.

The small group seminars were integral to the development of my communication skills at St. John’s. They allowed my classes to flesh out the great ideas we read, while honing our thinking, speaking, and listening skills. In my view this is a vital aspect of a liberal arts education. For, if we are to be as human as we can, we must also interact with other humans as best we can. We must learn to articulate ourselves, convey our ideas, and engage in enriching dialogue with others.    

The skills involved in a St. John’s seminar have real-world application. By having these conversations within a small group, we engage with others and their views, and attempt to understand each other and the texts we are discussing. The focus in these seminars is not just to gain a clearer understanding of the text, but to practice clarifying our thoughts on challenging ideas. Seminars increased my ability to focus as I listened carefully to speakers and considered their ideas, following the development of the group’s argument. Participating in the small group seminars required a significant increase in my capacity to focus, developing my listening skills immensely. The intimate nature of these seminars also helped to instill a strong sense of community and belonging, a prominent characteristic of a St. John’s education. 

Community

My life has been deeply enriched through my education at St. John’s and its unique culture emphasizing community, collegiality, friendship, and the shared pursuit of truth. The St. John’s community is unique. There is no doubt that I have learnt a great deal from the other students, tutors, and staff during my studies. As a small community, St. John’s afforded me the ability to build strong friendships built on the desire for collaboration and a shared pursuit of truth and exploration.

The phrase used by many in the St. John’s community when describing its culture is ‘the conversation never stops’. This phrase articulates the true nature of my study experience. It was one giant ongoing conversation about the great ideas. After class, the conversation continued. Bumping into a tutor on campus the conversation continued. Or even during any activity with friends, like meeting for a coffee, going for a walk, or during a gym workout, I could find myself in conversation about the great ideas. These community conversations broadened my opportunities to engage in diverse dialogues about challenging topics, while building friendships.

An End in Itself

A liberal arts education is its own end. There were many benefits to my St. John’s education but the benefit of having an enjoyable experience for its own sake needs no justification. Studying great literature and discussing the great ideas was great fun. Reading the classics and losing myself in their stories was stimulating and exciting, contemplating the great ideas was wonderous and enlightening, and exploring these texts with others made these experiences communal and socially enriching. Not every intellectual activity we undertake should be for another end or purpose. Reading the Great Books is a fascinating pursuit. Contemplating the great ideas yields many practical benefits, but it is also enjoyable, and so it is its own reward. 

Summary of a Liberal Arts Education

So, what did I learn from my education at the St. John’s Graduate Institute? I gained a deeper understanding of myself and the world. I feel more at-home in the world and more connected to humanity. My ability to think about and wrestle with the great ideas has improved significantly. At 36-years old, I have also enjoyed the most enriching two years of my life, while living in the most beautiful, welcoming, inspiring community, and while making many friends for life. 

The Next Step – Career Training Opportunities

Now that I have concluded my studies at St. John’s, I am currently undertaking a summer internship with a classical education provider in the U.S., creating curriculum and lessons plans based on the Great Books canon. Following this summer internship, I will commence a fulltime teaching position in Phoenix, Arizona, with Great Hearts Academies, a classical education charter school network. I will be utilising my St. John’s experience while teaching the subject of Humane Letters, a 2-hour seminar class on the Great Books, taken by students every day from grades 9 through 12. I look forward to continuing my intellectual journey, exploring the enduring questions, and sharing in ‘the great conversation’ I began during my unique liberal arts education at St. John’s College.

Australia and the Great Books

One more word on Australian liberal arts and Great Books programs. There are educational leaders across multiple sectors, cities, states, and institutions who are enthusiastic about promoting and implementing these enriching programs. Particularly impressive and inspiring is the movement towards the classical education model for K-12, which is based on a liberal arts Great Books curriculum. I look forward to collaborating with leaders in all these fields and assisting with the establishment of more liberal arts, classical education, and Great Books programs throughout Australia and the world.

Michael Connors is a Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation Postgraduate Scholar Alumnus. He completed his Master of Arts in Liberal Arts at St. John’s College, Annapolis U.S.A. in 2024.

To learn more about the St John’s College, Annapolis, Ramsay Postgraduate Scholarship valued at up to AUD$75,000 p.a. for two years, go to: https://www.ramsaycentre.org/scholarships-courses/postgraduate-scholarships/st-johns-college-annapolis-ramsay-postgraduate-scholarship/   

Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098 / sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org