About the Program

“The genius of the University of Chicago…derived from the conviction that the discovery of knowledge is inseparably related to the transmission of knowledge...”

– Richard McKeon, 1972, from “The 339th Convocation Address: Where We Are and Where We Are Going.”

Following the University of Chicago's tradition of providing a common intellectual experience among all students past and present, the Common Text program invites alumni to revisit and discuss key texts read as part of the undergraduate common core sequence offerings. Each year, a single work will be selected for discussion.

These alumni study programs are free and begin with a Web site that provides access to the key texts, reference and other learning resources, and an online discussion board guided by a graduate student of the University. The programs culminate in a faculty panel discussion of the text followed by a question and answer period, scheduled as an event during Alumni Weekend. The events are recorded and subsequently made available online as Video-on-Demand.

Download readings and watch video from these past Common Text programs:

2004: Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

2003: Plato’s Apology of Socrates