1. This Wednesday, March 9, at 1 PM in the Cinderella Lounge at Shimer, there will be a Fireside on the mission statement of Shimer College. The text under consideration will be the mission statement which was
approved by the Assembly last year, but has not yet been taken up by the Board:
Shimer College—the Great Books College of Chicago—provides and preserves education centered on discussion of enduring questions and issues. Historically influential original sources are studied through Socratic questioning, in small seminar classes and following the curriculum developed by Robert Maynard Hutchins. The core values informing education at Shimer are free inquiry, dialog, critical open-mindedness, and integration of disciplines. As a community, the College offers all its members the opportunity to participate meaningfully in deciding the future of the institution. A Shimer education demands much of both the intellect and the character of students, and prepares them for responsible citizenship and the examined life.
(Hopefully the topics discussed will include the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate use of the
em dash. )
2. This Thursday, March 10, at 7 PM in the Welcome Room of the McCormick Tribune Campus Center, there will be
a talk by Paul D'Amato on "The Meaning of Marxism."
3. Friday, April 1, at 7 PM in the Cinderella Lounge at Shimer, there will be a
lecture by 1970 Shimer alum and Fortune 100 executive Michael Berry, on the subject "From Shimer to the Corner Office."
4. Thursday, April 9, at 7 PM at
Benton House in the Bridgeport neighborhood, the Shimer-IIT group
End Hate will have a
Volunteer Benefit Show.
5. Thursday, April 14, at 7:30 PM, and through Sunday April 17th, at a location TBA, the Performance Studies class will be
performing The Importance of Being Earnest.
6. The
Spring 2011 Commencement will be held May 7. Location and time TBA.
Shimer College invites Chicago to participate in an evening of short readings from the (sadly) long list of books that have been banned, burned and otherwise barred from the public. Reflecting on the history of book burnings as depicted in The Book Thief, this event coincides with the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week. Come read from your own favorite once- or currently-threatened book or from one selected by the students, staff and faculty of Shimer. For more information call (312) 235-3529 or email s.patterson@shimer.edu.
