On 29 and 30 June, UIC Barcelona’s Barcelona Campus played host to the first training session on the Great Books methodology, an initiative promoted by the Institute for Culture and Thought (CIP) in cooperation with the Centre for Civic Humanism at the University of Navarra. The course was intended for teaching staff members interested in incorporating this methodology into their teaching and exploring educational tools that foster shared reading, academic dialogue and the development of critical thinking.

The programme combined theoretical sessions on the foundations of the Great Books Seminar methodology with practical seminars based on the reading and discussion of four landmark works: The Revolt of the Masses, by José Ortega y Gasset; The Apology of Socrates, by Plato; A Simple Heart, by Gustave Flaubert; and Philoctetes, by Sophocles. Prior to the start of the programme, the participants received the selected texts and reading guides to prepare for each session.

The course was taught by Dr José María Torralba, full professor of Moral and Political Philosophy at the University of Navarra, and Dr Álvaro Sánchez-Ostiz, full professor of Classical Philology at the same institution. Over the course of the two-day programme, attendees explored the principles of the methodology, seminar preparation, shared reading and the role of the lecturer as a facilitator of dialogue, as well as the practical application of this approach in the university classroom.

The initiative reflects the Institute for Culture and Thought’s commitment to promoting professional development opportunities that enhance teaching excellence and foster education grounded in dialogue and reflection. In this regard, the director of the Institute for Culture and Thought, Dr Andrea Rodríguez, notes that “the Great Books methodology encourages teaching staff and students to engage with the major questions of the intellectual tradition through shared reading and rigorous dialogue. It is an approach to teaching that not only imparts knowledge, but also shapes individuals capable of deep thought and of engaging with diverse perspectives, guided by ‘the great minds, the great teachers’, in the words of L. Strauss.”

The Institute for Culture and Thought (CIP) promotes academic initiatives that strengthen the humanistic education and critical thinking at UIC Barcelona. Drawing inspiration from the liberal education model, it supports activities that complement specialised education with an interdisciplinary perspective and encourage thoughtful reflection on the major challenges of our time.