Great Books Programs at Thomas More College | Thomas More College

Great Books Programs at Thomas More College

“I die the King’s good servant – and God’s first.”

The last recorded words of St. Thomas More, before his martyrdom in 1535.

As the Lord High Chancellor of England, Thomas More’s love for King and Country was great, but as a Catholic his love of God was greater still. In addition to being a statesman and holy man, he was a philosopher and humanist, who was well known for his quick wit and devotion to his friends and family.

Inspired by the unique character and virtue of Thomas More, the Great Books Summer Programs seek to provide high school students with a formation in the classics, similar to that received by the saint himself.  You will read primary texts from the Western intellectual tradition and be guided in class discussions with our professors. Academics are complemented by excursions throughout New England, including hiking in the White Mountains, visiting historic Boston, and spending a day on the coast of Maine. Additionally, you will receive an introduction to the rich elements of Catholic culture, such as art, music, and daily Mass.

This summer, experience More.

The deadline to apply for the 2024 Summer Programs is March 31, 2024.

Caritas Congaudet Veritati

Charity Rejoices in Truth

Great Books I:
June 23rd – July 6th

Sunday, June 23rd – Saturday, July 6th

$275 – Covers room, board, and books.

This program takes its inspiration from the College’s patron, St. Thomas More, an English statesman, saint, and martyr. Students in the program focus on the political life, reading authors such as Aristotle, Plato, and George Orwell.

Through the study of these texts and guided Socratic-style discussions, the program concludes with a debate, where the students use two weeks of training to defend or condemn a relevant topic.

Debate serves as a cornerstone of the Western intellectual tradition, embodying principles of critical inquiry, intellectual engagement, and discourse essential for the advancement of knowledge and the flourishing of societies. This program fosters true enlargement of the mind, and an appreciation for the True—one of the three transcendentals, sibling of the Good and the Beautiful.

Great Books II:
July 14th – July 27th

Sunday, July 14th – Saturday, July 27th

$275 – covers room, board, and books.

Participants will study philosophers, humanists, and poets, such as Thomas More, Machiavelli, and Shakespeare. The program ends with a theater production, where all students bring together two weeks of study to produce and perform a Shakespearean play.

This year, Thomas More is proud to have famed Catholic author Joseph Pearce teaching courses for the 2024 Great Books II Summer Program. Mr. Pearce is a Visiting Fellow and an Emeritus St. John Henry Newman Visiting Chair in Catholic Studies at Thomas More College, and we are delighted that he is available to share his learning with us.

Last year, Mr. Pearce gave an eight-part lecture series on the History of Christendom. You can view or listen to recordings of those lectures here, by clicking on the titles of the individual lectures. You can also view those lectures and other videos on our Youtube channel.

For the 2024 GBII Summer Program, Mr. Pearce will be teaching the following individual courses to our summer program students:

  • Shakespeare: The Man and His Times
  • Love, Lust and Reason as Tragedy I: Romeo and Juliet
  • Love, Lust and Reason as Tragedy II: Antony and Cleopatra
  • Love, Lust and Reason as Comedy: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merry Wives of Windsor
  • Love Tried and Tested: The Merchant of Venice
  • Homo Viator versus Homo Superbus: Hamlet versus Macbeth
  • Reason and Madness I: Othello
  • Reason and Madness II: King Lear
  • Shakespeare and St. Thomas More

Summer Program Application Checklist
Summer Programs at Thomas More College are open to any high school student. Preference will be given to rising Seniors and Juniors.

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The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
Six Manchester Street
Merrimack, NH 03054

Phone: (603) 880-8308
Fax: (603) 880-9280
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