Genesis & Section Photos!

At this morning’s class, the High School Summer Program students examined the first 10 chapters of the Book of Genesis, including Creation, the Fall, Cain and Abel, and Noah and the Ark. The conversation covered such questions as “What is man, according to Genesis” and “What is meant by ‘knowledge of good and evil?’” By all reports, the students are gradually becoming accustomed to the Discussion Method, learning how to work together to achieve a better understanding of a text and derive the truths it contains.

At Thomas Aquinas College, the Discussion Method works via sections, groups of about 17 students who, for the duration of the academic year, take all their daytime classes together. Because the method depends on open discourse — which, in turn, relies on trust — it is important for students to come to know each other well. By taking nearly all of their classes together, the members of each section achieve a sense of intimacy and come to rely on one another in their shared pursuit of the truth.

Classes in the Summer Program are also arranged by sections, and the slideshow below features photos of each of the sections — all eight of them! — in this year’s program: