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Lifelong Learning:
The Basic Program at the University of Chicago

This video report by Ali Durkin appeared as part of  “Baby boomers bring new meaning to the term lifelong learner” by Ali Durkin  in  Medill Reports, 6 March 2012.

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by Nathan Tarcov

In 1959, Leo Strauss delivered a commencement address to the University’s Basic Program entitled, “What Is Liberal Education?” In the space of just a few pages, Strauss asked not only what constituted a liberal education but also such questions as how an education rooted in the Western tradition fit into a multicultural world, and what it meant for a democratic society. Professor Tarcov will discuss Strauss’ remarks, which were later included in his book, Liberalism Ancient and Modern (1968). The relevant reading is available via Google Books and will available at the session.

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