First Impressions...

The Aquinas program puts a whole new spin on the word "learning". Since we started going to school at a young age, we began learning how to regurgitate information back to the teacher writing numbers and letters on the chalkboard. We may have had the teacher in high school who is a great teacher, but is basing all his knowledge being shared out of a textbook. When I came to university, I thought it was going to be the same thing for four more years. As I was registering for my courses back in August, I read into the Aquinas program and it seemed pretty interesting. It was a break from the standard teaching methods pounded into our brains from an early age.

I started off in the "Great Books for Journalists" aquinas program. After realizing that the Western Philosophy component of the course was going in one ear and out the other, I knew I had to make a few schedule changes. I still wanted to stay in Aquinas, so between the toss-up of Great Books or Truth in Society, I opted for the latter. Even though I have only been to three classes of Truth in Society so far, I have learned that the term "learning" doesn't mean regurgitating what a professor reads to you. I feel like I'm getting a deeper understanding of what is being taught. It is easier to learn in a group of 30 students as opposed to sitting in a large auditorium with 300 other students and a professor pacing back & forth, monotonously droaning into a microphone. I know that I'm not just another six digit number to my professors. I've also learned that to get a deeper meaning, you have to ask questions about your subject. When you're shown an article or watching a news report, we'll observe it, but often do not bother to take a deeper look at what's really going on. I think this class provides you the ability to do that. Overall, I am glad I took the opportunity to be in the Aquinas program.