The Socratic Experience

The Socratic Experience

Some New College of Florida students may opt to fulfill their Core Curriculum requirements through a unique, structured general education pathway tailored to its thesis requirement. Called the Socratic Experience, this program is a specially sequenced, cohort-based approach to the Logos electives that systematically develops the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for thesis research. It explicitly draws upon the Great Books of Western Civilization for reading material and discussion, and the faculty adopt the same Socratic teaching technique across the courses.

The cohort approach and the continuity of Socratic dialogue allows students to become comfortable speaking in class and engaging the literature. The Socratic Experience features
additional benefits, such as special disputatio dinners, a welcoming ceremony, and a full
induction into the cohort at the conclusion of the second semester. Moreover, students who
complete the Socratic Experience will only need to take the two foundational courses in the Great Books program to fulfill its requirements for a secondary Area of Concentration.