GREAT BOOKS GREAT DISCUSSIONS
Core Conversation Seminar Program
The GBGD Core Conversation Seminar Program takes you on a multi-year, big-picture journey through the Great Conversation embodied in the Great Books.
You’ll read and discuss your way through a carefully curated reading list of primary source texts, engaging with the greatest authors and ideas in a sequential, chronological progression.
You’ll start with the ancients and build your understanding as you follow—and participate in—a conversation that grows and develops through the centuries.
GREAT BOOKS GREAT DISCUSSIONS
Core Coversation Seminar Program
The GBGD Core Conversation Seminar Program takes you on a big-picture journey through the Great Conversation contained in the Great Books.
You’ll read and discuss your way through a carefully curated reading list of primary source texts, engaging with the greatest authors and ideas in a sequential, chronological progression.
You’ll start with the ancients and build your understanding as you follow—and participate in—a conversation that grows and develops through the centuries.
The Wisdom of The Ages
Just 10 Daily Pages
5-10
pages per day
1-2
seminars per month
100's
of fellow readers
The Wisdom of The Ages
Just 10 Daily Pages
5 - 10
Pages Per Day
1 - 2
Seminars per month
100s
of fellow readers
What To Expect
Each month in the Core Conversations Seminar Program, you’ll read through some of the most important books that have ever been written – and you only have to read 5 – 10 pages a day. We pay careful attention to translation selection, the quantity of monthly reading, and the balance of topics and authors you’ll encounter.
You’ll receive a monthly reading guide that introduces you to each author and text, frames the topic in the book, sets reading goals, and offers questions to prompt your thinking as you read.
Once (or twice) a month you’ll meet online with your fellow readers for a live, small-group seminar discussion–the shared learning experience at the heart of your great books learning.
During each 2-hour seminar, our professional, experienced, discussion facilitators will challenge you to deepen your understanding, sharpen your thinking, and clarify your judgements about these great texts and the ideas in them.
What To Expect
Each month in the Core Conversations Seminar Program, you’ll read through some of the most important books that have ever been written – and you only have to read 5 – 10 pages a day. We pay careful attention to translation selection, the quantity of monthly reading, and the balance of topics and authors you’ll encounter.
You’ll receive a monthly reading guide that introduces you to each author and text, frames the topic in the book, sets reading goals, and offers questions to prompt your thinking as you read.
Once (or twice) a month you’ll meet online with your fellow readers for a live, small-group seminar discussion—the shared learning experience at the heart of your great books learning.
During each 2-hour seminar, our professional, experienced, discussion facilitators will challenge you and your group to deepen your understanding, sharpen your thinking, and clarify your judgements about these great texts and the ideas in them.
To ensure you get started on a strong footing, your first year in the Core Conversation program includes a special series of workshops providing expert guidance on how to read great books more closely and participate more fruitfully in discussions.
How It Works
Registration is now open for three Year 1 seminar groups starting in mid-September 2025.
Upon registration, you’ll receive the GBGD New Member Guide and your Year 1 book purchasing list. Your first seminar in September will introduce you to the seminar process using a short text on the nature of reading. Then, you’ll start your great books reading journey with the Epic of Gilgamesh in October.
The cost of the GBGD Core Coversation Seminar Program is $65/month for groups that meet monthly. Twice-monthly groups are $90/month.
Payment is through subscription, charged monthly.
Your GBGD Core Conversation subscription includes:
- Curated, sequential reading list with recommended translations
- Monthly reading guides
- Monthly small-group seminar discussions, 12-13 person maximum/group
- Expertly led discussions
- Integrated Year 1 workshop series on learning to read great books
- Close-reading sessions to introduce challenging texts
- Drop-in access to other Core Conversation seminar group discussions
- Dedicated GBGD group Slack channel
- Membership in the wider Slack community
- Free community events and discussions
- 50% discount on GBGD specialty seminars
Core Conversation Reading Plan
“The best that’s been thought and said.”
Here’s what you’ll be reading when you join the GBGD Core Conversation Program:
Year 1: Ancient Foundations
- The Epic of Gilgamesh
- Homer, Iliad I
- Homer, Iliad II
- Homeric Hymns to Demeter, Aphrodite
- Homer, Odyssey I
- Homer, Odyssey II
- Sappho, Poems and fragments
- Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
- Confucius, Analects
- Old Testament, Book of Genesis
- Aeschylus, Agamemnon
- Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers and Eumenides
Year 2: The Classical Age
- Plato, Meno
- Plato, Gorgias
- Herodotus I: Books 1-6
- Herodotus II: Books 7-9
- Plato, Symposium
- Old Testament, Exodus and Leviticus
- Plato, Apology + Sophocles, Oedipus the King
- Plato, Crito + Sophocles, Antigone
- Plato, Phaedo + Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
- Thucydides I
- Thucydides II
- Plato, Phaedrus
Year 3: From Greece to Rome
- Euripides, Medea, The Bacchae
- Plato, Republic I
- Plato, Republic II
- Old Testament: Ecclesiastes and Job
- Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics I
- Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics II
- The Bhagavad Gita
- Aristotle, Politics I
- Aristotle, Politics II
- Livy, Early History of Rome
- Plutarch, Lives of Greeks and Romans (selection)
- The Stoics: Seneca, Epictetus, Aurelius
Year 4: Empire and Outward
- Caesar, The Gallic War
- Aristotle, Physics
- Lucretius, On the Nature of Things
- Aristotle, Rhetoric
- Tacitus, Annals
- Vergil, Aeneid I
- Vergil, Aeneid II
- Horace: Odes and Epodes
- Gospels of Mark and John
- Ovid, Metamorphoses I
- Ovid, Metamorphoses II
- Plotinus, Enneads
Year 5: European Foundations I
- Augustine, Confessions I
- Augustine, Confessions II
- Augustine, City of God I
- Augustine, City of God II
- Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy
- Beowulf
- Anselm, Monologion and Proslogion
- The Song of Roland
- The Saga of the People of Laxardal
- Dante, Inferno I
- Dante, Inferno II
- Aquinas, Summa Theologica I
Year 6: European Foundations II
- Dante, Purgatorio I
- Dante, Purgatorio II
- Aquinas, Summa Theologica II
- Dante, Paradiso I
- Dante, Paradiso II
- Aquinas, Summa Theologica III
- Chaucer, Canterbury Tales I
- Chaucer, Canterbury Tales II
- Christine de Pizan, Book of the City of ladies
- Erasmus, The Praise of Folly + More, Utopia
- Machiavelli, The Prince
- Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy (selected)
Year 1 Seminars Starting September 2025
Welcome, and congratulations on your commitment to reading and discussing the big ideas!
We invite you to join a community of people who enjoy discussing life’s biggest questions while becoming more confident readers, thinkers, speakers, and listeners along the way.
Our next Year 1 seminars will begin mid-September 2025, with options for groups that meet once- or twice-monthly.
Once Monthly (Evening)
Twice Monthly (Evening)
Once Monthly (Daytime)
I Want to Know More
Feeling intrigued, but want to learn more?
Click the button bellow, send us a message, and we’ll answer your questions.
Once Monthly (Evening)
Twice Monthly (Evening)
Once Monthly (Daytime)
I Want to Know More
1st Monday
of the Month
7:00pm Central
Feeling intrigued, but want to learn more?
Click the button bellow, send us a message, and we’ll answer your questions.
Once Monthly (Evening)
Twice Monthly (Evening)
Once Monthly (Daytime)
I Want to Know More
Feeling intrigued, but want to learn more?
Click the button bellow, send us a message, and we’ll answer your questions.
After You Sign Up:
Within 24hrs of registration, you will receive a confirmation email from GBGD and a link to our Core Conversation New Members’ Guide.
Additionally, before your program officially begins, Year 1 participants can warm up by joining our weekly free GBGD community seminars and other members’ activities.
Ready to get reading? Click one of the available time slots above to get started.
If none of these options will work for you, please contact us at [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I understand these books without a background in literature, history, or philosophy?
Yes! We all started with this question and know it can seem intimidating. That’s why we designed this program, drawing on decades of experience, to gently ease readers into the Great Books and make them accessible to everyone. With eagerness, a bit of weekly reading, and our thoughtful community, you’ll quickly see how much these books have to say and how much there is to talk about
How did you come up with the reading list?
The selections follow a roughly chronological path through the Western tradition, with key foundational works from Eastern traditions included as well. We’ve balanced the readings to include a mix of philosophy, religion, poetry, epic, drama, history, and science.
Each month’s reading is carefully chosen and paced to balance depth with breadth, making it easy for new members to keep up while managing life’s other commitments. The list can also be tailored to suit a group’s interests, and members are always welcome to start or join side reading groups (for free!) if there’s something they’d like to explore beyond the main seminars.
How much time will reading these books take?
We typically ask members to read just 5–10 pages per day. Most months, it’s even less than that! Depending on your reading speed, you can expect to spend about 2–3 hours per week on the reading. The pace is designed to be manageable, even for people with full schedules. And if it ever feels like too much, just let us know and we’ll work with your group to adjust.
How much does a membership cost?
Membership in Core Conversation groups that meet once a month is $65/month. Twice-monthly groups are $90/month. Payment is through a monthly subscription, which you can cancel at any time.
Your membership also includes access to our Slack online forum, where you can connect with fellow readers and our seminar leaders, ask questions, and join or start side reading groups. You’ll also get access to free weekly community seminars on short readings and discounts on our specialty seminars.
Do you offer a trial period?
Give the Seminar Program a try. If after the first meeting you don’t think the Seminar Program is right for you, we’ll be happy to refund your payment.