the commonplace book
The commonplace book is really symbolic of a lot of aspects of this course. It shows that when students enter into the project of reflecting on their lives, they don’t enter it as a blank slate, rather they join great voices who have gone before them. But, rather than being merely passive recipients of that tradition, they’re active participants in it - wrestling with the questions, picking out what really draws them in, and struggling with other things with which they might disagree.
This Moreau First-Year Seminar commonplace book contains all the required readings for the seminar, introductions to these selections, links to “refraction” videos by members of the University community, and lined pages on which to record reflections on all these materials. The commonplace book is a physical pedagogical tool and is typically not available in any electronic form. This focus on the tactile, intentional engagement with an author's words - with nothing but a book and a writing utensil - reflects the course's aim to equip students to slow down and practice disciplined, life-giving attention.
This collection of readings and writing is called a “commonplace” book because it resembles a historic genre of compilations in which authors organized quotations and their accompanying commentary under a series of “places” or headings. This technique of collating knowledge has been practiced by thinkers since ancient times through to the present. Pairing reading with writing is meant to facilitate active engagement with the texts. By writing down evocative quotations, sorting them into various categories, and recording responses, students develop the habits of a discerning reader who contemplates how to live well.
Far more than a journal or mandatory reflection, this book is symbolic of the methodology of this seminar. The book is a statement that what students do in this course matters and that students, as individual thinkers, matter.
- First, critically reflecting on texts illustrates that students are not passive recipients but active contributors to developing traditions.
- Second, applying the insights gained from readings and co-curricular experiences showcases the practical value of the seminar.
- Lastly, reflecting on life in community with others models humility and benefits from the wisdom of others.
The form of the guiding question for each session also underscores the communal nature of this seminar. Each of these questions is phrased in the first-personal plural—“we”—to remind us all that answering such queries is best attempted in communion.
My students have reflected - to a person - that they love the chance to unplug, to read a text, to annotate it, to write in a book, and then speak about it in a seminar. They think about it as an academic retreat. It’s refreshing for them, not only intellectually, but also spiritually and socially.