Lifelong Learning

In three days, we’ll enter 2010. If you’ve read my previous post on ‘Vision,’ you know I’ve been spending time thinking about how I want to grow in the coming years. I’ve decided to make lifelong learning a part of my regular discipline. It’s been a few years since I’ve sat in a classroom and I’ve forgotten to just learn for learning’s sake - without an exam or quiz or paper hanging over my head.

I graduated from Columbia University and it was my first choice college. Columbia was my first choice school due to its Core Curriculum. For the first two years as an undergraduate, I studied the great classics of literature, political theory, art, and music. This education didn’t prepare me for an occupation per se, but it did teach me how to think critically, a skill which has benefited me greatly in my adult years. It’s also a skill which doesn’t have to end once you have a diploma in hand. If you have a library card and an intense desire, you can learn about anything.

So, I’ve commited to a lifelong learning plan. In 2010, I’ll read one book a week, at least 10 of thise books will be from Columbia’s Core Curriculum list. To aid in my learning experience, I’ll keep a ‘Commonplace Book.’ A commonplace book became popular in early modern Europe. It’s a place to compile knowledge. You can write quotes, book summaries, and your personal reflections/responses to the ideas you’ve read. It’s an active form of reading which aids in retention. Well known people like John Milton and Francis Bacon have also kept commonplace books. I’ve decided to use a journal with acid free paper as my commonplace book. Acid free paper lasts for about 100 years. When I’m old and grey, I can pass my notebooks on to my children

I looked up the syllabi for Columbia’s Core Curriculum online. Here’s the link for the Sophomore Contemporary Civilization (CC) syllabus: http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/classes/cc.php And here’s the link for the freshman Literature Humanities (Lit Hum) syllabus: http://www.college.columbia.edu/core/classes/lh.php

The first classic that I’ll read is Rousseau’s ‘Discourse on the Nature of Inequality’. I read Rousseau in high school and his writings had a profound impact on me as a teenager. So, I’m rereading him to refresh my memory. I’ll probably post some of my thoughts on this blog from time to time.

That’s my big goal: lifelong learning. As with any big goal, I’m breaking it into small chunks of one book a week, 10 of which are classics. Rousseau is the first classic on my list.

What are your goals for the new year…or for life?

This entry was posted on 29. December 2009 at 17:57 and is filed under Lifelong Learning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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