Lifelong Learning

A life of learning continues long after your formal education.  Are you a seeker of wisdom?  A curious spirit?  An enthusiastic skeptic? Welcome to St. John’s College Lifelong Learning adult education programs, a place to deepen intellectually and lean into the life of the mind. Throughout the year we bring together curious, engaged people for a series of seminars, taught by St. John’s faculty (known as tutors), in Lifelong Learning courses for adults. The seminars are offered at our beautiful campuses in Annapolis and Santa Fe, and online, from wherever you are reading.

What is a St. John’s Seminar?

St. John’s Classics seminars explore fundamental questions of the human condition through open discussion of  timeless works and enduring topics. In dialogue with your seminar colleagues, you will experience a shared love of intellectual inquiry. No previous knowledge of author, text, or subject is required or expected. The seminar is collaborative, respectful, and exploratory.

Participants bring with them a wealth of diverse perspectives—regional, cultural, vocational, and generational. In return, every seminar is unique and creates space for all voices to be heard and respected. We invite you to join us for as many of these seminars as you wish and as your schedule permits. You need not have a previous connection with St. John’s College, although those who do are wholeheartedly welcome.

Winter Classics

Experience a small-group seminar exploring great books online—no travel required. Spend one or two weeks in January discovering and discussing timeless works, from the comfort of wherever you find yourself reading. Registration opens in the fall.

Discover Winter Classics
Summer Classics

Weeklong seminars exploring great books, science, and films in beautiful Santa Fe. We offer adult learners the opportunity to study and discuss the great books and more with St. John’s College tutors and other thoughtful, engaged participants. Registration opens in mid-February.

Learn More About Summer Classics
Year of Classics

Once a month from September to May, explore a single annual theme through a variety of readings. Seminar sessions are available online and in-person on the Annapolis and Santa Fe campuses and in the D.C. area. Registration opens in early summer.

Explore Year of Classics
Day of Classics

Curious? Try a seminar. Day of Classics is an introductory seminar event designed for the serious reader, looking to engage with others on intellectual topics. Learn about the discussion-based seminar process and see if it is the academic outlet that you have been seeking.

Explore Day of Classics

Office of Community & Lifelong Learning

What Participants Are Saying

A rare opportunity to truly listen to others and engage in a meaningful exploration.”

It’s an experience you deserve and one well worth the effort.”

A chance to stay sharp… to think critically about texts that always have something to say.”

A beautiful opportunity to read a text that might otherwise challenge you, and to discover with each class that learning is a communal act.”

Substantive discussion that stretches the mind.”

There is nothing as wonderful as reading something substantial and the discovery that comes from discussing it with thoughtful people, with the group pushed and challenged by our tutors to go deep.”

Looking for More?

Public Lectures

Public lectures

Presentations by visiting scholars as well as members of the St. John’s College faculty. Open to the community, lectures are in-person and offered at no charge, and are often live-streamed.

Programs for Teachers and Counselors

Programs for Teachers & Counselors

We believe that Great Books make great teachers. We honor the profession by offering occasions for thoughtful discussion of important texts, and a forum for dedicated teachers and school administrators to learn from and inspire one another.

Graduate Institute Opportunities

The Graduate Institute could be the education you have always wanted

Apply to the Graduate Institute to take classes in the fall, spring, or summer in Annapolis, Santa Fe, or online. This is the most powerful way to immerse yourself in great books. Our students are professionals deepening their careers, academics seeking a rigorous immersion in interdisciplinary thought, and adults at every stage interested in investigating the roots of current issues through thoughtful inquiry and conversation.