Hosted by the Center for Student Thriving, the new Telos Book Club is on a mission to explore the theme of purpose through the study of classic literature.
Scott Busby, senior associate director for the Center for Student Thriving, originally came up with the idea for the club last fall, believing that this type of unique community would equip college students with strong values to help navigate the early years of adulthood.
“A sense of purpose and meaning is something that has been empirically shown to be a pathway to student thriving in the college years,” Busby said.
The Center for Student Thriving focuses on encouraging students to thrive during their college years, rather than simply survive. Telos is one avenue for students to thrive.
“The name of the club, Telos, means “purpose” or “end.” Busby said the word captures the spirit of the club.
“We’re trying to promote (thriving) through the facilitation of a really biblically-grounded sense of purpose, which informs the way that you understand the world and think about the things that happen to you,” Busby said.
The Telos Book Club will dive into several different pieces of classic literature this semester. Busby said the selections will include influential classics that deal with relevant, enduring human experiences.
The oldest book that the club will cover is Augustine’s “Confessions,” written in the late fourth century. However, other selections range as far as the 20th century.
“There are no particular parameters in terms of how old it is and what makes it count as old enough,” Busby said. “They are timeless, you might say.”
Meetings are held every other Thursday from 4-5 p.m. in Room 204 of the Hancock Welcome Center. At most meetings, students can expect to be introduced to a new text, which they will read and become acquainted with over the next two weeks. This interaction is done via a platform called Perusall.
Perusall is an online forum in which students can engage with the readings and interact with other involved club members. At the following meeting, students discuss the text they have been studying in person. Refreshments are also provided for members to enjoy as they exchange their thoughts about the reading.
“It’s not a closed club at all,” Busby said. “Anyone on campus can come: faculty, staff or students. I’d love to see some invested faculty get plugged in.”
In the future, Busby hopes to see the club grow from the original 25 to 30 students who attended the initial launch event.
“That was a really fantastic number,” Busby said. “I never envisioned the club being hundreds of students coming in, but if someday we get to a point like that, praise God for that.”
Looking forward, Busby is considering choosing a single book for the club to work through rather than multiple excerpts of literature.
“Our goal transcends just what we’re doing meeting-to-meeting,” Busby said. “We’re trying to help students thrive, and this is just one of the ways we’re trying to help them do that.”
The next club meeting is Feb. 12 from 4-5 p.m. in Room 204 of the Hancock Welcome Center, featuring Book I of Augustine’s “Confessions.” More information is available at the Center for Student Thriving’s website.
Combs is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion.