Philosophy and Literature Circle

Reading Homer, Plato and other ancient classics happens on college campuses. The Philosophy and Literature Circle, an experiential learning opportunity at UTSA, allows students to explore the transformative possibilities of a humanities and liberal arts education with incarcerated participants at Dominguez State Jail in San Antonio.

What does it mean to be human? What is the good life? How do we best promote the flourishing of our society? Through reading, discussion, and writing, scholars at the jail and from UTSA engage with humanistic texts that take up such enduring questions. Stuents develop capacities in critical thinking, logical and ethical reasoning, close reading, interpersonal communication, and creative expression. Each scholar enters our learning community as both an educator and a learner, as we cultivate a collaborative community animated by compassionate, creative, and critical engagement with ourselves, the course materials, and one another.

The Philosophy and Literature Circle was created by Mel Webb, a lecturer in the UTSA Department of Philosophy and Classics and Honors College.

Joining the Program

Students can join the program by enrolling in one of two regularly taught Honors College courses:

• HON 3233: Peace and Justice (Fall) 
• HON 3233: Moral Imagination and US Incarceration (Spring)

Applications for the Spring 2023 program are due October 3. Please apply here.