What Past Participants Have Said:
I’ve had the pleasure of participating in three of Dr. Bugbee’s courses. He uses what I would term a ‘modified’ Socratic method, in that each student brings to class . . . questions about the assigned reading. . . . He then leads the group through a discussion of the material at hand, gently adding his own insights and necessary background. The student is left with far greater understanding, and an extremely interesting give-and-take, while looking forward to the next session. . . . Dr. Bugbee’s classes lead the student into the fascinating world of medieval thought, and reveal its relevance to our theology today. His classes are ideal for anyone who wants to think deeply about the foundation of modern Christianity.
– participant from Free Union, VA
We caught John’s class on Dante’s Paradiso when we moved to Charlottesville and enjoyed it so much that the next year we attended the entire Divine Comedy. We found that John’s approach to teaching Dante was Republican (in the Aristotelian sense): democratic enough to encourage all the participants to derive their own personal meanings from the intricate poetry, but not so democratic that we lost track of Dante’s intended meanings. John has a scholarly understanding of Dante and university-level teaching skills that make him the ideal tour guide to the Divine Comedy.
– participants from Crozet, VA
I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out that I could join a Dante reading group that would do the whole Commedia in a year. John is a gentle guide, encouraging and humble. Some weeks you may do the reading and wonder what, if anything, you can bring to the discussion. Don’t worry. Just show up with an open mind and open heart. I looked forward to each session — I knew it would be the spiritual and intellectual fuel to get me through the week.
– participant from Scottsville, VA
Thank you tremendously for leading our group . . . through all of the fascinating works we have explored. I have enjoyed our ‘travels’ thoroughly and am so appreciative of the insights and profound ways of thinking we engaged. They’ve expanded the meaning of faith and life and living for me, providing answers sought to questions I barely knew how to formulate before.
– participant from Charlottesville, VA