"To preserve the reputation of the Fraternity unsullied must be your constant care."

BE A FREEMASON

Monday, April 14, 2008

Course on Freemasonry at Ohio State University

A brother forwarded this article to me from the Grand Lodge of Ohio's The Beacon (page 13):

Students Study Freemasonry at OSU

Worshipful Brother Jose Diaz, a Past Master of York Lodge #563 and an Associate Professor of History, is currently teaching a freshman seminar course entitled "From National Treasure to The Da Vinci Code: Freemasons, Fact, and Fiction" at The Ohio State University.

"I was really surprised by the number of students who wanted to take the class," said Diaz. "At one point, this class had the longest waiting list of any at OSU. I will teach it again in the Spring quarter, and I already have ten students enrolled."

The course syllabus states that by the end of the seminar, students will be able to:
*Understand the origins and history of Freemasonry
*Understand Freemasonry's role in American popular culture
*Search and locate information resources that are helpful in conducting more advanced research in Freemasonry and other fraternal orders
*Understand arguments for and against Freemasonry

The course will meet once a week for nine weeks. Each week will focus on a different topic. The three main textbooks for the class are S. Brent Morris' The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry, Christopher Hodapp's Freemasons for Dummies, and Mark Tabbert's American Freemasons.

Worshipful Brother Diaz will take his class on a tour of the Grand Lodge museum in Worthington, and will conclude the 9th week with a viewing of the Stonecutters episode of "The Simpsons".

1 comment:

  1. Well, I know of one book reviewer who would be shocked, shocked I say, to discover that a book with such a demeaning title as "Freemasons for Dummies" could ever be considered for use as a college textbook for a course on Freemasonry. I hope his fainting couch is nearby when he reads this.

    ReplyDelete

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