Great Books Club Discussions of Dante's Divine Comedy Reunite Pepperdine Alumni
Spiritual and intellectual formation has no end date. Thus, at Pepperdine University the reading of Great Books, a collection of classical texts that have guided readers for centuries, does not halt with graduation. More than 200 alumni, staff, and Pepperdine parents have convened for the University’s Great Books Club to partake in a group reading of Dante’s Divine Comedy, from January 21 to April 15, 2026.
Paul Contino, Distinguished Professor of Great Books, is leading each discussion. Mirroring Dante’s pilgrimage of plumbing to the depths of hell, purification in purgatory, then entering the bliss of paradise—the literary cohort will journey through the tripart, 100-canto poem consisting of Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Composed by the Florentine poet Dante during his political exile from AD 1307 to 1321, The Divine Comedy has remained, for seven centuries, one of the greatest works of the Christian literary imagination.
“My goal is that when you hear Dante, you'll think of love,” said Contino as he welcomed Great Books Club participants on the first evening. “At the heart of Dante’s Divine Comedy, the word ‘amor,’ meaning love, appears. Often too many people focus on Inferno, but that is only the beginning of Dante’s pilgrimage. Ultimately the whole story reflects the human telos, our end goal, which is communal beatitude with God and with fellow human beings.”
Contino (top left corner, one to the right) leading a group discussion
Attendee Natalie Alderton (’24), who was honored as one of her graduating class’s valedictorians, shares that the Great Books curriculum bookended her undergraduate experience. She welcomed the opportunity to return to a program that brought forth and witnessed her personal development.
“Great Books was the thread that wove together my experience as a Pepperdine student,” Alderton says. “I had thought this chapter had closed at graduation, but the opportunity to participate in the Great Books Club with Dr. Contino has reminded me of the timelessness of great ideas and great community. It has been such a gift to step into this tradition again—and so encouraging to see so many people gathered in pursuit of beauty, truth, and goodness.”
Since her graduation Stephanie Spanier (’15), has remained in contact with Contino, whom she considers a trusted mentor. She expressed great joy at the opportunity to revisit Dante’s work in kinship with fellow alumni, especially now working on the East Coast—a whole six-hour flight away from Malibu. Along with her day job in tech sales, for the last two years Spanier has served as an alumni interviewer.
“Each time a prospective student asks me about my time at the University, I mention Great Books as one of the formative experiences that I still reflect on as an adult,” Spanier muses. “While it may appear on the surface that my day-to-day life and work have little connection to the Western canon, I believe the discussions in Great Books planted seeds for the way I continue to think about God, the way I read literature, and the way I engage with humanity as an adult.”
Chad Quiñones, director of Alumni Engagement at Seaver College, shared high praise for the record-breaking attendance of this most previous Great Books Club meeting. The club itself was made possible by a grant from the Apgar Foundation received by Jessica Hooten Wilson, Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books and professor of Great Books and humanities. Quiñones observes that such strong alumni engagement represents the community's deep regard for the Great Books program.
“As alumni, your connection to Pepperdine extends far beyond your diploma,” says Quiñones. “The Great Books Club and Dr. Contino’s thoughtful exploration of Dante’s Divine Comedy give our alumni a shared space to reconnect, reflect, and grow together.”
Through monthly Zoom discussions, the group completed its reading of Inferno on January 21, and will be moving along to discuss Purgatorio on February 18. Paradiso will be the subject of the following month’s meeting on March 18. Then, on April 15, the club will review the Commedia as a whole to reflect on its contemporary significance.
Please visit PeppLearn to view previous recordings of the Great Books Club’s Dante Discussions.