All Dana students participate in a unique general education requirement known as the Liberal Arts Reading Program, or LARP. This course was developed 50 years ago, and since then, Dana students and faculty members have read and discussed more than 400 of the world's best books.

Typically, all students and most faculty members participate in LARP one semester each academic year. Groups of 12 students, freshmen through seniors, meet with a faculty member weekly during the semester to discuss the assigned reading. Faculty members do not lecture or interpret the assigned reading but participate as co-learners with the students. Faculty members travel to different LARP groups each week. Students receive one credit for each semester of LARP; four credits are required for graduation. This highly acclaimed program is an essential part of the Dana liberal arts curriculum.