Ab initio method to calculate C-C bond dissociation energy?
This "experiment" is about determining bond dissociation energy.

The general way to solve this isn't like calculating enthalpies of reaction, as I initially thought, but rather through calculating the energy of two CH3 radicals, and comparing it with ethane.  As another user pointed out, this should be done with unrestricted Hartree Fock and with diffuse basis sets.

Thus, energy(ethane) - 2*energy(methyl radical) is the solution.