Rediscovering Integral Humanism

What is the purpose of higher education? Why do we pursue specialized fields of knowledge in a university environment? What is the relationship between education and freedom? How are culture and faith informed by education?

Although education produces knowledge that can further scientific and technical progress, the knowledge we gain can also be directed towards the flourishing of human persons in free societies. This summer seminar will introduce students to the relationship between higher education, authentic freedom and integral humanism. By reading authors such as Augusto del Noce, Jacob Levy, Jacques Maritain, John Cardinal Henry Newman, Jean Leclerq, and Luigi Giussani, we will ponder how an understanding of integral humanism can influence education, culture and community.

In addition to formative readings and engaging discussions, this program will include group leisure activities such as walks in nature, opportunities for contemplation and prayer, and visits to nearby historical and artistic sites. The seminar will also feature an alumni panel, discussing how they have applied what they have learned in their own educational settings. Students will also have the chance to interact with educators from both college and K-12 institutions who have successfully implemented a classical liberal arts approach in their educational contexts.

Selected Readings Include:

Luigi Guissani, The Risk of Education

Jacques Maritain, Education at the Crossroads

John Cardinal Henry Newman, The Idea of a University

Augusto del Noce, The Crisis of Modernity

Logistics: Students will be provided food and lodging on the grounds of the Portsmouth Abbey and School, which occupies 500 acres on the shores of Narragansett Bay. Students are expected to cover their own travel costs. Students will be provided with all books and articles required for the seminar, and all readings will be sent in advance of the program.

Format: There will be three 1.5-hour sessions daily. Our accommodations offer students the opportunity to voluntarily attend daily religious services, if they desire. Free time will include leisure and tours of local sites. The seminar will feature an excursion to Newport, Rhode Island, where we will explore the intersection of education, culture, religion and community in early American history.

Registration Fee: Students accepted to the program will be asked to make a non-refundable payment of $200 to cover part of the program costs.

Questions: Please direct all questions to info@scalafoundation.org