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Presentation Type
Poster
Keywords
Plato, Pilgrimage, Polyfocal Conspectus, International Programs, Great Books, Western Culture, Christian, Roman, Greek, Hebrew
Abstract
The purpose of the Plato, Pilgrimage, and Polyfocal Conspectus Curriculum is to empower students to gain greater value from their study abroad experience by learning how to recognize and appreciate the four cornerstones of Western culture: Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian influences. The Curriculum offers students a framework within which they can plan their “pilgrimages” to sites that have significant historical, cultural, and intellectual impacts on the Western tradition, many of which students are exposed to through the Great Books Colloquium and Western Culture GE requirements. Thus, while travelling, students will be able to better identify the cultural movements which led to the artwork, architecture, and other great sites they are able to witness while abroad. Students can utilize the framework even further by following their interests in travelling to more sites similar to those that speak to them most. Therefore, students have the opportunity to control and obtain whatever degree of engagement they desire out of this curriculum.
By applying the Plato, Pilgrimage, and the Polyfocal Conspectus curriculum, students become more than tourists abroad; they become pilgrims seeking historical artifacts that embody the foundation of Western thought and culture. The methods of self-evaluation and intellectual fulfillment are dependent on the students’ desires to seek out these sites and create their own pilgrimage. Through the polyfocal conspectus, students will be able to engage with their travel destinations through a variety of lenses, and understand how different historical figures and movements affect each site and the legacies they leave behind.
Faculty Mentor
Michael Gose
Presentation Session
Session D
Start Date
23-4-2021 4:00 PM
End Date
23-4-2021 4:15 PM
Plato, Pilgrimage, and Polyfocal Conspectus Curriculum
The purpose of the Plato, Pilgrimage, and Polyfocal Conspectus Curriculum is to empower students to gain greater value from their study abroad experience by learning how to recognize and appreciate the four cornerstones of Western culture: Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and Christian influences. The Curriculum offers students a framework within which they can plan their “pilgrimages” to sites that have significant historical, cultural, and intellectual impacts on the Western tradition, many of which students are exposed to through the Great Books Colloquium and Western Culture GE requirements. Thus, while travelling, students will be able to better identify the cultural movements which led to the artwork, architecture, and other great sites they are able to witness while abroad. Students can utilize the framework even further by following their interests in travelling to more sites similar to those that speak to them most. Therefore, students have the opportunity to control and obtain whatever degree of engagement they desire out of this curriculum.
By applying the Plato, Pilgrimage, and the Polyfocal Conspectus curriculum, students become more than tourists abroad; they become pilgrims seeking historical artifacts that embody the foundation of Western thought and culture. The methods of self-evaluation and intellectual fulfillment are dependent on the students’ desires to seek out these sites and create their own pilgrimage. Through the polyfocal conspectus, students will be able to engage with their travel destinations through a variety of lenses, and understand how different historical figures and movements affect each site and the legacies they leave behind.