The Optimistic Curmudgeon

SECCE - Jim Ranieri: Re-Enchant the World by Reading Tolkien

In this SECCE breakout session, Jim Ranieri argues that the world stands in need of re-enchantment after the ravages of modernity. Tolkien's The Lord the Rings, read as a distinctly Catholic novel by Catholic teachers, has the potential to rightly re-enchant our minds and help us perceive the sacramental nature of reality. 

SE Consortium: Jason Jewell - The Canon as an Antidote to Contemporary Rootlessness

In this plenary address at the inaugural SE Consortium of Classical Educators conference at Thales College, Jason Jewell argues that our modern culture is marked by a rootlessness; the literary canon pushes against that rootlessness, encouraging us to find home through the pursuit of tradition, place, and things divine. 

SE Consortium: Sean Hadley - The Word for Heritage is Canon

In this plenary address at the inaugural SE Consortium of Classical Educators conference at Thales College, Sean Hadley builds a metaphorical view of the canon as a forest. The forest requires tending, and appreciation. Sean draws from Lewis's Experiment in Criticism to distinguish how classical educators bring their students into the forest to foster a certain kind of reading. 

SE Consortium: Robert Woods - Being a Loving Resistance Fighter During our Culture and Canon Wars

In this plenary address at the inaugural SE Consortium of Classical Educators conference at Thales College, Robert Woods draws on Neil Postman's Technopoly to argue for a certain attitude that classical educators ought to adopt as they engage in the fight for what is good, true, and beautiful. 

SE Consortium: Josh Herring - Books which Nourish the Soul

In this opening plenary address at the inaugural SE Consortium of Classical Educators conference at Thales College, Josh Herring draws from C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, David Hicks, Russell Kirk, and Robert Hutchins to describe the kind of book worth requiring in a K-12 educational context. This talk was delivered on 8/3/2024. 

Katherine Bradshaw: Learning to Play in Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew

Katherine Bradshaw of the Ancient Language Institute joins Josh Herring for a discussion of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. They summarize the play, discuss interpretive difficulties, read several passages, and generally have a delightful time laughing at one of Shakespeare's best (and most controversial) comedies. If you are interested in knowing more about the gender wars, let Shakespeare be your guide! Petruchio, Katherine, Bianca, Grumio and the rest shed light on some of today's most pressing questions.

Links to the things mentioned in the podcast:

The Ancient Language Institute - https://ancientlanguage.com/about/

New Humanists podcast from ALI: Katherine Bradshaw been a guest on this podcast a few times to talk about Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra, as well as to interview Eric Adler about Irving Babbitt - https://newhumanists.buzzsprout.com/1791279

Article for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal about alternative paths open to the academically inclined - https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2023/07/diary-of-a-freelance-language-scholar/

 

Eric Wearne - Developing New Models of Teacher Training (6x9)

Eric Wearne, director of the National Hybrid Schools Project, discusses his edited volume New Pathways in Teacher Preparation and Certification. There is a functional monopoly on training teachers, and Wearne argues that a school choice friendly America needs new approaches to training teachers and school leaders. With specific shoutouts to the CiRCE Institute's Apprenticeship program, Thales College's Certificate in Classical Education Philosophy, and several new options on the horizon, this episode presents solutions to the problem it diagnoses. Dr. Wearne also provides a brief survey of the history of teacher formation in America. Enjoy: Links:

1. The Book - https://www.amazon.com/New-Pathways-Teacher-Preparation-Certification/dp/1032335661/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JHeitO9YIhKqAUAHotAH7Pp9tTRbnErTYZyTJs7tbFLGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.8jtnCbsG_gmEx0h8CvOKHEZZr5aUktA9011US0mmefs&dib_tag=se&keywords=eric+wearne&qid=1718644623&sr=8-2

2. The National Hybrid Schools Project - https://www.kennesaw.edu/coles/centers/education-economics-center/national-hybrid-schools-project/index.php

3. Thales College's Certificate in Classical Education Philosophy - https://www.thalescollege.org/academics/classical-education/philosophy

 

Winston Brady: The Inferno - Theological Novel and Hidden Puzzles (6x8)

Winston Brady explains the story behind his Inferno, the importance of sin, redemption, and divine grace for ultimate happiness, and several puzzles hidden within Evan Esko's journey across Hell. Featuring lust, gluttony, murder, an Ent, Mephistopheles, suicide, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Thomas Jefferson, LBJ, Ernest Hemingway., and more. Here is the link to order your copy: https://shorturl.at/wL2I8

John Wilsey: Religious Liberty and Conservatism in the Negative World (6x7)

John Wilsey discusses the nature of religious conservatism, its place in the American tradition, and why conservatives are the best disposed group in America today to defend everyone's religious liberty. He explains the nature of patriotism, defending the idea of being American, and roots his arguments in Burkean conservatism. With callbacks to episode 5x5 featuring Ben Cnreshaw, Dr. Wilsey explains his take on Christian Nationalism. What does Wilsey think about Stephen Wolfe's Case for Christian Nationalism? Listen and find out!

Joe Rigney - Leadership, Anxiety, and Headship in a Therapeutic Age (6x6)

Joe Rigney discusses his new book, Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World, and the need for men in particular to rediscover their authority. Rigney argues that rightly used authority is a blessing to those under it and in the absence of that authority chaos reigns. He is concerned that those in leadership need to develop fortitude, enabling them to stay the course when storms arise. He also gives a beautiful response to President Biden’s proclaiming Easter Sunday as the Transgender Day of Visibility in 2024.