Summary In this conversation, Shannon Valenzuela, Robert Puschautz, and AnneMarie Johnson explore the profound role of art in education, emphasizing its ability to connect beauty with truth and goodness. They discuss the artist's vocation as a divine calling, the importance of constraints in fostering creativity, and how beauty serves as a powerful tool for evangelization. The conversation also highlights the necessity of creating beautiful learning environments and integrating art into vario...
Summary In this conversation, Shannon Valenzuela interviews Dr. Joe Carlson, a University of Dallas alumnus and translator of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. They discuss his journey into the world of Dante, focusing on the personal nature of translation and the importance of delight in education. He emphasizes the role of enthusiasm in teaching, the art of translation, and the significance of medieval cosmology in understanding both literature and the sacramental nature of reality. The conv...
Summary In this conversation, Shannon Valenzuela interviews Mandi Gerth, the author of the new book Thoroughness & Charm: Cultivating the Habits of a Classical Classroom. They explore the principles of classical education, focusing on the importance of classroom management, the role of joy and order in learning, and the integration of the imagination and the intellect. They discuss how embodiment and enculturation can enhance the learning experience and delve into the significance of litu...
Summary In this conversation, Shannon Valenzuela interviews Charity Hill, an 11th grade integrated humanities instructor for Valor North Austin and host of the Bright Wings podcast on children's literature. They discuss the importance of discernment in selecting children's literature, the interconnectedness of truth, goodness, and beauty, and the transformative power of reading. Charity shares her experiences as a teacher and podcaster, emphasizing that children's literature is not just for c...
Summary In this engaging conversation, Dr. Junius Johnson discusses the significance of fairy stories in cultivating wonder and imagination within classical education. He emphasizes the transformative power of fantastical narratives, drawing parallels with C.S. Lewis's Narnia and the importance of teachers as guides in exploring these realms. The dialogue explores how fairy stories can enrich the curriculum, broaden literary canons, and foster a love for learning through delight and engagemen...
Summary In this episode, we explore the profound purpose of education, emphasizing the importance of human flourishing, the role of wonder and beauty in learning, and the necessity of fostering imagination in students. We discuss some of the challenges faced by educators today and the need for community among teachers. The conversation highlights the integral connection between joy, wonder, and the holistic development of both students and teachers in the educational journey. Topics Covered...
Summary In this episode, we discuss some of the principles and practices of classical education, particularly as we understand it at the University of Dallas. You’ll discover some of the aspects that make classical education distinctive and the importance of understanding the truth of the human person to education. Topics Classical education and the understanding of the human personArt and experience in learningAwakening wonder in students Learning is a continuous journey for both ...
Willmoore Kendall has been called a man against the world, a "maverick," an "iconoclast." He was also a professor of politics at the University of Dallas in during its early years, from 1962 to 1967. Kendall is the subject of today’s conversation with Christopher Owen, a retired professor of history at Northeastern State University and author of a new book: Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall. We discuss Kendall’s wisdom for today, how he intriguingly combined positions associated with both the political left and right, as well as the locally famous bust of Kendall you can still find the politics department at UD today. Link to photo: https://bit.ly/3FNMtqj Link to Heaven Can Indeed Fall: The Life of Willmoore Kendall ********************St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/Support the show
When you hear the word “pan-Americanism,” what comes to mind, if anything does, is probably a defunct airline. But back in its day, “much bitter controversy” was waged about the slippery idea of pan-americanism. Why? What was the controversy about? We discuss these and other questions with Dr. Mark Petersen, Associate Professor of History at the University of Dallas and the author of the recent book, The Southern Cone and the Origins of Pan America, 1888-1933. Dr. Petersen explains how pan-Americanism developed from its origins as a US-led form of regional cooperation, what “the Americas” look like when you begin from Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, instead of Washington; and why one photograph that he found in an archive made him sit back, stunned, in his chair. Link to photograph: https://drive.google.com/file/d/130Lo-N6d120vILgAdF0rZMDelceiGchB/view?usp=sharing More about Dr. Mark Petersen: https://udallas.edu/constantin/academics/programs/history/faculty/petersen-mark.php More about his book, The Southern Cone and the Origins of Pan America, 1888-1933: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268202019/the-southern-cone-and-the-origins-of-pan-america-1888-1933/ *********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show
Randy Boyagoda is a Catholic who has written four novels, most recently, Dante's Indiana. Though he loves reading Flannery O’Connor, he confesses that at one point he was thoroughly sick of hearing about her. We discuss why that is so in today’s conversation among Randy, myself, and Shannon Valenzuela of the University of Dallas. We also explore the pleasures of immersive reading and why it’s worth training oneself to read deeply, what happens when a writer doesn’t love her characters, and how stories can train both the mind and the heart.*********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show
"The Lord has really stripped me clean,” says Bishop James Conley of Lincoln. Bishop Conley had lived a varied and exciting life: chaplain, pastor, longtime Roman resident, and now, a bishop. But when he took a yearlong medical absence because of depression and anxiety in 2019, he entered a new phase.In this Living The Quest podcast conversation, Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer and director of The Quest, speaks with Bishop Conley about his experience, the importance of silence, and how he came to see the truth that in giving ourselves away we discover who we really are. Learn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/ ***************** Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/ St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_ud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show
Six years ago, Ross Douthat had it all together: a growing family, a great job at the New York Times, and a beautiful house in the Connecticut countryside. Then he fell mysteriously ill, sometimes struggling even to get through a day without horrific pain. What happened? How did he go on? Where was God in all of this? In this Living The Quest podcast conversation, Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer and director of The Quest, speaks with Ross about his experience, his faith, and how his years-long illness brought him through unknown, difficult, deep places. Learn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/Learn more about Ross Douthat : https://www.nytimes.com/column/ross-douthat*****************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show
Immaculée Ilibagiza hid for 91 days with seven other women in a small bathroom during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when most of her family members were killed. How does someone who lived through such a horrible time continue to live, to forgive, and even to love?In this conversation, Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer and director of The Quest, speaks with Immaculée about her experience, her faith, and how she found her way to forgiveness by praying the Our Father. Watch the video version of this interview: https://quest.udallas.edu/living/immaculeeLearn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/Learn more about Immaculée Ilibagiza: https://www.immaculee.com/*****************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show
Roosevelt Montas was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City as a teenager. He’s now a professor at Columbia University and a proponent of the great books and liberal education. How this happened, and why, is the subject of today’s conversation. We also discuss whether books are essential for a liberal arts education, why we need other people to become liberally educated, and what he found captivating about Socrates.*********************Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the showSupport the show
Some people might receive dramatic messages from God, but what about the rest of us? How can we ordinary people discover our purpose? As we learn in today’s conversation with writer, speaker, radio host, and UD alumna Katie Prejean McGrady, our purpose sometimes becomes clear when we walk the path that God has laid in front of us. Dr. Shannon Valenzuela, writer, narrator, and director of The Quest, speaks with Katie about facing challenges in her own life, why God might close some doors to open others, and how perseverance can help us discover the joy in the ordinary things.Learn more about The Quest: https://quest.udallas.edu/Learn more about Katie Prejean McGrady: https://www.katieprejeanmcgrady.com/***************** Free video series, “The Quest”: https://quest.udallas.edu/ St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/ Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: https://udallas.edu/liberal-learning/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lib_learning_ud Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlife Support the show
When you the hear the phrase “liberal arts” or “liberal learning,” the word “liberal” comes from the Latin word for “freedom.” But is this true? Are the liberal arts liberating? And if so, how? That’s the question I explore with Dr. Brad East, a theology professor at Abilene Christian University and a member of the Liberating Arts Project. We talk about the “utilitarian” and “activist” temptations on the Right and the Left, what it means to say that Shakespeare belongs to all of us, and what the liberal arts might liberate us from, and what they might liberate us for. Learn more the Liberating Arts Project: https://www.theliberatingarts.org/ Learn more about Dr. Brad East: http://www.bradeast.org/ ********************Learn more about the St. Ambrose Center: https://saintambrosecenter.udallas.edu/Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show
Many people instinctively think of medieval ways of thinking as old, dusty, and out of date. But what if some of those ideas are anything but: not the opposite of modern, but hyper-modern: post-modern, even? That’s one of the ideas explored in a new book: The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis. Today’s guest is the book’s author: Dr. Jason Baxter, a UD alumnus and Associate Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities at Wyoming Catholic College. We discuss the book, which you can learn more about below, as well as particle physics, astronomy, Dante, and much more. Read the book: https://www.ivpress.com/the-medieval-mind-of-c-s-lewis Listen to the book: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Medieval-Mind-of-CS-Lewis-Audiobook/B09TCXSRFDAbout Dr. Jason Baxter: https://www.jasonmbaxter.com/ ********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show
Truth or tribe: which is more important? Should our loyalty be to the truth, or to our people? Philip Harold thinks that the right answer is both – truth and tribe – and he explains why in today’s conversation. Dr. Harold, the Dean of Constantin College of Liberal Arts at the University of Dallas, also explains why people, and not worldviews, clash with each other, and why if we really want to have free and open discussions with each other, we need to start by being loyal to each other.********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show
Today’s conversation is about the allure of unled lives: the lives that you might have had if you had made different decisions in the past. My guest is Andrew Miller, Professor of English at Johns Hopkins University and the author of the recent book On Not Being Someone Else: Tales of Our Unled Lives. We discuss why “unled lives are a middle aged affair,” why the career – rather than the vocation – is the typically modern form of work, and the moral status of daydreaming.Buy the book: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674238084********************Free video series, “The Quest”: quest.udallas.edu/Liberal Learning for Life @ University of Dallas: udallas.edu/liberal-learning/Twitter: twitter.com/lib_learning_udInstagram: www.instagram.com/liberallearningforlife/Facebook: www.facebook.com/liberallearningforlifeSupport the show