Thoreau College is an initiative to develop a new, transformative model of post-secondary education grounded in a holistic understanding of human development and of the role of community, contemplation, service, art, labor, and the cultivation of higher purpose in our shared cultural life. Our goal is to help form graduates who will possess the way of being, knowledge, and vision needed to effect generative social change for the common good.
We are based in the rural community of Viroqua, Wisconsin, in the heart of the beautiful unglaciated Driftless Region, just east of the upper Mississippi River. We draw inspiration from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, as well as from Henry David Thoreau and the American Transcendentalist movement and from other noble experiments in higher education, such as the Great Books colleges, Deep Springs College and other work colleges, and the folk school movement. We have also been inspired by the work of Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc in their important book on contemplation and collegial dialogue in colleges and universities, The Heart of Higher Education.
Thoreau College is a young initiative, in the early stages of development, and we are eager to connect with new supporters and collaborators both near and far, as well as with prospective students and teachers who are inspired to work on this project. While we are still exploring what the full future contours of the college might be, our intention is to establish an accredited four-year undergraduate liberal arts program with a small student body, rooted in an intensive experience of shared community living with people of all ages, self-governance, academic study, service, and immersions in nature and contemplation. Everyone interested in learning more about our vision and about how to get involved is invited to visit our website at www.thoreaucollege.org, or to get in touch via our Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].
As a first step towards the establishment of Thoreau College, this summer we are organizing a three-week intensive course – a Prelude – during which we hope to explore and prototype some of our key ideas in the context of a intensive community of learners and visionaries. Between July 18 and August 5 in Viroqua, we will be graced with the offerings of a series of wonderful presenters, leading workshops in topics as varied as nonviolent communication, Goethean contemplative nature studies, biography work, movement arts, manual skills, local history and spiritual geography, and innovative forms of social organization. The Thoreau College Prelude course is open to adults of all ages and participants are welcome to register for only part of the course if needed. Financial assistance is available for those applying before May 1. To learn more and to register, please visithttp://www.thoreaucollege.org/prelude-20161.html.
We are based in the rural community of Viroqua, Wisconsin, in the heart of the beautiful unglaciated Driftless Region, just east of the upper Mississippi River. We draw inspiration from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, as well as from Henry David Thoreau and the American Transcendentalist movement and from other noble experiments in higher education, such as the Great Books colleges, Deep Springs College and other work colleges, and the folk school movement. We have also been inspired by the work of Parker Palmer and Arthur Zajonc in their important book on contemplation and collegial dialogue in colleges and universities, The Heart of Higher Education.
Thoreau College is a young initiative, in the early stages of development, and we are eager to connect with new supporters and collaborators both near and far, as well as with prospective students and teachers who are inspired to work on this project. While we are still exploring what the full future contours of the college might be, our intention is to establish an accredited four-year undergraduate liberal arts program with a small student body, rooted in an intensive experience of shared community living with people of all ages, self-governance, academic study, service, and immersions in nature and contemplation. Everyone interested in learning more about our vision and about how to get involved is invited to visit our website at www.thoreaucollege.org, or to get in touch via our Facebook page or by emailing [email protected].
As a first step towards the establishment of Thoreau College, this summer we are organizing a three-week intensive course – a Prelude – during which we hope to explore and prototype some of our key ideas in the context of a intensive community of learners and visionaries. Between July 18 and August 5 in Viroqua, we will be graced with the offerings of a series of wonderful presenters, leading workshops in topics as varied as nonviolent communication, Goethean contemplative nature studies, biography work, movement arts, manual skills, local history and spiritual geography, and innovative forms of social organization. The Thoreau College Prelude course is open to adults of all ages and participants are welcome to register for only part of the course if needed. Financial assistance is available for those applying before May 1. To learn more and to register, please visithttp://www.thoreaucollege.org/prelude-20161.html.
