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Old 10-22-2012, 03:38 PM
 
Location: The Other California
4,254 posts, read 5,593,115 times
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Thomas More College is a small, classics-oriented Catholic liberal arts college near Merrimack, New Hampshire. The college has attracted some first rate scholars, including Stratford Caldecott and Joseph Pearce. One of the things that makes this place truly unique is its medieval guild program.

"Inspired by the original models, Thomas More College has established a series of guilds that enable students to gain practical skills and experience in areas such as woodworking, sacred art, homesteading and music. The College’s guilds take their spirit from those earlier voluntary communities of men and women who advanced their trades and arts while responding to the needs of their local communities. Each guild meets for a few hours each week and is taught by someone who is devoted to perfecting the skills of his or her trade. Students will be required to meet a series of benchmarks throughout the year so that their performance can be measured."

The homesteading guild looks particularly interesting:

"Students will learn mankind’s time-tested techniques for a wide range of priceless life skills: how to bake sour dough bread, keep bees, raise chickens, transform tree sap into maple syrup, make a fire in the woods, track animals, plant fruit trees, and clean fish and fowl. Special attention is given to how such traditional crafts have been kept alive in New England."

I can only think of a few colleges with a similar practical skills component integrated into the curriculum - College of the Ozarks, Deep Springs College, and Wyoming Catholic College come to mind.

Any others?


Last edited by WesternPilgrim; 10-22-2012 at 04:03 PM..
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Old 10-22-2012, 04:20 PM
 
Location: The Other California
4,254 posts, read 5,593,115 times
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Here's a nice article on Thomas More's guild program with more information.

"After learning their crafts, the students will be using them to contribute to both the campus and the community. For example, students in the woodworking guild are expected to build a new altar for the college chapel. Students in the sacred art guild will be making art that will hang within the chapel, and students in the bread baking guild will make food for the homeless.

Students are not given credit for the guilds, but they are a requirement for all incoming students. Each student will have to take at least three of the five guilds being offered."
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Old 10-22-2012, 05:12 PM
 
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I think that sounds pretty cool.
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Old 10-23-2012, 10:04 AM
 
Location: St Louis, MO
4,677 posts, read 5,750,752 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WesternPilgrim View Post
I can only think of a few colleges with a similar practical skills component integrated into the curriculum - College of the Ozarks, Deep Springs College, and Wyoming Catholic College come to mind.

Any others?
Nearly all land grant colleges have similar programs. For example, University of Iowa has an internationally renown book and paper making program.
Home | Center for the Book

Deep Springs is not actually a practical skills component of the educational program. It is more akin to work-study.

(BTW, you had a tracking bug in your post. Be careful with direct linking images from other sites.)
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Old 10-24-2012, 05:47 AM
 
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The homesteading guild sounds incredible.
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