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Daniel Foucachon

Digressio: Inherit the Humanities

In this pilot episode we explore the mission and curricula of Roman Roads Press. 

Ep 1 - What is Roman Roads?

 1. What is
 Roman Roads?Great Books Reading ChallengeThe “Old Western Culture” course De Descriptione Temporum 2. Why is it called “Roman Roads”?
 3. RR curricula:
 Calculus For Everyone, Picta Dicta, Grammar of Poetry“Fitting Words” 4. and the art of Rhetoric
 5. Conclusion

Questions and Suggestions Form

Ep 1 - What is Roman Roads?

Everybody knows Narnia, but fewer have ventured into C.S. Lewis's science fiction series, wrongly called "The Space Trilogy". Teacher, author, and Lewis scholar, Christiana Hale shares her knowledge of Lewis, the Discarded Image, and the deeper meaning behind the trilogy. 

Ep 2 - Deeper Heaven & Lewis’ Ransom Trilogy

Deeper HeavenSilent Planet, Perelandra, Hideous Strength 1. Foreword from Douglas Wilson
 2. Christiana’s introduction to Lewis
 3. Why does the Ransom Trilogy need a reader’s guide?
 4. Why Lewis wrote the Ransom Trilogy
 5. Copernican vs. Ptolemaic universes & medieval cosmology
 6. The cosmos & story arc of the ransom trilogy
 7. The influence of the planets & astrology
The Discarded Image 8. in the Trilogy
 9. “Donegality” in Ransom Trilogy & Narnia 
(Planet Narnia + The Narnia Code) 10. Deeper Heaven’s audience & outline
 11. Christiana’s 
“Recovering the Discarded Image” 12. from Digressio Magazine 2019
 13. Why is 
That Hideous Strength 14. so different from the first two?
Abolition of Man , 15. education, and enlightenment rationalism
 16. Conclusion

Questions and Suggestions Form

Ep 2 - Lewis's Ransom Trilogy and Deeper Heaven with Christiana Hale

What is classical education? Is it a way of teaching (pedagogy) or is it the topics covered (subject)? We explore Daniel's answer and see how it dovetails with sharing the Gospel. 

Ep 3 - Classical Education as Inheriting the Humanities

 1. What is classical education? Pedagogy vs. Subject
 2. The inheritance of the West
 3. “The Humanities”: an integrated approach to many subjects, 
Calculus For Everyone 4. An inheritance for who?
 5. Americans’ Roman worldview
 6. Different cultural understandings of the Gospel: guilt vs. innocence, shame vs. honor, confidence vs. fear
 7. Studying the humanities shows us who we are
 8. Why read pagans as Christians? 
Fitting Words 9. Superficially Christian education
 10. Western inheritance: the weird uncle
 11. Conclusion

Questions and Suggestions Form

Ep 3 - Classical Education as Inheriting the Humanities

In this episode we explore how to approach the great books as Christians, Enlightenment prejudices, and oft-forgotten Medieval classics through the very first lecture of the Old Western Culture course.

Ep 4 - OWC Inaugural Lecture

Old Western Culture Year 1 - The Greeks 1. What do the great books do for us?
 2. A Christian approach to the great books
 3. “The clean sea breeze of the centuries”
 4. Christianity vs. syncretism; a confessional approach
 5. Enlightenment prejudice in great books collections
The Consolation of PhilosophyRule of BenedictAnselm’s TheologyThe Golden LegendGeoffrey of MonmouthOld Western Culture Year 3 - Christendom 6. The complete Christian classics reading list
 7. Ancient Christians are our people
 8. Conclusion

Questions and Suggestions Form

Ep 4 - Inaugural Lecture of Old Western Culture

In this episode "about" Homer's Iliad, we get to enjoy the entirety of Book 1, "The Rage of Achilles" from Wes Callihan's personal rendering of the Iliad.

1. "About" the great books vs. "Through" the great books
2. Roman Roads' 2019 Iliad Read Aloud Livestream
3. Conclusion

Questions and Suggestions Form

Ep 5 - The Rage of Achilles

Dr. Mitch Stokes tells us about his journey from engineering to philosophy and why those disciplines should be much more integrated than they typically are in the classroom and the lab.

How To Be An Atheist - Why Most Skeptics Aren’t Skeptical EnoughA Shot of Faith to the Head - Be a Confident Believer in an Age of Cranky AtheistsGalileo 1. Mitch's journey from STEM to philosophy
 2. How did science and math influence philosophy?
What Does Jesus Have to Do with STEM? - Digressio Magazine 3. Is calculus important?
 4. Why calculus is important for STEM people
 5. Why calculus is important for humanities people
Calculus for Everyone? - Digressio Magazine 6. Practical tips for the school administrator and homeschooling parent
Calculus for Everyone - Roman Roads Store
Questions and Suggestions Form

Ep 6 - Why Integrate Science, Math, and Philosophy with Dr. Mitch Stokes

Rusty Olps tells us about the lesser-known roots of the modern school system, and the affects of incidentals like age-based placement and 5-day a week attendance.

INTRO:
The Jubilee School
Lewis Clark Christian School
Kepler Education

OUTLINE:
1. The Prussian Model of Education
2. Horace Mann's Report of an Educational Tour, 1844
3. Incidentals of the Modern School
4. Diversity of learners, age-based grades, achievement-based advancement, 3-day model
5. The flipped classroom model
6. The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined - Salman Kahn
7. Homeschooling, Jubilee, and Kepler
8. How parents can help improve their 5-day schools

FURTHER READING:
The German Conspiracy in American Education - Gustavus Ohlinger 1919
Prussia and the German System of Education - Arthur Bott
The Myth of the Common School - Charles Leslie Glenn Jr.
 John Taylor Gatto
Disrupting Class 
Deschooling Society- Ivan Illich
So You Want to Start a School? - Brian Daigle

Ep 7 - The Hidden Assumptions of the 5-Day School with Rusty Olps

Timothy Griffith joins us to answer the question "Why Latin?" and why we need to integrate the three pathways of Use, Grammar, and Reading. We also bash the SAT a little bit, and talk about the CLT. 

INTRO:
Tim Griffith, Fellow of Classical Languages, New Saint Andrews College
Picta Dicta

OUTLINE:
1. Why learn latin?
2. Why latin over another language?
3. Being familiar with the ancient worldview
4. Real education vs. Studying to the test, and the Classical Learning Test.
5. The three learning pathways
6. The Grammar Approach and the Natural Method vs. Mixed Method Latin
7. How Picta Dicta uses all the learning pathways

LINKS:
The Mass Extinction Nobody Talks About - Tim Griffith
The Classic Learning Test
Picta Dicta as a live class at Kepler Education

Ep 8 - Latin Acquisition with Tim Griffith

In this episode, Daniel Foucachon sits down with Tim Griffith (the creator of Picta Dicta) and Reuben Jansen (the author of Picta Dicta Latin Primer) to discuss the art of learning Latin the right way, which means speaking and using Latin. 

Reuben tells us the story of how Latin Primer came about, and we discuss what speaking and using Latin as a living language looks like, as well as why it is worth while pursuing. Come listen to some Latin (don't worry, we'll teach you - even in this podcast!). 

Links: 
Picta Dicta (Vocabulary, Primer courses, and Readers): https://romanroadsmedia.com/latin

Ep 9 - How to Speak Latin, with Tim Griffith and Reuben Jansen

This special edition of the Digressio Podcast features an article by Dr. Mitch Stokes, senior fellow of Philosophy at New Saint Andrews College, entitled, "What Does Jesus have to do with STEM." STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

In this article Dr. Stokes explores the need to integrate STEM fields with the Liberal Arts, and addresses the current crisis in Physics. 

"The proper kind of liberal arts education for STEM students has more than theoretical value; it has substantial practical value for the STEM disciplines themselves." - Mitch Stokes

Dr. Stokes is the author of Calculus for Everybody, a Calculus text that embodies his vision for preparing the next generation of classical students heading into STEM fields. 

Learn more about Calculus for Everyone, and the other classical curriculum published by Roman Roads Press at www.romanroadspress.com 

Article read by Tim Stephenson. "What does Jesus have to do with STEM" first appeared in Digressio Magazine, Vol. 4 by Roman Roads Press. Read the article at www.DigressioMag.com.

Ep 10 - What Does Jesus have to do with STEM? by Dr. Mitch Stokes

The following was a portion of a Dante panel, focusing on the Inferno, presented at the University of Dallas, March 27, 2023, by Joe Carlson. 

Read the full article. 
Learn more about Dante's Divine Comedy at DantePoem.com

Ep 12 - Nostra Vita (Joe Carlson on Dante's Opening Lines)

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